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Michael A. Bilandic | |
|---|---|
 Bilandic, in 1987 | |
| Chief Justice of theIllinois Supreme Court | |
| In office January 1, 1994 – January 1, 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Benjamin K. Miller[1] |
| Succeeded by | James D. Heiple |
| Member of theSupreme Court of Illinois | |
| In office November 2, 1990 – August 30, 2000 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel P. Ward |
| Succeeded by | Thomas R. Fitzgerald[2] |
| Illinois Appellate Court judge | |
| In office 1984–1990 | |
| 49th Mayor of Chicago | |
| In office December 28, 1976 – April 16, 1979 Acting until June 22, 1977 | |
| Deputy | Casey Laskowski |
| Preceded by | Richard J. Daley |
| Succeeded by | Jane Byrne |
| Chicago Alderman from the11th Ward | |
| In office June 12, 1969 – June 7, 1977 | |
| Preceded by | Matthew J. Danaher |
| Succeeded by | Patrick M. Huels |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Michael Anthony Bilandic (1923-02-13)February 13, 1923 |
| Died | January 15, 2002(2002-01-15) (aged 78) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Resting place | St. Mary's Cemetery Evergreen Park,Illinois, U.S. |
| Party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | De La Salle Institute St. Mary's University of Minnesota (BA) DePaul University College of Law (JD) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Branch/service |  United States Marine Corps[3][4] |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Rank |  First Lieutenant |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
Michael Anthony Bilandic (February 13, 1923 – January 15, 2002) was an AmericanDemocratic politician, judge, and attorney who served as the 49th mayor of Chicago from 1976 to 1979, after the death of his predecessor,Richard J. Daley.[5] Bilandic practiced law in Chicago for several years, having graduated from theDePaul University College of Law. Bilandic served as analderman inChicago City Council, representing the eleventh ward on the south-west side (Bridgeport neighborhood) from June 1969 until he began his tenure as mayor in December 1976. After his mayoralty, Bilandic served on theIllinois Appellate Court from 1984 until being elected to theIllinois Supreme Court in 1990. He served on the state supreme court until 2000, and was the court’s chief Justice from 1994 to 1997.
Bilandic was born in Chicago toCroatian immigrant parents. His father Mate "Matthew" Bilandžić was fromKrušvar inDalmatian Hinterland, and his mother Milka "Minnie" Bilandžić, née Lebedina fromBobovišća on the island ofBrač.[6][7] Bilandic studied atDe La Salle High School and graduated in 1940.[8] Bilandic joined theUnited States Marine Corps duringWorld War II in 1943, serving as first lieutenant until 1945. After his time in the Marine Corps, Bilandic returned to school; receiving his bachelor's degree fromSt. Mary's University of Minnesota in 1947.[4] After college, Bilandic returned to Chicago and became involved in political work. Bilandic began working in the city's eleventh ward was asked by then–committeeman Richard J. Daley to aid the Democratic party in 1948. In 1951, Bilandic later received hisJuris Doctor degree fromDePaul University College of Law.
Bilandic officially began his political career after being elected alderman of the city's eleventh ward in the 1969 election, succeeding Matthew J. Danaher and taking office on March 11, 1969.[9]
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After MayorRichard J. Daley died in office on December 20, 1976,Wilson Frost argued that aspresident pro tempore of the City Council he had automatically become theacting mayor. As such, he would have been the firstAfrican American to serve as mayor. However, much of the city council disputed Frost's claim. After nearly a week of closed-door negotiations, a compromise was struck among councilors in which the city council would vote to name Bilandic to serve as acting mayor for approximately six months until aspecial election could be held to choose a mayor filling out the remaining two years of Daley's unexpired term. This came with the agreed understanding that Bilandic would not run as a candidate in the special election.[10][11][12] Other aspects of the compromise that resulted in Bilandic becoming mayor had included the council voting to name Frost the chairman of the council's powerful Finance Committee, a position with real power as opposed to the primarily ceremonial role of president pro tempore. This served to appease African American aldermen.[10][12] The compromise also included satisfying the city's grouping ofPolish American aldermen by namingCasey Laskowski (a member of the council's Polish American bloc) to serve in the newly-created role ofvice mayor.[10] The new vice mayor position was created in aims of clarifying the mayoral succession process in the future by creating a position that would be the first-in-line to serve as an interim successor in instances of mayoral vacancy.[13]
On December 28 (eight days after Daley's death), Bilandic was approved by the City Council to serve as acting mayor.[10][11] No other candidates challenged him.[10] While the vote was preceded by fiery debate,[11]Dick Simpson andMartin J. Oberman were ultimately the sole alderman to cast dissenting votes on Bilandic's appointment.[10][14] At the same meeting that it appointed Bilandic, the council also voted for the other aspects of the compromise: naming Frost as chairman of the finance committee, Vrdolyak as president pro tempore, and Laskowski as vice mayor.[11] Despite that he would not run in the special election, one mere week after becoming acting mayor Bilandic reneged on this promise and declared that he would be amenable to running if he wasdrafted to do so.[15] Bilandic ultimately ran. Still enjoying a honeymoon period as acting mayor, he received a popular mandate to assume Daley's mantle.[citation needed] In theDemocratic'sprimary election, he won 51.1% of the vote, handily defeating challengersEdward Hanrahan,Anthony Martin-Trigona,Roman Pucinski, Ellis Reid andHarold Washington.[16] In the June 7general election, Bilandic was elected mayor with 77.4% of the vote, defeatingDennis H. Block (theRepublican nominee), as well as Dennis Brasky (the Socialist Labor nominee) and Gerald Rose (the U.S. Labor nominee). Bilandic delivered his inaugural address and took office on June 22, 1977.[17]
While initially popular, Bilandic's term as mayor would prove to be short and difficult.
