Lori Lightfoot is the current mayor of Chicago, IL, the Windy City. Lightfoot has also worked as an attorney and served in various other governmental positions. Lightfoot ran for Mayor of Chicago in 2019; she defeated Toni Preckwinkle in a runoff election in April of 2019 in order to secure her current post.
Lightfoot is the first LGBT woman of color to be elected mayor of any major American city. She is the second woman to be mayor of the Windy City, and she is the third African American to be elected to that position in Chicago.
| Celebrated Name: | Lori Lightfoot |
| Real Name/Full Name: | Lori Elaine Lightfoot |
| Gender: | Female |
| Age: | 59 |
| Birthdate: | August 4, 1962 |
| Birthplace: | Massillon, OH |
| Nationality: | American |
| Height: | 5 ft. 1 in. |
| Weight: | 119 lb. |
| Sexual Orientation: | Gay |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Wife/Spouse | Amy Eshleman |
| Children/Kids: | 1 Girl – Vivian Lightfoot |
| Dating/Girlfriend Name: | N/A |
| Is Lori Lightfoot Gay? | Yes |
| Highest Political Office: | Mayor of Chicago, IL |
| Profession: | Attorney and Politician |
| Colleges Attended: | University of Michigan; University of Chicago Law School |
| Degrees: | Political Science; Juris Doctor |
| Salary: | $216,210 |
| Net Worth in 2022: | $1.5 million |
Biography: Early Life and Family
Lori Elaine Lightfoot was born on August 4, 1962 to parents Elijah and Ann Lightfoot. She is the youngest of four children. Her mother, Ann, was a nursing healthcare aide who worked nights. Her father was a janitor primarily, but Lori has stated that she spent a great deal of time with her mother growing up because her father often worked multiple jobs to support his family.
Lightfoot was born in Ohio; she graduated from Washington High School in the city of her birth, Massillon. Lightfoot was elected the president of her class a total of three times. She was also active in many extracurricular sports and activities, including the band (she was a trumpet player), softball, volleyball, basketball, and choir. She was also a member of the Pep Club and served as an editor on the school’s yearbook committee.
Lightfoot learned the ropes of campaigning early on in her high school career. Playing on a rhyme in her name, Lori used the campaign slogan “Get on the right foot with Lightfoot,” making her name memorable with fellow students. In 2013, Lightfoot was named a “Distinguished Citizen” by her Washington school alumni group.
Lightfoot is remembered for one campaign promise that she kept. When students complained about the quality of the school pizza for lunch, Lightfoot championed a boycott until the cafeteria and school came together to better this one lunch offering. However, Lightfoot did have to serve time in the school detention for spearheading the boycott.
Lightfoot would graduate with honors from the University of Michigan, where she completed her studies in 1984. She earned a degree in Political Science at UM. As she attended school, Lightfoot worked a number of jobs in order to pay for her education. She worked as a cook for the UM football team and as a resident assistant, and, during her summers back at home, she worked in a number of factories in order to put money toward her tuition.
Lightfoot worked in politician’s offices prior to deciding to go to law school at the University of Chicago. She worked for Barbara Mikulski as well as Ralph Regula. Stating that she made the choice to attend law school in order to achieve financial independence, Lightfoot would be awarded a full scholarship in order to obtain her Juris Doctor.
She was the president of the law school at the University of Chicago, and, upon learning that a law firm had made both racist and sexual remarks toward a fellow student, Lightfoot led the movement to have the firm banned from their campus.
During her time as a law student at the University of Chicago, Lightfoot would clerk under Justice Charles Levin, who was a member of the Supreme Court of the state of Michigan.
Lightfoot graduated from the University of Chicago’s School of Law in 1989.
Personal Life
Lightfoot is married to Amy Eshleman, who is a former employee of the Chicago Public Library. The couple married on May 31, 2014. The couple have an adopted daughter, Vivian.
Lightfoot is a fan of multiple sports. She is a season ticket holder for the Women’s National Basketball League’ Chicago Sky team as well as for the Chicago Bears. She’s also a fan of the Chicago White Sox, and she attends baseball games regularly.
