Patrick J. O'Connor facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Patrick J. O'Connor
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| Chicago Alderman from the 40th Ward |
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| In office May 1983 – May 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Ivan Rittenberg |
| Succeeded by | Andre Vasquez |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 21, 1954 Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse |
Barbara O'Connor
(m. 1979) |
| Residence | Chicago, Illinois |
| Alma mater | Loyola University (B.A.) Loyola University (J.D.) |
| Profession | Alderman |
Patrick J. O'Connor (born June 21, 1955) is a former Chicago politician. He is the former alderman in Chicago's City Council representing the 40th ward on the North Side of the city. He was first elected in 1983 at age 28. His tenure ended in May 2019 after his loss to challenger Andre Vasquez in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic elections. O'Connor was an unsuccessful candidate in the Democratic Party primary election for Illinois's 5th congressional district special election, 2009.
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Early life
O'Connor is the son of a Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Streets and Sanitation, Bureau of Equipment Services, under Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley.
O'Connor graduated from Loyola University of Chicago School of Law in 1979. Fresh from law school, O'Connor successfully sued the city for back pay for his father after Mayor Jane Byrne fired him.
Chicago City Council (1983–2019)
O'Connor was first elected alderman for the 40th ward in 1983. He was subsequently reelected eight times, in 1987, 1991, 1995, 1999, 2003, 2007, 2011, and 2015. In 2019, he was denied a tenth term on the City Council, being unseated by challenger Andre Vasquez.
Council Wars
During the tenure of Mayor Harold Washington, who was black, O'Connor, who is white, caucused with the mostly-white opposition block in City Council known as the "Vrdolyak 29". O'Connor chaired the City Council's Committee on Education as a freshman alderman.
Unsuccessful campaigns for other offices
In 1990, O'Connor was defeated by Cecil Partee in a four-way race for the Democratic nomination for Cook County State's Attorney in the Democratic primary on March 20, 1990, with Partee garnering 49% of the vote to O'Connor's 37.5%.
O'Connor was defeated in his challenge to Republican incumbent Jack O'Malley in a campaign for Cook County State's Attorney in the general election of November 3, 1992, with O'Malley garnering 62% of the vote to O'Connor's 38%. O'Connor lost to O'Malley in O'Connor's own ward, 8,516 to 9,363.
On Tuesday, March 3, 2009, O'Connor finished fifth in a 12-way race in the primary election for the Democratic Party nomination for the United States House of Representatives in the special election called to replace US Rep. Rahm Emanuel in Illinois's 5th congressional district.
