Chicago's Conscience, Leon Despres, Dead at 101
By Kate Gardiner in News on May 7, 2009 7:30PM
"The effect of the Machine's systematic repression [of the urban poor] is the muting of protest, incalcuable stagnation of the general citizenry, and the loss of progress in Chicago," former 5th Ward Ald. Leon Despres told political scientist Milton Rakove in Don't Make No Waves... Don't Back No Losers., published in 1975. Rakove, went on to say, "Despres lead a band that made a valiant, often futile, but occasionally successful fight against the leaders of the [Richard J.] Daley organization."
Despres, who spent his lifetime fighting for the rights of the urban poor, died Wednesday at the age of 101 in his Hyde Park home of heart failure. He was still fighting the city's Democratic Machine. Despres was an independent liberal elected to city council in Chicago in 1955 at age 47. Elected the same year as Mayor Richard J. Daley, he spent his entire 20-year career in city council waging battle over liberal policies, urban planning and the city's epic civil rights challenges.
According to the Ralkove, Despres was shot in the leg twice in 1967, during a holdup. In their obit of Despres, The Chicago Tribune mentioned the anecdote and wrote that though he could have blamed the crime on the perpetrators, instead, "...he refused to condemn his assailants, saying that crime was a product of social conditions." Despres retired from city council in 1975, choosing to fight the Machine from outside elected office; Richard J. Daley died in office in 1976. Afterward, Despres was instrumental in the election of Harold Washington, Chicago's first black mayor, and Jane Byrne, its first woman. He served as parliamentarian for both administrations.
A graduate of the University of Chicago's undergraduate and law schools, Despres was an attorney in Chicago for more than 80 years. Despres started his career working for labor unions during the Great Depression. He spent the rest of his life fighting for underdogs all over the city.
In Sept. 2008, Despres wrote a column for website Slate.com, and vigorously endorsed Barack Obama's candidacy. In February, he endorsed his law partner at Despres, Schwartz and Geoghegan, Tom Geoghegen, for the seat left vacant by Rahm Emanuel in the 5th Congressional District. His memoir, Challenging the Daley Machine, was published in 2005.
Despres was married to his wife, architect Marian Alschuler, for more than 70 years. She died in 2007. He is survived by his children, a son, Robert; a daughter, Linda Baskin; and a grandson. Services will be held May 31 at KAM Isaiah Israel, 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd., in Hyde Park.
Ed's Note: For more on Leon Despres, check out articles at WBEZ, the Sun-Times, and The Reader. Also worthwhile are this Gapers Block feature on the ceremony marking the closing of the Hyde Park co-op from last year in which Despres participated and this interview Despres did with Time Out. Oh, and of course, Despres' memoir, Challenging the Daley Machine, as mentioned above, is worth picking up. - M.G.