Editing Richard M. Daley (section)

== Early political career ==
Daley was elected to his first office as a [[Delegate (American politics)|delegate]] to the 1969 Illinois [[Constitutional convention (political meeting)|Constitutional Convention]], which created the current [[Constitution of Illinois]] (adopted after voters approved it in [[1970 Illinois elections#Ballot measures (December 15)|a 1970 special election]]).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Harper |first1=Dan |title=Subject & Course Guides: Daley Family Collections: About Richard M. Daley |url=https://researchguides.uic.edu/DaleyFamily/RMDbio |website=researchguides.uic.edu |publisher=UIC |access-date=March 28, 2020 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Grossman |first1=Ron |title=Rewriting a constitution not for the weak of heart |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/ct-per-con-con-flashback-0524-jm-20150522-story.html |website=chicagotribune.com |publisher=Chicago Tribune |access-date=March 28, 2020 |date=May 22, 2015}}</ref> According to journalist Rick Perlstein, in June 1972, Daley led a mob on behalf of his father's Democratic Party regulars against pro-[[George McGovern|McGovern]] reformers meeting in a church in Illinois' Fifth Congressional District. The action was unsuccessful and the reformers' slate (which included [[Jesse Jackson|Rev. Jesse Jackson]]) replaced the Daley slate at the Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida.<ref>Rick Perlstein, ''Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America'' (NY: Scribner, 2008), pp. 691-693.</ref>

After his father died in 1976, Daley succeeded his father as the 11th Ward Democratic [[Committeemen and Committeewomen (Cook County)|committeeman]], a party post, until succeeded in the post by his brother [[John P. Daley]] in 1980.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ciokajlo |first1=Mickey |first2=Robert |last2=Becker |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2005/09/11/john-daley-6/ |title=John Daley; Mayor's low-key brother forced into spotlight as city corruption scandals invade his personal and political domain, the 11th Ward |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=September 11, 2005}}</ref> With John P. Daley holding the post from 1980 to the present, a Daley has held the post of 11th Ward Committeeman for 60 years.

=== Illinois State Senate (1972–1980) ===
After Edward Nihill stepped down, Daley, with the support of the Democratic political organization, was elected to the [[Illinois Senate]], serving from 1972 to 1980.<ref>{{cite book|last=Rakove|first=Milton L.|title=Don't Make No Waves, Don't Back No Losers|location=[[Bloomington, Indiana]]|publisher=[[University of Indiana Press]]|page=53|isbn=978-0-253-20202-4|year=1976|url=https://books.google.com/books?isbn=0253202027}}</ref> State Senator Daley rarely spoke to reporters and didn't hold a news conference for six years.<ref name=whatsinaname/> Daley chaired the Senate Judiciary Committee. Daley was named one of Illinois' ten worst state legislators by ''[[Chicago Magazine]]'' "for arrogance, for sharklike qualities, for living off his father's name, and for pulling puppet strings attached to some of the worst members of the Senate." He was considered "too shrewd to be one of the worst, but he controls so many of the worst senators that he belongs on the list to represent all of them."<ref name=cassel/><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] Sunday Magazine |date=August 25, 1996 |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-960825kass-daley-story,0,4568356.story |title=The New Mayor Daley |first=John |last=Kass |author-link=John Kass }}</ref> After the Spring 1975 state legislative session, Chicago Democrat [[Dawn Clark Netsch]], who served with Daley as Illinois Constitutional Convention delegates and as State Senators, blamed "dirty little Richie" for frustrating her [[good government]] legislative agenda in the state legislature.<ref>{{cite news |title=Springfield '75: Winners and losers: Behind the blizzard of bills--the uncommon seven |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=June 22, 1975}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=A New Dawn |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |date=November 18, 1979 |last=Harty |first=Rosalynne}}</ref>

