Harold Lee Washington (1922 - 1987)

Born 15 Apr 1922 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

Ancestors

Died 25 Nov 1987 at age 65 in Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States

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Biography

Harold Washington is Notable.

Harold Lee Washington was the 51st Mayor of Chicago (1983-1987) and the first African-American person to be in this office.^[1]

Harold Lee Washington was born on April 15 1922 and raised in the South Side of Chicago, Illinois.^[2] He was the son of Roy Washington and Bertha Jones.

He married Nancy Dorothy Finch on 22 July 1942 in Chicago. Washington was 19 years old, and Dorothy was 17 years old.^[3] They were divorced a few years later.^[4]

A few months after his marriage in October 1942, he was working as a coach cleaner for the Chicago and North Western Railroad.^[5]

Political offices held:

• member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1965-1976)
• member of the Illinois Senate (1976-1980)
• member of the U. S. House of Representatives (1980-1983)
• 51st Mayor of Chicago (1983-1987)

Shortly after winning re-election in 1987 to a second term as mayor, he died suddenly at his desk at City Hall of a heart attack. He is buried in Oak Woods Cemetery in Chicago, Illinois.^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Wikipedia article of Harold Washington
2. ↑ "Illinois, Cook County, Birth Certificates, 1871-1949," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N735-1X2 : 18 May 2016), Harold Lee Washington, 15 Apr 1922; Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States, reference/certificate 15512, Cook County Clerk, Cook County Courthouse, Chicago; FHL microfilm 1,379,108.
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. Cook County, Illinois Marriage Index, 1930-1960 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
4. ↑ His biography on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Washington
5. ↑ Chicago & North Western Historical Society; Berwyn, Illinois; CNW Social Security Applications. Ancestry.com. U.S., Chicago and North Western Railroad Employment Records, 1935-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015.
6. ↑ Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
   Find A Grave: Memorial #2511
   Memorial page for Harold Washington Famous memorial (15 Apr 1922-25 Nov 1987), citing Oak Woods Cemetery, Chicago, Cook County, Illinois, USA (plot: Just off of paved road); Maintained by Find a Grave.

See also:

• 1940 Census: "1940 United States Federal Census"
  Year: 1940; Census Place: Chicago, Cook, Illinois; Roll: m-t0627-00925; Page: 61A; Enumeration District: 103-140
  Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 2442 #142826578
  Harold Washington (18), single son, New Worker, in household of Roy L Washington (43) in Chicago, Cook, Illinois. Born in Illinois.
• Wikidata: Item Q295584, en:Wikipedia
• National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; WWII Draft Registration Cards for Illinois, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 1907; Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Draft Cards Young Men, 1940-1947 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.