What is Abner J. Mikva?
[[File:AbnerJMikva.jpg|thumb|Mikva in the 1970s]] '''Abner Joseph Mikva''' (January 21, 1926 &ndash; July 4, 2016) was an [[Americans|American]] judge, lawyer, academic and politician. He was a [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] and of [[Jew]]ish descent.<ref>{{cite book| last = Stone| first = Kurt F.| title = The Jews of Capitol Hill: A Compendium of Jewish Congressional Members| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=ACTF56SnaykC&pg=PA246| year = 2010| publisher = Scarecrow Press| isbn = 978-0-8108-7738-2| page = 246 }}</ref> He was known by many as an important [[liberalism|liberal]] figure in [[Chicago]] and American politics. In later years, he was known for being a mentor to [[Barack Obama]]. Mikva served as a [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. Representative]] representing [[Illinois]] from 1969 through 1979. He was also a federal judge appointed by [[Jimmy Carter]]. He served as judge from 1979 through 1994. He later served as the [[White House Counsel]] for [[Bill Clinton]] serving from 1994 through 1995. He has also served as a law professor at [[Northwestern University]], the [[University of Chicago]], and the [[University of Illinois]]. Mikva was born in [[Milwaukee, Wisconsin]]. He was raised in [[Chicago]], [[Illinois]]. Mikva studied at the [[University of Chicago]]. He received the [[Presidential Medal of Freedom]] from President [[Barack Obama]] on November 24, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/10/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom|title=President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom|work=The White House|access-date=25 November 2014|archive-date=11 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141111070937/http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/11/10/president-obama-names-recipients-presidential-medal-freedom|url-status=dead}}</ref> Mikva was married to Zorita Wise from 1948 until his death in 2016. They had three daughters. Mikva died under [[hospice]] care in [