Daniel Ryan Sr.

Daniel Ryan Sr. (1861/1862–1923) was an Irish-American politician who served as a member and president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners.

Daniel Ryan Sr.
President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners[1]
In office
February 26, 1921 – December 1922
Preceded byPeter Reinberg
Succeeded byAnton Cermak
Member of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
In office
December 1918 – June 13, 1923
Succeeded byDan Ryan Jr.
Personal details
Born1861 or 1862
County Tipperary, Ireland
Died (aged 61)
Chicago, Illinois
Political partyDemocratic
Residence(s)Chicago, Illinois

Biography

Ryan was born in County Tipperary, Ireland.[2] In his early twenties, he moved to Chicago,[2] settling in the Englewood neighborhood.[3]

In his early career in Chicago, he worked at the Union Stock Yards.[2][3] At the Union Stock Yards, he would quickly become a successful buyer.[2] He would later become a cement contractor.[3]

He would become a prominent Democratic politician, becoming the party's leader in Chicago's 32nd ward.[2][3]

Ryan was a charter member of the Englewood Council of the Knights of Columbus.[3] He also was a 4th degree member of the LaSalle Assembly, a member of the St. Bernard's Holy Name Society, and a member of the Catholic Order of Foresters.[3]

In 1912, when there was a split in the local Democratic Party between those allied to Roger C. Sullivan and Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne and those who were allied with Carter Harrison Jr. and William Randolph Hearst, Ryan was allied with Harrison and Hearst.[4]

Cook County Board of Commissioners

Ryan served on the Cook County Board of Commissioners for nine years.[2] He was elected to the board as a member from the city of Chicago in 1914.[5] He would be reelected as a commissioner in 1918[6] and 1922.[7]

Ryan was a leading figure in the early building of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County.[3]

After the 1921 death in office of board president Peter Reinberg, Ryan was selected to finish his term as board president.[3][8] He formally assumed the office on February 26, 1921.[2] He had been selected unanimously by the members of the board.[9] He served until the end of Reinberg's term in December 1922. During his tenure of board president, the county led United States counties in road paving, and the county built a new juvenile home.[2]

Anton J. Cermak was chosen for the 1922 Democratic nomination for county board president over Ryan when the Democratic Party of Cook County organization selected their slate, a move that Parke Brown of the Chicago Tribune attributed to Ryan's "alliance with Thompsonism".[10]

Death

On May 26, 1923, Ryan was hospitalized after suffering a "stroke of apoplexy".[3][9] Ryan died June 12, 1923, at the University of Chicago Medical Center.[3] He was 61 years old.[2] Ryan was survived by his wife, Alice, five sons, and a daughter.[3] He was buried at Chicago's Mount Olivet Cemetery.[3]

Dan Ryan Jr., Ryan's own son, was elected to fill his seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners.[11]

In 1924, the Beverly Hills preserve of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County was renamed "Daniel Ryan Woods" after him.[12]

References
  1. "Cook County, Illinois - Secretary of the Board". legacy.cookcountyil.gov. Office of the Secretary to the Board of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  2. "Burial Service for Daniel Ryan to be Saturday". Chicago Tribune. June 14, 1923. p. 10. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "County Commissioner Dan Ryan Dies". Suburbanite Economist. June 15, 1923. p. 16. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Sullivan Hosts Sing About Foes". Chicago Tribune. April 16, 1912. p. 7. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Cook County and Chicago Election Results. (Incomplete Returns.)". The Day Book. November 4, 1914. p. 26. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. "Probable Winners As Indicated by the Latest Returns". Chicago Tribune. November 6, 1918. p. 3. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Result of Tuesday's Election". Suburbanite Economist. November 10, 1922. p. 8. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Eaglets". Chicago Eagle. March 25, 1922. p. 4. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Daniel Ryan of County Board Suffers Stroke". Chicago Tribune. May 27, 1923. p. 3. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Brown, Parke (February 3, 1922). "Democrats Pick County Slate; Discord Fades". Chicago Tribune. p. 5. Retrieved May 31, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Daniel Ryan Dies; Leader in Illinois; President of Cook County Board of Commissioners -- In Politics 37 Years". The New York Times. April 9, 1961. p. 86. Retrieved August 7, 2021.
  12. "Dan Ryan Woods". Forest Preserves of Cook County. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
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