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

Parades and special events

Entertainers and celebrities

Dignitaries

The [United States] 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

Queen Elizabeth II visits Chicago

You had a direct relationship. There was no in-between. Several of the subsequent mayors have had layers of administration. With Daley, it was direct, one on one.

Jerome Butler, City Architect, interview excerpt, July 8, 2002

I just think that Daley went in and, to many people’s surprise, he appointed young, professorial type people to key positions. And he relied on them….They weren’t all, ‘Yes men.’ They were people who were unique in their fields and in their professions.

Richard Elrod, Chief Prosecutor for City of Chicago, interview excerpt, April 10, 2009

That’s not a field you’re going into to get rich. He was able to convince some people, who obviously became financially more successful in many cases, to make some sacrifices and work for this cause….There was this unique, charismatic leadership about him that just drew people to him and made them want to win with him.

Peter Thompson, grandson of Richard J. Daley, June 11, 2002

He always called me Joe when he was happy with me. He normally called me Commissioner, and if he was really mad at me he’d call me Mr. Fitzgerald.

Joseph Fitzgerald, Chicago Building Commissioner, interview excerpt, July 24, 2014

Daley wanted to make every decision, from who put the light on and who flushed the toilet. He wanted to make every decision. But the nice thing about Daley was that he had a cadre of people around him and he would take advice.

Dan Rostenkowski, Congressman, interview excerpt, July 1, 2004

Critics mock the mispronunciation or tangled syntax of the mayor’s public speaking, but none of that criticism is from anyone who ever participated in a one-on-one or a small group meeting with him. Up close and personal he was a powerhouse.

Richard L. Curry, Corporation Counsel City of Chicago 1970-1974, excerpt from written statement, November 10, 2014

 

So he’d keep pounding away at whatever the problems were and trying to bring in new ideas. He was susceptible to new ideas, if they were good ideas, no matter who gave them to him, even if it was the guy who was the starter to the elevators down on the main floor of the hall, or one of his cabinet people, or if it was a social acquaintance of his. He really was open. He also had a kind of common touch.

Ray Simon, Corporation Counsel City of Chicago 1965-1969, interview excerpt, June 30, 2010

Mary Junquera was his secretary for many years. She said that every single night when he left the office, he came to her desk and thanked her for her work that day. He said, “With the help of God, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

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

When he became the ward committeeman,…he’d distribute baskets with turkey and vegetables in them. Whoever needed help, he would get together with his help and arrange some baskets to send them for Christmas or whatever.

Jack Parker, friend of Richard J. Daley, interview excerpt, August 13, 2009

He was the chairman of the party. He had an important role in slating candidates. We would go to those different meetings and watch the candidates present themselves when he was the chairman. I remember him trying to balance the ticket numerous times, statewide ballots, geographically and racially, to make sure that all of the ethnic groups were represented.

John Daley, Son of Richard J. Daley, interview excerpt, May 9, 2007

Well, he was an organization genius. In order to be in politics in Chicago as he was growing up, you had to be part of the organization. That was the word he preferred, rather than machine.

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

Mayor Daley’s model of affirmative action—they didn’t call it that—but you had to have somebody Jewish, somebody Polish, somebody Irish, somebody black, somebody Hispanic. I mean, you had to have everybody on the ticket. And because everybody was on the ticket and Mayor Daley always won, people thought there was something bad about that. But it was really representative democracy.

Andrew Young, Mayor of Atlanta, interview excerpt, October 20, 2014

That’s also where I met Jane Byrne, when I went to work for the mayor. I can’t remember what year it was, but he started to realize that women could play a very important role in an election. He said, number one, they vote. And he said I think we should have more women precinct captains. And he decided to talk to some of the committeemen and suggested they should all appoint a committeewoman. Now, a committeeman is an elected position, so some of them weren’t too happy. The mayor told them they could choose anyone they wanted. Find somebody in your office that’s competent and delegate. It didn’t go over too big with some of them. A couple of them he had to twist arms. But anyway, he started off by appointing Jane Byrne.

Roseanne Bonoma, Richard J. Daley’s Secretary, interview excerpt, October 3, 2014

My mind was boggled by the knowledge that this man had. He had been the mayor for twenty-one years. He knew every neighborhood like he lived there. I can’t emphasize that enough, because it’s impressed on my mind.

Frank Reilly, associate at Daley’s law firm, interview excerpt, July 20, 2010

I was thirty-one when I was elected as the lieutenant governor. Before I went down to take the oath, I went to him and said, “Mr. Mayor, you’ve seen the whole thing. In a lot of ways, I’m just getting started. So if it’s not presumptuous, I’d like to ask you if you have any advice you could give me on how to handle things.” He said, “Neil, don’t forget where you came from.” And that was it. He was talking about values. He wasn’t talking about Rogers Park, or Bridgeport. He was talking about values.

Neil Hartigan, Illinois Lieutenant Governor 1973-1977, interview excerpt, February 19, 2009

He said there were two jobs in the United States. Those were the President of the United States and the Mayor of Chicago.

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

If you didn’t come from Chicago, he didn’t want any part of you. He was completely Chicago….You couldn’t complain. Like you’d say, “What a lousy day.” “What’s the matter with it? It’s a wonderful day.” Everything was wonderful in Chicago. I mean, you couldn’t complain about anything, even the weather.

Father Gilbert Graham, Daley family friend, interview excerpt, November 17, 2003