4th ward, Chicago explained

The 4th Ward is one of the 50 aldermanic wards with representation in the City Council of Chicago, Illinois. It is divided into 28 election precincts.^[2] Lake Michigan is the ward's eastern boundary for much of its area.^[3] Its northwesternmost point, as of 2022, was located at the intersection of West Jackson Boulevard and South Clark Street and its southeasternmost point at the intersection of East 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue.

David K. Fremon wrote in 1988 that "No other ward has wealth and poverty in such proximity."^[4] Today the 4th Ward boasts 93,975 residents, with a racially diverse population that is plurality Black (46.0%), followed by White (30.2%), Asian (13.3%), Hispanic or Latino (6.4%), Multiracial (3.5%), Native (0.2%), and Other (0.5%).^[5] Between 2010 and 2018, the 4th Ward saw the second-largest population growth in the city after the 42nd Ward, driven primarily by the population influx in the South Loop.^[6]

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-day 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 In 1869 its southern boundary was retracted to 26th street.^[7]

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.^[7]

List of alderpersons

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
	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								9th
	Henry Magee	1846–1847					10th		Joseph Wilson	1846–1847
	Robert H. Foss	1847–1852			Later represented ward again (1854-55)		11th		Charles McDonnell	1847–1849		Previously served in same ward
	12th
	13th						Amos G. Throop	1849–1853		Later elected alderman again in 1976 in 11th ward	[8] [9]
	14th
	15th
	Charles McDonnell	1852–1854					16th
	17th			William Kennedy			1853–1855
	Robert H. Foss	1854–January 1855				previously represented same ward (1847–1852); resigned in order to serve as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives; later elected alderman again in 1860 in the 5th ward		[10]			18th
	19th			William Colby			1855–1857			Later elected alderman again in 1860 in 1st ward
	Samuel Myers	1856–1862						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			Redistricted from 1st ward		27th		Benjamin E. Gallup	1863–1865			[11]
	Samuel McRoy	1864–1866				28th
	29th					H.M. Willmarth	1865–1867
	Alan C. Calkins	1866–1870						30th
	31st			Samuel McRoy			1867–1869
	32nd
	33rd			John H. McAvoy			1869–1873
	34th
	Harvey M. Thompson	1870–1872						35th
	36th
	George H. Sidwell	1872–1874						37th
	38th			Jesse Spaulding			1873–1876			[12]
	Rensselaer Stone	1874–1876						39th
	John W. Stewart	1876–1878				40th		James H. Gilbert	1876–1879
	41st
	Herbert E. Mallory	1878–1880				42nd
	43rd					Amos Grannis	1879–1881				[13]
	William W. Watson	1880–1882			Republican							44th
	45th			Oscar D. Wetherell			1881–1888				Previously served in 3rd ward	[14]
	S.D. Foss	1882–1884						46th
	47th
	Thomas C. Clarke	1884–1888			Republican	Previously served in the 5th ward			48th
	49th
	50th
	51st
	John W. Hepburn	1888–1896		Republican		[15]	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	[16]		60th
	61st			Abraham A. Ballenberg				1897–1899
	62nd
	63rd			Milton J. Foreman				1899–1901		Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901	[17]
	64th
	William E. Kent	1901–1902			Redistricted from 5th ward; died in office		65th		Frank Doubek	1901–1903
	Henry Stuckart	1902–1904				66th
	67th					James M. Dailey	1903–1907
	John A. Richert	1904–1923						[18]			68th
	69th
	70th
	71st			John W. McNeal			1907–1909
	72nd
	73rd			James M. Dailey			1909–1911
	74th
	75th			Joseph F. Ryan			1911–1915
	76th
	77th
	78th
	79th			David R. Hickey			1915–December 8, 1918				Died in office	[19]
	80th
	81st
	82nd
	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 alderpersons since 1923.

Since 1923, wards have been represented by a single alderman. Elections have also been nonpartisan, though officeholders often still publicly affiliate with parties.

In 2021, the state government enacted legislation to change the designation for members of the city council from "aldermen" to "alderpersons".^{[20] [21]}

List of Chicago alderpersons from the 4th Ward since 1923!Image!Alderperson!Party!Term start!Term end!Notes!Ref.

	Ulysses S. Schwartz	Democratic	1923	1925	Previously represented the 3rd ward (1916–1923)	[22]
	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	Resigned in order to become president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
	Shirley Newsome		2010	2011	Appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley	[23]
	William D. Burns	Democratic	May 2011	April 2016	Resigned	[24]
	Sophia King		April 13, 2016	May 15, 2023		[25]
	Lamont Robinson		May 15, 2023	incumbent

See also

• 50th Ward in Chicago

Notes and References

1. Web site: Ward 4. City of Chicago. 2011-12-05.
2. Web site: January 31, 2023 . Ward 4 Precincts . October 1, 2024 . chicagoelections.com.
3. Web site: May 19, 2022 . 4th Ward Map . October 1, 2024 . chicagoelections.com .
4. Book: David K. Fremon. Chicago politics, ward by ward. 5 December 2011. October 1988. Indiana University Press. 978-0-253-20490-5. 42.
5. Web site: Plan . Chicago Recovery . Geography - Ward 4 . 2024-10-02 . Chicago Recovery Plan . en.
6. Web site: writer . Aaron Gettinger, staff . 2021-04-06 . Redistricting update: estimates show population gain in 4th Ward, loss in 20th . 2024-10-02 . Hyde Park Herald . en.
7. 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 .
8. Book: Council . Chicago (Ill) City . Journal of the Proceedings of the City Council . 1892 . 27 December 2020 . IX-XI . en.
9. 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)
10. Web site: Foss, Robert H. . Papers of Abraham Lincoln . 2 December 2024.
11. Book: Andreas . Alfred Theodore . History of Chicago: From 1857 until the fire of 1871 . 1885 . Higginson Book Company . 49–50 . 9780832857249 . en.
12. 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.
13. Book: Andreas . Alfred Theodore . History of Chicago: From the fire of 1871 until 1885 . 1886 . A. T. Andreas . 101–102 . en.
14. 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.
15. Web site: All Fond of the Council . Newspapers.com . The Chicago Chronicle . 1 July 2021 . en . subscription . 27 Jan 1896.
16. Book: The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Political Register for 1899 . 1899 . Chicago Daily News . 285 . en.
17. Book: Plumbe . George Edward . Langland . James . Pike . Claude Othello . Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1900 . 1900 . Chicago Daily News, Incorporated . 383 . en.
18. Web site: The Common Council Full List of Aldermen Composing the Governing Body of the City of Chicago . Newspapers.com . subscription . Chicago Eagle at Newspapers.com . 2 December 2024 . en . March 1, 1919.
19. Web site: Ald D. R. Hickey Dies After Five Days' Illness . www.newspapers.com . Chicago Tribune . 2 December 2024 . en . December 9, 1918 . subscription.
20. Web site: 2021-06-18 . Pritzker signs law that will make alderman name more inclusive . 2023-12-10 . FOX 32 Chicago . en-US.
21. Web site: Illinois General Assembly - Bill Status for SB0825 . 2023-12-10 . www.ilga.gov.
22. Web site: The Common Council Full List of Aldermen Composing the Governing Body of the City of Chicago . Newspapers.com . subscription . Chicago Eagle at Newspapers.com . 2 December 2024 . en . March 1, 1919.
23. Web site: Tsoi . Crystal . Newsome Fills Interim Seat For Fourth Ward Alderman . Chicago Maroon . 21 March 2024 . January 25, 2011.
24. 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.
25. Web site: City of Chicago :: Ward 4. 2016-09-02. www.cityofchicago.org.