2nd ward, Chicago

2nd Ward - Chicago
Ward
Ward 2
Current Chicago ward map, with 2nd ward highlighted in red
Current Chicago ward map, with 2nd ward highlighted in red
CountryUnited States
StateIllinois
CountyCook
CityChicago
Established1837
Communitieslist
Government
 • TypeWard
 • BodyChicago City Council
 • AlderpersonBrian K. Hopkins (Democratic Party)
Website

The 2nd ward is one of the 50 aldermanic wards with representation in the City Council of Chicago, Illinois.

Past alders

The current alderperson for the 2nd ward is Brian K. Hopkins.

Before 1923

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
Peter Bolles 1837–1838 1st Francis C. Sherman 1837–1838
  James Curtiss 1838–1839 Democratic Later elected alderman again in 1846 in 3rd ward 2nd John S.C. Hogan 1838–1839 Redistricted from 4th ward (where he served 1837–1838)
Eli S. Prescott 1839–1840 3rd Clement C. Stose 1839–1840
James Carney 1840–1841 Later elected alderman again in 1849 in the 1st ward 4th   Augustus Garrett 1840–1841 Democratic
Jason McCord 1841–1842 5th Peter Page 1841–1842 Later elected alderman again in 1849 in 1st ward
Charles McDonnell 1842–1843 Later elected alderman again in 1847 in 4th ward 6th Caleb Morgan 1842–1843
Jason McCord 1843–1844 7th Charles Sauter 1843–1844
Samuel W. Tallmadge 1844–1845 8th William Wheeler 1844–1845
Robert P. Hamilton 1845–1846 9th James H Woodworth 1845–1846 Later elected alderman again in 1847 in 1st ward
N.H. Bolles 1846–1847 10th Andrew Smith 1846–1847
Levi Boone 1847–1848 Redistricted from 2nd ward 11th Isaac Speer 1847–1849
Edward Manierre 1848–1849 12th
George W. Snow 1849–1850 13th Henry L. Rucker 1849–1850
14th   Isaac Lawrence Milliken 1850–1854 Democratic
Alexander Loyd 1850–1851
Hugh Maher 1851–1853 15th
16th
John Evans 1853–1855 17th
18th Levi Boone 1854–1855
19th Thomas Allen 1855–1856
Owen Kendall 1856–1858 R.M. Hough 1855–1856
20th Lucius A. Willard 1856–1857
Jacob Harris 1857–1858
21st
Smith McClevey 1858–1859
22nd Charles H. Abbott 1858–1860
Jacob Harris 1859–1861 23rd
24th James M. Marshall 1860–1861
J.Q. Hoyt 1861–1863 25th Patrick Sanders 1861–1862
26th   Peter Shimp 1862–1866 Democratic Party
A.D. Titsworth 1863–1865 Redistricted from 3rd ward 27th
28th
William H. Carter 1865–1867 29th
30th Calvin DeWolf 1866–1868 Previously served in 3rd ward
  Arthur Dixon 1867–1875 Republican later elected alderman again in 1879 in 1st ward 31st
32nd P.M. Donnellan 1868–1870
33rd
34th
35th Joseph E. Otis 1870–1872
36th
37th Francis W. Warren 1872–1876
38th
N/a 39th
  Addison Ballard 1876–1881 Republican 40th Jacob Rosenberg 1876–1878
41st
42nd   Patrick Sanders 1978–1886 Democratic
43rd
44th
  James T. Appleton 1881–1889 Democratic redistricted into 1st ward ahead for 1889 election and lost the election in that ward 45th
46th
47th
48th
49th
50th   George H. Mueller 1886–1888 Republican
51st
52nd John H. Hamline 1888–1889 Redistricted from 3rd ward
John Summerfield 1889–1891 53rd Frank C. Vierling 1889–1892
54th
John W. Woodard 1891–1893 55th
56th Daniel J. Horan 1892–1894
  Martin Best 1893–1897 Republican 57th
58th   Addison Ballard 1894–1896 Republican
59th
60th   Charles F. Gunther 1896–1900 Democratic
Patrick J. Cook 1897–1899 61st
62nd
  Eugene R. Pike 1899–1901 Republican 63rd
64th   William Hale Thompson 1900–1902 Republican
  Charles Alling 1901–1905 Republican Redistricted from 3rd ward 65th
1901 redistricting resulted in two "holdover" council members (Dixon and Thompson) being drawn into the ward. Ward was temporary represented by three aldermen
  Thomas J. Dixon 1901–1910 Republican Redistricted from 3rd ward
66th
67th
68th
George F. Harding Jr. 1905–1915 69th
70th
71st
72nd
73rd
74th Wilson Shufelt 1910–1912
75th
76th Norris Hugh 1912–1918 Later elected alderman again in 1943 in 3rd ward
77th
78th
  Oscar Stanton De Priest 1915–1917 Republican 79th
80th
  Louis B. Anderson 1917–1933 Republican 81st
82nd   Robert R. Jackson 1918–1923 Republican Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1923
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.

