Remembering Richard J. Daley

City Celebrations

Daley sponsored festivals, parades, and public events that showcased Chicago and its people, and he welcomed entertainers and other dignitaries when they visited.

One of the things that amazed me was that he enjoyed every event. It could be the one-hundredth parade of the year and you would think that it truly was the first one. He loved people. He loved parades. He loved the excitement. He loved his job.

Patricia Daley-Martino, daughter of Richard J. Daley, interview excerpt, June 12, 2002

img: [Richard J. Daley carrying a shillelagh and leading a Saint Patrick’s Day parade. Father Byrnes and Admiral Galloway are walking beside him. RJD_04_01_0064_0001_009]
img: [Richard J. Daley and four people examine the scrolled proclamation for a “Bal Masqué” event, undated. RJD_04_01_0017_0003_004]
img: [Richard J. Daley surrounded by five women wearing national costumes in honor of Captive Nations Week, 1960. Photo R. E. Murphy. RJD_04_01_0019_0006_001]
img: [Richard J. Daley and Eleanor Roosevelt at the dedication of Roosevelt University in honor of both Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, 1959. Photo: Roosevelt University. RJD_04_01_0046_0002_001]
img: [Mayor Richard J. Daley stands with the Little Misses of Chicago, 1961. Photo: Mart Studios. RJD_04_01_0020_0006_006]
img: [Richard J. Daley with Santa, carolers, and tree at outdoor holiday event, 1959. Photo: Pics Chicago. RJD_04_01_0014_0006_017]
img: [Members of a building construction technical study team from the Japan Productivity Center in Tokyo meet with the Mayor, 1956. RJD_04_01_0061_0001_003]
img: [Mayor Richard J. Daley celebrates the 120th anniversary of the incorporation of the City of Chicago, circa 1957. Photo: Pics Chicago. RJD_04_01_0014_0008_001]
img: [Apollo 11 astronaut parade crowd to celebrate landing of first man on the moon, 1969. RJD_04_01_0052_0006_0131 of 18]
img: [Richard J. Daley and Eleanor Daley with costumed Mrs. O'Leary and cow, 1976. RJD_04_01_0036_0006_003]

The State Department and other people always knew that they could bring people to Chicago. That was because they would get the best reception of all, the most lavish dinners, and the biggest parades. That was because they knew they could count on Richard J. Daley to put on a good performance. With New York, there was the first time around with the astronauts, sure. But then, after the second, third, and fourth ones, they didn’t. Chicago always still got them because we still put on a good show. He just loved showing off his city.

Ed Bedore, City Budget Director, May 18, 2009

img: [Richard J. Daley, Judge Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, and David Ben-Gurion, Prime Minister of Israel, undated. RJD_04_01_0069_0002_001]
img: [Richard J. Daley (at podium) with Senator Charles Percy (left) and President of Egypt, Anwar Sadat (middle) raising their glasses in a toast, 1975. RJD_04_01_0053_0007_002]
img: [Program for dinner in honor of Willy Brandt, Mayor of West Berlin, 1961. RJD_01_02_0001_0010_006]
img: [Visit of Japanese Emperor Hirohito, instructions for hosts, 1975. The handwritten note is from Colonel “Jack” Reilly, Mayor Daley’s director of special events. RJD_01_02_0001_0010_004]
img: [Bishop Marcinkus, Richard J. Daley, and Eleanor Daley meet with Pope Paul VI, undated. RJD_04_01_0047_0001_002]

In July 1959, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom visited Chicago as part of a tour to celebrate the opening of the St. Lawrence seaway:

img: [Map of docking area for Queen Elizabeth II's arrival in Chicago, 1959. RJD_01_02_0003_0010_008]
img: [Richard J. Daley, Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip, and others tour the International Trade Fair in Chicago, 1959. Photo: Pics Chicago. RJD_04_01_0046_0001_006]
img: [Mayor Daley and Queen Elizabeth II walk to banquet in the Queen’s honor, 1959. Photo: R. E. Murphy. RJD_04_01_0045_0011_027]
img: [Banquet for Queen Elizabeth II at Conrad Hilton Hotel, 1959. RJD_04_01_0046_0001_011]
img: [Bob Hope and Richard J. Daley, undated. RJD_04_01_0052_0011_002]
img: [Jimmy Durante thanks Richard J. Daley and Eleanor Daley for their friendship, 1976. RJD_01_02_0001_0004_008]
img: [Richard J. Daley with a group of men including Muhammad Ali, undated. RJD_04_01_0052_0009_001]
img: [Singer Bobby Vinton hugs Richard J. Daley, 1975. Photo: Photo Ideas. RJD_04_01_0053_0010_001]
img: [Singer Frank Sinatra tells Mayor Daley that Chicago is “my kind of town,” 1975. RJD_01_02_0001_0004_010]
 

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