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Harold Washington, the first Black American mayor of Chicago, Illinois, dies of an apparent heart attack at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.
1987 (Nov 25)
Harold Washington, the first Black American mayor of Chicago, Illinois, died of an apparent heart attack at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Washington was six months into his second term as mayor when he collapsed while working in his City Hall office. Washington was first elected mayor of Chicago in 1983 after "a bitter, racially-charged election.” He had once said he wanted to serve the city for twenty years. Washington won re-election in April 1987 after campaigning on a theme of “uniting the city's diverse racial and ethnic groups.” His first term was marred by racial divisiveness among Black and White aldermen and by White, ethnic opposition to his policies on the city council. President Ronald Reagan led those expressing grief at Washington's death. The president observed that “Harold Washington will truly be missed, not only by the people of Chicago but also by many across the country for whom he provided leadership on urban issues." Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy called Washington's death “a tragedy for Chicago and for civil rights.... He was an outstanding congressman and an outstanding mayor, and the civil rights movement in America has lost one of its greatest and most respected leaders." Representative William Gray from Pennsylvania, the most powerful Black in Congress, said Washington's death was a real great tragedy." Finally, Richard Daley, Cook County state's attorney and the son of the legendary Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley remarked, “Mayor Washington had a deep love for his city, which has suffered a tremendous loss with his passing. His name will loom forever large in the history of Chicago, and rightfully so."
References:
- • Hornsby, Alton. Chronology of African-American History: Significant Events and People from 1619 to the Present. Detroit: Gale Research, 1995.