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{{Infobox officeholder
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Michael A. Bilandic
| name = Michael A. Bilandic
| image = Mayor Michael Bilandic.jpg
| image = Judge Michael A. Bilandic.png
| caption =
| caption = Bilandic in 1987
| imagesize =
| imagesize =
| birth_name = Michael Anthony Bilandic
| birth_name = Michael Anthony Bilandic
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| death_date = {{death date and age|2002|01|15|1923|02|13|mf=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2002|01|15|1923|02|13|mf=y}}
| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
| resting_place = St. Mary's Cemetery<br>[[Evergreen Park, Illinois|Evergreen Park]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
| resting_place = St. Mary's Cemetery<br/>[[Evergreen Park, Illinois|Evergreen Park]], [[Illinois]], U.S.
| office2 = Mayor of Chicago
| office2 = Mayor of Chicago
| order2 = 49th
| order2 = 49th
| deputy2 = [[Casey Laskowski]]
| deputy2 = [[Casey Laskowski]]
| term_start2 = December 20, 1976
| term_start2 = December 28, 1976
| term_end2 = April 16, 1979
| term_end2 = April 16, 1979
| predecessor2 = [[Richard J. Daley]]
| predecessor2 = [[Richard J. Daley]]
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| term_start = January 1, 1994
| term_start = January 1, 1994
| term_end = January 1, 1997
| term_end = January 1, 1997
| predecessor = [[Benjamin K. Miller (judge)|Benjamin K. Miller]]<ref>[http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/supremecourt/justicearchive/Bio_Miller.asp Illinois Courts - Benjamin Miller]</ref>
| predecessor = [[Benjamin K. Miller (judge)|Benjamin K. Miller]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/supremecourt/justicearchive/Bio_Miller.asp |title=Benjamin K. Miller |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151004115623/http://www.illinoiscourts.gov/supremecourt/justicearchive/Bio_Miller.asp |archive-date=2015-10-04}}</ref>
| successor = [[James D. Heiple]]
| successor = [[James D. Heiple]]
| office1 = Member of the [[Supreme Court of Illinois]]
| office1 = Member of the [[Supreme Court of Illinois]]
| term_start1 = November 2, 1990
| term_start1 = November 2, 1990
| term_end1 = August 30, 2000
| term_end1 = August 30, 2000
| predecessor1 =
| predecessor1 = [[Daniel P. Ward]]
| successor1 = [[Thomas R. Fitzgerald (judge)|Thomas R. Fitzgerald]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.illinoiscourthistory.org/Resources/14818cee-83de-4f3c-a26e-22420fee4985/justice_genealogy.pdf |title=Succession of Illinois Supreme Court Justices |publisher=Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission |access-date=2024-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916210159/https://www.illinoiscourthistory.org/Resources/14818cee-83de-4f3c-a26e-22420fee4985/justice_genealogy.pdf |archive-date=2021-09-16}}</ref>
| successor1 = [[Thomas R. Fitzgerald (judge)|Thomas R. Fitzgerald]]
| office4 = [[Chicago City Council|City of Chicago Alderman]]
| office4 = [[Chicago City Council|City of Chicago Alderman]]
| term_start4 = June 12, 1969
| term_start4 = June 12, 1969
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| constituency4 = [[11th Ward, Chicago|11th Ward]]
| constituency4 = [[11th Ward, Chicago|11th Ward]]
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| party = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| spouse = {{marriage|Heather Morgan|1977}}
| spouse = {{marriage|Heather Morgan|1977|2002}}
| children = 1
| children = 1
| alma_mater = [[De La Salle Institute]]<br> [[Saint Mary's University of Minnesota|St. Mary's University of Minnesota]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br>[[DePaul University College of Law]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
| education = [[De La Salle Institute]]<br/> [[Saint Mary's University of Minnesota|St. Mary's University of Minnesota]] ([[Bachelor of Arts|BA]])<br/>[[DePaul University College of Law]] ([[Juris Doctor|JD]])
| allegiance = {{flag|United States|1912}}
| allegiance = {{flag|United States|1912}}
| branch = {{flag|United States Marine Corps|23px}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.nndb.com/people/108/000162619/ |encyclopedia=NNDB |entry=Michael A. Bilandic |title=Michael A. Bilandic }}</ref><ref name="TribuneObit">{{cite news |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/01/17/a-mayor-who-had-hard-act-to-follow/ |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |title= A mayor who had hard act to follow |first1=Christi |last1=Parsons |first2=Ronald |last2=Kotulak |date=2002-01-17 |quote=Bilandic served as a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240316212523/https://www.chicagotribune.com/2002/01/17/a-mayor-who-had-hard-act-to-follow/ |archive-date=2024-03-16 |access-date=2023-03-16}}</ref>
| branch = {{flag|United States Marine Corps|23px}}<ref>[http://www.nndb.com/people/108/000162619/ NNDB: Michael A. Bilandic]</ref>
| serviceyears = 1943–1945
| serviceyears = 1943–1945
| battles = [[World War II]]
| battles = [[World War II]]
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}}
}}


