Richard J . Daley
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Transcript of Richard J . Daley
Richard J. DaleyThe Most Interesting Mayor in
Chicago’s History
Overview• Mayor from 1955 – 1976• Elected to 5 terms• Operated one of most efficient, notorious
political machines in American history• Widely regarded as the mayor who saved
Chicago from the fate of many other Midwestern cities.
• Died on December 20th, 1976
Early Life• Born and raised in
Bridgeport (third of five mayors)
• Irish Catholic• Parents instilled a
desire for professional excellence
Democratic Machine• Patronage and gifts for supporters• Close ties to aldermen in City Council• Connection to national Democratic politicians,
including: JFK, LBJ, and other politicians who do not have a three letter acronym for their name.
• Many Daley administration workers charged with corruption, but he was never.
Accomplishments• Kept Chicago from
downfall of other rust-belt cities (Detroit, Cleveland)
• Revitalized Loop• McCormick Place, UIC,
O’Hare, Sears Tower• Kept Chicago in great
fiscal standing
The Dan Ryan Expressway - 1961
Controversy• 1968– MLK assassination aftermath
• "I said to him very emphatically and very definitely that an order be issued by him immediately to shoot to kill any arsonist or anyone with a Molotov cocktail in his hand, because they’re potential murderers, and to shoot to maim or cripple anyone looting.”
– Democratic Convention• The Dan Ryan Expressway• Public Housing and Racial Segregation