Eugene Sawyer
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| Eugene Sawyer | |
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| 53rd Mayor of Chicago | |
| In office December 2, 1987 – April 24, 1989 |
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| Preceded by | David Duvall Orr |
| Succeeded by | Richard M. Daley |
| City of Chicago Alderman | |
| In office 1971 – December 2, 1987 |
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| Constituency | 6th Ward, Chicago |
| Personal details | |
| Born | September 3, 1934 Greensboro, Alabama, U.S. |
| Died | Script error: The function "death_date_and_age" does not exist. Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | Oak Woods Cemetery Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse(s) | Veronica Sims (m. 1996–2008) |
| Children | Roderick Sawyer Shedrick Sawyer Sheryl Sawyer-McGill |
| Alma mater | Alabama State University |
| Religion | Protestant |
Eugene Sawyer (September 3, 1934 – January 19, 2008) was an American businessman, educator, and politician who served as the 53rd Mayor of Chicago from December 2, 1987 to April 24, 1989. He was the second African-American to serve as mayor of Chicago. Sawyer was a member of the Democratic Party.
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Early life and early career
Sawyer was born in Greensboro, Alabama and studied at Alabama State University, where he became a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. After graduating, he had a brief stint as a chemistry and mathematics teacher in Prentiss, Mississippi, before moving to Chicago to do laboratory work in 1957.[1] Sawyer became involved with the 6th Ward Regular Democratic Organization and the Young Democrats through family friends. In 1959, Sawyer took a job in Chicago’s Department of Water, where he worked until 1971.[2]
Political career
City Alderman (1971–1987)
In 1971, Sawyer was elected Alderman of Chicago's 6th Ward.[3] By 1987, he was the longest-serving black alderman on the Chicago City Council,[4] when the sudden death of Harold Washington created a vacancy in the position of mayor. During Washington's tenure, a coalition of Regular Democratic and independent Democratic aldermen enacted reforms. Washington's supporters in the city council divided, supporting Aldermen Sawyer and Timothy C. Evans for mayor.[5] The City Council elected Sawyer mayor in a tumultuous and lengthy meeting.
Mayor of Chicago (1987–1989)
Sawyer took over from interim mayor David Duvall Orr. Sawyer's inauguration for mayor occurred in the parking lot of a closed restaurant at North and Bosworth Avenues at 4:01 am on December 2, 1987,[6] in an effort to avoid public demonstration. During his time as mayor, Sawyer worked to pass legislation supporting the installation of lights at Wrigley Field and the Clean Indoor Air Ordinance banning indoor smoking. Building on groundwork laid under Mayor Washington, Sawyer championed the Human Rights Ordinance, passed in 1988, to protect individuals against discrimination. This was the first Chicago city ordinance to assert the rights of gay and lesbian Chicagoans.[2] In the 1989 Democratic primary for Chicago’s mayor, Richard M. Daley defeated incumbent Eugene Sawyer as well as Alderman Lawrence Bloom, Sheila Jones and James C. Taylor.[7]
Retirement from politics and death
After losing the mayoral contest, Sawyer lost his reelection bid for Democratic committeeman of the 6th Ward and subsequently retired from politics. After retiring, he became involved in business again. Sawyer was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity and an active member of the Vernon Park Church of God. Sawyer died on Saturday, January 19, 2008, at approximately 11 PM after a series of strokes and other health setbacks over the previous month.[8][9] Public viewing for Sawyer took place on January 25 and his funeral took place on January 26 followed by burial at Oak Woods Cemetery, the same cemetery where Harold Washington is buried.[2] Sawyer's mayoral papers are available as the Eugene Sawyer Collection at Special Collections department of the Chicago Public Library located in the Harold Washington Library.[10]
See also
References
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- ↑ “Chicago Gains Acting Mayor.” Eugene Register-Guard, December 3, 1987.
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External links
- Mayor Eugene Sawyer at the Chicago Public Library, including link to text of acceptance speech
- Archival Collections maintained by Special Collections department of the Chicago Public Library located in the Harold Washington Library, including the Eugene Sawyer Collection
- Eugene Sawyer Mayoral Records Finding Aid for the Eugene Sawyer Collection funded by the Council on Library and Information Resources and produced by the Black Metropolis Research Consortium “Color Curtain Processing Project”
- Eugene Sawyer article archive at the Chicago Tribune
- Eugene Sawyer article archive at the Los Angeles Times
- Eugene Sawyer article collection at the New York Times
| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Chicago December 2, 1987 – April 24, 1989 |
Succeeded by Richard M. Daley |
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1 Acting officeholder. 2 Election declared null and void.
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