CHICAGO — William "Bill" Beavers, the former Chicago 7th Ward Alderman and Cook County Commissioner, died early Saturday morning at age 89, a family spokesman announced Sunday.
Beavers died from natural complications and surrounded by family. He is survived by two daughters, former 7th Ward Ald. Darcel Beavers and Denice Ewing; a son, retired Cook County State’s Attorney investigator David Beavers; grandson DeJuan Brown and great-granddaughter Dylan Brown.
Beavers’ passing was announced by Sean Howard, appointed as a family spokesman.
Born and raised in the Kenwood-Oakland neighborhood on Chicago’s South Side, Beavers attending Chicago Public Schools and worked as a Chicago police officer for 21 years until his retirement.
Beavers was elected as 7th Ward Alderman in 1983 and served in that position until 2006. He was then elected as Commissioner for the 4th District of Cook County, serving in that position from 2006-13.
“Today is a difficult day for the Beavers family and for many of us who respected and cherished Commissioner Beavers’ friendship and loyalty," Howard’s statement said. "Bill Beavers will go down in history as one of the most progressive African American aldermen in the Chicago City Council.
"He was unapologetically Black and proved so by his countless efforts to propel Black businesspersons to engage in city business and contracts. In fact, many of the most successful business persons in our city acknowledge Commissioner Beavers as their primary source of help in successfully doing business with the City of Chicago."
While serving as alderman, Beavers was appointed chairman of the Police and Fire Committee and was later appointed as chairman of the Budget Committee. His district as a Cook County Commissioner encompassed part of Chicago’s South Side and south suburbs.
Beavers used these platforms, the statement says, to promote the city’s outreach to Black businesspeople seeking to engage with the city.
"The passing of Commissioner Beavers represents a significant loss for the African American business community," Cook County Democratic Committeeman and Rich Township Supervisor Calvin Jordan said in the statement. "Commissioner Beavers made it possible for Black business owners to have concessions at both Midway and O’Hare Airports.
"He was relentless in his firm approach to former Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley of the need for more Black business people engaging in every facet of city government."
Among his career accomplishments, the statement says, Beavers was "instrumental" in the election of former Cook County Board President Todd Stroger and in helping to get a substantial number of African American judges, past and present, elected in Cook County.
"Over the past 20 years I, along with a group of 10 other political figures, had the pleasure of eating breakfast daily with Commissioner Beavers, as well as the late Commissioner Robert Shaw and the late Senator William Shaw," Howard stated. "These breakfast sessions were classic in that so much knowledge, humor and wisdom came from these remarkable men.
"Commissioner Beavers always reminded us of the importance of keeping your word, standing firm in your beliefs, and knowing that government belongs to the people and not ourselves. While he was one of the most powerful figures in Chicago, he always worked even harder at enhancing the upward mobility of the African American community."
In 2013, Beavers was convicted in Cook County on four counts of tax evasion and sentenced to six months in federal prison. He maintained that the feds came after him only because he refused to wear a wire in an investigation of fellow County Board member John Daley, but Beavers’ appeal was rejected by a federal judge.
Beavers was released from prison in May 2014 after serving his sentence. His conviction was eventually upheld by a federal appeals court.
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October 27, 2024 at 11:28AM
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