Dickerson defeated William E. King in the general election to become the first African American Democrat to serve on the Chicago City Council.

In protest, Abraham Lincoln Marovitz, Illinois's first Jewish State Senator, joined him at the train station.

[9] During his tenure, he backed cost of living increases for welfare recipients and many civil rights measures with a focus on fair employment practices.

[8][10] When former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and Democratic Minority Leader John Touhy took a seat on the Cook County Board, Davis became the subject of a draft effort by fellow African American House members including Harold Washington, Raymond W. Ewell, and Lewis A. H. Caldwell.

[11] Partee was elevated to the Senate presidency while Davis was appointed to the leadership team of Democratic House Minority Leader Clyde L.

[12] In 1975, just months after Democrats regained the majority in the House, Davis resigned his position in leadership after he was ignored during a debate on the Equal Rights Amendment by Speaker William A.

[16] Observers cite his speech against a bill which would have required clinical treatment for fathers accepting welfare benefits who had a "more than an adequate" number of children as one of his most memorable.

Maule would serve in this position until his October 1995 death and is survived by his wife Adela Cepeda, a finance executive, and three daughters (Davis' great grandchildren).