=== Cook County State's Attorney (1981–1989) ===
[[1980 Cook County State's Attorney election|In 1980]], Daley challenged incumbent [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[Bernard Carey]] for [[Cook County, Illinois|Cook County]] [[State's Attorney]]. Democratic Mayor [[Jane Byrne]] endorsed Alderman [[Edward M. Burke]] in the Democratic primary,<ref name="themayors"/><ref>{{cite news | title=THE WRATH OF MAYOR JANE BYRNE | author=Waldman, Myron S. | newspaper=[[Boston Globe]] | date=March 13, 1980 | page=1}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Her Prestige is on the Line; Byrne Backs Kennedy and Opposes a Daley - She's One Tough Lady | date=March 15, 1980 | last=Wilkie |first=Curtis | page=1 | newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]}}</ref> and after Daley prevailed in the primary, endorsed Carey in the general election. Daley prevailed and served from 1981 to 1989.<ref name="themayors"/><ref>{{cite news |title=The Law and Richard M. Daley |first=David |last=Jackson |date=September 1988 |url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-1988/The-Law-and-Richard-M-Daley/ |work=[[Chicago Magazine]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Daley Beats Incumbent For Post in Cook County | date=November 6, 1980 | agency=[[UPI]] | newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> His election over Carey saw him win by merely sixteen thousand votes, one of the narrowest wins for the Cook County State's Attorney election.<ref name="themayors">{{cite web |last1=Green |first1=Paul M. |last2=Holli |first2=Melvin G. |title=The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition, fourth edition |url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=-L_shTgapuIC |publisher=SIU Press |access-date=May 22, 2020 |page=225|language=en |date=January 10, 2013}}</ref>

==== Police torture reported to Daley, 1982 ====
In February 1982, Andrew Wilson was arrested for the murder of two Chicago police officers. Wilson was taken to Area 2 detective headquarters on the South Side for interrogation under Chicago Police Detective [[Jon Burge]]. Dr. John Raba, Medical Director of Cermak Health Services, the prison hospital in the Cook County Hospital system, examined Wilson, determined Wilson had been [[tortured]], and complained in writing to then Chicago Police Superintendent [[Richard J. Brzeczek]]:

<blockquote>I examined Mr. Andrew Wilson on February 15 & 16, 1982. He had multiple bruises, swellings and abrasions on his face and head. His right eye was battered and had a superficial laceration. Andrew Wilson had several linear blisters on his right thigh, right cheek and anterior chest which were consistent with radiator burns. He stated he'd been cuffed to a radiator and pushed into it. He also stated that electrical shocks had been administered to his gums, lips and genitals. All these injuries occurred prior to his arrival at the Jail. There must be a thorough investigation of this alleged brutality.<ref>{{citation |title=Brzeczek Exhibit No. 2: Letter from Raba |date=February 17, 1982 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/7651902/Letter-to-Daley1 |first=John |last=Raba}}</ref></blockquote>

Brzeczek forwarded the letter to State's Attorney Daley.<ref>{{cite news |title=A tortuous path to not blaming Daley |first=John |last=Kass |author-link=John Kass |date=July 20, 2006 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2006/07/20/a-tortuous-path-to-not-blaming-daley/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Doctor Takes Burge Trial Stand |first=Katie |last=Fretland |date=June 8, 2010 |agency=Chicago News Cooperative |url=http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/doctor-takes-burge-trial-stand/ |access-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035911/http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/doctor-takes-burge-trial-stand/ |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Brzeczek Exhibit No. 3: Letter to Daley |date=February 25, 1982 |url=https://www.scribd.com/doc/7651902/Letter-to-Daley1 |first=Richard |last=Brzeczek}}</ref> Daley never replied,<ref>{{cite news |title=House of Screams; Torture by Electroshock: Could it happen in a Chicago police station? Did it happen at Area 2? |first=John |last=Conroy |date=January 25, 1990 |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/house-of-screams/Content?oid=875107 |newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]]}}</ref> and charges were never brought against any officers.<ref>{{cite news |title=Daley on Burge: 'We Did Everything Possible' |first=Dan |last=Mihalopoulos |date=June 30, 2010 |url=http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/daley-on-burge-response-we-did-everything-possible/ |access-date=November 27, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171201035909/http://www.chicagonewscoop.org/daley-on-burge-response-we-did-everything-possible/ |archive-date=December 1, 2017 |url-status=dead  }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ignoring an injustice |date=April 29, 2007 |first=Rob |last=Warden |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2007/04/29/ignoring-an-injustice/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> Daley's prosecutors convicted Wilson and his brother Jackie of murder, and Andrew Wilson was sentenced to death. On April 2, 1987, the [[Illinois Supreme Court]] overturned the convictions, ruling that Wilson was forced to confess involuntarily after being beaten by police.<ref>{{citation |title=Verdict Overturned In Killing Of 2 Cops |date=April 3, 1987 |first=Joseph R. |last=Tybor |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1987/04/03/verdict-overturned-in-killing-of-2-cops/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=The Persistence of Andrew Wilson; A cop killer who fought to expose torture in the Chicago Police Department has died, but his testimony from beyond the grave could still help bring down its perpetrators |first=John |last=Conroy |newspaper=[[Chicago Reader]] |date=November 29, 2007 |url=http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/the-persistence-of-andrew-wilson/Content?oid=999832 |access-date=December 1, 2012}}</ref>

