Jane Margaret Byrne (born May 24, 1934) was the first and
to-date only female Mayor of Chicago. She served from April 16, 1979 to April 29, 1983. Chicago is the largest city in the United States to have had a female mayor as of 2012.
Byrne first entered politics to help John F. Kennedy get elected President in 1960. It was during that campaign that she first met MayorRichard J. Daley. In 1968, Daley appointed her head of consumer affairs in Chicago. Byrne held that post until fired by mayor Michael Bilandic in 1977. After her firing, Byrne launched a campaign to unseat Bilandic in the 1979 Democratic mayoral primary, the real contest in this heavily Democratic city. At first, political observers believed she had little chance of winning. However, a series of major snowstorms in January paralyzed the city and caused Bilandic to be seen as an ineffective leader. This helped give Byrne the edge she needed to win.[1]She then won the general election with 72 percent of the vote—at the time, the largest margin ever recorded in a mayoral election.
Byrne positioned herself as a reformer in her first campaign. She won support from "lakefront liberals" and African-Americans in addition to many more conservative whites on the city's north side. Byrne made some progressive moves as mayor, such as hiring the first black school superintendent, and she was the first Mayor to recognize the gay community. She temporarily moved into Cabrini–Green, a particularly notorious public housing development, for a time to bring attention and resources to the high crime rate there. She also effectively banned handgun possession for guns unregistered or purchased after the enactment of an ordinance. This two-year re-registration program effectively banned handgun possession.
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Byrne first entered politics to help John F. Kennedy get elected President in 1960. It was during that campaign that she first met MayorRichard J. Daley. In 1968, Daley appointed her head of consumer affairs in Chicago. Byrne held that post until fired by mayor Michael Bilandic in 1977. After her firing, Byrne launched a campaign to unseat Bilandic in the 1979 Democratic mayoral primary, the real contest in this heavily Democratic city. At first, political observers believed she had little chance of winning. However, a series of major snowstorms in January paralyzed the city and caused Bilandic to be seen as an ineffective leader. This helped give Byrne the edge she needed to win.[1]She then won the general election with 72 percent of the vote—at the time, the largest margin ever recorded in a mayoral election.
Byrne positioned herself as a reformer in her first campaign. She won support from "lakefront liberals" and African-Americans in addition to many more conservative whites on the city's north side. Byrne made some progressive moves as mayor, such as hiring the first black school superintendent, and she was the first Mayor to recognize the gay community. She temporarily moved into Cabrini–Green, a particularly notorious public housing development, for a time to bring attention and resources to the high crime rate there. She also effectively banned handgun possession for guns unregistered or purchased after the enactment of an ordinance. This two-year re-registration program effectively banned handgun possession.
Click to Read More en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Byrne
Jane Byrne - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Byrne
Byrne made some progressive moves as mayor, such as hiring the first black school superintendent, and she was the first Mayor ...
Jane Byrne elected mayor of Chicago - chicagotribune.com
Paralyzing blizzards set up Mayor Michael Bilandic for defeat, but it was bright sunshine on Feb. 27 that did him in. The fair weather on the day of the mayoral...
Jane Byrne news, photos and video - chicagotribune.com
www.chicagotribune.com/topic/politics/jane-byrne-PEPLT007435.topic
Items 1 - 12 of 49 – News, Photos and Information about Jane Byrne. ... Former ChicagoMayor Jane Byrne arrives for the inaugur... (May 16, 2011). Jane Byrne ...
Mayor Jane Byrne Biographical Information - Chicago Public Library
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Jane Margaret Byrne. 41st Mayor of Chicago. Party. Democrat. Elected. February 27, 1979 (primary). Defeated Michael A. Bilandic. April 3, 1979 (general) ...Images for mayor jane byrne
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Jane Byrne Cabrini-Green Easter: A Look Back At A Mayor's 1981 ...
www.huffingtonpost.com/.../jane-byrne-cabrini-green-_n_2989015.html
Mar 31, 2013 – Chicago may be the city of progress, but vintage video from a 1981 Easter scene shows even in the Windy City, the more things change, the ...
Mayor Jane Byrne - Huffington Post
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Mar 31, 2013 – Read More: Chicago History, Vintage Chicago, Video, Mayor Jane Byrne, Jane Byrne Cabrini Green, Chicago Crime, Cabrini Green Demolition ...
CHICAGO'S MAYOR SPENDS 'LOVELY' NIGHT AT PROJECT ...
www.nytimes.com/.../chicago-s-mayor-spends-lovely-night-at-project.ht...
Apr 2, 1981 – CHICAGO, April 1— Mayor Jane M. Byrne emerged this morning from her new home away from home in the Cabrini-Green public housing ...
Our overlooked mayor - Chicago Sun-Times
www.suntimes.com/opinions/letters/...474/our-overlooked-mayor.html
Aug 27, 2012 – Former Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne at Mayor Rahm Emanuel inaugration at Millennium Park in May 2011. | Sun-Times Media file photo ...
Chicago Mayor Jane Byrne Campaign Commercial 1983 - YouTube
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Feb 24, 2010 - Uploaded by MediaBurnArchiveHelp us caption and translate this video on Amara.org: http://www.amara.org/en/v/B1p6/ Campaign ... - More videos for mayor jane byrne »
Jane Byrne: Biography from Answers.com
Although she was a product of the Daley political machine, Byrne positioned herself as a reformer in her first campaign. She won ...
