Harold Washington

Uncommon card · No. 108440

Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American politician and lawyer who was the 51st mayor of Chicago from 1983 until his death in 1987. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first Black person to hold the office. Entering politics as a critic of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley, Washington served in both houses of the Illinois General Assembly. He was subsequently elected to the United States House of Representatives in 1980 and was reelected in 1982. He ran for Mayor of Chicago in the 1983 election. During the Democratic primary, he defeated incumbent mayor Jane Byrne and State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, son of the late mayor. Many members of the city's ethnic white Democratic political machine backed his Republican opponent, Bernard Epton, in the general election. However, Washington prevailed, winning the close race. Washington's first term as mayor was dominated by a racially polarized political conflict dubbed the Council Wars. A 29-alderman majority...

Read on Wikipedia · Image US Federal Government, Public domain