Chicago's first, and so far only, female mayor, Jane Byrne (1933-2014), died Friday at 81.
Learn more about Byrne's term as mayor (1979-1983) with the Jane Byrne biography in our Chicago Mayors chronology. (You can also read her inaugural address.)
Nearly every CPL location has a copy of My Chicago, her autobiography. We also have two books written about her historic election: Fighting Jane and Brass, Jane Byrne and the Pursuit of Power.
The books After Daley and The Mayors also have material about Byrne.
In addition, the Municipal Reference Collection has numerous documents from Byrne's mayoral administration. These include speeches, annual reports, budgets and financial reports, city plans and other documents. The Municipal Reference Collection's clipping file is a great resource for both deep background and adding a little color to dry administrative accounts.
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