David Orr

For other people named David Orr, see David Orr (disambiguation).

David Duvall Orr (born October 4, 1944) is an American Democratic politician who served as the Cook County Clerk from 1990 to 2018. Orr previously served as alderman for the 49th ward in Chicago City Council from 1979 to 1990. He briefly served as acting Mayor of Chicago from November 25 to December 2, 1987, following the death of Mayor Harold Washington.^[3] Orr retired from the office of Cook County Clerk in 2018, opting not to run for an eighth term.

David Orr
Orr in 2012
Cook County Clerk
In office December 11, 1990 – December 10, 2018
Preceded by	Stanley Kusper
Succeeded by	Karen Yarbrough
52nd Mayor of Chicago
Acting
In office November 25, 1987 – December 2, 1987
Preceded by	Harold Washington
Succeeded by	Eugene Sawyer
3rd Vice Mayor of Chicago
In office April 1987 – May 1988
Mayor	Harold Washington Eugene Sawyer
Preceded by	Richard Mell
Succeeded by	Terry Gabinski
Member of the Chicago City Council from the 49th Ward
In office February 23, 1979 – December 10, 1990
Preceded by	Homer Johnson[1]
Succeeded by	Robert Clarke
Personal details
Born	David Duvall Orr (1944-10-04) October 4, 1944 (age 80) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Loretta Orr[2]
Children	4 [2]
Education	Simpson College (BA) Case Western Reserve University (MA)[2]
Signature
Website	Official website

Early life

Born in Chicago, Orr is a graduate of Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa for his undergraduate and his Masters Degree in American Studies from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.^[2] He was an instructor at Mundelein College in 1979, when he first decided to run for alderman.^[4][5]

Chicago City Council (1979-90)

Orr entered politics as an "independent Democrat", opposed to the official Democratic Party organization. The party organization was then controlled by the "Machine" created by Mayor Richard J. Daley, who died in December 1976.^[5] In February 1979, Orr was elected by a narrow margin of 320 votes alderman from the 49th Ward,^[5] which covered most of the Rogers Park neighborhood in the far northeastern corner of Chicago.

Orr was considered a lakefront liberal.^[6]

Orr joined with other white "independent" aldermen from the "Lakefront" and black dissident aldermen from the south side and west side in opposing the corruption and racism of the Machine.^{[citation needed]} Orr was re-elected in February 1983 and 1987.

In February 1983, with the Machine divided between supporters of Jane Byrne and Richard M. Daley, black independent Harold Washington became Mayor. Washington was opposed by 29 aldermen who tried to paralyze city government for three years in what was dubbed "Council Wars." Orr backed Washington, one of only five white aldermen to do so.^[7] After the Washington coalition won the majority in 1986, after special aldermanic elections were held, Orr was elected by the City Council in 1987 to serve as the city's Vice Mayor.^[8]

In 1986, Orr, with the assistance of fellow alderman Bernard Stone, successfully pushed an ordinance through City Council that declared Chicago a "nuclear-free zone".^[9]

As a city councilman, Orr often prevailed in getting the council to take actions which he fought for. Orr had a reputation of being a "clean" politician, devoid of corruption or negativity.^[9][5] Chicago Tribune columnist Mike Royko, a cynic towards local politics, stated in 1988, "there are three or four aldermen who are suspected of being honest and [Orr] is one of them."^[5]

In May 1988, the City Council voted to oust Orr from his position as Vice Mayor as retribution for his attempts to make reforms that would have held the council's committees more accountable for the budgets they manage.^[8][10]

After Orr resigned from the City Council in 1990 in order to serve as county clerk, then-mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Robert Clarke as his replacement. In the 1991 aldermanic election, Clarke was defeated by Joe Moore, whom Orr had endorsed.^[11][12]

Acting Mayor of Chicago (1987)

When Mayor Washington died of a heart attack on November 25, 1987, Orr, as Vice Mayor, became acting mayor.^[13][14] He took office on November 25 and served for a week until the Council elected a permanent replacement mayor. Orr was suggested as the obvious choice, but as a reformer, he was vehemently opposed by the remaining Machine aldermen, and many black Chicagoans wanted a black replacement for Washington. Alderman Eugene Sawyer, who was black, and before 1983 had been a Machine loyalist, was chosen instead on December 2, 1987. Orr chaired Council meetings as mayor on December 1, a memorial meeting for Washington, and on December 2, when Sawyer was selected as his replacement.^[14][15]