'''Michael Anthony Bilandic''' (February 13, 1923{{spnd}}January 15, 2002) was an American [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politician and attorney who served as the 49th mayor of Chicago from 1976 to 1979, after the death of his predecessor, [[Richard J. Daley]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Mayors |url=https://www.chipublib.org/chicago-mayors/ |website=Chicago Public Library |access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> Bilandic practiced law in Chicago for several years, having graduated from the [[DePaul University College of Law]]. Bilandic served as an [[alderman]] in the [[Chicago City Council]], representing the eleventh ward on the south-west side ([[Bridgeport, Chicago|Bridgeport]] neighborhood) from June 1969 until he began his tenure as mayor in December 1976. After his mayoralty, Bilandic served as chief justice of the [[Illinois Supreme Court]] from 1994 to 1997.
'''Michael Anthony Bilandic''' (February 13, 1923{{spnd}}January 15, 2002) was an American [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] politician and attorney who served as the 49th mayor of Chicago from 1976 to 1979, after the death of his predecessor, [[Richard J. Daley]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Chicago Mayors |url=https://www.chipublib.org/chicago-mayors/ |website=Chicago Public Library |access-date=March 24, 2019}}</ref> Bilandic practiced law in Chicago for several years, having graduated from the [[DePaul University College of Law]]. Bilandic served as an [[alderman]] in [[Chicago City Council]], representing the eleventh ward on the south-west side ([[Bridgeport, Chicago|Bridgeport]] neighborhood) from June 1969 until he began his tenure as mayor in December 1976. After his mayoralty, Bilandic served as chief justice of the [[Illinois Supreme Court]] from 1994 to 1997.


==Biography==
==Biography==
===Early life and career===
===Early life and career===
Born in Chicago to [[Croats|Croatian]] immigrant parents, Bilandic studied at [[De La Salle Institute]] (then known as De La Salle High School); graduating in 1940.<ref>[http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet92/srgroups/sr/920SR0304LV.html ILLINOIS SENATE RESOLUTION - Michael A. Bilandic - (Mayor of Chicago; 1976-79)]</ref> Bilandic joined the [[United States Marine Corps]] during [[World 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 from [[Saint Mary's University of Minnesota|St. Mary's University of Minnesota]] in 1947. 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 his law degree from [[DePaul 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.<ref name="Centennial List">{{cite web |title=Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office. |url=http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm |website=CHSMedia.org |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052355/http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>
Bilandic was born in Chicago to [[Croats|Croatian]] immigrant parents Mate "Matthew" and Milka "Minnie" Bilandžić) from southern [[Croatia]]. Bilandic studied at [[De La Salle Institute|De La Salle High School]] and graduated in 1940.<ref>{{cite act |url=http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/legisnet92/srgroups/sr/920SR0304LV.html |legislature=Illinois Senate |type=Resolution |title=MEMORIAL MICHAEL A BILANDIC |date={{date|2002-01-30|mdy}} |index=0304}}</ref> Bilandic joined the [[United States Marine Corps]] during [[World 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 from [[Saint Mary's University of Minnesota|St. Mary's University of Minnesota]] in 1947.<ref name="TribuneObit"/> 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 his [[[Juris Doctor]] degree from [[DePaul 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.<ref name="Centennial List">{{cite web |title=Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office. |url=http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm |publisher=Chicago Historical Society |access-date=September 21, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052355/http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm |archive-date=September 4, 2018 |url-status=dead }}</ref>


