Jane Byrne — A Chicago Stories Documentary

As a woman once again occupies the fifth floor of City Hall, Chicago Stories remembers the city’s first female mayor. After pulling off one of Chicago’s greatest political upsets, Jane Byrne found herself caught between the political machine that shaped her and the reformers who elected her.

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[sableindian]

Jane Byrne will always be dear to me. She awarded my father in 1980, Sgt. George Coleman Sr, with the Lambert Tree Award for bravery.
She's in all his award pictures, so she's family ❤

[simonburns]

Chicago is a wonderful city. Mayor Byrne tried very hard. A great documentary.

[Thought.You.Had.A.Friend_]

Back to back history was made!! First woman then black man. This is DEFINITELY OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.

[ErikB-pq]

Great lady!ahead of her time, and wish we had more like her!

[tomv]

I remember seeing her on TV (prior to her election) discussing the relative merits of different types of street salt. She definitely had it down. Nice retrospective. I didn't know about Mayor Daley seeing her at all those events with JFK. That's got to be a unique entry point to Chicago politics.

[simoneleles]

I just love that City of Chicago. I miss dearly...❤️

[klausrain]

Lol! I lived there when she was mayor, I loved her! To say she wasn't afraid of anyone is kind of funny. Holy Toledo! Everybody was afraid of her!

[ronque]

Nice doc on the Mayor. She was the first mayor I remember, being 6 yo when she assumed office. I remember thinking that she actually lived in Cabrini like as a regular resident. Then my grandmother told me she was just doing that for the cameras. Of course I wasn’t into politics back then but I remember liking the lady. I thought it was cool we had a lady mayor. But then I also thought it was cool we had a black mayor which was my first time going to the Taste of Chicago.

[barbaraanneneale]

Another stunningly good piece of history about a place. I've never been and really have no connection to. Really oddly compelling.

[sister_city_library]

Thank you for this film. It changed my perspective on Jane Byrne as a mayor.

[jonsmith]

I lived in Chicago during this era.. was a Great Town

[mrganosuke]

Burke and Verdolyak were crooked, even back then.

[richardhiller]

Say what you want about Jane but Lightfoot pales in comparison. Let's be honest, Byrne had a much harder time and greater battles than Chicago's current mayor has, or will face

[CJinsoo]

Harold Washington’s critique of Byrne was spot-on. She had only herself to blame. A loose cannon herself, and one for a husband that she let play an active role in being the face of her administration, and her volatile temper and lack of poise are why she failed. She didn’t realize that with a term of x years, and lacking a huge base, she needed to work like crazy to form a base and work with people. instead she worked super hard to alienate people. recipe for failure.

[sableindian]

My father, Sgt. George Coleman Sr. received the Lambert Tree Award from Mayor Byrne for bravery.

[orlandosanchez]

I think we need to stop looking for help outside of ourselves and start looking for help within our own people. It's not the government, is not politicians but it is ourselves that need to go to work, father our children, become successful by graduating and therefore giving back to our own community. We need to stop blaming others and start taking initiative

[cwshawk]

Watching this seeing Ed Burke being a villain in the 70’s and now going to a federal prison is some long awaited justice.

[nathanas]

She was a great mayor and genuinely cared about people living in the projects. She loved Chicago !

[ALCRAN]

Thanks for the upload.
I had never heard of this mayor...

[PrazMaster]

By far my late dad’s favorite Chicago mayor. He went out of his way to attend her burial service when she passed. I wish he could’ve seen this one, along with the 2 great Daley docs that are on YouTube.