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For other people named David Orr, see David Orr (disambiguation).
David Orr
Orr in 2012
Cook County Clerk
In office
December 11, 1990 – December 10, 2018
Preceded byStanley Kusper
Succeeded byKaren Yarbrough
52nd Mayor of Chicago
Acting
In office
November 25, 1987 – December 2, 1987
Preceded byHarold Washington
Succeeded byEugene Sawyer
3rd Vice Mayor of Chicago
In office
April 1987 – May 1988
MayorHarold Washington
Eugene Sawyer
Preceded byRichard Mell
Succeeded byTerry Gabinski
Member of the Chicago City Council
from the 49th Ward
In office
February 23, 1979 – December 10, 1990
Preceded byHomer Johnson[1]
Succeeded byRobert Clarke
Personal details
Born
David Duvall Orr

(1944-10-04) October 4, 1944 (age 79)
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
Children4
EducationSimpson College (BA)
Signature
WebsiteOfficial website

David Duvall Orr (born October 4, 1944) is an American Democratic politician who served as the Cook County Clerk from 1990 to 2018. Orr previously served as alderman for the 49th ward in Chicago City Council from 1979 to 1990. He briefly served as acting Mayor of Chicago from November 25 to December 2, 1987, following the death of Mayor Harold Washington.[2] Orr retired from the office of Cook County Clerk in 2018, opting not to run for an eighth term.

Early life[edit]

Born in Chicago, Orr is a graduate of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa.[citation needed] He was an instructor at Mundelein College in 1979, when he first decided to run for alderman.[3][4]

Chicago City Council (1979-90)[edit]

Orr entered politics as an "independent Democrat", opposed to the official Democratic Party organization. The party organization was then controlled by the "Machine" created by Mayor Richard J. Daley, who died in December 1976.[4] In February 1979, Orr was elected by a narrow margin of 320 votes alderman from the 49th Ward,[4] which covered most of the Rogers Park neighborhood in the far northeastern corner of Chicago.

Orr was considered a lakefront liberal.[5]

Orr joined with other white "independent" aldermen from the "Lakefront" and black dissident aldermen from the south side and west side in opposing the corruption and racism of the Machine.[citation needed] Orr was re-elected in February 1983 and 1987.

In February 1983, with the Machine divided between supporters of Jane Byrne and Richard M. Daley, black independent Harold Washington became Mayor. Washington was opposed by 29 aldermen who tried to paralyze city government for three years in what was dubbed "Council Wars." Orr backed Washington, one of only five white aldermen to do so.[citation needed] After the Washington coalition won the majority in 1986, after special aldermanic elections were held, Orr was elected by the City Council in 1987 to serve as the city's Vice Mayor.[6]

In 1986, Orr, with the assistance of fellow alderman Bernard Stone, successfully pushed an ordinance through City Council that declared Chicago a "nuclear-free zone".[7]

As a city councilman, Orr often prevailed in getting the council to take actions which he fought for. Orr had a reputation of being a "clean" politician, devoid of corruption or negativity.[7][4] Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko, a cynic towards local politics, stated in 1988, "there are three or four aldermen who are suspected of being honest and [Orr] is one of them."[4]

In May 1988, the City Council voted to oust Orr from his position as Vice Mayor as retribution for his attempts to make reforms that would have held the council's committees more accountable for the budgets they manage.[6][8]

After Orr resigned from the City Council in 1990 in order to serve as county clerk, then-mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Robert Clarke as his replacement. In the 1991 aldermanic election, Clarke was defeated by Joe Moore, whom Orr had endorsed.[9][10]

Acting Mayor of Chicago (1987)[edit]

When Mayor Washington died of a heart attack on November 25, 1987, Orr, as Vice Mayor, became acting mayor.[11][12] He took office on November 25 and served for a week until the Council elected a permanent replacement mayor. Orr was suggested as the obvious choice, but as a reformer, he was vehemently opposed by the remaining Machine aldermen, and many black Chicagoans wanted a black replacement for Washington. Alderman Eugene Sawyer, who was black, and before 1983 had been a Machine loyalist, was chosen instead on December 2, 1987. Orr chaired Council meetings as mayor on December 1, a memorial meeting for Washington, and on December 2, when Sawyer was selected as his replacement.[12][13]

County Clerk (1990-2018)[edit]

In 1990, the office of Cook County clerk was vacated by Stanley T. Kusper, Jr. who ran unsuccessfully for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Orr ran for the office, and won the Democratic primary handily with 56% of the vote against two opponents.[14] He also won easily in the general election, receiving more votes than any other candidate for county office.[15] He was re-elected in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. In 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010, he was unopposed for renomination, and faced only token opposition in the general election.[citation needed]

