The legacy of Claude Holman

Claude Holman was slated by the Machine for 4th Ward Alderman in 1955, as racial change created a Black majority in the ward for the first time. He was an attorney, unlike other Black politicos who were employed in less prestigious occupations. It was thought he would be more accepted by the White voters in the ward.

He defeated four-term Republican Alderman Abraham Cohen and went on to serve seventeen years in the Chicago City Council.

An obedient Machine follower, he was known to suddenly rise from his chair, from time-to-time, and exclaim, “God Bless Mayor Daley.”

You can get more Chicago Political Stories at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/994143