Robert G. Spinney
- Published in print:
- 2020
- Published Online:
- January 2021
- ISBN:
- 9781501749599
- eISBN:
- 9781501748356
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501749599.003.0011
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This chapter focuses on Richard J. Daley, who was elected mayor of Chicago in 1955 and won re-election in the city's next five mayoral contests. It describes Daley as the undisputed boss of Chicago ...
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This chapter focuses on Richard J. Daley, who was elected mayor of Chicago in 1955 and won re-election in the city's next five mayoral contests. It describes Daley as the undisputed boss of Chicago and the man who perfected the Cook County Democratic Party machine. It analyzes why Daley might have been the best in American history at doing what he did, in which he used a political machine to govern a large city. The chapter investigates how Daley was a scrupulously honest politician who steered clear of financial and moral improprieties but failed to adjust to the changing realities of Chicago, especially those relating to its growing black population. It also recounts Daley's death in 1976 that marked the passing of an era in Chicago history.Less
This chapter focuses on Richard J. Daley, who was elected mayor of Chicago in 1955 and won re-election in the city's next five mayoral contests. It describes Daley as the undisputed boss of Chicago and the man who perfected the Cook County Democratic Party machine. It analyzes why Daley might have been the best in American history at doing what he did, in which he used a political machine to govern a large city. The chapter investigates how Daley was a scrupulously honest politician who steered clear of financial and moral improprieties but failed to adjust to the changing realities of Chicago, especially those relating to its growing black population. It also recounts Daley's death in 1976 that marked the passing of an era in Chicago history.
