Leon Mathis Despres (February 2, 1908 – May 6, 2009) was an American author, attorney and politician. He was best known as a long-time

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, where he regularly disagreed with then-mayor

Richard J. Daley Richard Joseph Daley (May 15, 1902 – December 20, 1976) was an American politician who served as the Mayor of Chicago from 1955 and the chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party Central Committee from 1953 until his death. He has been cal ...

, often engaging in loud arguments and debates on the assembly floor.

Background

A native of Chicago, Despres received his undergraduate and law degrees in 1927 and 1929, respectively, from the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

, where he was elected to

Phi Beta Kappa The Phi Beta Kappa Society () is the oldest academic honor society in the United States, and the most prestigious, due in part to its long history and academic selectivity. Phi Beta Kappa aims to promote and advocate excellence in the liberal a ...

, before beginning a legal practice.

Career

In April 1955, Despres was elected to the

Chicago City Council The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 alderpersons elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms. The council is gaveled into session regularly, usually mont ...

from the city's

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

neighborhood, as alderman of the 5th ward. Serving until 1975, Despres gained fame as an independent

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...

, consistently opposing the policies of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. In 1963, a young

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...

worked on Despres' reelection campaign. Frequently on the short end of 49-1 votes, Despres became known as the "

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

conscience of Chicago." Because of his strong advocacy of civil rights and

open housing Housing discrimination in the United States refers to the historical and current barriers, policies, and biases that prevent equitable access to housing. Housing discrimination became more pronounced after the abolition of slavery in 1865, typical ...

, Despres also became known as "the lone negro on the City Council," even though he was white and the council had six black alderman allied with the mayor. On December 26, 1967, Despres was shot in the leg by two men in an alley. Characteristic of his political beliefs, he refused to blame the assailants and instead blamed poor social conditions. In his final years Despres lived in Hyde Park and remained active in civic life. In 2005, he received the Benton Medal from the University of Chicago. Up until his death, Despres still maintained an office at the Chicago firm of Despres, Schwartz, and Geoghegan, managed by longtime colleague, Chicago

labor law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

yer

Thomas Geoghegan Thomas Geoghegan (; born January 22, 1949 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American labor lawyer and author based in Chicago. He has represented several unions and union groups, and written six books on labor unions, law, politics and his personal ex ...

Life and work

Despres spoke five languages, served as Chicago City Council Parliamentarian for eight years after 20 years of service to the city. Despres authored ''Challenging the Daley Machine, A Chicago Alderman's memoir''.

Death

Despres died of heart failure in his Hyde Park home on May 6, 2009, at the age of 101.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Despres, Leon 1908 births 2009 deaths American centenarians Chicago City Council members Men centenarians University of Chicago alumni Writers from Chicago 20th-century American politicians