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Cook County, Illinois Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
, general election was held on November 6, 1990. Primaries were held March 20, 1990. Elections were held for the offices of Assessor,
Clerk A clerk is a white-collar worker who conducts general office tasks, or a worker who performs similar sales-related tasks in a retail environment. The responsibilities of clerical workers commonly include record keeping, filing, staffing service ...
,
Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...
,
State's Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a loc ...
, Cook County Superintendent of Education Service Region,
Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury o ...
,
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners The President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is the chief executive of county government in Cook County, Illinois. They are the head of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Office description Officeholders Recent election re ...
, all 17 seats of the
Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...
, both seats of the Cook County Board of Appeals, 3 seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the
Circuit Court of Cook County The Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 24 judicial circuits in Illinois as well as one of the largest unified court systems in the United States — second only in size to the Superior Court of Los Angeles County since that court ...
.


Election information

1990 was a
midterm election Apart from general elections and by-elections, midterm election refers to a type of election where the people can elect their representatives and other subnational officeholders (e.g. governor, members of local council) in the middle of the term ...
year in the United States. The primaries and general elections for Cook County races coincided with those for federal (
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and
House A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air condi ...
) and those for state elections.


Voter turnout


Primary election

Turnout in the primaries was 36.93%, with 985,614 ballots cast. Chicago saw 607,899 ballots cast, and suburban Cook County saw 30.24% turnout (with 377,715 ballots cast).


General election

The general election saw turnout of 52.75%, with 1,408,516 ballots cast. Chicago saw 750,842 ballots cast, and suburban Cook County saw 52.82% turnout (with 657,674 ballots cast).


Straight-ticket voting

Ballots had a
straight-ticket voting In American politics, straight-ticket voting or straight-party voting refers to the practice of voting for every candidate that a political party has on a general election ballot. The term can also refer to a straight-ticket voting option, some ...
option in 1990.


Assessor

In the 1990
Cook County Assessor The Cook County Assessor is the assessor and county government officer of Cook County, Illinois. Office description Before the creation of the position of Cook County Assessor in 1932, the Cook County Board of Assessors completed assessments i ...
election, incumbent fourth-term assessor
Thomas Hynes Thomas C. Hynes (November 5, 1938 – May 4, 2019) was a physics teacher who served as Cook County Assessor, President of the Illinois Senate, and 19th Ward Democratic Committeeman. Hynes was also a candidate for Mayor of Chicago in 1987. He was ...
, a Democrat, was reelected.


Primaries


Democratic


Republican


General election


Clerk

In the 1990
Cook County Clerk The Cook County Clerk is the Municipal clerk, clerk of county government in Cook County, Illinois. History The office of Cook County Clerk was established as an elected office with a four-year term in August 1837. Prior to this, from 1831 to 18 ...
election, incumbent fourth-term clerk
Stanley Kusper Stanley T. Kusper, Jr. (born January 1935) is an American politician and lawyer who served as Cook County clerk from 1973 to 1990. Early life Kusper was born in January 1935. He grew up on Chicago's West Side. Kusper's father was a politically ...
, a Democrat, did not seek reelection, instead opting to run for both Cook County Board of Commissioners president and Cook County commissioner. Democrat
David Orr David Duvall Orr (born October 4, 1944) is an American Democratic politician who served as the Cook County Clerk from 1990 to 2018. Orr previously served as alderman for the 49th ward in Chicago City Council from 1979 to 1990. He briefly served ...
was elected to succeed him.


Primaries


Democratic

Chicago alderman David Orr won the Democratic nomination. Sutker, who placed second, had been slated by the Cook County Democratic Party organization as its endorsed candidate in the race.


Republican


General election


Sheriff

In the 1990
Cook County Sheriff The Cook County Sheriff is the sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, heading the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Office description Terms are currently four-years in length. Officeholders Recent election results , - , colspan=16 style="text-a ...
election, incumbent first-term sheriff James E. O'Grady, a Republican, was defeated by Democrat
Michael F. Sheahan Michael F. Sheahan (born 1944/1945) is an American politician and sheriff. He formerly served as Sheriff of Cook County, Illinois and as a Chicago alderman. Early life Sheahan was born in 1944 or 1945. He received a Master of Education from Gove ...
.


