Eleanor 'Sis' Daley dies in Chicago; widow of 1 mayor, mother of another

CHICAGO — Eleanor "Sis" Daley, the matriarch of the Daley political clan who offered unwavering behind-the-scenes support to husband Richard J. Daley during his long reign as Chicago mayor, died of a stroke Sunday. She was 95.

The widow of the former Chicago mayor and mother of current Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley lived her entire life in the tight-knit Bridgeport neighborhood long associated with the political clan, which also includes her son, former U.S. Commerce Secretary William Daley.

"She was the Daley matriarch, but in a lot of ways she was also Chicago's matriarch," said Jacquelyn Heard, the mayor's spokeswoman, adding that Mrs. Daley's March 4 birthday coincided with the anniversary of Chicago's founding.

Mrs. Daley was hospitalized after a fall and minor stroke in December 2001, and in early February 1999 for an irregular heartbeat.

She eschewed the political limelight and focused her energy on raising her seven children and offering private support to her husband, who ran Chicago's Democratic machine for 21 years until his death in 1976.

The couple married in Bridgeport in 1936 and soon moved into a neighborhood bungalow that became the family bunker for decades, off limits to outside politicians and reporters.

Her son Richard has been mayor since 1989.