Remembering Queen Elizabeth's 1959 Chicago Visit
As the world mourns Queen Elizabeth II, the Council looks back on her 1959 Chicago visit and dynamic place in history.
Queen Elizabeth II visited Chicago 63 years ago for a 14-hour trip calling it an "unforgettable day" and "a day I will never forget." She disembarked the Royal Yacht Britannia at the renamed Queens Landing, adjacent to the coincidentally-named Buckingham Fountain, and was greeted by Governor William Stratton and later joined onstage by Mayor Richard J. Daley.
At the time of the visit, on July 6, 1959, the sun was setting on Britain’s empire. The center of global power had shifted from Europe to America. Cold War competition was intensifying. Mao’s China was in the midst of the Great Leap Forward, and Castro had recently overthrown the government of Cuba.
The following decades were a period of immense social, political, and economic change around the world. The Queen's visit to Chicago, to the heart of a former colony, highlighted an ability to engage with a changing world that would be a hallmark of her reign.
Queen Elizabeth II – April 21, 1926 – September 8, 2022
Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh step ashore in Chicago, greeted by Illinois Governor William Straton. July 5, 1959.
Mayor Richard J. Daley and Governor William Stratton make speeches next to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip in front of Buckingham Fountain in Grant Park, Chicago, July 6, 1959.
An open-top car carries Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh north on Michigan Avenue, with the skyscrapers of the city of Chicago in the background, during a motor trip through the city after her arrival on the Royal Tour, July 6, 1959.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh at the shore of Lake Michigan shake hands with a large delegation after arriving in Chicago on July 6, 1959.
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh make a speech in Chicago during the Royal tour of Canada and the United States. July 6, 1959.
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