When JFK Came to Chicago in 1963-- Part 1

From the March 17, 2013, Chicago Tribune "Chicago Flashback: Why JFK came to town" by Stephan Benzkofer.

Fifty years ago in March, President John F. Kennedy came to Chicago to dedicate O'Hare International Airport. This was not a necessary dedication as the airport had already been named after World War II's air hero Edward "Butch" O'Hare in 1949 and then again dedicated in 1955 when it opened to commercial air traffic.

So, why did JFK really come to Chicago, some eight months before that tragic November day in Dallas? His motorcade was lined by cheering spectators and at one point, he had the limo stopped and got out to greet people at the Cumberland Avenue Exit of the Northwest Expressway, which would be renamed for him a week after his death.

The best reason for the president's coming to Chicago would be to support his old friend (and some say reason he was elected president after certain things happened with Chicago voting), Mayor Richard J. Daley, who was in the midst of a tough re-election campaign.

More to Come. ---Cooter