Bill Conway | |
|---|---|
| Member of theChicago City Council from the 34th ward | |
| Assumed office May 15, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Carrie Austin |
| Personal details | |
| Born | William Elias Conway III (1978-05-08)May 8, 1978 (age 47) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Relatives | William E. Conway Jr. (father) |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BS) Georgetown University (JD) University of Chicago (MBA) |
| Military service | |
| Branch/service | United States Navy |
William Elias "Bill" Conway III[1] (born May 8, 1978)[2] is an American politician, attorney, businessman, and military veteran.[3] He is thealderman for the 34th ward in theChicago City Council, having won the2023 election for the office.[4][5][6] He also serves as the Democraticcommitteeperson for the 34th ward.[7]
Conway previously served as an assistant state's attorney forCook County, Illinois and currently serves asadjunct professor atDePaul University. He unsuccessfully ran for theDemocratic Party'sprimary forCook County state’s attorney in2020.
William Conway was born and raised inChicago,Illinois,[2] the son of Joanne Boosalis Conway andWilliam E. Conway Jr., an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist.[1] He attended theLatin School of Chicago,[8] a private school in theGold Coast neighborhood on theNear North Side.[1] Conway enteredThe Wharton School, where he earned a bachelor's degree in Accounting in 2000.[9] He received aJuris Doctor degree fromGeorgetown University Law Center in 2006.[9][10] Conway then graduated from theUniversity of Chicago with anMBA degree in 2013.[9][10][11]
From 2006 to 2012, Conway served as Assistant State's Attorney for Cook County State's Attorney's Officer under Richard A. Devine andAnita Alvarez,[12] working on embezzlement cases in the public corruption office.[11][13]The DePaulia notes that during his tenure "Conway prosecuted high level corruption and financial crime cases, including the police officers who embezzled one million dollars from the Chicago Sergeants Union in 2012."[14][15]
Conway served for 5 years as Military Intelligence Officer in theUnited States Navy and Air Force Central Command and Senior Intelligence Director in theU.S. European Command in 2017-2021.[11][10][16] During his military career, he received anAir Force Commendation Medal, theNational Defense Service Medal and theGlobal War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal.[10] Conway continues to serve in the U.S. Navy at the rank of Lieutenant Commander.[10]
In July 2013, he joined the Investment Banking/ Diversified Industries Division ofJ.P. Morgan in Chicago as an investment banker managing portfolios of large manufacturers such asFord Motor Company andGeneral Motors.[12] Conway left the company in 2016.[11]
Since 2016, Conway has been serving as adjunct professor at the Department of Finance & Real Estate ofDePaul University, teaching various courses on Finance and Real Estate.[9] He also works as a venture partner and manager on several investments funds including Hyde Park Angels, Boos Brothers Investments, Luxe Bloom, LLC., Raputs, LLC. and Green Street Renewables, LLC.[9][17]
In 2020, Conway ran for theCook County State's Attorney office in Illinois, where he took 2nd place with 31% of the vote in the Democratic primary but lost to the incumbentKim Foxx (50.19% of the vote) on March 17, 2020.[4] Kim Foxx ultimately won the general election by defeating Republican Pat O'Brien.[4] Various sources note that Conway's campaign was mostly sponsored by his father William E. Conway Jr with over $10 million,[18][8][12] while Kim Foxx's campaign was supported large donations from Michael Sacks,Fred Eychaner,SEIU,Chicago Federation of Labor,EMILY's List, andGeorge Soros.[1][19][20][21] According toThe Chicago Reporter, "the Cook County state’s attorney’s race has already become the most expensive in Cook County history, with candidates raising almost $16 million combined, which is more than double that of the 2016 primary."[19]
In 2023, Conway was elected as an alderman on theChicago City Council.[4][5] During his election campaign, Conway addressed the crime situation in Chicago and pledged to allocate additional funds for security, suggesting an increase in the number of police officers and equipment to address crime in the city.[3] Conway won the election with approximately 2/3 of the vote.[22] Candidate Jim Ascot, who conceded the race, received about 33% of the votes[3][23] Some sources have reported that Conway may be considering a run in the upcoming Chicago mayoral election.[24][25]
He is married to Brittany Conway. They have a daughter, Bella.[26]