Richard J. Daley

Richard J. Daley
Daley in 1962
48th Mayor of Chicago
In office April 20, 1955 – December 20, 1976
Preceded by	Martin H. Kennelly
Succeeded by	Michael Bilandic
Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party
In office 1953–1976
Preceded by	Joseph L. Gill
Succeeded by	George Dunne
16th President of the United States Conference of Mayors
In office 1959–1960
Preceded by	Norris Poulson
Succeeded by	Richardson Dilworth
Cook County Clerk
In office March 20, 1950 – April 20, 1955
Preceded by	Michael J. Flynn
Succeeded by	Edward J. Barrett
Minority Leader of the Illinois Senate
In office 1943–1947
Member of the Illinois Senate from the 9th district
In office January 4, 1939 – January 8, 1947
Preceded by	Patrick J. Carroll
Succeeded by	Thaddeus Adesko
Member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 9th district
In office January 6, 1937 – January 4, 1939
Preceded by	David Shanahan
Succeeded by	William Fucane
Personal details
Born	Richard Joseph Daley (1902-05-15)May 15, 1902 Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	December 20, 1976(1976-12-20) (aged 74) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Resting place	Holy Sepulchre Cemetery
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Sis Guilfoyle ​ (m. 1936)​
Children	7, including Richard, John, and William
Relatives	Patrick R. Daley (grandson) Patrick Daley Thompson (grandson)
Education	DePaul University (LLB)

This article is part of a series about Richard J. Daley
Daley family 1946 Cook County Sheriff election Mayoralty Elections 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 Public works Construction of Chicago Civic Center Construction of McCormick Place Events hosted by city 1959 Pan American Games Law enforcement 1968 Chicago riots 1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity Summerdale scandals Transit Development of O'Hare Airport Chicago Skyway Dan Ryan branch Dan Ryan Expressway Skokie Swift Unrealized transit proposals Crosstown Expressway Chicago Central Area Transit Plan
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Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the mayor of Chicago from 1955, and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party from 1953, until his death. He has been called "the last of the big city bosses" who controlled and mobilized American cities.^[1] He was the patriarch of a powerful Chicago political family. His son, Richard M. Daley, would also go on to serve as mayor of Chicago and another son, William M. Daley, served as the United States Secretary of Commerce and White House Chief of Staff.

Daley was Chicago's third consecutive mayor from the working-class, heavily Irish American South Side neighborhood of Bridgeport, where he lived his entire life. He is remembered for doing much to save Chicago from the declines that other rust belt cities, such as Cleveland, Buffalo, and Detroit, experienced during the same period. He had a strong base of support in Chicago's Irish Catholic community and was treated by national politicians such as Lyndon B. Johnson as a pre-eminent Irish American, with special connections to the Kennedy family. Daley played a major role in the history of the Democratic Party, especially with his support of John F. Kennedy in the presidential election of 1960 and of Hubert Humphrey in the presidential election of 1968. He would be the longest-serving mayor in Chicago history until his record was broken by his son Richard M. Daley in 2011. He has been ranked by some historians as among the ten best mayors in American history.^[2]

On the other hand, Daley's legacy is complicated by criticisms of his response to the Chicago riots that followed the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. and his handling of the notorious 1968 Democratic National Convention held in his city. During his tenure, he also had enemies within the Democratic Party. In addition, many members of Daley's administration were charged and convicted for corruption, although Daley himself was never charged with any crime.