===Mayor of Chicago (1976; 1977–79)===
===Mayor of Chicago (1976; 1977–79)===
When Mayor [[Richard J. Daley]] died on December 20, 1976, the [[President Pro Tempore]] of the City Council, [[Wilson Frost]], declared himself [[acting mayor]]. However, much of the city council disputed Frost's claim. After nearly a week of closed-door negotiations, the city council selected Bilandic to serve as acting mayor for approximately six months until a [[1977 Chicago mayoral special election|special election]] could be held to choose a mayor filling out the remaining two years in Mayor Daley's term. Bilandic was selected with the proviso that he would not contend in the election. Nonetheless, Bilandic chose to run in 1977 and, still in his honeymoon period, received a popular mandate to assume Daley's mantle. Bilandic defeated [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidates [[Edward Hanrahan]], [[Andy Martin|Anthony Martin-Trigona]], [[Roman Pucinski]], Ellis Reid and [[Harold Washington]] in the April 1977 [[primary election]]. On June 7, 1977, Bilandic was elected the mayor of Chicago in the general election, defeating Dennis Block ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]), Dennis Brasky (Socialist Labor) and Gerald Rose (U.S. Labor). Bilandic delivered his inaugural address and took office on June 22, 1977.
When Mayor [[Richard J. Daley]] died on December 20, 1976, the [[President Pro Tempore]] of the City Council, [[Wilson Frost]], declared himself [[acting mayor]]. However, much of the city council disputed Frost's claim. After nearly a week of closed-door negotiations, the city council selected Bilandic to serve as acting mayor for approximately six months until a [[1977 Chicago mayoral special election|special election]] could be held to choose a mayor filling out the remaining two years in Mayor Daley's term. Bilandic was selected with the proviso that he would not contend in the election. Nonetheless, Bilandic chose to run in 1977 and, still in his honeymoon period, received a popular mandate to assume Daley's mantle. Bilandic defeated [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] candidates [[Edward Hanrahan]], [[Andy Martin|Anthony Martin-Trigona]], [[Roman Pucinski]], Ellis Reid and [[Harold Washington]] in the April 1977 [[Partisan primary|primary election]]. On June 7, 1977, Bilandic was elected the mayor of Chicago in the general election, defeating Dennis Block ([[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]), Dennis Brasky (Socialist Labor) and Gerald Rose (U.S. Labor). Bilandic delivered his inaugural address and took office on June 22, 1977.


However, popular though he was at this time, his term as mayor would prove to be short and difficult. Bilandic had to face several labor disputes while in the mayor's office, including a gravediggers and cemetery owners' [[strike action|strike]] and a threatened strike by members of [[Lyric Opera of Chicago]].<ref name="Drell167">Drell, Adrienne (ed.), 2000, ''20th Century Chicago: 100 years 100 voices'', Sports Publishing Inc., p. 167. {{ISBN|1-58261-239-0}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Drell167" /> Bilandic also had to face social unrest in June 1977 when an [[Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña|FALN]] bomb exploded in City Hall and started a two-day riot among the Puerto Rican community.<ref name="Drell167" /> Bilandic oversaw the creation of [[ChicagoFest]], a food and music festival held on [[Navy Pier]]. The [[Chicago Marathon]] had its first running in 1977 and Bilandic participated, finishing with a time of 4 hours.<ref>Drell, Adrienne (ed.), 2000, ''20th Century Chicago: 100 years 100 voices'', Sports Publishing Inc., pp. 166–167. {{ISBN|1-58261-239-0}}</ref> A runner himself, Bilandic arranged to have five miles of unused equestrian paths along the lakefront converted to running paths.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Blagos-Last-Chance-To-Run-The-Chicago-Marathon-130843503.html|title=Blago's Last Chance To Run The Chicago Marathon|work=NBC Chicago|access-date=January 17, 2018|language=en}}</ref>
However, popular though he was at this time, his term as mayor would prove to be short and difficult. Bilandic had to face several labor disputes while in the mayor's office, including a gravediggers and cemetery owners' [[strike action|strike]] and a threatened strike by members of [[Lyric Opera of Chicago]].<ref name="Drell167">{{harvcoltxt|Drell|2000|p=167}}</ref> 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.<ref name="Drell167" /> Bilandic also had to face social unrest in June 1977 when an [[Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional Puertorriqueña|FALN]] bomb exploded in City Hall and started a two-day riot among the Puerto Rican community.<ref name="Drell167" /> Bilandic oversaw the creation of [[ChicagoFest]], a food and music festival held on [[Navy Pier]]. The [[Chicago Marathon]] had its first running in 1977 and Bilandic participated, finishing with a time of 4 hours.<ref>{{harvcoltxt|Drell|2000|pp=166-167}}</ref> A runner himself, Bilandic arranged to have five miles of unused equestrian paths along the lakefront converted to running paths.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Blagos-Last-Chance-To-Run-The-Chicago-Marathon-130843503.html|title=Blago's Last Chance To Run The Chicago Marathon|work=NBC Chicago|access-date=January 17, 2018|language=en}}</ref>


