1946 Cook County, Illinois, elections

Last updated

Elections were held in Cook County, Illinois, on November 5, 1946. Republicans took control of most county offices and occupied both seats of the Board of Appeals, [1] although Democrats retained their majority in the Board of Commissioners. [2] The Republican landslide reflected similar trends in state and federal elections at the time but was nevertheless unexpected. It resulted in the resignation of Democratic leader Edward Joseph Kelly and ultimately the end of his tenure as Mayor of Chicago. Republicans failed to capitalize on this victory in the following year's Chicago mayoral election, which was won by Democrat Martin Kennelly.

Contents

Democrat Richard J. Daley was defeated for the position of Sheriff by Republican candidate Elmer Michael Walsh. [1] This would be the only loss of his career; he later became the Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee and served as Mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976, while Walsh would die in obscurity.

Election information

1946 was a midterm election year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for House and those for state elections.

Background

Patrick Nash, who had constructed a powerful political machine with Anton Cermak and served as Democratic party chairman since 1931, died in 1943. [3] Edward Joseph Kelly, who had been Mayor of Chicago since Cermak's inadvertent [lower-alpha 1] assassination in 1933, [4] assumed the chair. [3] Kelly was an inadequate leader of both the party and municipal government, [3] and received criticism for poor delivery of city services and allowing political appointments in the public school administration. [5] Nevertheless, Democrats had been largely unopposed in the 1944 elections. [6]

Offices that were contested included the Treasurer, Assessor, Sheriff, County Clerk, County Superintendent of Public Schools, County Judge, Judge and Clerk of the Probate Court, and the Clerk of the Criminal Court, [1] [7] as well as the President of the Board of Commissioners, both members of the Board of Appeals, and the other members of the Board of Commissioners. [1] Excluding the President, 15 people were elected to the Board of Commissioners; ten representatives from the city of Chicago and five from the rest of the county. [8]

Primary elections

Primary elections were held on April 9. [6] The primaries of both parties were generally considered uncompetitive. [6] These were the first primaries in Illinois after World War II; both parties sought to include veterans on their tickets. [6] Leaders of both parties exhorted supporters to attend the primaries. [6]

Democratic primaries

Richard J. Daley, Cook County Comptroller and a state senator who dealt with legislation related to Chicago on Kelly's behalf, [9] ran for the Democratic nomination for Sheriff. [3] This came as a surprise to some given Daley's reputation for integrity and the notoriety of the Sheriff's office for improper collections of money from motorists and suburban adult establishments. [3] The position was term-limited to one term, and most officeholders used the opportunity to collect money. [3] Daley had never previously run for office outside of his Senate district, and appealed to Kelly for his relative obscurity and lack of previous scandals, something which was uncommon among Democrats of the time. [3]

Republican primaries

Evanston Township had an unexpected three-way contest for Republican party committeeman, with incumbent Alan E. Ashcraft Jr. being challenged by Evanston alderman Robert E. James and Benjamin F. E. Ricker. [6] Ashcraft survived the challenge and was named Vice President of the Republican Country Towns Organization of Cook County in May. [10]

General election

The general election was held on November 5. [1] Harriet M. Robinson, the president of the Honest Ballot Committee, called for the Federal Bureau of Investigation to investigate the election on October 20, accusing the Board of Election commissioners of delaying the release of precinct voter registers. [11]

The results were a landslide for the GOP. [1] Only three Democrats—Edmund K. Jarecki for County Court Judge, Michael J. Flynn for County clerk, and John S. Clark for Assessor—retained countywide office. [1] The results mirrored similar pro-Republican trends at the state and federal level but were unexpected by either party. [1]

Sheriff

Daley was the favorite to win the position of Sheriff. [12] "We were delighted that Dad was a candidate. Daley seemed almost impossible to beat, but it was an honor just to be named to run against him," recalled Walsh's son Elmer Jr. [12] However, Daley suffered from the general tide against the Democrats while Walsh benefited from being a veteran of World War II. [5]

Courts

Jarecki, who had been the County Judge since 1922, [13] had such a narrow margin of victory that it was possible that he might have lost as of November 8, [1] and ultimately had a margin of victory of only 8,873 votes in what was the closest election. [7]

Results of the probate judge election. Cook County Probate Judge 1946.png
Results of the probate judge election.