County Clerk (1990-2018)

In 1990, the office of Cook County clerk was vacated by Stanley T. Kusper, Jr. who ran unsuccessfully for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners. Orr ran for the office, and won the Democratic primary handily with 56% of the vote against two opponents.^[16] He also won easily in the general election, receiving more votes than any other candidate for county office.^[17] He was re-elected in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014. In 1998, 2002, 2006, and 2010, he was unopposed for renomination, and faced only token opposition in the general election.^{[citation needed]}

After taking office, Orr put in place reforms, including instituting a new ethics guide for employees of the Office of the Cook County Clerk.^[9]

In 1994, Orr was considered a potential front-runner if he entered the election for president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners, but he ultimately decided to run for reelection as clerk instead of seeking the position.^[18]

On June 21, 2017, he announced that he would not run for reelection to an eighth term.^[19] Karen Yarbrough, the then-Cook County Recorder of Deeds, succeeded Orr as the Clerk.^[20]

Subsequent career and activity

In 2013, Orr was appointed as a Senior Fellow at the Harris School of Public Policy Studies in the University of Chicago.^[21][22]

In June 2018, Orr founded a political action committee called Good Government Illinois, with the goal of supporting election reform, campaign finance reform, and candidates with shared goals.^[23][24][22] He supported several candidates in the 2019 Chicago aldermanic election, including Maria Hadden (who ran for his old 49th ward seat), Michael Rodriguez, Andre Vasquez, Matt Martin, Susan Sadlowski Garza, David Moore, and Scott Waguespack.^[25]

Orr considered running for mayor of Chicago in the 2019 Chicago mayoral election after incumbent mayor Rahm Emanuel declared in early September 2018 that he would no longer be seeking a third term.^[26][27] However, he ultimately did not run. In the week prior to the first round of the election, Orr publicly endorsed the candidacy of Lori Lightfoot.^[28]

In the 2023 Chicago mayoral election, Orr endorsed U.S. Representative Chuy Garcia's candidacy for mayor.^[29]

Accolades

In 2012, Orr was inducted into the Chicago Gay and Lesbian Hall of Fame as a Friend of the Community.^[30]

Electoral history

Aldermanic

1979 Chicago 49th Ward aldermanic general election^[31]

Candidate		Votes	%
David Orr		9,108	52.04
Homer H. Johnson (incumbent)		8,394	47.96
Total votes		17,502	100

1983 Chicago 49th Ward aldermanic general election^[32]

Candidate		Votes	%
David D. Orr (incumbent)		12,881	60.82
Nancy E. Kelly		7,952	37.55
William Deri-Davis		346	1.63
Total votes		21,179	100

1987 Chicago 49th Ward aldermanic general election^[33]

Candidate		Votes	%
David D. Orr (incumbent)		9,956	57.16
Jack Flemming		5,841	33.53
Howard E. Spinner		1,052	6.04
Grady A. Humphrey		570	3.27
Total votes		17,419	100

County Clerk

1990

1990 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary^[34]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr	353,772	55.94
	Democratic	Calvin R. Sutker	144,083	22.78
	Democratic	Joanne H. Alter	134,560	21.28
Total votes			632,415	100

1990 Cook County Clerk election^[35]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr	799,884	63.48
	Republican	Samuel "Sam" Panayotovich	353,531	28.06
	Harold Washington	Heldia R. Richardson	106,588	8.46
Total votes			1,260,003	100

1994

1994 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary^[36]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	454,873	78.37
	Democratic	Patricia Young	140,711	23.83
Total votes			595,584	100

1994 Cook County Clerk election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)
	Republican	Edward Howlett
	Harold Washington	Herman W. Baker, Jr.
	Populist	Curtis Jones
Total votes				100

1998

1998 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary^[37]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Orr (incumbent)	404,839	100
Total votes			404,839	100

1998 Cook County Clerk election^[38]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David Orr (incumbent)	988,136	77.30
	Republican	Judith A. "Judie" Jones	290,256	22.70
Total votes			1,278,392	100

