RICHARD J DALEY: POLITICS, RACE, AND THE GOVERNING OF CHICAGO [Hardcover]

ROGER BILES (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0875801994 | ISBN-13: 978-0875801995 | Publication Date: June 19, 1995 | Edition: 1

From his first election in 1955 to 1976, Mayor Richard J. Daley dominated Chicago's political landscape. A product of the Irish Catholic working class, Daley never lost touch with his roots as he rose through the Democratic Party machine—whose workings he perfected—to become a powerful and enduring political figure.

The story of Daley is also the story of Chicago. Faced with issues confronting many American cities in the twentieth century—civil rights, integration, race riots, fiscal crisis, housing, suburban flight, urban renewal—Daley conducted Chicago's business with a steadfast resolve to withstand the many changes that threatened to engulf his city. Richard J. Daley portrays one of the most prominent American mayors in a balanced perspective and sheds new light on his place in urban history.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An eternal figure in Chicago politics (his son governs the city today), Richard J. Daley would rule Carl Sandburg's ``City of the Big Shoulders'' with an increasingly heavy hand. Author Biles, who has also written on Daley's predecessor, Edward J. Kelly, portrays a politician eager to maintain the status quo, despite governing in a time of massive change. But as Daley's administration bridged the gap from the late 1940s to the 1960s, he had to face racial unrest and massive youth uprising. Daley took on Dr. Martin Luther King and Yippies, becoming, according to Biles, ever more ``ossified in his role as archdefender of the domestic order,'' and, as a consequence, he was unable to deal with the ghetto riots and the violence surrounding the 1968 Democratic convention. Daley's story turns particularly ugly when he orders police to ``shoot to kill'' during one riot, and when he usurps power at the 1968 convention. Biles doesn't just focus on local politics, showing Daley in the role of federal kingmaker as well. In 1968, Daley worked fruitlessly behind the scenes to prod Edward Kennedy to run for president, and the mayor's refusal to back Adlai Stevenson in 1964 would be a perpetual sore spot between the two. Readers will be fascinated by the detailed inner workings of the Chicago political machines, rife with patronage. But as the subtitle suggests, this is a political biography and as such fails to shed much light on the man and his more personal motivations. Photos.

Copyright 1995 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

"The most complete and authoritative biography of this powerful political figure that we yet have."—Journal of American History

"Essential reading for urban scholars and those knowledgeable about Chicago's politics. A well-done and important contribution to the urban literature."—Library Journal

"Highly readable and thoroughly researched ... a valuable contribution to local history."—Chicago Sun-Times

Product Details

• Hardcover: 302 pages
• Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press; 1 edition (June 19, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0875801994
• ISBN-13: 978-0875801995
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,261,142 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inaccurate, mostly drawn from previous biographies, October 10, 1999

By 

Norman Nithman "nrn" (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: RICHARD J DALEY: POLITICS, RACE, AND THE GOVERNING OF CHICAGO (Hardcover)

Biles claims that Daley held back the 1960 vote to deliver for JFK. Len O'Connor, in his better _Clout_, tell us that Daley delivered the vote early to demoralize West Coast Republicans at the risk of being out-defrauded in IL by Du Page County. Other flaws include claiming that former 43rd Ward Alderman William Singer was elected to the 44th in 1969 and use of contemporary ward maps to illustrate returns for old elections with different ward layouts. Unfortunately, better Daley biographies such as _Clout, and Royko's _Boss_ are out-of-print.

1 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Nonbiased, March 2, 2000

By 

Caroline de Castro (United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: RICHARD J DALEY: POLITICS, RACE, AND THE GOVERNING OF CHICAGO (Paperback)

In my opinion Biles offers a non biased historical background on Mayor Daley. It is a good book, very interesting.