Byrne, Jane

Byrne, Jane, 1934–, American politician, b. Chicago as Margaret Jane Burke. She was Chicago's consumer sales commissioner (1968–77) under Mayor Richard Daley before she became the first woman to win election (1979) as mayor of the city. During Byrne's single term, the city faced severe financial problems. In 1983 she ran for reelection but lost the Democratic primary to Harold Washington.

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Byrne, Jane (b. Burke) (1934–  ) mayor; born in Chicago. She worked in Chicago's antipoverty program (1963–68) and then as city consumer sales commissioner under Mayor Richard Daley (1968–77). She defeated the Democratic machine's candidate in the primary and as mayor of Chicago (1980–84) became the first woman to head a major American city. The city experienced serious financial problems during her tenure and she lost in the 1983 Democratic primary to Representative Harold Washington, who became the first African-American mayor of Chicago; he defeated her again in 1987. In the 1991 election, she unsuccessfully challenged Mayor Richard M. Daley Jr.