American Cities and Mayoral Legacy—Author Keith Koeneman to discuss the life and legacy of Richard M. Daley at 92nd Street Y/Tribeca
Keith Koeneman, author of First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley discusses his book
and mayoral legacy at 92nd street Y/Tribeca, May 23 at noon
With rumors flying about what retirement will hold for Mayor Michael Bloomberg and with Boston Mayor
Tom Menino announcing in March his plan to step down after six terms in office, those speculating about their
legacies may find a model in one of America’s most powerful and longest-serving mayors—Chicago’s Richard
M. Daley. On Thursday, May 23 at noon, the 92nd Street Y Tribeca hosts author Keith Koeneman to discuss
Daley and mayoral legacy.
When Daley finally left office, he left behind a completely transformed city and a complicated legacy. “The arc
of his career was consistent with what a study of human nature would predict: a steep learning curve, a decade
of disciplined work leading to mastery, the accumulation of power, and, finally, hubris and mistakes,” said
Keith Koeneman, author of First Son: The Biography of Richard M. Daley. Koeneman’s book offers a detailed
look at Daley’s sometimes Shakespearean, sometimes Machiavellian life. He traces the mayor’s path to power
while revealing the political machinations that win election or ruin reputations.
Koeneman conducted more than one hundred interviews, with unprecedented access to key political, business,
and cultural leaders including Arne Duncan, David Axelrod, and others with ties to the Obama administration.
The story he tells is one of political triumph and personal evolution, one that Publishers Weekly described as,
“A highly focused history of a 20th-century metropolis and a compelling biography of the family that shaped it
for nearly half a century.”
Koeneman will be speaking on Thursday, May 23rd at 12 p.m. at the 92nd Street Y in Tribeca, 1395 Lexington
Ave, New York, NY 10128. More information can be found at www.92y.org/Tribeca/Event/First-Son-
Richard-M-Daley.aspx.
Contact Ellen Gibson at egibson@press.uchicago.edu to set up an interview with the author.
Ellen Gibson
The University of Chicago Press
egibson@press.uchicago.edu
(773) 702-3233
www.press.uchicago.edu
University of Chicago Press
www.press.uchicago.edu
1427 East 60th Street
Chicago, Illinois 60637
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