Daley, Richard J

Daley, Richard J(oseph)

(born May 15, 1902, Chicago, Ill., U.S.—died Dec. 20, 1976, Chicago) U.S. politician, mayor of Chicago (1955–76). A lawyer in his native Chicago, Daley served as state director of revenue (1948–50) and clerk of Cook county (1950–55) before being elected mayor. He pushed urban renewal and highway construction and a sweeping reform of the police department, but he was criticized for failing to eliminate racial segregation in housing and public schools, for promoting downtown skyscraper construction, and for police brutality committed against demonstrators at the 1968 Democratic National Convention. His tight control of city politics through job patronage won him a reputation as “the last of the big-city bosses.” His last years were marred by scandals surrounding members of his administration. His son Richard M. Daley (b. 1942) was first elected mayor of Chicago in 1989.