Representative Harold Washington

Harold Washington served as a Representative from Illinois in the United States Congress from 1981 to 1985. A member of the Democratic Party, Harold Washington contributed to the legislative process during 2 terms in office.

Harold Washington’s service in Congress occurred during a significant period in American history. As a member of the House of Representatives, Harold Washington participated in the democratic process and represented the interests of constituents.

Harold Lee Washington (April 15, 1922 – November 25, 1987) was an American lawyer and politician who was the 51st mayor of Chicago. In April 1983, Washington became the first African American to be elected as the city’s mayor at the age of 60. He served as mayor from April 29, 1983, until his untimely death in 1987. Born in Chicago and raised in the Bronzeville neighborhood, Washington became involved in local 3rd Ward politics under Chicago Alderman and future Congressman Ralph Metcalfe after graduating from Roosevelt University and Northwestern University School of Law. Washington was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1981 to 1983, representing Illinois’s first district. Washington had previously served in the Illinois House of Representatives from 1965 to 1976 and the Illinois State Senate from 1977 to 1980. A 1994 survey of experts on Chicago politics assessed Washington the third-best mayor in the city’s history (up to that time).