54 Facts About Harold Washington

Harold Washington served as mayor from April 29,1983, until his death on November 25,1987.

Harold Washington was a member of the US House of Representatives from 1981 to 1983, representing Illinois's first district.

Harold Washington had previously served in the Illinois State Senate and the Illinois House of Representatives from 1965 until 1976.

In 1896, Mack Harold Washington had married Arbella Weeks of Massac County, who had been born in Mississippi in 1878.

In 1897, their first son, Roy L Washington, father of Mayor Washington was born in Ballard County, Kentucky.

Harold Lee Washington was born on April 15,1922, at Cook County Hospital in Chicago, Illinois, to Roy and Bertha Washington.

Harold Washington grew up in Bronzeville, a Chicago neighborhood that was the center of black culture for the entire Midwest in the early and middle 20th century.

Edward and Harold Washington stayed with their father while Roy Jr.

Between his junior and senior year of high school, Harold Washington dropped out, claiming that he no longer felt challenged by the coursework.

Harold Washington worked at a meatpacking plant for a time before his father helped him get a job at the US Treasury branch in the city.

In 1942, Harold Washington was drafted into the United States Army for the war effort and after basic training, sent overseas as part of a racially segregated unit of the US Army Air Corps unit of Engineers.

Harold Washington joined other groups of students not permitted to enroll in other local colleges.

In 1946, after the college had moved to the Auditorium Building, Harold Washington was elected the third president of Roosevelt's student council.

The next year, Harold Washington went to the state capital at Springfield to protest Illinois legislators' coming probe of "subversives".

Harold Washington led students' opposition to the bills, although they would pass later in 1949.

Harold Washington's friends said that he had a "remarkable ability to keep cool", reason carefully and walk a middle line.

Harold Washington intentionally avoided extremist activities, including street actions and sit-ins against racially segregated restaurants and businesses.

Harold Washington then applied for and was admitted to study law at the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago.

At Northwestern Law School, Harold Washington was the only black student in his class.

On campus, Harold Washington joined the Nu Beta Epsilon fraternity, largely because he and the other people who were members of ethnic minority groups which constituted the fraternity were blatantly excluded from the other fraternities on campus.

From 1951 until he was first slated for election in 1965, Harold Washington worked in the offices of the 3rd Ward Alderman, former Olympic athlete Ralph Metcalfe.

Harold Washington thrived on it, and I knew any thoughts of marriage would have to wait.

Harold Washington was a close friend of the founders of the League and worked with them from time to time.

In 1983, Protest at the Polls was instrumental in Harold Washington's run for mayor.

Harold Washington backed Renault Robinson, a black police officer and one of the founders of the Afro-American Patrolmen's League.

Robinson approached Harold Washington and asked him to fashion a bill which would authorize the creation of a civilian review board, consisting of both patrolmen and officers, to monitor police brutality.

Harold Washington believed that he had the support of Ralph Tyler Smith, Speaker of the House.

In exchange for the party's backing, Harold Washington would serve on the Chicago Crime Commission, the group Daley tasked with investigating the AAPL's charges.

Harold Washington continued work on the Fair Housing Act, and worked to strengthen the state's Fair Employment Practices Commission.

Harold Washington was accused of failing to file a tax return, even though the tax was paid.

Harold Washington was found guilty and sentenced to 36 days in jail.

Harold Washington passed a resolution in honor of Metcalfe, his mentor.

Harold Washington passed a resolution in honor of James J Reeb, a Unitarian minister who was beaten to death by a segregationist mob in Selma, Alabama.

Redmond had Harold Washington appointed as chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

In November 1966, Harold Washington was re-elected to the House over Daley's strong objections; the first complaint was filed in 1964; the second was filed by January 1967.

In 1971, Harold Washington was charged with failure to file tax returns for four years, although the Internal Revenue Service claimed to have evidence for nineteen years.

Harold Washington pleaded "no contest" and was sentenced to forty days in Cook County Jail, a $1,000 fine, and three years of probation.

Daley had been displeased with Harold Washington for having run a symbolic challenge in 1975 to Daley-backed Clyde Choate for Illinois Speaker of the House.

The United Automobile Workers union, whose backing Harold Washington obtained, were critical in persuading Daley to relent to back his candidacy.

Harold Washington defeated Anna Langford by nearly 2,000 votes in the Democratic primary.

Harold Washington made adjustments in anticipation of some legislators' concerns regarding the bill, before speaking for it in April 1979.

In 1980, Harold Washington was elected to the US House of Representatives in Illinois's 1st congressional district.

Harold Washington defeated incumbent Representative Bennett Stewart in the Democratic primary.

Harold Washington missed many House votes, an issue that would come up in his campaign for mayor in 1983.

Harold Washington had collected 250,000 signatures to get on the ballot, although only 610 signatures were required.

Harold Washington had massive majorities on the South and West Sides.

Harold Washington was sworn in as mayor on April 29,1983, and resigned his Congressional seat the following day.

Harold Washington created the city's first environmental-affairs department under the management of longtime Great Lakes environmentalist Lee Botts.

Meanwhile, in the courts, Harold Washington kept the pressure on to reverse the redistricting of city council wards that the city council had created during the Byrne years.

Six weeks later, when Marlene Carter and Luis Gutierrez won run-off elections, Harold Washington had the 25 aldermen he needed.

Harold Washington's Political Education Project Records is an archival collection detailing the organization's work.

Harold Washington had weighed 284 pounds, and suffered from hypertension, high cholesterol levels, and an enlarged heart.

On June 20,1988, Alton Miller again indicated that drug reports on Harold Washington had come back negative, and that Harold Washington had not been poisoned prior to his death.

Dr Stein stated that the only drug in Harold Washington's system had been lidocaine, which is used to stabilize the heart after a heart attack takes place.