The Richard J. Daley Collection contains materials documenting the political career and personal life of Richard J. Daley, 39th Mayor of Chicago. The collection contains a wide variety of formats including documents, publications, ephemera, memorabilia, artifacts, and photographs dating from 1870-2010. The bulk of the collection dates from Daley’s terms as mayor of the city of Chicago and Chairman of the Cook County Democratic Party (1953-1976) but material from his family life, his earlier political positions as State Senator, State Representative, Director of Revenue, and Cook County Clerk are included. The majority of the material came from the mayoral office in City Hall, the offices of the Cook County Democratic Party, and the Daley home. Other material was collected by his wife, Eleanor, after his death in 1976. A small amount of material was also received by the family from political colleagues and friends and added to the collection before donation.