Remapping to save a White Alderman

Alderman Paul Sheridan represented the 16th Ward, as had his father before him, in the Englewood neighborhood of Chicago’s south side. He had barely won re-election in 1967 despite the ward’s huge Black majority. There was no chance he could win again in 1971.

So, his fellow politicians remapped him into the neighboring, predominantly White, 15th Ward but he was soundly defeated by Francis Lawler, a Catholic priest who had led efforts to stop “block busting” in the area.

Lawler was well-known in his community for combating realtors who exploited racial fears. Those “panic peddlers,” as they were called, scared White homeowners into selling at below market prices, warning them that if they didn’t sell, their properties would become worthless. The realtors then “flipped” the homes, often block-by-block, and sold them at a profit to Blacks, accelerating racial change and worsening racial conflict on the southwest side (and reducing the White population). 

Mapmakers had attempted to save Sheridan, despite Lawler’s high visibility and his protection of White home ownership, but the family dynasty had simply come to an end.