Page "Chicago" Paragraph 21

Mayor Richard J. Daley, a Democrat, was elected in 1955, in the era of machine politics.

Starting in the early 1960s due to blockbusting, many white residents, as in most American cities, left the city for the suburbs.

Whole neighborhoods were completely changed based on race.

Structural changes in industry caused heavy losses of jobs for lower skilled workers.

In 1966, James Bevel, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Albert Raby led the Chicago Open Housing Movement, which culminated in agreements between Mayor Richard J. Daley and the movement leaders.

Two years later, the city hosted the tumultuous 1968 Democratic National Convention, which featured physical confrontations both inside and outside the convention hall, including full-scale riots, or in some cases police riots, in city streets.

Major construction projects, including the Sears Tower ( now known as the Willis Tower, which in 1974 became the world's tallest building ), University of Illinois at Chicago, McCormick Place, and O ' Hare International Airport, were undertaken during Richard J. Daley's tenure.

In 1979, Jane Byrne, the city's first female mayor, was elected.

She popularized the city further as a movie location and tourist destination.