Michael Anthony Bilandic

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Michael Anthony Bilandic (Croatian: Bilandžić) (February 13, 1923 – January 16, 2002) served as the mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1976-1979) for the Democratic Party.

Bilandic served as an Alderman in the Chicago City Council, representing the Bridgeport neighborhood. When Richard J. Daley died on December 20, 1976, the City Council elected Bilandic to fill out his term.

Following his term as mayor, he was elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1990 and served until 2000. From 1994 to 1996 he was the Illinois Chief Justice.

Bilandic had to face several labor disputes while in office, including a gravediggers and cemetery owners' strike and a threatened strike by members of Lyric Opera of Chicago. The Chicago Butcher's Union worked to stop stores from selling fresh meat after 6pm, but Bilandic managed to work out a settlement. Bilandic also had to face social unrest when an FALN bomb exploded in City Hall and started a three day riot among the Puerto Rican community.

Shortly before the end of his second term, a blizzard struck Chicago and effectively closed down the city. The city's slow response to the debilitating storm was blamed on Bilandic's inaction and he lost the primary election to Jane Byrne, who went on to succeed Bilandic. Many political observers saw Bilandic's defeat as indicative of the end of Chicago's Democratic machine, until the election of Mayor Richard M. Daley.

While in office, Bilandic oversaw the creation of ChicagoFest, a food and music festival held on Navy Pier. The Chicago Marathon had its first running in 1977 and Bilandic participated, finishing with a time of 4 hours. A runner in his own right, Bilandic arranged to have five miles of unused equestrian paths along the lakefront converted to running paths.

1977 saw Bilandic married to Chicago socialite Heather Morgan by Chicago Archbishop John Cardinal Cody. He is buried in St. Mary Cemetery.