A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago ranked Bilandic as the twenty-first-worst American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.[18]
While he was mayor, Chicago faced several labor disputes including a gravediggers and cemetery owners'strike and a threatened strike by members ofLyric Opera of Chicago.[19] The Chicago Butcher's Union worked to stop stores from selling fresh meat after 6 p.m., but Bilandic managed to work out a settlement.[19] Bilandic also had to face social unrest in June 1977 when anFALN bomb exploded in City Hall and started a two-day riot among the Puerto Rican community.[19] Bilandic oversaw the creation ofChicagoFest, a food and music festival held onNavy Pier. TheChicago Marathon had its first running in 1977 and Bilandic participated, finishing with a time of 4 hours.[20] A runner himself, Bilandic arranged to have five miles of unused equestrian paths along the lakefront converted to running paths.[21]
During January 1979,a blizzard struck Chicago and effectively closed down the city, dropping a total of twenty-one inches of snow over a two-day period. The city's slow response to the debilitating storm was publicly blamed on Bilandic. Additionally, as part of attempts to deal with the storm, Bilandic orderedChicago 'L' trains to bypass many intermediate stops, particularly affecting black neighborhoods on theSouth Side of the city,[22] and angering that large voter base.
In November 1978, Bilandic unveiled a broad $7.4 billion five-year public works plan to reshape much of the city. These plans included the construction a new State of Illinois office building on the site occupied by shutteredSherman House Hotel.[23] This would ultimately be realized with the construction of theJames R. Thompson Center.
Bilandic sought re-election in 1979, and was challenged in the Democratic primary by the former longtime city consumer affairs department headJane Byrne, whom Bilandic had fired in 1977. Bilandic's candidacy was dragged down by dissatisfaction with the city's handling of the recent snowstorm, as well as other issues. Many Republicanscrossover voted in the Democratic primary against Bilandic in hopes of delivering a defeat to theDemocratic machine that had dominated Chicago politics for decades. Byrne's challenge was also boosted by the endorsement of ReverendJesse Jackson. Additionally, many North Side and Northwest Side voters supported Byrne against Bildanic because they were angered by the Cook County Democratic leadership's slating of only South Side and Southwest Side candidates for the citywide offices (mayor, clerk, and treasurer) in its endorsements ahead of the primary. Bilandic very narrowly lost the primary, winning 49% to Byrne's 51%. Byrne went on to win the general election with a record-setting 82% of the vote, becoming Chicago's first female mayor.[24]
Following his term as mayor, Bilandic was elected to theIllinois Appellate Court in 1984, and then theIllinois Supreme Court in 1990, where Bilandic served until 2000. From 1994 until 1996, Bilandic served as the Illinois chief justice.[25]
On June 1, 1977, Bilandic married Chicagosocialite Heather Morgan in a ceremony officiated by Chicago'sArchbishopJohn Cardinal Cody. Bilandic and Morgan had a son,Michael M. Bilandic Jr., born in 1978.[26]
On January 15, 2002, Bilandic died from heart failure and was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois.[27][28]
Bilandic served as a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Mayor of Chicago December 20, 1976 – April 16, 1979 | Succeeded by |
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