4th ward, Chicago explained

4th Ward - Chicago
Official Name:	Ward 4
Coordinates:	41.816°N -87.605°W
Government Type:	Ward
Governing Body:	City of Chicago
Leader Party:	D
Leader Title:	Alderman
Leader Name:	Lamont Robinson
Subdivision Type:	Country
Subdivision Name:	United States
Subdivision Type1:	State
Subdivision Name1:	Illinois
Subdivision Type2:	County
Subdivision Name2:	Cook
Subdivision Type3:	City
Subdivision Name3:	Chicago
Parts Type:	Communities
Parts:	list
P1:	Bronzeville^[1]
P2:	Kenwood
P3:	Hyde Park
Website:	www.cityofchicago.org

The 4th Ward is one of the 50 aldermanic wards with representation in the City Council of Chicago, Illinois. It is divided into 52 election precincts.^[2] Lake Michigan is the ward's eastern boundary for much of its area.^[2] Its northwesternmost point, as of 2002, was located at the intersection of East 26th Street and South Prairie Avenue and its southeasternmost point at the intersection of East 55th Street and Lake Park Avenue.^[2]

David K. Fremon wrote in 1988 that "No other ward has wealth and poverty in such proximity."^[3]

History

The 4th ward was one of six created upon Chicago's incorporation as a city in 1837. At the time its boundaries were the city limits at North Avenue and Wood Street to its respective north and west, Randolph Street to its south, and the Chicago River to its east. In 1847 it was moved to the Loop and Near South Side, being bounded by the Chicago River to its north and west, 22nd street (modern Cermak) to its south, and Wells Street to its east. In 1857 the southern boundary was extended to 31st street and in 1863 the ward was significantly moved eastward, bounded by 16th street, Lake Michigan, 31st street, and Clark Street. In 1869 its southern boundary was retracted to 26th street.^[4]

In 1876 it was moved southward, between 26th street and Egan Street (modern-day Pershing) and Lake Michigan and Clark Street. In 1887 it was moved south yet again, to the area bounded by the Lake, 33rd and 39th streets, and Stewart Avenue. In 1901 it was extended west to once again touch the River, which it would do until 1923. In 1923, coincident with the City being divided into its modern 50 wards, it covered Kenwood and northern Washington Park.^[4]

List of aldermen

1837 - 1923

Before 1923, Wards were represented by two aldermen

Aldermen							Council	Aldermen
Alderman		Term in office	Party	Notes	Cite	Alderman		Term in office	Party	Notes	Cite
	John S.C. Hogan	1837–1838			Redistricted to the 2nd ward in 1838		1st		Asahel Pierce	1837–1840
	Francis C. Taylor	1838–1839					2nd
	John Murphy Jr.	1839–1840					3rd
	Seth Johnson	1840–1841					4th		William Otis Snell	1840–1842
	G.W. Rogers	1841–1842					5th			1840–1842
	Eben C. Chalonder	1842–1843					6th		Daniel Elston	1842–1843			Later elected alderman again in 1851 in the 6th ward
	John Murphy Jr.	1843–1845				7th		William S. Warner	1843–1844
	8th					James Poussard	1844
			Asahel Pierce			1844–1846
		Thomas McDonough	1845–1846			1844–1846					9th
	Henry Magee	1846–1847					10th		Joseph Wilson	1846–1847
	Robert H. Foss	1847–1852				11th		Charles McDonnelll	1847–1849		Previously served in 4th ward
	12th								1847–1849		Previously served in 4th ward
	13th					Amos G. Throop	1849–1853		Later elected alderman again in 1976 in 11th ward	^[5] ^[6]
	14th
	15th
	Charles McDonnelll	1852–1854						16th
	17th	1852–1854		William Kennedy			1853–1855
	Robert H. Foss	1854–1855				Later elected alderman again in 1860 in 5th ward	1853–1855				18th
19th		William Colby	1855–1857		Later elected alderman again in 1860 in 1st ward
		Samuel Myers	1855–1857	1856–1862	Later elected alderman again in 1860 in 1st ward					20th
	21st		J.M. Kennedy		1857–1861
	22nd
	23rd
	24th
	25th		William Baragwanath		1861–1863
	Andrew Schall		1862–1863			Redistricted in 1863 to 1st ward			26th
	John T. Edwards	1863–1864			1861–1863	Redistricted from 1st ward		27th		Benjamin E. Gallup	1863–1865			^[7]
	Samuel McRoy	1864–1866				28th					1863–1865			^[7]
	29th	1864–1866				H.M. Willmarth	1865–1867
	Alan C. Calkins	1866–1870					1865–1867	30th
	31st			Samuel McRoy			1867–1869
	32nd						1867–1869
	33rd			John H. McAvoy			1869–1873
	34th
	Harvey M. Thompson	1870–1872						35th
	36th	1870–1872
	George H. Sidwell	1872–1874						37th
	38th	1872–1874		Jesse Spaulding			1873–1876			^[8]
	Rensselaer Stone	1874–1876					1873–1876	39th		^[8]
	John W. Stewart	1876–1878				40th		James H. Gilbert	1876–1879
	41st	1876–1878
	Herbert E. Mallory	1878–1880				42nd
	43rd	1878–1880				Amos Grannis	1879–1881				^[9]
	William W. Watson	1880–1882			Republican		1879–1881				^[9]	44th
	45th	1880–1882		Oscar D. Wetherell	Republican		1881–1888				Previously served in 3rd ward	^[10]
	S.D. Foss	1882–1884						46th
	47th	1882–1884
	Thomas C. Clarke	1884–1888			Republican	Previously served in the 5th ward			48th
	49th
	50th
	51st
	John W. Hepburn	1888–1896		Republican		^[11]	52nd		Harry D. Hammer	1888–1889
	53rd						Martin B. Madden	1889–1897
	54th
	55th
	56th
	57th
	58th
	59th
	William S. Jackson	1896–1901			Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901	^[12]		60th
	61st			Abraham A. Ballenberg				1897–1899
	62nd							1897–1899
	63rd			Milton J. Foreman				1899–1901		Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901	^[13]
	64th							1899–1901		Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901	^[13]
	William E. Kent	1901–1902			Redistricted from 5th ward; died in office		65th		Frank Doubek	1901–1903
	Henry Stuckart	1902–1904				66th				1901–1903
	67th	1902–1904				James M. Dailey	1903–1907
	John A. Richert	1904–1923						68th
	69th
	70th
	71st			John W. McNeal			1907–1909
	72nd						1907–1909
	73rd			James M. Dailey			1909–1911
	74th						1909–1911
	75th			Joseph F. Ryan			1911–1915
	76th
	77th
	78th
	79th			David R. Hickey			1915–1918		Died in office
	80th
	81st
	82nd		colspan=8
	83rd			Timothy A. Hogan			1919–1923		Continued as alderman after 1923, but redistricted to the 11th ward
	84th
	85th
	86th

