The 8th Ward is one of the 50 aldermanic wards with representation in the City Council of Chicago, Illinois.
History
The ward was created on February 16, 1847, when the number of wards in the city increased from six to nine.This expansion responded to a rapidly growing population and changing city governance needs. Initially, each ward, including the 8th, elected two aldermen to the city council. This system remained until reforms in 1923, after which wards have been represented by a single alderperson, a practice that continues today.
Over the years, the boundaries of the 8th Ward have changed multiple times due to shifts in population and political redistricting, aiming to maintain equal representation across wards. Historically, early aldermen from this ward included figures like Francis Hoffmann, who later became Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, and John Comiskey, part of a prominent local political family.
In recent decades, notable representatives have included William D. Meyering, William Cousins (a judge and reform advocate), Todd Stroger (who later became president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners), and the current alderperson Michelle A. Harris, who has served since 2006. The ward has consistently reflected key political and demographic trends in Chicago’s South Side..
Past alders The current alderperson for the 8th ward is Michelle A. Harris, who has represented the ward since 2006.
Before 1923 Before 1923, wards were represented by two aldermen.
Aldermen# Council AldermenAldermanTerm in officePartyNotesCiteAldermanTerm in officePartyNotesCite James Lane 1847–1849 11th William B. Snowhook 1847–1848 12th William B. Herrick 1848–1850 Henry R. Payson 1849–1850 13th John C. Dodge 1850–1852 14th George F. Foster 1850–1851 Previously served in 6th ward 15th Robert Malcolm 1851–1853 Andrew J. Brown 1852–1854 16th 17th Francis Hoffmann 1853–1854 Democratic William H. Stickney 1854–1855 18th B.W. Thomas 1854–1855 Samuel Ashton 1855–1856 19th Stephen D. LaRue 1855–1858 Conrad L. Niehoff 1856–1857 20th Christian Wahl 1857–1861 21st 22nd Andrew Wright 1858–1860 23rd 24th Redmond Prindiville 1860–1862 W.G. White 1861–1862 25th Charles L. Woodman 1862–1863 Redistricted to 16th ward in 1863 26th Redmond Sheridan 1863 Redistricted from 10th ward Francis J. Ullbrich 1863–1864 Redistricted from 10th ward Richard Clark 1863–1865 27th 28th Patrick Rafferty 1864–1869 M.L. Frisbee 1865–1867 29th 30th John Comiskey 1867–1869 Democratic Previously served in 10th and 7th wards; redistricted to 9th ward in 1869 31st 32nd 33rd James H. Hildreth 1869–1870 Democratic Redistricted from 7th ward 34th William S. Powell 1869–1871 Michael B. Bailey 1870–1874 35th 36th Jeremiah Clowry 1871–1873 37th 38th James H. Hildreth 1873–1876 Democratic Redistricted to 7th ward in 1876 Patrick C. McDonald 1874–1875 39th Frank Lawler 1876–1886 Democratic Later elected alderman again in 1895 in 19th ward 40th James O'Brien 1876–1877 Previously served in 9th ward 41st Richard M. Oliver 1877–1879 42nd 43rd Thomas Purcell 1879–1885 Democratic 44th 45th 46th 47th 48th 49th Redmond F. Sheridan 1885–1888 Democratic Redistricted to 19th ward in 1888 Lawrence A. Yore 1886–1888 Republican 50th 51st Charles A. Monear 1888–1889 Independent Democrat Redistricted from 6th ward 52nd Joseph M. Weber 1888–1889 Redistricted from 7th ward Frank J. Dvorak1889–1892 53rd George F. Bunker 1889–1891 54th 55th Martin Morrison 1891–1895 William Loeffler 1892–1894 Democratic 58th 57th Frank Slepicka 1894–1896 Democratic 58th 59th John Bennett 1895–1899 Frank Meek 1896–1898 60th 61st Edward J. Novak 1898–1901 Democratic Redistricted to 10th ward in 1901 62nd 63rd Michael S. Garry 1899–1901 64th P. H. Moynihan 1901–1909 65th John Hugh Jones 1901–1906 Republican Redistricted from 33rd ward 66th 67rd 68th 69th 70th John S. Derpa 1906–1908 71st 72nd John Hugh Jones 1908–1910 Republican John R. Emerson 1909–1915 Democratic 73rd 74th John S. Derpa 1910–1912 75th 76th Ernest M. Cross 1912–1917 Later elected alderman again in 1923 in 10th ward 77th 78th John E. Tyden 1915–1917 Republican 79th 80th colspan=7 81st Ross A. Woodhull 1917–1923 Democratic Martin S. Furman 1918–1923 Democratic 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th
Since 1923
Since 1923, wards have been represented by a single alderman. Elections have also been nonpartisan, though officeholders often still publicly affiliate with parties.
AlderpersonTerm in officePartyNotesCite William D. Meyering 1923–1930 Democratic David L. Sutton Democratic Michael F. Mulcahy Roy E. Olin Einar Johnson James A. Condon William Cousins 1967–1976 Democratic Marian Humes Keith Caldwell Lorraine Dixon Died in office Todd Stroger 2001–2006 Democratic Appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley. Subsequently won election. Resigned in order to assume office as president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners Michelle A. Harris 2006–present Democratic Appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley, subsequently has won election to several terms References