Primaries


Democratic


Republican


Illinois Solidarity


General election

Corruption allegations took a toll on incumbent Republican James E. O'Grady's prospects for reelection. O'Grady ultimately had failed to live up to his 1986 campaign promises of disposing of politics and corruption in the
Cook County Sheriff's Office The Cook County Sheriff's Office is the principal law enforcement agency that serves Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois. It is the second largest sheriff's department in the United States, with over 6,900 members when at full operationa ...
, and had become unpopular among his constituents. Democratic nominee Michael F. Sheahan defeated O'Grady by a broad margin. O'Grady suffered one of biggest defeats that a Republican Party nominee had experienced in a countywide Cook County election in years. Sheahan had managed to beat O'Grady in 24 of the county's 30 suburban townships and in every ward of Chicago. Sheahan had even managed to carry many of the county's Republican strongholds. Within the city of Chicago, O'Grady even trailed Harold Washington Party nominee Tommy Brewer, who was considered a political unknown.


State's Attorney (special election)

In the 1990
Cook County State's Attorney The Cook County State's Attorney functions as the state of Illinois's district attorney for Cook County, Illinois, and heads the second-largest prosecutor's office in the United States. The office has over 700 attorneys and 1,100 employees. In ad ...
special election, incumbent state's attorney Cecil A. Partee, a Democrat appointed in 1989 after
Richard M. Daley Richard Michael Daley (born April 24, 1942) is an American politician who served as the 54th mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1989 to 2011. Daley was elected mayor in 1989 and was reelected five times until declining to run for a seventh term ...
resigned to serve as
mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...
, lost reelection to Republican Jack O'Malley. This is the last time that a non-incumbent Republican has won election to a Cook County executive office.


Primaries


Democratic


Republican


General election


Superintendent of Education Service Region

In the 1990 Cook County Superintendent of Education Service Region election, incumbent fourth-term superintendent Richard J. Martwick, a Democrat, was reelected. This was the last election before the position was eliminated.


Primaries


Democratic


Republican


General election


Treasurer

In the 1990
Cook County Treasurer The Cook County Treasurer is the treasurer of county government in Cook County, Illinois Office description The Cook County Treasurer oversees what is the United States' second-largest system of property tax collection and distribution. The off ...
election, incumbent fourth-term treasurer
Edward J. Rosewell Edward J. Rosewell was an American politician who served as Cook County treasurer. Early life Rosewell was born in 1924 or 1925. He was the youngest son of his parents. His father was a truck driver, and his mom was a homemaker. Rosewell grew up ...
, a Democrat, was reelected.


Primaries


Democratic


Republican


General election


President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners

In the 1990
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners The President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners is the chief executive of county government in Cook County, Illinois. They are the head of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Office description Officeholders Recent election re ...
election, incumbent president
George Dunne George W. Dunne (February 20, 1913 – May 28, 2006) was an American politician within the Democratic Party from Chicago, Illinois. He was President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners from 1969 to 1991; the longest service of anyone ...
, a Democrat that had held the office since 1969, did not seek reelection. Democrat
Richard Phelan Richard Phelan, D.D. (January 1, 1828 – December 20, 1904) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, in the United States from 1889 to 1904. Bio ...
was elected to succeed him.


Primaries


Democratic

Richard Phelan Richard Phelan, D.D. (January 1, 1828 – December 20, 1904) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church who served as the fourth bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, in the United States from 1889 to 1904. Bio ...
, a millionaire attorney from Winnetka, won the Democratic primary. He had entered the race as a political unknown. Phelan did not have a strong political organization, but ran an multimillion-dollar campaign with heavy investment in
television advertising A television advertisement (also called a television commercial, TV commercial, commercial, spot, television spot, TV spot, advert, television advert, TV advert, television ad, TV ad or simply an ad) is a span of television programming produce ...
. He defeated former Illinois Appellate judge
R. Eugene Pincham Robert Eugene Pincham (June 28, 1925 – April 3, 2008) was an American attorney active in the field of civil rights who served as both a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and later a judge of the Appellate Court of Illinois. Early lif ...
, Cook County clerk
Stanley Kusper Stanley T. Kusper, Jr. (born January 1935) is an American politician and lawyer who served as Cook County clerk from 1973 to 1990. Early life Kusper was born in January 1935. He grew up on Chicago's West Side. Kusper's father was a politically ...
, and state senator
Ted Lechowicz Thaddeus S. "Ted" Lechowicz (December 20, 1938 – January 5, 2009) was an American politician and businessman. Born in Chicago, Illinois, Lechowicz went to Weber High School in Chicago. He received his associate degree from Wright Junior Col ...
. Phelan ran on a message of change, running against the county Democratic Party establishment. Originally, Kusper had been the race's frontrunner, but by election day, had been relegated to an also-ran. Lechowicz had been endorsed by the
Cook County Democratic Party The Cook County Democratic Party is a political party which represents voters in 50 wards in the city of Chicago and 30 suburban townships of Cook County. The organization has dominated Chicago politics (and consequently, Illinois politics) sinc ...
.