1923 - present

See main article: List of Chicago aldermen since 1923.

List of Chicago Alderman from the 4th Ward since 1923!Image!Alderman!Party!Term start!Term end!Ref.
Ulysses S. Schwartz		1923	1925
Berthold A. Cronson	Republican	1925	December 23, 1937 (died in office)
Abraham H. Cohen		1939	1955
Claude Holman	Democratic	1955	June 1, 1973 (died in office)
Timothy C. Evans		November 27, 1973	1991
Toni Preckwinkle		April 2, 1991	December 6, 2010
Shirley Newsome		2010	2011
William D. Burns	Democratic	May 2011	April 2016 (resigned)	^[14]
Sophia King		April 13, 2016	May 15, 2023	^[15]
Lamont Robinson		May 15, 2023	Incumbent

Notes and References

Web site: Ward 4. City of Chicago. 2011-12-05.
Web site: 4th Ward - 52 election precincts. Chicagoelections.com. 4 January 2002. 12 May 2011.
Book: David K. Fremon. Chicago politics, ward by ward. 5 December 2011. October 1988. Indiana University Press. 978-0-253-20490-5. 42.
Web site: 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 . April 16, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180904052355/http://chsmedia.org/media/fa/fa/LIB/AldermansList.htm . September 4, 2018 . dead .
Book: Council . Chicago (Ill) City . Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council . 1892 . 27 December 2020 . IX-XI . en.
https://books.google.com/books?id=jQlQDwAAQBAJ&pg=PT30 Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present by Dick Simpson, Routledge, Mar 8, 2018 (page 30)
Book: Andreas . Alfred Theodore . History of Chicago: From 1857 until the fire of 1871 . 1885 . Higginson Book Company . 49–50 . 9780832857249 . 12 July 2020 . en.
Book: Ahern . M. L. . Political History of Chicago: (covering the Period from 1837 to 1887) Local Politics from the City's Birth; Chicago's Mayors, Aldermen and Other Officials; County and Federal Officers; the Fire and Police Departments; the Haymarket Horror; Miscellaneous . 1886 . Donohue & Henneberry, printers and binders . 116–120 . en.
Book: Andreas . Alfred Theodore . History of Chicago: From the fire of 1871 until 1885 . 1886 . A. T. Andreas . 101–102 . en.
Web site: Roll of the New Council, Including Holding-Over Aldermen and Those Elected Yesterday . Newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 20 July 2020 . en . 7 April 1886.
Web site: All Fond of the Council . Newspapers.com . The Chicago Chronicle . 1 July 2021 . en . subscription . 27 Jan 1896.
Book: The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Political Register for 1899 . 1899 . Chicago Daily News . 285 . 12 July 2020 . en.
Book: Plumbe . George Edward . Langland . James . Pike . Claude Othello . Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1900 . 1900 . Chicago Daily News, Incorporated . 383 . 12 July 2020 . en.
Web site: Ald. Will Burns Resigns, Leaves 4th Ward Seat Vacant, Will Go To Airbnb. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20170403002828/https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160201/kenwood/ald-will-burns-resigns-leaves-4th-ward-seat-vacant-goes-airbnb. 3 April 2017. 2 February 2016. dnainfo.com.
Web site: City of Chicago :: Ward 4. 2016-09-02. www.cityofchicago.org.