His parents moved back to Chicago when he was just three months old and he lived there for the rest of his life.

He served on the State Council of Defense during World War I and the Illinois Commission for A Century of Progress Exposition 1933–1934.

He was a member of the Chicago Real Estate Board, the Union League Club, and numerous civic organizations.

But Daley immediately joined the House Democratic Caucus upon his taking office in Springfield in January 1937.

There was an extensive battle in court for the estate when his will was contested and it was discovered that he had a "secret marriage" late in his life to one of his secretaries.