The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition

by Paul M. Green (Editor), Melvin G. Holli (Editor)

 Originally released in 1987, The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition gathered some of the finest minds in political thought to provide shrewd analysis of Chicago’s mayors and their administrations. Twenty-five years later, this fourth edition continues to illuminate the careers of some of Chicago’s most respected, forceful, and even notorious mayors, leaders whose lives were often as vibrant and eclectic as the city they served. In addition to chapters on the individual mayors—including a new chapter on Rahm Emanuel, enhanced by an expert explanation of the current state of the city’s budget by Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation—this new edition offers an insightful overview of the Chicago mayoral tradition throughout the city’s history; rankings of the mayors evaluated on their leadership and political qualities; an appendix of Chicago’s mayors and their years of service; and additional updated materials. Chicago’s mayoral history is one of corruption and reform, scandal and ambition. This well-researched volume, more relevant than ever twenty-five years after its first edition, presents an intriguing and informative glimpse into the fascinating lives and legacies of Chicago’s most influential leaders.

Genres: History

368 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1987

About the author

Paul Michael Green was an educator, author, researcher, and media pundit.

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Mayors is recommended reading for anyone interested in Chicago history and/or politics. I strongly commend editors Paul Green and Melvin Holli for assembling this volume. The book’s value lies partly in its concept and structure. The Mayors is composed of 18 chapters. Of these chapters, 15 are essays on a single Chicago mayor (including every 20th century mayor). The remaining three chapters explore the Chicago mayoral position more generally. This reader appreciates the effort in The Mayors to capture a large amount of material in a single volume. An examination of the book’s notes and references suggests that there is a large amount of existing material out there on Chicago mayors. But, a typical lay reader has neither the time nor inclination to seek out this information.

The book also provides a source of comparison to contemporary Chicago politics. We learn about the origins of the oft-cited Chicago “political machine” under Anton Cermak, the tactics that enabled Richard J. Daley to maintain power for 21 years (encapsulated in the Daley quote “good government is good politics”) ,the decline of the Republican Party in Chicago (seemingly stemming from Mayor Edward J. Kelly’s complicity with the graft of Democratic aldermen, connections to FDR, and ability to sway Black voters), the constant tension between government reform and government graft (often within the same administration), and the political turbulence of the interregnum period between Richard J. and Richard M. Interesting stuff.

If there is a critique of The Mayors, it is the latitude the editors provided to contributors. The scope and content of chapters vary widely, perhaps resulting in important content omissions. Some chapters are conventional chronologies: the mayor’s early history, ascension, election victory, administration, and downfall. In other selections, authors relied on different approaches. For example, the chapter on Harold Washington focuses heavily on the history of Black politics in Chicago. The chapter on Eugene Sawyer focuses on the turbulent weeks following the death of Washington, resulting in Sawyer’s appointment as acting mayor.

[Keith Koeneman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The definitive book on the Chicago mayors through history.

[Francios B · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Chicago