After taking office, Orr put in place reforms, including instituting a new ethics guide for employees of the Office of the Cook County Clerk.[7]

In 1994, Orr was considered a potential front-runner if he entered the election for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, but he ultimately decided to run for reelection as clerk instead of seeking the position.[16]

On June 21, 2017, he announced that he would not run for reelection to an eighth term.[17] Karen Yarbrough, the then-Cook County Recorder of Deeds, succeeded Orr as the Clerk.[18]

Subsequent career and activity[edit]

In 2013, Orr was appointed as a Senior Fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies in the University of Chicago.[19][20]

In June 2018, Orr founded a political action committee called Good Government Illinois, with the goal of supporting election reform, campaign finance reform, and candidates with shared goals.[21][22][20] He supported several candidates in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic election, including Maria Hadden (who ran for his old 49th ward seat), Michael Rodriguez, Andre Vasquez, Matt Martin, Susan Sadlowski Garza, David Moore, and Scott Waguespack.[23]

Orr considered running for mayor of Chicago in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election after incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel declared in early September 2018 that he would no longer be seeking a third term.[24][25] However, he ultimately did not run. In the week prior to the first round of the election, Orr publicly endorsed the candidacy of Lori Lightfoot.[26]

In the 2023 Chicago mayoral election, Orr endorsed U.S. Representative Chuy Garcia's candidacy for mayor.[27]

Accolades[edit]

In 2012, Orr was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community.[28]

Electoral history[edit]

Aldermanic[edit]

1979 Chicago 49th Ward aldermanic general election[29]
Candidate Votes %
David Orr 9,108 52.04
Homer H. Johnson (incumbent) 8,394 47.96
Total votes 17,502 100
1983 Chicago 49th Ward aldermanic general election[30]
Candidate Votes %
David D. Orr (incumbent) 12,881 60.82
Nancy E. Kelly 7,952 37.55
William Deri-Davis 346 1.63
Total votes 21,179 100
1987 Chicago 49th Ward aldermanic general election[31]
Candidate Votes %
David D. Orr (incumbent) 9,956 57.16
Jack Flemming 5,841 33.53
Howard E. Spinner 1,052 6.04
Grady A. Humphrey 570 3.27
Total votes 17,419 100

County Clerk[edit]

1990
1990 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[32]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr 353,772 55.94
Democratic Calvin R. Sutker 144,083 22.78
Democratic Joanne H. Alter 134,560 21.28
Total votes 632,415 100
1990 Cook County Clerk election[33]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr 799,884 63.48
Republican Samuel "Sam" Panayotovich 353,531 28.06
Harold Washington Heldia R. Richardson 106,588 8.46
Total votes 1,260,003 100
1994
1994 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[34]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 454,873 78.37
Democratic Patricia Young 140,711 23.83
Total votes 595,584 100
1994 Cook County Clerk election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent)
Republican Edward Howlett
Harold Washington Herman W. Baker, Jr.
Populist Curtis Jones
Total votes 100
1998
1998 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[35]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Orr (incumbent) 404,839 100
Total votes 404,839 100
1998 Cook County Clerk election[36]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David Orr (incumbent) 988,136 77.30
Republican Judith A. "Judie" Jones 290,256 22.70
Total votes 1,278,392 100
2002
2002 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[37]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 603,556 100
Total votes 603,556 100
2002 Cook County Clerk election[38][39]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 992,441 76.11
Republican Kathleen A. Thomas 311,552 23.89
Total votes 1,303,993 100
2006
2006 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[40][41]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 520,407 100
Total votes 520,407 100
2006 Cook County Clerk election[42]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 1,034,263 80.78
Republican Nancy Carlson 246,044 19.22
Total votes 1,280,307 100
2010
2010 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[43]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 502,817 100
Total votes 502,817 100
2010 Cook County Clerk election[44]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 1,047,462 77.77
Republican Angel Garcia 299,449 22.23
Total votes 1,346,911 100
2014
2014 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary[45]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 241,876 100
Total votes 241,876 100
2014 Cook County Clerk election[46]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic David D. Orr (incumbent) 1,061,515 100
Total votes 1,061,515 100

