Facts about Harold Washington

Life

Harold Washington was born on Saturday, April 15, 1922 at Cook County Hospital in Chicago. His father was Roy Lee Washington Sr. (1897-1953). His mother was Bertha Jones (1898-1980). They married on July 29, 1916 and had four children: Roy Jr., Geneva, Edward Glen and Harold. Roy and Bertha divorced in 1928. In 1933 Roy married Arlene Jackson. They had no children. Bertha also remarried. She and her husband, Ernest Oliver Price, had six children: Ernestine, Ernest Jr., Ramon, Gwendolynn, Elaine and Patricia.

Harold Washington married Nancy Dorothy Finch on July 22, 1942. They divorced without children on February 25, 1950. At his death Washington was engaged to Mary Ella Smith.

Washington died of a massive heart attack at his desk in City Hall on November 25, 1987. Thousands of Chicagoans attended his wake in the lobby of City Hall between November 27 and November 29, 1987. On November 30, Rev. B. Herbert Martin officiated at funeral services at Christ Universal Temple at 119th Street and Ashland Avenue, Chicago. Washington was buried in Oak Woods Cemetery, 1035 E. 67th Street, Chicago.

Education

• St. Benedict the Moor Grammar School, Milwaukee and Forrestville Elementary School, Chicago, 1928-1936
• DuSable High School, Chicago, 1936-1939; 1946 (diploma awarded after military service)
• Civilian Conservation Corps, 1939
• Roosevelt College (now Roosevelt University), Chicago, B.A., 1946-1949
• Northwestern University, School of Law, Evanston, J.D., 1949-1952

Military Service

Harold Washington was called to active duty on February 8, 1943. He was assigned to the 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion, where he rose to the rank of First Sergeant. The 1887th received the Meritorious Service Unit Award for building a bomber landing strip on the Pacific island of Anguar in only 20 days. Washington, who was honorably discharged on January 20, 1946, was decorated for bravery.

Professional Career

Harold Washington became a practicing attorney in 1952 when he earned his law degree from Northwestern University. Before seeking elected office, he was an assistant city prosecutor (corporation counsel) from 1954 until 1958 and an arbitrator for the Illinois Industrial Commission from 1960 until 1964. During these years he was also active politically, beginning in 1954 when he followed in his father’s footsteps and became a precinct captain in the 3rd Ward.

Political Career Before Becoming Mayor

• Illinois state representative, 26th District, 1965-1976
• Illinois state senator, 26th District, 1977-1980
• Chicago mayoral candidate, 1977 (received 11 percent of the vote)
• United States representative, 1st District, 1981-1983

1983 Mayoral Election

Harold Washington announced his candidacy on November 10, 1982. He won the Democratic primary election on February 22, 1983 with 36 percent of the vote, defeating incumbent Mayor Jane M. Byrne, Richard M. Daley, Sheila Jones, William R. Markowski and Frank R. Ranallo. Washington won the general election on April 12, 1983 with 52 percent of the vote, defeating Bernard Epton (Republican) and Ed Warren (Socialist Workers). He was inaugurated at Navy Pier on April 29, 1983. (1983 Inaugural Address)

1987 Mayoral Election

On February 24, 1987 Harold Washington beat his opponents, Jane M. Byrne and Sheila Jones, in the Democratic primary election with 53 percent of the vote. He went on to victory in the general election on April 7, 1987, again with 53 percent of the vote, defeating Edward R. Vrdolyak (Illinois Solidarity) and Donald H. Haider (Republican). (1987 Inaugural Address)

Accomplishments

• Created the Ethics Commission
• Issued an executive order increasing minority business contracts
• Opened government with a Freedom of Information executive order
• Led fight for ward redistricting; more black and Hispanic representation
• Fought for equal provision of public services; neighborhood street, curb and gutter repair
• Opened the city’s budget process for public input and participation
• Encouraged neighborhood festivals and projects
• Led movement for Illinois’ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday Bill

Archives

The Harold Washington Archives & Collections document the career of Harold Washington through manuscripts, photographs, videotapes, pamphlets and artifacts as well as books from his personal library. The collections are available for research in the Special Collections and Preservation Division.

For Further Reading

The Ancestry of Mayor Harold Washington
By Curtis G. Brasfield
Heritage Books, 1993

Climbing a Great Mountain: Selected Speeches of Mayor Harold Washington
By Alton Miller
Bonus Books, 1988

Fire on the Prairie: Chicago’s Harold Washington and the Politics of Race
By Gary Rivlin
H. Holt, 1992

“Harold,” The People’s Mayor: An Authorized Biography of Mayor Harold Washington
By Dempsey Travis
Urban Research Press, 1989

Harold Washington and the Neighborhoods: Progressive City Government in Chicago, 1983-1987
By Pierre Clavel and Wim Wiewel
Rutgers University Press, 1991

For younger readers

Harold Washington: Mayor with a Vision
By Naurice Roberts
Children’s Press, 1988