2002

2002 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary^[39]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	603,556	100
Total votes			603,556	100

2002 Cook County Clerk election^[40][41]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	992,441	76.11
	Republican	Kathleen A. Thomas	311,552	23.89
Total votes			1,303,993	100

2006

2006 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary^[42][43]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	520,407	100
Total votes			520,407	100

2006 Cook County Clerk election^[44]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	1,034,263	80.78
	Republican	Nancy Carlson	246,044	19.22
Total votes			1,280,307	100

2010

2010 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary^[45]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	502,817	100
Total votes			502,817	100

2010 Cook County Clerk election^[46]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	1,047,462	77.77
	Republican	Angel Garcia	299,449	22.23
Total votes			1,346,911	100

2014

2014 Cook County Clerk Democratic primary^[47]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	241,876	100
Total votes			241,876	100

2014 Cook County Clerk election^[48]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	David D. Orr (incumbent)	1,061,515	100
Total votes			1,061,515	100

References

1. "Chicago Tribune - Historical Newspapers".
2. "About David Orr". Archived from the original on March 28, 2009.
3. Chicago's Loop By Janice A. Knox, Heather Olivia Belcher
4. Thomas, Mike (December 12, 2018). "David Orr, Newly Retired, Unloads on the Machine". Chicago magazine. Retrieved 2020-02-14.
5. Dardick, Hal (June 21, 2017). "Cook County Clerk David Orr won't seek 8th term". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
6. Hardy, Thomas Hardy; Davis, Robert; Griffin, Jean Latz; Mills, Marja (21 March 1990). "PHELAN EDGES PINCHAM". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 October 2020.
7. Fremon, David K. (October 22, 1988). "Chicago Politics, Ward by Ward". Indiana University Press. p. 3-4. ISBN 9780253204905.
8. Simpson, Dick (2018). Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-97719-0. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
9. Levinsohn, Florence Hamlish (24 June 1993). "Either/Orr". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
10. Dold, R. Bruce (26 May 1988). "COUNCIL REPLACES ORR AS VICE MAYOR". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
11. Javorsky, Ben (March 21, 1991). "Politics by proxy: it's Clarke vs. Moore (Daley vs. Orr) in the 49th Ward". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
12. McClell, Edward (20 December 2011). "The Next Alderman of the 49th Ward ..." NBC Chicago. Retrieved 2019-02-28.
13. "Chicago Mourns Mayor Washington, Council Picks New Mayor Next Week", Chicago Tribune, p. 1, 1987-11-27
14. Fremon, David K. (January 1, 1998), Chicago Politics Ward by Ward, Indiana University Press, p. 343, ISBN 978-0-253-20490-5
15. Galvan, Manuel (1987-12-02), "Memorial Gives Way to Politics", Chicago Tribune, p. 1
16. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-30. Retrieved 2009-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
17. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2008-11-30. Retrieved 2009-01-04.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
18. Fremon, David (February 1994). "Cook County presidency plum". www.lib.niu.edu. Illinois Issues. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
19. Michael Sneed and Rachel Hinton (June 21, 2017). "After 39 years in politics, Clerk David Orr won't seek re-election". Chicago Sun-Times.
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27. Byrne, John; Pratt, Gregory (September 11, 2018). "Aldermen consider City Council chaos when Mayor Rahm Emanuel leaves office: 'Darth Vader is now gone'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
28. "Lori Lighfoot picks up endorsements in week before Chicago mayoral election". abc7chicago.com. Retrieved February 26, 2019.
29. "It's Illinois Budget Day". Politico. 15 February 2023. Retrieved February 15, 2023.
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31. "Election Results for 1979 Primary Election, Alderman, Ward 49, Chicago, IL". chicagodemocracy.org. Chicago Democracy Project. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
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33. "Election Results for 1987 Primary Election, Alderman, Ward 49, Chicago, IL". chicagodemocracy.org. Chicago Democracy Project. Retrieved 13 October 2020.
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40. "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2002 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved 18 June 2020.
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42. "2006 Primary Election March 21, 2006 Summary Report Suburban Cook County" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 September 2020. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
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Political offices
Preceded by Harold Washington	Mayor of Chicago November 25 – December 2, 1987	Succeeded by Eugene Sawyer