Mary Ella Smith, 'First Fiancee' of Late Mayor Harold Washington, Dies at 80

Mayor Harold Washington and fiance, Mary Ella Smith, meet singer Johnny Mathis. |Harold Washington Library Collections

Chicago, IL, June 10, 2016 -- Mary Ella Smith, fiance of the late Mayor Harold Washington, passed away at age 80 on Thursday.
At the time of her death, she headed the Harold Washington Foundation, honoring the legacy of Chicago’s first black mayor.
Together for almost 30 years, Smith, a Chicago Public Schools teacher, became engaged to Washington during his first mayoral run in 1983.
Smith grew up on Chicago’s South Side. Her father was a Pullman porter and her mother a homemaker, the Sun-Times reported.
She put herself through Northwestern University. After earning her degree, Smith spent much her career teaching at Chicago’s Reavis elementary school.
Washington had been divorced for several decades when she met him in an organization both were active in. After they became engaged, when people asked her when they would set a date, Smith responded, “when we both have room in our schedules at the same time.”
When Washington passed away suddenly at age 65 the day before Thanksgiving in 1987, Smith said he “chipped away at the white marble of inequality,” the Sun-Times said.
Following Washington’s death, Smith continued to remain engaged in civil rights causes, relatives told the newspaper.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel issued a statement Thursday evening on Smith’s passing:
“The City of Chicago mourns the loss of a fierce advocate and a true ambassador with the passing of Mary Ella Smith. As the loving partner and longtime confidante of the late Mayor Harold Washington, Ms. Smith's special role went far beyond that of ‘First Fiancee.’ For a lifetime she educated Chicago's children and for nearly 30 years she continued to enlighten every Chicagoan. On behalf of the City of Chicago, I send my deepest condolences to the Smith Family during this difficult time.”
No service or memorial is planned in keeping with her wishes, her family said.