Richard J. Daley

From his first election in 1955 to 1976, Mayor Richard J. Daley dominated Chicago's political landscape. A product of the Irish Catholic working class, Daley never lost touch with his roots as he rose through the Democratic Party machinewhose workings he perfectedto become a powerful and enduring political figure. The story of Daley is also the story of Chicago. Faced with issues confronting many American cities in the twentieth centurycivil rights, integration, race riots, fiscal crisis, housing, suburban flight, urban renewalDaley conducted Chicago's business with a steadfast resolve to withstand the many changes that threatened to engulf his city. Richard J. Daley portrays one of the most prominent American mayors in a balanced perspective and sheds new light on his place in urban history.