Former US Rep. Cardiss Collins dies
Former US Rep. Cardiss Collins, the first African-American woman to represent Illinois in Congress, died of natural causes at age 81 on Saturday, Feb. 2, in Washington, DC, according to a statement from Rep. Danny Davis, who replaced Collins as representative for the 7th Congressional District when she retired in 1997.
Collins passed away in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Biloxi Regional Medical Center in Missouri.