First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley

by Keith Koeneman

"Mayor Richard M. Daley dropped the bomb at a routine news conference at City Hall on Tuesday. With no prelude or fanfare, Mr. Daley announced that he would not seek re-election when his term expires next year. 'Simply put, it's time,' he said." New York Times, September 7, 2010

With those four words, an era ended. After twenty-two years, the longest-serving and most powerful mayor in the history of Chicago—and, arguably, America—stepped down, leaving behind a city that was utterly transformed, and a complicated legacy we are only beginning to evaluate.

In First Son, Keith Koeneman chronicles the sometimes Shakespearean, sometimes Machiavellian life of an American political legend. Making deft use of unprecedented access to key players in the Daley administration, as well as Chicago's business and cultural leaders, Koeneman draws on more than one hundred interviews to tell an up-close, insider story of political triumph and personal evolution. With Koeneman as our guide, we follow young Daley from his beginnings as an average Bridgeport kid thought to lack his father's talent and charisma to his unlikely transformation into an iron-fisted leader. Daley not only escaped the giant shadow of his father but also transformed Chicago from a gritty, post-industrial Midwestern capital into a beautiful, sophisticated global city widely recognized as a model for innovative metropolises throughout the world.

But in spite of his many accomplishments, Richard M. Daley's record is far from flawless. First Son sets the dramatic improvement of certain parts of the city against the persistent realities of crime, financial stress , failing public housing, and dysfunctional schools. And it reveals that while in many ways Daley broke with the machine politics of his father, he continued to reward loyalty with favors, use the resources of city government to overwhelm opponents, and tolerate political corruption.

A nuanced portrait of a complex man, First Son shows Daley to be sensitive yet tough, impatient yet persistent, a street-smart fighter and detail-driven policy expert who not only ran Chicago, but was Chicago.

Genres: Biography, History

412 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Keith Koeneman writes about Chicago history, politics, and culture. His book on the recently retired mayor of Chicago, First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley, will be published by the University of Chicago Press in Spring of 2013. He also teaches and speaks as an expert on Chicago mayoral politics on television and radio. He holds advanced degrees from Harvard, University of Chicago and Northwestern University, and a liberal arts degree from Carleton College. Koeneman lives in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood. Follow him at the Huffington Post, KeithKoeneman.com or on twitter @DaleyBiographer.

Reviews

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Horribly written but interesting biography of the second Chicago mayor named Richard Daley who transformed the appearance but not the workings of the Windy City.

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this following Mike Royko's "Boss" focusing on Rich's father, Richard J Daley, and while this wasn't nearly as strong, it was a good read and I definitely learned more about Rich and his travels to becoming arguably the most prominent mayor in Chicago's history. As others have already noted, this book lacks a lot of Chicago history that has fallen on this mayor's watch, as well as the challenges he left behind. I would recommend pairing this with a book (or books) on modern Chicago history to see both positive and negative impacts of hizzoner.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this biography of Daley. Since I live in Chicago, I found it "right on." On a personal level, I know many of the individuals who played a role in his administration and were part of his decision making process.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Daley and Chicago history. The chapter on Millenium Park was great.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The good and mostly bad of politics in Illinois. I found this book very engaging, providing more data on the stories I've read in the papers for years.

[Ryan K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who is Rich Daley? Mayor Daley controlled my hometown for much of my memorable life. I am just old enough to remember the election of his real predecessor, Mayor Harold Washington, and the religious fever that swept the Black Chicago community life wildfire leaving barren earth upon his death. As such, Mayor Daley entered a city torn with racial strife and economic divestment. Old Chicago was a gritty city. Stockyards, greystone, and blue collar workers and back room politics. In someways, the mayoral tenure of Rich Daley saw the transformation of Old Chicago in to a global city with green, glass, and high-profile corporations. My question after any biography is: Do I know something about who this person is and what are their life questions? (See The Greatest by Muhammad Ali) The answer here was no. It read like a biographical sketch of man through his policies and politics, but very little spoke to the man himself. Did Daley love Chicago, yes (but I knew that). Was he complicated, yes (but I knew that). What motivated him? What was his though process? What were his principals? These remain questions that I will have to pursue elsewhere. I do think that if you are interested in an introduction to the policies and political landscape of Chicago under Daley's tenure that this is a worthwhile read. If you want to know more about the man himself, as I do, consider this a first step, but know that a second may be required.

[Danielle Mintzlaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

It showed how much the Daley family is a part of Chicago politics.

[Frieda · Rating 1 out of 5]

Horrible and pompous

[Dan Trubman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely from the neo-liberal perspective. Didn't ignore the corruption issues, but minimized their impact in relations the what the author considered the successes.