Republican candidate William Waugh won the Probate Court Judgeship, defeating the Democratic opponent John F. O'Connell. [1]

Aftermath and legacy

The elections proved to be Kelly's downfall. Jacob Arvey, a Democratic west side boss who had returned from the war, convinced him to resign as chairman. [5] In the following year's Chicago mayoral election Kelly was replaced by Martin Kennelly as the Democratic candidate. [14]

The shrieval race would be Daley's only electoral defeat. [12] Daley became the Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee in 1953 and the Mayor of Chicago in 1955, [15] serving both positions until his death in 1976. Walsh served as Sheriff until 1950 but faded from relevance, [15] dying in 1962. [12]

The Probate Court, Criminal Court, and County Court were abolished in 1964 upon the formation of the Circuit Court of Cook County to unify the courts of Cook County into a single jurisdiction. Countywide voting for the Board of Commissioners ended in 1994 when districts were established to elect each commissioner. The Board of Appeals was replaced by a three-member Board of Review in 1998. [16]

Notes

  1. Cermak died from gunshot wounds intended for U.S. President-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. [4] Some claim that Cermak was the intended target, but this is generally discounted among historians.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard J. Daley</span> Mayor of Chicago from 1955 to 1976

Richard Joseph Daley was an American politician who served as the mayor of Chicago from 1955, and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee from 1953, until his death. He has been called "the last of the big city bosses" who controlled and mobilized American cities. Daley was Chicago's third consecutive mayor from the working-class, heavily Irish American South Side neighborhood of Bridgeport, where he lived his entire life. He was the patriarch of the Daley family, whose members include Richard M. Daley, another former mayor of Chicago; William M. Daley, a former United States Secretary of Commerce; John P. Daley, a member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners; and Patrick Daley Thompson, a former alderman of the Chicago City Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cook County Democratic Party</span> Political party in Illinois, US

The Cook County Democratic Party is an American county-level political party organization which represents voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. The organization has dominated Chicago politics since the 1930s. It relies on an organizational structure of a ward or township committeeperson to elect candidates. At the height of its influence under Richard J. Daley in the 1960s when political patronage in employment was endemic in American cities, it was one of the most powerful political machines in American history. By the beginning of the 21st century the party had largely ceased to function as a machine due to the legal dismantling of the patronage system under the Shakman Decrees issued by the federal court in Chicago. The current Chair is Toni Preckwinkle, who is also the elected Cook County Board president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Nash</span> Political boss in Chicago (1863–1943)

Patrick A. Nash was a political boss in the early and mid-twentieth century in Chicago and Cook County. He was in large part responsible for consolidating elements of the Cook County Democratic Party into a political machine. He evolved from a local sewage contractor to a political boss by carefully selecting his political allies. His prominence stems from the death of Anton Cermak and his political career is intertwined with that of Edward Joseph Kelly. The success of this machine was attributed to its decision to be more inclusive than its predecessors. This meant that Nash had success at dealing with a variety of politicians such as William L. Dawson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Chicago mayoral special election</span>

The Chicago mayoral election of 1989 saw Democratic nominee Richard M. Daley win election to the remainder of an unexpired mayoral term with a 14% margin of victory. This marked a return for the Daley family to the office of mayor. Daley was elected over Alderman Timothy Evans, the nominee of the newly formed Harold Washington Party, and the Republican nominee Ed Vrdolyak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 Chicago mayoral election</span>

The Chicago mayoral election of 1983 was first the primary on February 22, 1983, which was followed by the general on April 12, 1983. The election saw the election of Chicago's first African-American mayor, Harold Washington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Chicago mayoral special election</span>

The Chicago mayoral election of 1977 was a special election held on June 7, 1977 to complete the remainder of the unexpired mayoral term of Richard J. Daley who died of a heart attack in December 1976. The election saw Interim Mayor Michael A. Bilandic win the election. Bliandic defeated Republican city council member Dennis H. Block by a landslide 56% margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1931 Chicago mayoral election</span> Municipal election