A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of the [[University of Illinois at Chicago]] ranked Bilandic as the twenty-first-worst American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Holli | first = Melvin G. | title = The American Mayor | publisher = PSU Press | year = 1999 | location = University Park | url = https://archive.org/details/americanmayorbes0000holl | isbn = 0-271-01876-3 }}</ref>
A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of the [[University of Illinois at Chicago]] ranked Bilandic as the twenty-first-worst American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Holli | first = Melvin G. | title = The American Mayor | publisher = PSU Press | year = 1999 | location = University Park | url = https://archive.org/details/americanmayorbes0000holl | isbn = 0-271-01876-3 }}</ref>


====Blizzard of 1979====
====Blizzard of 1979====
During January 1979, [[Chicago Blizzard of 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 ordered [[Chicago 'L']] trains to bypass many intermediate stops, particularly affecting black neighborhoods on the [[South Side, Chicago|South Side]] of the city,<ref>''[[Eyes on the Prize]]'': {{YouTube|7NUTfLhPE5I|Part 8 "Back to the Movement" (1979–1983)}} ''[[PBS]]'' 1990 at 28:43</ref> and angering that large voter base.
During January 1979, [[Chicago Blizzard of 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 ordered [[Chicago 'L']] trains to bypass many intermediate stops, particularly affecting black neighborhoods on the [[South Side, Chicago|South Side]] of the city,<ref>{{cite serial |series=[[Eyes on the Prize]] |title="Back to the Movement" (1979–1983) |publisher=[[PBS]] |year=1990 |time=28:43}}</ref> and angering that large voter base.


=== 1979 Democratic primary===
=== 1979 Democratic primary===
{{See also|1979 Chicago mayoral election}}
{{See also|1979 Chicago mayoral election}}
The former longtime head of Chicago's consumer affairs department, [[Jane Byrne]] (who was fired by Bilandic in 1977), ran against the mayor in the 1979 Democratic mayoral primary. Besides dissatisfaction with the city's handling of the snowstorm, other issues hindered the mayor's reelection campaign. Republicans voted in the Democratic primary against the mayor in order to defeat the [[Cook County Democratic Party|Democratic machine]] that had dominated Chicago politics for decades. Reverend [[Jesse Jackson]] endorsed Byrne for mayor. And North Side and Northwest Side voters voted for Byrne because they were angered by the Democratic leadership's slating of only South Side and Southwest Side candidates for mayor, clerk, and treasurer. Bilandic very narrowly lost the primary, with 49% to Byrne's 51%; Byrne then won the general election with a record-setting 82% of the vote and became Chicago's first female mayor.<ref>[http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-byrne-story,0,7583194.story Jane Byrne elected mayor of Chicago], February 27, 1979, Chicago Tribune</ref>
The former longtime head of Chicago's consumer affairs department, [[Jane Byrne]] (who was fired by Bilandic in 1977), ran against the mayor in the 1979 Democratic mayoral primary. Besides dissatisfaction with the city's handling of the snowstorm, other issues hindered the mayor's reelection campaign. Republicans voted in the Democratic primary against the mayor in order to defeat the [[Cook County Democratic Party|Democratic machine]] that had dominated Chicago politics for decades. Reverend [[Jesse Jackson]] endorsed Byrne for mayor. And North Side and Northwest Side voters voted for Byrne because they were angered by the Democratic leadership's slating of only South Side and Southwest Side candidates for mayor, clerk, and treasurer. Bilandic very narrowly lost the primary, with 49% to Byrne's 51%; Byrne then won the general election with a record-setting 82% of the vote and became Chicago's first female mayor.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-byrne-story,0,7583194.story |title=Jane Byrne elected mayor of Chicago |date=February 27, 1979 |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140715034553/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-byrne-story,0,7583194.story |archive-date=2014-07-15 |first=R. Bruce |last=Dold}}</ref>


