By the mid-1890s, the ward's partisan lean had firmly become Democratic.
[1] The last Republican to represent the ward on the Chicago City Council was Francis P. Gleason, who left office in 1897.
[2] The current alderperson for the 1st ward is Daniel La Spata.
Since 1923, wards have been represented by a single alderman.
Elections have also been nonpartisan, though officeholders often still publicly affiliate with parties.