Richard M. Daley

Who is Richard M. Daley?

Richard Michael Daley is a former Mayor of Chicago, Illinois. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was re-elected five times until declining to run for a seventh term. At 22 years, he was the longest serving Chicago mayor, surpassing the tenure of his father, Richard J. Daley. Mayor Daley took over the Chicago Public Schools, developed tourism, oversaw the construction of Millennium Park, increased environmental efforts and the rapid development of the city's central business district downtown and adjacent near North, near South and near West sides. Daley expanded employee benefits to same-sex partners of City workers, and advocated for gun control. Daley was a national leader in privatization and the lease and sale of public assets to private corporations. Daley was criticized when family, personal friends, and political allies seemed to disproportionately benefit from city contracting. Mayor Daley took office in a City with regular annual budget surpluses and left the City with massive structural deficits. His budgets ran up the largest deficits in Chicago history.

Prior to serving as mayor, Daley served in the Illinois Senate and then as the Cook County State's Attorney.