Michael Bilandic And Heather Morgan Bilandic In Chicago In 1978 Editorial Photo

Chicago Mayor Michael Bilandic appears at a local function with wife Heather Morgan Bilandic in 1978. Bilandic became acting-mayor in 1976 upon the sudden death of political powerhouse, Richard J. Daley. He won election the following year, but was beaten by a city commissioner, Jane Byrne, who became the city`s first female mayor, in 1979. Bilandic was Chicago`s first Croatian mayor. Heather Morgan was a socialite when she met the charismatically-challenged Bilandic, and wed him in 1976. Among her many skills was cooking, which she learned at the Cordon Blue in Paris. She used her keen knowledge and interest in the arts to encourage artists throughout the city. Michael Bilandic died on on January 15, 2002 at the age of 78.