== Personal life ==
== Personal life ==
Chicago's [[Archbishop]] [[John Cardinal Cody]] married Bilandic to Chicago [[socialite]] Heather Morgan on June 1, 1977. Bilandic and Morgan had a son, [[Michael M. Bilandic]] Jr., born in 1978.<ref>Drell, Adrienne (ed.), 2000, ''20th Century Chicago: 100 years 100 voices'', Sports Publishing Inc., p. 166. {{ISBN|1-58261-239-0}}</ref>
Chicago's [[Archbishop]] [[John Cardinal Cody]] married Bilandic to Chicago [[socialite]] Heather Morgan on June 1, 1977. Bilandic and Morgan had a son, [[Michael M. Bilandic]] Jr., born in 1978.<ref>{{harvcoltxt|Drell|2000|p=166}}</ref>


==Later career and death==
==Later career and death==
Following his term as mayor, Bilandic was elected to the [[Illinois Appellate Court]] in 1984, and then the [[Illinois Supreme Court]] in 1990, where Bilandic served until 2000. From 1994 until 1996, Bilandic served as the Illinois chief justice.<ref>[http://www.state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/JusticeArchive/Bio_Bilandic.asp Michael A. Bilandic, Previous Illinois Supreme Court Justice]</ref> On January 15, 2002, Bilandic died from heart failure and was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois.
Following his term as mayor, Bilandic was elected to the [[Illinois Appellate Court]] in 1984, and then the [[Illinois Supreme Court]] in 1990, where Bilandic served until 2000. From 1994 until 1996, Bilandic served as the Illinois chief justice.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/JusticeArchive/Bio_Bilandic.asp |title=Michael A. Bilandic, Previous Illinois Supreme Court Justice |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110122004501/http://www.state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/JusticeArchive/Bio_Bilandic.asp |archive-date=2011-01-22}}</ref> On January 15, 2002, Bilandic died from heart failure and was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2002/01/17/us/michael-bilandic-daley-successor-in-chicago-dies-at-78.html |date=2002-01-17 |page=B9 |newspaper=[[New York Times]] |title=Michael Bilandic, Daley Successor in Chicago, Dies at 78 |first=Douglas |last=Martin}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Michael Bilandic, 78 |newspaper=[[Washington Post]] |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/2002/01/17/michael-bilandic-78/f4c1e333-2a0e-4612-8069-94b244b628d1/ |date=2002-01-17 |agency=[[Associated Press]] |location=Chicago}}</ref>


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{Reflist|2}}

==Works cited==
* {{cite book |editor-last=Drell |editor-first=Adrienne |year=2000 |title=20th Century Chicago: 100 years 100 voices |publisher=Sports Publishing |isbn=1-58261-239-0}}


==External links==
==External links==
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*{{Find a Grave|6095242}}
*{{Find a Grave|6095242}}
*[http://www.state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/Historical/Chiefs.asp Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Illinois]
*[http://www.state.il.us/court/SupremeCourt/Historical/Chiefs.asp Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of Illinois]
*[https://mojahrvatska.vecernji.hr/price/prica-o-hrvatu-koji-je-postao-gradonacelnik-chicaga-1066936 Story of a Croat who became the mayor of Chicago]