Age, Height, and Weight
Lori Lightfoot is 59 years of age. She is 5′ 1″ and weighs 119 lbs.
Net Worth
Yahoo Finance analyzed the net worth of Lori Lightfoot, and they estimate her net worth as of 2021 to be $1.5 million.
In 2020, Lightfoot’s office released her tax return for her first year in office, which began in May 2019. Lightfoot reported income from her mayoral position as $111,120 as well as $352,645 from her employment at the Mayer Brown law firm.
For 2018, Lightfoots adjusted gross income from her employment at the Mayer Brown firm was $813,000. This information came from tax documents as well.
While she was running for office, she released other tax documents from the years 2014 to 2017. Her average AGI (adjusted gross income) for each of those years was $971,626. This income was solely from Mayer Brown.
Yahoo Finance questioned why Lightfoot earned income from Mayer Brown in 2019, as she left the firm in 2018 when she decided to run for the mayoral office. However, when investigations showed that Lightfoot was paying taxes in not only Illinois but also in New York, Minnesota, and California, Lightfoot told the press that she had an ownership stake in the Mayer Brown firm. As the firm practices in locations across the country, she had to pay taxes in those locations as well as in Illinois.
Like most politicians, Lightfoot has generally released her tax documents to the public. The Chicago Tribune actually requests these records each year (of multiple politicians, not just Lightfoot).
Career Outside of Politics
Lightfoot has worked chiefly in politics or in some sort of legal position during all of her career. She worked for a law firm in Chicago, Mayer Brown, for a number of years before leaving to campaign for the mayor of Chicago.
Lightfoot worked at the Chicago Police Department office between 2002 and 2004; there, she was the chief administrator of professional standards. During her time in this position, The Chicago Tribune criticized that “the Office of Professional Standards’ investigations often lacked thoroughness.” Lightfoot has rebutted this assertion, saying that the police department often rejected her recommendations for discipline.
The Office of Professional Standards is no longer a functional office of the Chicago Police Department.
Lightfoot also worked in the Office of Emergency Management and Communications (the city of Chicago). Soon, then-Mayor Richard Daley hired Lightfoot to work in the Chicago Department of Procurement Services as a chief deputy. Lightfoot and her superior were tasked with investigating corruption in the city. Lightfoot investigated the former governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich’s associate Tony Rezko. She would only work in this office for a few months before returning to Mayer Brown.
While she was in private practice at Mayer Brown, Lightfoot defended a police officer who had been charged with physical assault. Lightfoot utilized video evidence which she said exonerated her client. She also worked a case in which she defended the city of Chicago against the family of a woman who was mentally ill and had been taken into custody. The city ended up settling with the woman’s family.
Career in Politics
Lightfoot has served in many government offices during her career, but, her chief political office is that of the Mayor of the Windy City. Lightfoot was proceeded by Rahm Emanuel, who had worked in the Obama Administration.
Lightfoot’s first order of business took place before she actually took office. Lightfoot had expressed issue with the way the Lincoln Yards development deal was being pursued. Outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel agreed to postpone the city council’s vote on the deal. However, the developers agreed they would increase the number of minority and female contractors for the project, and Lightfoot then threw her support behind the Lincoln Yards project.
Some of Lightfoot’s platform include affordable housing within the city, pursuing the construction of a casino in the city, a number of fiscal issues.
Lightfoot created a task force to investigate issues concerning affordable housing in Chicago. The task force would also be responsible for writing a proposal that would replace the current affordable housing ordinance of the Windy City. Lightfoot’s task force found that systemic racism is the chief reason for a lack of affordable housing in the city.
As of the end of 2021, Chicago has seen a significant rise in the amount of violent crime in the Windy City. As of January 2, 2022, Chicago has already seen its first homicide of the year. Lightfoot has been criticized for her push to have all Chicago police officers vaccinated, and she recently requested assistance from the ATF to assist with the surging crime rate in Chicago.
Lightfoot would like to see the city’s minimum wage raised to $15 per hour, and she wants to get rid of the fine and fee program currently utilized by the city of Chicago.