Republican


General election


Cook County Board of Commissioners

The 1990
Cook County Board of Commissioners The Cook County Board of Commissioners is a legislative body made up of 17 commissioners who are elected by district, and a president who is elected county-wide, all for four-year terms. Cook County, which includes the City of Chicago, is the Uni ...
election saw all seventeen seats of the Cook County Board of Commissioners up for election to four-year terms in two sets of elections (ten elected from an election held in the city of Chicago and seven elected from an election held in suburban Cook County). Democrats increased their majority by a single seat. This was the last election for the Cook County Board of Commissioners done this way, as the board would switch to districts for its 1994 election.


City of Chicago

Ten seats were elected from the City of Chicago.


Primaries


=Democratic

=


=Republican

=


General election

Before the general election, Democratic nominee
R. Eugene Pincham Robert Eugene Pincham (June 28, 1925 – April 3, 2008) was an American attorney active in the field of civil rights who served as both a judge of the Circuit Court of Cook County and later a judge of the Appellate Court of Illinois. Early lif ...
left to run on the
Harold Washington Party The Harold Washington Party was founded in Chicago in the late 1980s to represent the interests of the city's African-American population who felt disenchanted with the mainline Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party. The party was c ...
slate, and was replaced on the Democratic slate by
Danny K. Davis Daniel K. Davis (born September 6, 1941) is an American politician who is the U.S. representative from , elected in 1996. The district serves much of western Chicago, including the Loop. It also includes several of Chicago's inner western subu ...
. Republican nominee Percy V. Coleman also switched from their slate to the Harold Washington Party slate.


Suburban Cook County


Primaries


=Democratic

=


=Republican

=


General election

Republican nominee Harold L. Tyrell was replaced on the ballot by Angelo Saviano.


Cook County Board of Appeals

In the 1990 Cook County Board of Appeals election, both seats on the board were up for election. The election was an
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
election.


Primaries


Democratic


Republican


General election


Water Reclamation District Board

In the 1990
Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD), originally known as the Sanitary District of Chicago, is a special-purpose district chartered to operate in Cook County, Illinois since 1889. Although its name may imply other ...
election, three of the nine seats on the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago board were up for election in an
at-large At large (''before a noun'': at-large) is a description for members of a governing body who are elected or appointed to represent a whole membership or population (notably a city, county, state, province, nation, club or association), rather than ...
election. All three Democratic nominees won.


Judicial elections

Partisan elections were held for judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County, due to vacancies. Other judgeships had
retention election A judicial retention election (or retention referendum) is a periodic process in some jurisdictions whereby a judge is subject to a referendum held at the same time as a general election. The judge is removed from office if a majority of votes are ...
s.


Ballot questions

Two ballot questions were included on ballots county-wide during the November general election.


Establish Financial Consumer Association


Single Membered Districts


Other elections

Coinciding with the primaries, elections were held to elect both the Democratic and Republican
committeemen In the United States, a political party committee is an organization, officially affiliated with a political party and registered with the Federal Elections Commission (FEC), which raises and spends money for political campaigning. Political party ...
for the suburban
township A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
s.


See also

*
1990 Illinois elections Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 6, 1990. Primaries were held on March 20, 1990. All statewide offices saw their incumbents forgo seeking reelection. However, no statewide office saw a change in party composition, with Republ ...


References

{{1990 United States elections
Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
Cook County, Illinois elections Cook County 1990
Cook County Cook County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of Illinois and the second-most-populous county in the United States, after Los Angeles County, California. More than 40% of all residents of Illinois live within Cook County. As of 20 ...
Cook County, Illinois elections Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...