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[[Category:20th-century American judges]]
[[Category:20th-century American judges]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century American lawyers]]
[[Category:20th-century American politicians]]
[[Category:20th-century mayors of places in Illinois]]
[[Category:American people of Croatian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Croatian descent]]
[[Category:Burials in Illinois]]
[[Category:Catholics from Illinois]]
[[Category:Catholics from Illinois]]
[[Category:Chicago City Council members]]
[[Category:Chicago City Council members]]
[[Category:Chief Justices of the Illinois Supreme Court]]
[[Category:Chief justices of the Illinois Supreme Court]]
[[Category:De La Salle Institute alumni]]
[[Category:De La Salle Institute alumni]]
[[Category:DePaul University College of Law alumni]]
[[Category:DePaul University College of Law alumni]]

Latest revision as of 23:55, 9 November 2024

Michael A. Bilandic
Bilandic in 1987
Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
In office
January 1, 1994 – January 1, 1997
Preceded byBenjamin K. Miller[1]
Succeeded byJames D. Heiple
Member of the Supreme Court of Illinois
In office
November 2, 1990 – August 30, 2000
Preceded byDaniel P. Ward
Succeeded byThomas R. Fitzgerald[2]
49th Mayor of Chicago
In office
December 28, 1976 – April 16, 1979
DeputyCasey Laskowski
Preceded byRichard J. Daley
Succeeded byJane Byrne
City of Chicago Alderman
In office
June 12, 1969 – June 7, 1977
Preceded byMatthew J. Danaher
Succeeded byPatrick M. Huels
Constituency11th Ward
Personal details
Born
Michael Anthony Bilandic

(1923-02-13)February 13, 1923
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
DiedJanuary 15, 2002(2002-01-15) (aged 78)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Resting placeSt. Mary's Cemetery
Evergreen Park, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Spouse
Heather Morgan
​
(m. 1977⁠–⁠2002)​
Children1
EducationDe 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 service1943–1945
Rank First Lieutenant
Battles/warsWorld War II

Michael Anthony Bilandic (February 13, 1923 – January 15, 2002) was an American Democratic politician 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 the DePaul University College of Law. Bilandic served as an alderman in Chicago 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 as chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court from 1994 to 1997.

Biography

[edit]

Early life and career

[edit]

Bilandic was born in Chicago to Croatian immigrant parents Mate "Matthew" and Milka "Minnie" Bilandžić) from southern Croatia. Bilandic studied at De La Salle High School and graduated in 1940.[6] Bilandic joined the United States Marine Corps during World 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 from St. 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 his [[[Juris Doctor]] degree from DePaul 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.[7]

Mayor of Chicago (1976; 1977–79)

[edit]

When Mayor Richard J. Daley died on December 20, 1976, the President Pro Tempore of the City Council, Wilson Frost, declared himself acting mayor. However, much of the city council disputed Frost's claim. After nearly a week of closed-door negotiations, the city council selected Bilandic to serve as acting mayor for approximately six months until a special election could be held to choose a mayor filling out the remaining two years in Mayor Daley's term. Bilandic was selected with the proviso that he would not contend in the election. Nonetheless, Bilandic chose to run in 1977 and, still in his honeymoon period, received a popular mandate to assume Daley's mantle. Bilandic defeated Democratic candidates Edward Hanrahan, Anthony Martin-Trigona, Roman Pucinski, Ellis Reid and Harold Washington in the April 1977 primary election. On June 7, 1977, Bilandic was elected the mayor of Chicago in the general election, defeating Dennis Block (Republican), Dennis Brasky (Socialist Labor) and Gerald Rose (U.S. Labor). Bilandic delivered his inaugural address and took office on June 22, 1977.

