Not in the Book -- but Still a Chicago Curiosity!

I think this is the only entry that I included in my Chicago Curiosities manuscript, that was not included in the finished book. I don't know why, except that it was probably just a case of too many words/pages so something had to be cut.

Back when I was asking around for ideas of curiosities to include in the book, my cousin Phil suggested Lar Daly. Here's what I found out about Mr. Daly:

Lar Joseph Sarsfield Daly sought office for forty years but never won a race. He started by seeking the Democratic nomination to run for School Superintendent of Cook County in 1938.

Daly was a Republican primary candidate for Governor of Illinois in 1956 and 1964. An equal opportunity politician, he was a primary candidate for both the Democratic and Republican parties for Mayor of Chicago in 1959. He ran in the Republican primary in the 1963 and 1967 mayoral elections. His final campaign was against Senator Charles H. Percy in the 1978 Republican Senate primary.

For many of his campaigns, Daly -- a tall, white-haired man -- donned a red, white, and blue sash and an Uncle Sam hat. His platform stressed religion and morality, along with Chicago’s political and social problems.

Daly is best known today for using the Federal Communications Commission's "Equal Time Rule" to force radio and television news broadcasts to give him equal coverage with Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley. He passed away in 1978 at the age of sixty-six.

The surname Daley (with an "e") is synonymous with Chicago politics. The name Daly, not so much. But I thought Lar Daly deserved at least a mention in connection with Chicago Curiosities!