[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 64 (Monday, May 16, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E981]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     RECOGNIZING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF MAYOR RICHARD J. DALEY'S 
                              INAUGURATION

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. RAHM EMANUEL

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 16, 2005

  Mr. EMANUEL. Mr. Speaker, I am proud to rise in recognition of the 
fiftieth anniversary of the first inauguration of the late Richard J. 
Daley, former mayor of Chicago and one of America's all-time greatest 
mayors. His legacy was honored at a symposium last week at the 
University of Illinois at Chicago, UIC, followed by a gala reception 
and benefit for that fine school.
  This event, attended by the mayor's family, friends and many other 
Chicagoans was addressed by public servants and members of the media 
who knew and worked with the mayor. Remembered as a man of strong 
conviction and dedication to his family, faith and the city, Mayor 
Daley left an indelible mark as Chicago's longest-serving chief 
executive.
  As many participants made clear at the symposium, evidence of Mayor 
Daley's stamp on Chicago can be seen clearly today. From its vibrant 
downtown to its freeways and mass transit to O'Hare International 
Airport, Mayor Daley forever transformed Chicago into the ``city that 
works.'' He appreciated the importance of the city's great cultural 
institutions and core businesses, building strong partnerships that 
have enabled Chicago to avoid the pitfalls affecting many other 
industrial cities. His visionary founding of UIC as an urban college 
for the children of immigrants and working families was perhaps his 
greatest achievement, making it a most appropriate place for the Daley 
Library, Archives and student scholarships in the name of the late 
mayor and his beloved wife, Eleanor.
  Through times of great social upheaval and racial tension, the mayor 
never wavered from his vision of politics and government as ``a people 
business.'' He maintained his commitment to public education and 
economic opportunity for all people, working closely with national 
leaders like Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson toward these 
goals, which passage of the landmark Civil Rights and Voting Rights 
laws.
  In return for his dedicated service and in recognition of his great 
love for Chicago, its residents elected and re-elected him an 
unprecedented six times.
  Still, Mayor Daley made the time to be a loving husband and devoted 
father to seven children. His eldest son, Richard M. Daley, has 
succeeded him as mayor, and has built his own legacy as a great leader 
and urban visionary. Together, the two Mayor Daleys have provided the 
city of Chicago with outstanding leadership and direction and along 
with the entire Daley family have shown a sense of commitment to public 
service that is inspiring. I am proud that, 50 years after the first 
Mayor Daley's inauguration, Chicago is among the world's greatest and 
most vibrant cities. May it remain so for many years to come.

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