Chicago's Biggest Shoulders

We look at two Chicago legends: former mayor Richard J. Daley and author Studs Terkel.

I'm not the last of the old bosses. I'm the first of the new leaders. –Richard J. Daley

Ah, Chicago. Were I living in New York or L.A., I'd have been dead meat long ago. –Studs Terkel

Two great Chicagoans would have celebrated birthdays this week. Richard J. Daley, the city's mayor for 21 years and widely considered the "last of the big city bosses," was born on May 15, 1902. And Studs Terkel, the author and historian who brought Chicago to the world, was born ten years and one day later on May 16, 1912.

Both men had great influence on Chicago and, especially, on the public perception of the city. To honor their birthdays, we're looking at how these two men lived in – and shaped – the City of Big Shoulders.

The Democratic Party is the party that opened its arms. We opened them to every nationality, every creed. We opened them to the immigrants. The Democratic Party is the party of the people. –Daley

In a democratic society, you're supposed to be an activist; that is, you participate. –Terkel