Byrne, Jane (1934–)
Byrne, Jane (1934–)
American politician. Born Jane Margaret Burke in Chicago, Illinois, May 24, 1934; dau. of William Burke (executive with Inland Steel and co-founder of Gordon-Burke Steel) and Katherine (Nolan) Burke; Barat College of the Sacred Heart, BA, 1955; attended University of Illinois and Chicago Teachers College (now Chicago State University); m. William P. Byrne (Marine Corps pilot), Dec 31, 1956 (killed May 1959); m. Jan McMullen (reporter), Mar 17, 1978; children: (1st m.) Katherine Byrne.
Mayor of Chicago who was the 1st woman to head the nation's 2nd largest city; secured a position on the administrative staff of the Chicago Commission of Urban Opportunity (1965); appointed to the Cabinet of Mayor Richard Daley (1968), as commissioner of consumer sales, weights, and measures; became co-chair of the Cook County Democratic Committee and was appointed to the party's National Committee; won election for mayor, with 82% of the vote, a greater margin than even Daley had accomplished (1979); failed in reelection bid (1983).
See also My Chicago (Norton, 1992); Bill and Lori Granger, Fighting Jane: Mayor Jane Byrne and the Chicago Machine (Dial, 1980); and Women in World History.