Harold Washington Biography Quotes 11 Report mistakes

Early Life and Education
Harold Lee Washington was born on April 15, 1922, in Chicago, Illinois, to Roy Washington, a precinct captain and city policeman, and Bertha Jones Washington. Growing up on the South Side, he absorbed the rhythms of neighborhood politics through his father while experiencing the constraints of segregation that shaped Chicago in the first half of the twentieth century. He attended DuSable High School, a hub of Black cultural and civic life, and developed an early interest in public service. After returning from military service, he earned a bachelor's degree from Roosevelt University in 1949 and a law degree from Northwestern University School of Law in 1952, joining a generation of Black attorneys who saw the law as a tool for civic reform.

Military Service and Legal Career
Washington served in the U.S. Army during World War II, part of a cohort of African American servicemen who returned determined to claim fuller citizenship at home. Back in Chicago, he passed the bar and practiced law, advocating for clients from working-class neighborhoods while building relationships across the city's complex political map. He gained a close-up view of how power moved through the Democratic organization overseen for years by Mayor Richard J. Daley, and he learned how to navigate inside and outside that machine.

Illinois Legislator
Washington won a seat in the Illinois House of Representatives in the mid-1960s, joining during the historic at-large election of 1964 that reshaped state politics. In Springfield he built a reputation as a skilled debater and coalition-builder, pushing for fair housing, voting rights, and equal employment measures. He later moved to the Illinois Senate in 1977. His legislative work reflected a consistent focus on civil rights and government accountability. A legal setback in the early 1970s, when he pleaded guilty to failing to file federal income tax returns and served a brief sentence, could have ended his public career; instead, he returned to office with renewed energy, earning respect for his candor and persistence. Among colleagues, he worked closely with leaders in the emerging Illinois Legislative Black Caucus and allied reformers who challenged patronage-driven governance.

Congressional Service
In 1980, Washington was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Illinois's 1st District, defeating incumbent Bennett Stewart in the Democratic primary. In Washington, D.C., he joined the Congressional Black Caucus and supported labor rights, urban investment, and the extension of the Voting Rights Act. He spoke out against apartheid in South Africa and kept close ties to Chicago allies such as Jesse Jackson, who was building national campaigns around civil rights and economic justice. When Washington left Congress to run for mayor in 1983, union leader Charles Hayes succeeded him in the House, ensuring continuity for the district.

Path to Chicago's City Hall
The death of Mayor Richard J. Daley in 1976 destabilized the old order, and after a turbulent period under Jane Byrne, Harold Washington saw an opening for a multiethnic, reform-minded coalition. In the 1983 Democratic primary, he defeated Byrne and Cook County State's Attorney Richard M. Daley, the powerful son of the late mayor. The general election against Republican Bernard Epton became one of the most polarized contests in Chicago history, yet Washington prevailed by mobilizing Black voters, Latinos, progressive whites, and independents. His volunteer army included organizers such as Al Raby and a generation of future city leaders.

Mayoral Leadership
As Chicago's first Black mayor, sworn in in 1983, Washington aimed to professionalize city government, open contracting to communities long shut out, and shift city services toward neglected neighborhoods. He emphasized balanced budgeting, compliance with court-ordered restraints on patronage, and modern management practices. His administration expanded participation for minority- and women-owned firms in city procurement and sought ethics reforms that culminated in a code of conduct and an institutional framework to police conflicts of interest. Washington elevated talented administrators and legal advisors, including a strengthened corporation counsel's office, and directed investment into libraries, transit corridors, and neighborhood infrastructure. He also pushed forward the plan for a new central library, later completed as the Harold Washington Library Center.

Council Wars and Coalition Building
From his first months, Washington confronted a hostile majority in the City Council, led by Alderman Edward Vrdolyak and allied with figures like Ed Burke. The so-called Council Wars tied up appointments and blocked legislation through control of committee assignments. Washington's floor leader, Alderman Timothy Evans, and allies such as David Orr worked to keep the mayor's coalition unified while legal fights over ward remap and special elections played out. In 1986, court-ordered special elections shifted several seats, sending new Washington allies to the council, including future national figures like Luis Gutierrez and Jesus Garcia, alongside staunch supporters such as Dorothy Tillman. With a new, narrow majority, the administration could move budget, reform, and development initiatives more effectively.

Second Term and Sudden Death
Washington sought and won reelection in 1987 against a divided opposition that included Vrdolyak running on a third-party line and a Republican candidacy. He campaigned on fiscal stability, equitable services, and an inclusive vision of economic growth. Only months into his second term, on November 25, 1987, he collapsed at his City Hall desk and died of a heart attack. The succession fight that followed captured the intensity of Chicago politics: City Clerk David Orr served as acting mayor, the council selected Alderman Eugene Sawyer as interim mayor, and Timothy Evans mounted a rival claim that galvanized Washington's base. The episode illustrated both the fragility and the potency of the coalition Washington had assembled.

Legacy
Harold Washington transformed Chicago's political landscape by proving that a disciplined, multiethnic coalition could win citywide power and govern on principles of fairness, transparency, and neighborhood investment. He confronted the entrenched patronage system, expanded opportunity in public contracting, and brought new communities into policymaking. Institutions were renamed in his honor, including Harold Washington College and the downtown library that bears his name, but his deeper legacy lies in the generation of public servants and activists he inspired. From Jesse Jackson's national campaigns to the local careers of leaders such as David Orr, Timothy Evans, Luis Gutierrez, and Jesus Garcia, the network around Washington carried forward his emphasis on ethics, inclusion, and coalition politics. Though his time as mayor was cut short, Harold Washington's imprint endures in a city that, after him, could never fully return to the old ways of power.

Our collection contains 11 quotes who is written by Harold, under the main topics: Equality - Peace - Change - Decision-Making - Servant Leadership.