Harold Washington was born on April 15, 1922 in Chicago, one of 11 children. His father was a Methodist minister and precinct captain who encouraged Washington's love of reading and appreciation for education. At DuSable High School he excelled not just in his studies, but also in track. He won the 1939 city championships in the 120 high hurdles and got second in the 200 low hurdles. But his school career was interrupted by war in February 1943, when he left high school to join the Army as part of the 1887th Engineer Aviation Battalion, where he became First Sergeant and his unit received the Meritorious Service award for building a bomber landing strip on the Pacific Island of Anguar in just 20 days.

After being discharged in 1946, Washington returned home, finished high school, college, and earned a law degree in 1952.

In 1954, after the death of his father, Washington took over as precinct captain, and his political career began. He worked as an attorney and government official, and served 15 years in the state legislature before his election to Congress in 1980. In 1983, his surprise primary election victory over then-Mayor Jane Byrne and future-mayor Richard M. Daley put a national spotlight on Washington. He became Chicago's first black mayor when he defeated Republican candidate Bernard Epton.

After the election, he was almost immediately involved in a bitter battle with political opponents in the City Council who resisted cooperating with him, as an avowed outsider and reformer. That period was marked by stormy fights in the Council between the 29 anti-Washington aldermen and the 21 who were loyal to the new mayor.

Unfortunately, not even Harold Washington could avoid some of life's pitfalls. In 1970 his law license was suspended after the Illinois Supreme Court's Attorney Registration and Disciplinary board found he had accepted retainers from five clients and failed to perform promised legal services. The suspension was only for one year, but by the time it was to have expired he was having tax problems. As a result, his law license suspension remained in effect until 1975, when it was lifted by the state Supreme Court. Meanwhile, in 1972, while a state representative, he was convicted in U.S. District Court for failing to file income tax returns for four years. In actuality, the government asserted that Washington, a lawyer and legislator who should have known better, had filed no returns for 19 years, but he could only be prosecuted for four that did not fall under the statute of limitations. The future mayor was sentenced to two years in prison. But Federal Judge Joseph Sam Perry suspended all but 40 days, of which he served 36 in the Cook County Jail.

While his years were somewhat tumultuous, Washington did have a great many accomplishments. He is probably most noted for bringing opportunity to the underprivileged. He helped increase significantly the number of city contracts awarded to minority businesses, as well as helped open doors for minorities to obtain top positions in City Hall.

In this spirit, Harold Washington made Illinois the first state to honor Martin Luther King by creating a state holiday. He created the first citywide Ethics Ordinance, and by writing the city's own Freedom of Information Act, he encouraged everyone to become informed and involved with community operations. Harold Washington had always said that he would stay in office till the day he died, hoping to outlast former Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, who was in office for 20 years. He only served a little more than four years; he died on Wednesday, November 25, 1987, 1:36 P.M., at his desk in City Hall. The official cause of death: cardiac arrest. Mayor Washington was buried at Oak Woods Cemetery, 1035 E. 67th St., on November 30, 1987.