Chicago’s only female mayor has died at the age of 80.
Jane Byrne served from 1979 to 1983 - after one of the biggest election upsets in the city’s history. In an interview with WBEZ earlier this year - Byrne’s only child Kathy says her mom’s legacy can be seen all over Chicago.
“People take for granted that we have rapid transit to O’Hare and Midway. Well, we didn’t before she became mayor and she put those into place!”
Byrne is also credited with the Taste of Chicago, the Jazz Festival, neighborhood festivals and the redevelopment of Navy Pier.
Kathy Byrne told the Associated Press that her mother died at a hospice in Chicago. In a statement, Mayor Rahm Emanuel says the city of Chicago has lost a quote great trailblazer.
Chicago’s only female mayor dies