The 1931 Chicago mayoral election was held to elect the Mayor of Chicago. Former Cook County Board of Commissioners President Anton Cermak defeated incumbent mayor William Hale Thompson by a 17-point margin of victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1967 Chicago mayoral election</span>

The Chicago mayoral election of 1967 was held on April 4, 1967. The election saw Richard J. Daley being elected to a fourth term as mayor. Daley's main opponent was Republican nominee John L. Waner, who he defeated by a landslide 48% margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1963 Chicago mayoral election</span>

The Chicago mayoral election of 1963 was held on April 2, 1963. The election saw Richard J. Daley elected to a third term as mayor, defeating Republican Ben Adamowski by a double-digit margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1959 Chicago mayoral election</span>

The Chicago mayoral election of 1959 was held on April 7, 1959. The election saw Richard J. Daley being elected to a second term as mayor by a landslide margin of more-than 40%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1935 Chicago mayoral election</span> Municipal election

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1935, incumbent Interim Mayor Edward J. Kelly defeated Republican Emil C. Wetten and independent candidate Newton Jenkins by a landslide 60% margin of victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Cook County, Illinois, elections</span>

The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 3, 2020. Elections were held for Clerk of the Circuit Court, State's Attorney, Cook County Board of Review district 1, three seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Cook County, Illinois, elections</span>

The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 6, 2018.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Cook County, Illinois, elections</span>

The Cook County, Illinois, general elections were held on November 8, 2022. Primaries were held on June 28, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 Illinois gubernatorial election</span>

The 1960 Illinois gubernatorial election was held in Illinois on November 8, 1960.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Cook County, Illinois, elections</span>

The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 6, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1980 Cook County State's Attorney election</span>

In the 1980 Cook County State's Attorney election, incumbent second-term state's attorney Bernard Carey, a Republican, was unseated by Democrat Richard M. Daley.

Clarence Bernard "Bernie" Carey Jr. was an American politician who served as Cook County State's Attorney from 1972 through 1980. Afterwards, he would serve on the Cook County Board of Commissioners and as a judge on the Circuit Court of Cook County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Cook County, Illinois, elections</span>

The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 8, 1994.

The 1994 Cook County Board of Commissioners election was held on November 9, 1994. It was preceded by a primary election held on March 15, 1994. It coincided with other 1994 Cook County, Illinois, elections. It saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Democrats save only three county offices". Arlington Heights Herald. Vol. 20, no. 11. November 8, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  2. "Democrats put 208 employes[sic] in job shelter". Chicago Tribune. Vol. 105, no. 281. November 23, 1946. p. 14. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Royko, p. 54
  4. 1 2 Royko, p. 42
  5. 1 2 3 Royko, p. 55
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Primary called merely a drill for November" . Chicago Tribune. Vol. 105, no. 84. April 8, 1946. p. 13. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 "Announce final election results". Arlington Heights Herald. Vol. 20, no. 14. November 29, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  8. Keating, Ann Durkin (2005). "Cook County". The Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  9. Royko, p. 53
  10. Tagge, George (May 10, 1946). "Country Group Elects". Chicago Tribune. Vol. 105, no. 112. p. 3. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Ballot list fraud is charged; probe by FBI demanded". Chicago Tribune. Vol. 105, no. 252. October 21, 1946. p. 5. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Corman, Stephen (February 27, 1977). "The man who defeated Richard J. Daley". Chicago Tribune Magazine. No. Section 9. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  13. Bolek, Francis. "Jarecki, Edmund K." Poles in America Foundation. Retrieved March 2, 2020.
  14. Royko, p. 56
  15. 1 2 Casey, Bob (March 28, 1975). "Chicago and Mayor Daley the same". Elk Grove Herald. Vol. 18, no. 267 Section 2. p. 1. Retrieved March 1, 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  16. "History of The Board of Review". Cook County Board of Review. Retrieved March 1, 2020.

Works cited