However, popular though he was at this time, his term as mayor would prove to be short and difficult. Bilandic had to face several labor disputes while in the mayor's office, including a gravediggers and cemetery owners' strike and a threatened strike by members of Lyric Opera of Chicago.[8] 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.[8] Bilandic also had to face social unrest in June 1977 when an FALN bomb exploded in City Hall and started a two-day riot among the Puerto Rican community.[8] Bilandic oversaw the creation of ChicagoFest, a food and music festival held on Navy Pier. The Chicago Marathon had its first running in 1977 and Bilandic participated, finishing with a time of 4 hours.[9] A runner himself, Bilandic arranged to have five miles of unused equestrian paths along the lakefront converted to running paths.[10]

A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of the University of Illinois at Chicago ranked Bilandic as the twenty-first-worst American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.[11]

Blizzard of 1979

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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 ordered Chicago 'L' trains to bypass many intermediate stops, particularly affecting black neighborhoods on the South Side of the city,[12] and angering that large voter base.

1979 Democratic primary

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See also: 1979 Chicago mayoral election

The former longtime head of Chicago's consumer affairs department, Jane Byrne (who was fired by Bilandic in 1977), ran against the mayor in the 1979 Democratic mayoral primary. Besides dissatisfaction with the city's handling of the snowstorm, other issues hindered the mayor's reelection campaign. Republicans voted in the Democratic primary against the mayor in order to defeat the Democratic machine that had dominated Chicago politics for decades. Reverend Jesse Jackson endorsed Byrne for mayor. And North Side and Northwest Side voters voted for Byrne because they were angered by the Democratic leadership's slating of only South Side and Southwest Side candidates for mayor, clerk, and treasurer. Bilandic very narrowly lost the primary, with 49% to Byrne's 51%; Byrne then won the general election with a record-setting 82% of the vote and became Chicago's first female mayor.[13]

Personal life

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Chicago's Archbishop John Cardinal Cody married Bilandic to Chicago socialite Heather Morgan on June 1, 1977. Bilandic and Morgan had a son, Michael M. Bilandic Jr., born in 1978.[14]

Later career and death

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Following his term as mayor, Bilandic was elected to the Illinois Appellate Court in 1984, and then the Illinois Supreme Court in 1990, where Bilandic served until 2000. From 1994 until 1996, Bilandic served as the Illinois chief justice.[15] On January 15, 2002, Bilandic died from heart failure and was interred in St. Mary's Cemetery in Evergreen Park, Illinois.[16][17]

References

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  1. ^ "Benjamin K. Miller". Archived from the original on October 4, 2015.
  2. ^ "Succession of Illinois Supreme Court Justices" (PDF). Illinois Supreme Court Historic Preservation Commission. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 16, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2024.
  3. ^ "Michael A. Bilandic". Michael A. Bilandic. NNDB.
  4. ^ a b Parsons, Christi; Kotulak, Ronald (January 17, 2002). "A mayor who had hard act to follow". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 16, 2024. Retrieved March 16, 2023. Bilandic served as a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps in the Pacific during World War II.
  5. ^ "Chicago Mayors". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  6. ^ MEMORIAL MICHAEL A BILANDIC (Resolution 0304). Illinois Senate. January 30, 2002.
  7. ^ "Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office". Chicago Historical Society. Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 21, 2018.
  8. ^ a b c Drell (2000:167)
  9. ^ Drell (2000:166–167)
  10. ^ "Blago's Last Chance To Run The Chicago Marathon". NBC Chicago. Retrieved January 17, 2018.
  11. ^ Holli, Melvin G. (1999). The American Mayor. University Park: PSU Press. ISBN 0-271-01876-3.
  12. ^ "Back to the Movement" (1979–1983). Eyes on the Prize. PBS. 1990. Event occurs at 28:43.
  13. ^ Dold, R. Bruce (February 27, 1979). "Jane Byrne elected mayor of Chicago". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014.
  14. ^ Drell (2000:166)
  15. ^ "Michael A. Bilandic, Previous Illinois Supreme Court Justice". Archived from the original on January 22, 2011.
  16. ^ Martin, Douglas (January 17, 2002). "Michael Bilandic, Daley Successor in Chicago, Dies at 78". New York Times. p. B9.
  17. ^ "Michael Bilandic, 78". Washington Post. Chicago. Associated Press. January 17, 2002.

Works cited

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  • Drell, Adrienne, ed. (2000). 20th Century Chicago: 100 years 100 voices. Sports Publishing. ISBN 1-58261-239-0.
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Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Chicago
December 20, 1976 – April 16, 1979 		Succeeded by
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