=== First campaign for mayor: 1983 challenge to Jane Byrne ===
{{Main|1983 Chicago mayoral election}}

In November 1982, Daley announced his first campaign for mayor.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1982/11/05/us/another-daley-seeks-to-run-chicago.html | title=Another Daley Seeks to Run Chicago | date=November 5, 1982 | access-date=December 1, 2012 | last=Malcolm |first=Andrew H. | newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Daley's Son to Run for Mayor | date=November 5, 1982 | agency=[[Associated Press]] | page=1 | newspaper=[[Boston Globe]]}}</ref> The candidates in the three-way Democratic primary, which included incumbent Mayor [[Jane Byrne]], a former protégée of his father, and Congressman [[Harold Washington]], held a series of four televised debates.<ref>{{cite news | title=3 Candidates for Chicago Mayor Clash in Debate on Finances | date=January 20, 1983 | access-date=December 2, 2012 | last=Sheppard Jr. |first=Nathaniel | newspaper=[[New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/01/20/us/3-candidates-for-chicago-mayor-clash-in-debate-on-finances.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | title=Last Debate Signals Final Stage of Chicago's Acrimonious Democratic Mayoral Race | date=February 2, 1983 | access-date=December 2, 2012 | last=Malcolm |first=Andrew H. | newspaper=[[New York Times]] | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/02/02/us/last-debate-signals-final-stage-of-chicago-s-acrimonious-democratic-mayoral-race.html}}</ref> Daley finished third.<ref>{{cite news | title=Victory Claimed for Washington in Chicago Vote | date=February 23, 1983 | last=Malcolm |first=Andrew H. | newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> Many of Richard J.'s political allies blamed Richard M. for splitting the white vote, enabling Washington to become Chicago's first black mayor.<ref>{{cite news |title=Daley vs. Daley; For much of the past half century, a mayor named Daley has towered over Chicago. We compare the reigns of father and son, assessing their triumphs and failures, their impact on the city—and what their enduring dominance at the polls says about us |first=David |last=Bernstein |date=September 2008 |url=http://www.chicagomag.com/Chicago-Magazine/September-2008/Daley-vs-Daley/ |work=[[Chicago Magazine]]}}</ref>

=== Second campaign for mayor: 1989 victory over Eugene Sawyer ===
{{Main|1989 Chicago mayoral special election}}

On November 25, 1987, Mayor Washington died in office of a heart attack. On December 2, 1987, the [[Chicago City Council]] appointed Alderman [[Eugene Sawyer]] as mayor until a special election for the remaining two years of the term could be held in 1989.<ref name=Fremon>{{cite book |last=Fremon |first=David K. |title=Chicago Politics Ward by Ward |publisher=Indiana University Press |date=January 1, 1998 |page=343 |isbn = 978-0-253-20490-5}}</ref> Daley announced his candidacy on December 6, 1988, saying

<blockquote>Let's face it: we have a problem in Chicago. The name-calling and politics at City Hall are keeping us from tackling the real issues&nbsp;... I may not be the best speaker in town, but I know how to run a government and how to bring people together.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1988/12/06/us/daley-entering-chicago-contest-for-mayoralty.html | title=Daley Entering Chicago Contest For Mayoralty | date=December 6, 1988 | access-date=December 1, 2012 | author=Johnson, Dirk | newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref><ref name=commentary/></blockquote>

