4th ward, Chicago

4th Ward - Chicago
Ward
Ward 4
Coordinates: 41°48′58″N 87°36′18″W / 41.816°N 87.605°W / 41.816; -87.605
Country	United States
State	Illinois
County	Cook
City	Chicago
Communities	list Bronzeville[1] Kenwood[1] Hyde Park[1]
Government
• Type	Ward
• Body	City of Chicago
• Alderman	Lamont Robinson (D)
Website	www.cityofchicago.org

The 4th Ward is one of the 50 aldermanic wards with representation in the City Council of Chicago, Illinois. It is divided into 28 election precincts.^[2] Lake Michigan is the ward's eastern boundary for much of its area.^[3] Its northwesternmost point, as of 2022, was located at the intersection of West Jackson Boulevard and South Clark Street and its southeasternmost point at the intersection of East 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue.^[3]

David K. Fremon wrote in 1988 that "No other ward has wealth and poverty in such proximity."^[4] Today the 4th Ward boasts 93,975 residents, with a racially diverse population that is plurality Black (46.0%), followed by White (30.2%), Asian (13.3%), Hispanic or Latino (6.4%), Multiracial (3.5%), Native (0.2%), and Other (0.5%).^[5] Between 2010 and 2018, the 4th Ward saw the second-largest population growth in the city after the 42nd Ward, driven primarily by the population influx in the South Loop.^[6]

The 4th Ward was one of six created upon Chicago's incorporation as a city in 1837. At the time its boundaries were the city limits at North Avenue and Wood Street to its respective north and west, Randolph Street to its south, and the Chicago River to its east. In 1847 it was moved to the Loop and Near South Side, being bounded by the Chicago River to its north and west, 22nd Street (modern-day Cermak) to its south, and Wells Street to its east. In 1857 the southern boundary was extended to 31st street and in 1863 the ward was significantly moved eastward, bounded by 16th street, Lake Michigan, 31st street, and Clark Street. In 1869 its southern boundary was retracted to 26th street.^[7]

In 1876 it was moved southward, between 26th Street and Egan Street (modern-day Pershing) and Lake Michigan and Clark Street. In 1887 it was moved south yet again, to the area bounded by the Lake, 33rd and 39th streets, and Stewart Avenue. In 1901 it was extended west to once again touch the River, which it would do until 1923. In 1923, coincident with the City being divided into its modern 50 wards, it covered Kenwood and northern Washington Park.^[7]

Before 1923, wards were represented by two aldermen.