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Chicago Tribune - Historical Newspapers".
  2. ^ Chicago's Loop By Janice A. Knox, Heather Olivia Belcher
  3. ^ Thomas, Mike (December 12, 2018). "David Orr, Newly Retired, Unloads on the Machine". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  4. ^ a b c d e Dardick, Hal (June 21, 2017). "Cook County Clerk David Orr won't seek 8th term". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
  5. ^ Hardy, Thomas Hardy; Davis, Robert; Griffin, Jean Latz; Mills, Marja (21 March 1990). "PHELAN EDGES PINCHAM". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
  6. ^ a b Simpson, Dick (2018). Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-97719-0. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  7. ^ a b c Levinsohn, Florence Hamlish (24 June 1993). "Either/Orr". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  8. ^ Dold, R. Bruce (26 May 1988). "COUNCIL REPLACES ORR AS VICE MAYOR". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  9. ^ Javorsky, Ben (March 21, 1991). "Politics by proxy: it's Clarke vs. Moore (Daley vs. Orr) in the 49th Ward". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  10. ^ McClell, Edward (20 December 2011). "The Next Alderman of the 49th Ward ..." NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
  11. ^ "Chicago Mourns Mayor Washington, Council Picks New Mayor Next Week", Chicago Tribune, p. 1, 1987-11-27
  12. ^ a b Fremon, David K. (January 1, 1998), Chicago Politics Ward by Ward, Indiana University Press, p. 343, ISBN 978-0-253-20490-5
  13. ^ Galvan, Manuel (1987-12-02), "Memorial Gives Way to Politics", Chicago Tribune, p. 1
  14. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-30. Retrieved 2009-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-30. Retrieved 2009-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ Fremon, David (February 1994). "Cook County presidency plum". www.lib.niu.edu. Illinois Issues. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
  17. ^ Michael Sneed and Rachel Hinton (June 21, 2017). "After 39 years in politics, Clerk David Orr won't seek re-election". Chicago Sun-Times.
  18. ^ Dardick, Hal (June 21, 2017). "Cook County Clerk David Orr won't seek 8th term". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 28, 2018.
  19. ^ "David Orr Appointed Senior Fellow at University of Chicago". David Orr, Cook County Clerk. October 10, 2013. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  20. ^ a b "David Orr | Harris Public Policy". harris.uchicago.edu. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  21. ^ Illinois Sunshine. "Good Government Illinois". Illinois Sunshine. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  22. ^ "Home". Good Government Illinois. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  23. ^ "Post-Election Highlights". Good Government Illinois. 2019-04-01. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
  24. ^ Dardick, Hal (September 5, 2018). "Cook County Clerk David Orr considers run for Chicago mayor: 'The city needs to go in a different direction'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  25. ^ Byrne, John; Pratt, Gregory (September 11, 2018). "Aldermen consider City Council chaos when Mayor Rahm Emanuel leaves office: 'Darth Vader is now gone'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
  26. ^ "Lori Lighfoot picks up endorsements in week before Chicago mayoral election". abc7chicago.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
  27. ^ "It's Illinois Budget Day". Politico. 15 February 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
  28. ^ "Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame". Archived from the original on 2015-10-17. Retrieved 2016-01-10.
  29. ^ "Election Results for 1979 Primary Election, Alderman, Ward 49, Chicago, IL". chicagodemocracy.org. Chicago Democracy Project. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  30. ^ "Aldermanic race results". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. 24 Feb 1983. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  31. ^ "Election Results for 1987 Primary Election, Alderman, Ward 49, Chicago, IL". chicagodemocracy.org. Chicago Democracy Project. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  32. ^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS" (PDF). www.voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 September 2008.
  33. ^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1990" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 October 2008.
  34. ^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS PRIMARY ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 1994 DEMOCRATIC PARTY" (PDF). Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
  35. ^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS PRIMARY ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, MARCH 17, 1998" (PDF). www.cookcountyclerkil.com.
  36. ^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1998" (PDF). results.cookcountyclerkil.gov.
  37. ^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS PRIMARY ELECTION TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2002 DEMOCRATIC PRIMARY" (PDF). Cook County, Illinois. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 June 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2020.
  38. ^ "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2002 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
  39. ^ "SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY RESULTS". voterinfonet.com. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original on 9 February 2005.
  40. ^ "2006 Primary Election March 21, 2006 Summary Report Suburban Cook County" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  41. ^ "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL PRIMARY ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY MARCH 21, 2006 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
  42. ^ "Cook County and the City of Chicago Combined Summary Report November 2006 General Election Tuesday, November 7th, 2006" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 September 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  43. ^ "Combined Summary Report - Primary Election Cook County Primary February 2, 2010" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  44. ^ "Cook County General Election November 2, 2010 Combined Summary Report" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  45. ^ "General Primary Election Cook County and The City of Chicago Tuesday, March 18th, 2014 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 June 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  46. ^ "General Election Cook County and The City of Chicago Tuesday, November 4, 2014 Combined Summary" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 January 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
Political offices
Preceded by Mayor of Chicago
November 25 – December 2, 1987 		Succeeded by
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Orr