Wilson Frost

Who is Wilson Frost?

Wilson Frost is a former Chicago city alderman. In 1976, upon the death of longtime mayor Richard J. Daley, Frost declared that he was now acting mayor, based upon his reading of the city charter and the fact that he was serving as President Pro Tempore of the City Council. However, Wilson found himself literally locked out of the mayor's office—he was told that the keys could not be found. In a power struggle that lasted several days, the white majority city council determined that the African-American Frost was incorrect in his claim, and appointed Michael Bilandic, a Croatian-American alderman, as acting mayor instead.

Born in Cairo, Illinois, Frost graduated from Fisk University and later went to Chicago-Kent College of Law, where he got his law degree and was admitted to the Illinois bar. Frost, a lawyer, was first elected as an alderman in 1967, representing the 21st Ward. He was seen as a loyalist in the ranks of the Daley political machine, and his elevation to the position of president pro tempore was a reward for his service. However, the majority of Chicagoans in the mid-1970s were highly resistant to the notion of a black mayor, and the power brokers even more so. To appease African American voters, the kingmakers in City Hall elevated Frost to the chairmanship of the City Council's Finance Committee, a position that carried some real power, as opposed to the titular position of council president pro tempore. Frost replaced Alderman Edward Vrdolyak—one of the most powerful alderman, both before and after these events—as finance chair. Also, to ostensibly eliminate the chance of any future confusion, a new position of "Vice-Mayor" was created.