Aldermen							# Council	Aldermen
Alderman		Term in office	Party		Notes	Cite		Alderman		Term in office	Party		Notes	Cite
	John S.C. Hogan	1837–1838			Redistricted to the 2nd ward in 1838	[7]	1st		Asahel Pierce	1837–1840				[7]
	Francis C. Taylor	1838–1839				[7]	2nd
	John Murphy Jr.	1839–1840				[7]	3rd
	Seth Johnson	1840–1841				[7]	4th		William Otis Snell	1840–1842				[7]
	G.W. Rogers	1841–1842				[7]	5th
	Eben C. Chalonder	1842–1843				[7]	6th		Daniel Elston	1842–1843			Later elected alderman again in 1851 in the 6th ward	[7]
	John Murphy Jr.	1843–1845				[7]	7th		William S. Warner	1843–1844				[7]
							8th		James Poussard	1844				[7]
									Asahel Pierce	1844–1846				[7]
	Thomas McDonough	1845–1846				[7]	9th
	Henry Magee	1846–1847				[7]	10th		Joseph Wilson	1846–1847				[7]
	Robert H. Foss	1847–1852		Republican	Later represented ward again (1854-55)	[7][8]	11th		Charles McDonnell	1847–1849			Previously served in same ward	[7]
							12th
							13th		Amos G. Throop	1849–1853			Later elected alderman again in 1976 in 11th ward	[7][9][10]
							14th
							15th
	Charles McDonnell	1852–1854				[7]	16th
							17th		William Kennedy	1853–1855				[7]
	Robert H. Foss	1854–January 1855		Republican	previously represented same ward (1847–1852); resigned in order to serve as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives; later elected alderman again in 1860 in the 5th ward	[7][8]	18th
							19th		William Colby	1855–1857			Later elected alderman again in 1860 in 1st ward	[7]
	Samuel Myers	1856–1862				[7]	20th
							21st		J.M. Kennedy	1857–1861				[7]
							22nd
							23rd
							24th
							25th		William Baragwanath	1861–1863				[7]
	Andrew Schall	1862–1863			Redistricted in 1863 to 1st ward	[7]	26th
	John T. Edwards	1863–1864			Redistricted from 1st ward	[7]	27th		Benjamin E. Gallup	1863–1865				[11]
	Samuel McRoy	1864–1866				[7]	28th
							29th		H.M. Willmarth	1865–1867				[7]
	Alan C. Calkins	1866–1870				[7][11]	30th
							31st		Samuel McRoy	1867–1869				[11]
							32nd
							33rd		John H. McAvoy	1869–1873				[7][11]
							34th
	Harvey M. Thompson	1870–1872				[7]	35th
							36th
	George H. Sidwell	1872–1874				[7]	37th
							38th		Jesse Spaulding	1873–1876				[7][12]
	Rensselaer Stone	1874–1876				[7]	39th
	John W. Stewart	1876–1878				[7]	40th		James H. Gilbert	1876–1879				[7]
							41st
	Herbert E. Mallory	1878–1880				[7]	42nd
							43rd		Amos Grannis	1879–1881		Republican		[7][13]
	William W. Watson	1880–1882		Republican		[7][13]	44th
							45th		Oscar D. Wetherell	1881–1888		Republican	Previously served in 3rd ward	[7][14]
	S.D. Foss	1882–1884				[7]	46th
							47th
	Thomas C. Clarke	1884–1888		Republican	Previously served in the 5th ward	[7][14]	48th
							49th
							50th
							51st
	John W. Hepburn	1888–1896		Republican		[7][15]	52nd		Harry D. Hammer	1888–1889				[7]
							53rd		Martin B. Madden	1889–1897		Republican		[7]
							54th
							55th
							56th
							57th
							58th
							59th
	William S. Jackson	1896–1901		Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901	[7][16]	60th
							61st		Abraham A. Ballenberg	1897–1899		Democratic		[7][16]
							62nd
							63rd		Milton J. Foreman	1899–1901		Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901	[7][17]
							64th
	William E. Kent	1901–1902			Redistricted from 5th ward; died in office	[7]	65th		Frank Doubek	1901–1903				[7]
	Henry Stuckart	1902–1904				[7]	66th
							67th		James M. Dailey	1903–1907				[7]
	John A. Richert	1904–1923		Democratic		[7][18]	68th
							69th
							70th
							71st		John W. McNeal	1907–1909				[7]
							72nd
							73rd		James M. Dailey	1909–1911				[7]
							74th
							75th		Joseph F. Ryan	1911–1915				[7]
							76th
							77th
							78th
							79th		David R. Hickey	1915–December 8, 1918		Democratic	Died in office	[7][19]
							80th
							81st
							82nd
							83rd		Timothy A. Hogan	1919–1923			Continued as alderman after 1923, but redistricted to the 11th ward	[7]
							84th
							85th
							86th

Since 1923, wards have been represented by a single alderman. Elections have also been nonpartisan, though officeholders often still publicly affiliate with parties.

In 2021, the state government enacted legislation to change the designation for members of the city council from "aldermen" to "alderpersons".^[20][21]

List of Chicago alderpersons from the 4th Ward since 1923

Image	Alderperson	Party	Term start	Term end	Notes	Ref.
	Ulysses S. Schwartz	Democratic	1923	1925	Previously represented the 3rd ward (1916–1923)	[7][18]
	Berthold A. Cronson	Republican	1925	December 23, 1937 (died in office)		[7]
	Abraham H. Cohen		1939	1955		[7]
	Claude Holman	Democratic	1955	June 1, 1973	died in office	[7]
	Timothy C. Evans		November 27, 1973	1991		[7]
	Toni Preckwinkle		April 2, 1991	December 6, 2010	Resigned in order to become president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
	Shirley Newsome		2010	2011	Appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley	[22]
	William D. Burns	Democratic	May 2011	April 2016	Resigned	[23]
	Sophia King		April 13, 2016	May 15, 2023		[24]
	Lamont Robinson		May 15, 2023	incumbent

• 50th Ward in Chicago