Harold Washington

Harold Washington (1981)

Harold Lee Washington (born April 15, 1922 in Chicago , Illinois ; † November 25, 1987 there ) was an American politician and from 1983 until his death the first African American mayor of Chicago. The Democrat was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1980 .

Washington had to assert itself against stiff internal resistance in its party. Although Chicago is a Democratic stronghold, it initially struggled to prevail in elections and as mayor, as many white Democrats preferred to work with their Republican opponents rather than with them.

Early years

Washington studied at Roosevelt College (now Roosevelt University) and graduated from there in 1949 with a B.A. In 1952 he completed his law education at Northwestern University School of Law in Evanston and then worked as a lawyer. In 1965 he got a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives , one in the State Senate in 1976 and one in the US House of Representatives in 1980.

Election for Mayor of Chicago (1983)

Chicago had been ruled by Democrats for decades in Washington’s time, and the entire state of Illinois is a democratic stronghold. In fact, that normally meant that the winner of the democratic primary would also be the later winner of the actual election. In the run-up to the election, civil rights activists had more than 100,000 African Americans in Chicago to register as voters. Washington benefited from those votes, while the votes of the white populations split between incumbent Mayor Jane Byrne and challenger Richard M. Daley , son of decade-long incumbent mayor Richard J. Daley . Washington won 37% ahead of Byrne (33%) and Daley (30%).

While the Republican challenger, Bernard Epton , appeared to be a negligible figure before the election campaign, it became clear in the run-up to the election that he was supported by many white Democrats and grassroots organizations. Among them also was Edward "Fast Eddie" Vrdolyak . Vrdolyak was chairman of the Democrats in Cook County , which also includes Chicago, and therefore a very serious figure.

The elections themselves then turned out to be a vote based on ethnic origin. While Epton got 90% of all votes in the boroughs with a predominantly white population, it was only 3% in those with a predominantly black population. At Washington the numbers were reversed. Overall, Washington was four percentage points ahead.

As mayor (1983–1987)

His first term in office was similar. Washington had to deal with a 29-21 majority who fought his reforms in the so-called “Council Wars” and refused to appoint his candidates for government positions. The 29, also known as "Vrdolyak 29", were run by the "Eddies". In addition to Eddie Vrdolyak, these were several influential white Democrats. They were supported by Illinois Attorney General Richard M. Daley, US Congressman Bill Lipinski , Dan Rostenkowski, and other white Illinois Democrats.

Washington managed to rule with its veto rights. The "Eddies" lacked a 30th vote to be able to overrule his veto, his coalition of African Americans, Latinos and white liberals voted for him. Washington fought in the courts to reverse an electoral reform introduced by its predecessor. When the court subsequently ordered an extra election according to the old mode, it managed to get 25 of its own candidates for the city council through. Together with his vote as chairman, they were able to outvote the 25 other city council members.

He won re-election in 1987 for sure. Despite the short time until his death, he still managed to overthrow the Eddies. Vrdolyak moved to the Republican Party, and formerly in charge of public parks, Kelly, and finance, Burke, lost their posts.

literature

• Roger Biles: Mayor Harold Washington: Champion of Race and Reform in Chicago. University of Illinois, Champaign 2018, ISBN 978-0-252-04185-3 .

Web links

Commons : Harold Washington  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

• Harold Washington in the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress (English)
• Harold Washington in the nndb (English)