Originally covering Douglas and its immediate surroundings, this ward has drastically moved northward to its current location across the Near North Side and West Town.

No. Alderperson Term in office Party Notes Cite
1   Louis B. Anderson April 16, 1923
–
1933		 Republican Had been serving since 1917
2   William L. Dawson 1933
–
April 12, 1939		 Republican
3   Earl B. Dickerson April 12, 1939
–
April 9, 1943		 Democratic
4 William H. Harvey April 9, 1943
–
December 20, 1968		 Became a County Commissioner
5 Fred D. Hubbard March 11, 1969
–
March 16, 1972		 Elected in 1969 special election; seat declared vacant after disappearance
6   William Barnett August 15, 1972
–
1983		 Democratic
7   Bobby Rush 1983
–
1993		 Democratic
8   Madeline Haithcock 1993
–
May 21, 2007		 Democratic
9   Robert Fioretti May 21, 2007
–
May 2015		 Democratic
10   Brian K. Hopkins May 2015
–
present		 Democratic

Demographics

Electoral history

Notes

  1. ↑ declared self a "war democrat" during first term, voting often with the Republican Party aldermen during that term
  2. ↑ Ballard was elected in the 1894 aldermanic election as an independent Republican, rather than being nominated by the city's Republican Party for that election

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 "Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office". Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
  2. 1 2 Fergus, Robert (1876). "Fergus' Directory of the City of Chicago 1839". Northern Illinois University Digital Library (Newberry Library at Northern Illinois University). Robert Fergus. Retrieved December 2, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Moses, John (1895). ... History of Chicago, Illinois: Pre-historic agencies; Rise and fall of French dominion; First permanent settlement; The massacre; Rudimentary. Munsell & Company. pp. 115, 132, 133, 139, 226. Retrieved July 16, 2020.
  4. 1 2 Andreas, A.T. (1975) [1884], History of Chicago: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time, vol. I, Chicago, IL: A.T. Andreas, ISBN 978-0-405-06845-4
  5. 1 2 Andreas, Alfred Theodore (1885). History of Chicago: From 1857 until the fire of 1871. Vol. II. Higginson Book Company. pp. 49–50. OCLC 1003763. Retrieved July 12, 2020.
  6. 1 2 Simpson, Dick (March 8, 2018). Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present. Routledge. pp. 33–34. ISBN 978-0-429-97719-0.
  7. 1 2 Ahern, M. L. (1886). Political History of Chicago: (covering the Period from 1837 to 1887) Local Politics from the City's Birth; Chicago's Mayors, Aldermen and Other Officials; County and Federal Officers; the Fire and Police Departments; the Haymarket Horror; Miscellaneous. Donohue & Henneberry, printers and binders. pp. 116–120.
  8. 1 2 3 Andreas, Alfred Theodore (1886). History of Chicago: From the fire of 1871 until 1885. Vol. III. A. T. Andreas. pp. 101–102, 865–870. OCLC 1003763.
  9. 1 2 "Roll of the New Council, Including Holding-Over Aldermen and Those Elected Yesterday". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. April 7, 1886. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  10. ↑ "They All Breathe Easier". The Inter Ocean. April 11, 1887. p. 8. Retrieved August 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. 1 2 "Public Officials of Chicago (1895–1896) The Municipal Herald of Chicago Containing a Portraiture of the City of Chicago Consisting of Portraits of the Mayor, City Treasurer, City Attorney, City Clerk, Members of the City Council, and Leading Officials of the George B. Swift Administration of 1895–96 and All Desirable Information Regarding the Same Chicago" (PDF). John C. Sterchie. 1896. pp. 16–17. Retrieved January 31, 2025.
  12. ↑ "Right Men To Place". Newspapers.com. Chicago Inter Ocean. March 25, 1894. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
  13. 1 2 3 4 "Board of Aldermen". The Daily News Almanac and Yearbook. Chicago Daily News: 310. 1901. Retrieved July 17, 2020.
  14. 1 2 3 "Board of Aldermen". The Daily News Almanac and Yearbook. Chicago Daily News: 382. 1902. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  15. ↑ Multiple sources:
  16. ↑ "Council Makeup Vital Problem M. V. L. Warning". Chicago Tribune. March 31, 1915. Retrieved November 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 "The Common Council Full List of Aldermen Composing the Governing Body of the City of Chicago". Chicago Eagle at Newspapers.com. March 1, 1919. Retrieved December 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  18. ↑ "The New City Council". Chicago Tribune. April 5, 1933. Retrieved April 4, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. ↑ "4 Aldermen Sworn In By Mayor Daley". Newspapers.com. Chicago Tribune. March 15, 1969. Retrieved January 7, 2022.