[[Rahm Emanuel]] worked for the Daley campaign as a fundraiser,<ref>{{cite news |title=In Chicago, A Political Dynasty Nears Its End |first=Cheryl   |last=Corley |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/05/13/136240147/in-chicago-a-political-dynasty-nears-its-end |agency=NPR |date=May 13, 2011}}</ref> [[David Axelrod (political consultant)|David Axelrod]] as campaign strategist, [[William M. Daley|William Daley]] as chief strategist, and [[Forrest Claypool]] as a campaign aide.<ref name=conduct/> Among four Daley campaign appearances on a Sunday shortly before the primary was a rally of [[Polish Highlanders Alliance of North America|Polish Highlanders]] at 4808 S. Archer Ave.<ref>{{citation |title=Daley, Sawyer Campaigns Shift Into High Gear; Mayoral Rivals Crisscross Neighborhoods |date=February 20, 1989 |first1=Joel |last1=Kaplan |first2=Dahleen |last2=Glanto |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/02/20/daley-sawyer-campaigns-shift-into-high-gear/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> In a videotaped television newscast, it appeared that Daley said, "You want a white mayor to sit down with everybody." Sawyer said he was "shocked." Daley explained, "It was my standard stump speech. I'm not maybe the best speaker in town, but I have never used the word [white]."<ref>{{citation |title=Bernardin Calls For Racial Harmony; Mayor Candidates Praised |date=February 24, 1989 |first1=Jack |last1=Houston  |first2=Mitchell |last2=Locin |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/02/24/bernardin-calls-for-racial-harmony/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref> That Friday, the campaign watchdog group CONDUCT censured Daley and commended Sawyer for his "rejection of racially inflammatory comments."<ref name=conduct>{{citation |title=Group Censures Daley For Disputed Comment |date=February 25, 1989 |first1=R. Bruce |last1=Dold |first2=John |last2=Camper |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1989/02/25/group-censures-daley-for-disputed-comment/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]]}}</ref><ref>{{citation |date=May 27, 2010 |title=The "wet mayor" legend, a timeline from the news archives |first=Eric |last=Zorn |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=http://blogs.chicagotribune.com/news_columnists_ezorn/2010/05/the-wet-mayor-story-a-timeline-from-the-news-archives.html}}</ref><ref name=stoopidest/>

Daley defeated Sawyer in the primary.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/03/01/us/daley-wins-primary-in-chicago-mayoral-vote-is-racially-divided.html | title=Daley Wins Primary in Chicago; Mayoral Vote Is Racially Divided | date=March 1, 1989 | access-date=December 1, 2012 | author=Johnson, Dirk | newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> In the 1989 general election, Daley faced Republican candidate [[Edward Vrdolyak]], a former Democratic alderman who had opposed Mayor Washington, and [[Alderman]] [[Timothy C. Evans]], the candidate of the newly created Harold Washington Party. Daley won  the general election on April 4, 1989.<ref>{{cite news | title=Daley Elected Chicago Mayor | date=April 5, 1989 |author1=Peterson, Bill |author2=Edsall, Thomas B | page=1 | newspaper=[[Washington Post]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/04/05/us/daley-wins-as-mayor-of-chicago-ending-six-years-of-black-control.html | title=Daley Wins as Mayor of Chicago, Ending Six Years of Black Control | date=April 5, 1989 | access-date=December 1, 2012 | author=Johnson, Dirk | newspaper=[[New York Times]]}}</ref> Daley was inaugurated as Mayor of Chicago on April 24, 1989,<ref name=daleys22>{{cite news |title=Richard M. Daley's 22 years as mayor |date=April 30, 2011 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2011/04/30/richard-m-daleys-22-years-as-mayor/}}</ref><ref>{{citation |title=Inaugural Address |first=Richard M. |last=Daley |date=April 24, 1989 |url=http://www.chipublib.org/cplbooksmovies/cplarchive/mayors/rm_daley_inaug01.php |publisher=[[Chicago Public Library]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=10 Memorable Moments Of Mayor Daley's Reign |url=http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2011/05/13/10-highlights-of-mayor-daleys-reign/ |first=Adam |last=Harrington |publisher=CBS Chicago |date=May 13, 2011}}</ref> his 47th birthday, at a ceremony in [[Symphony Center|Orchestra Hall]].