Helen Shiller

Helen Shiller
Member of the Chicago City Council from the 46th ward
In office 1987–2011
Preceded by	Jerome Orbach
Succeeded by	James Cappleman
Personal details
Born	1947 New York
Political party	Democratic
Children	one
Residence	Chicago, Illinois, United States
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin–Madison
Website	Citizens for Shiller

Helen Shiller (born 1947) is a former Alderman of the 46th ward in Chicago, Illinois. She served in the Chicago City Council for six four-year terms, from 1987 to 2011. Shiller was elected to the City Council on her third attempt, as Harold Washington, Chicago's first black Mayor, was re-elected to his second term, and her election as alderman helped close the Council Wars era in Chicago government. Shiller has been described as "committed to liberal causes". Among her most significant impacts on Chicago were her advocacy for diverse, inclusive, affordable housing and helping craft Chicago's response to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Her commitment to fostering community development without displacement often brought Shiller into contention with some constituencies, real estate developers, and editorial boards. Shiller's oral history was collected by Pulitzer Prize-winning author and Uptown resident Studs Terkel in his 2003 book, Hope Dies Last.

Shiller was born in 1947 and raised on Long Island in New York, growing up in a middle-class family. Her parents were home owners. Her father, Morris Shiller, was a self-employed chemist who according to Shiller "perfected fake suede." Morris emigrated to the United States from Latvia. Some members of his family were Holocaust victims. Shiller's mother was Sara (née Trop), Sara was born and raised in Belarus, where she lived through various occupations, including by the Germans, Polish, Russians, and Soviet Union. Sara came to America through Ellis Island at the age of six. She became a nurse and married Morris, in 1936. She died at the age of 96 in the summer of 2011.

Helen Shiller earned her high school diploma in 1965 from Woodstock County School in Vermont, the same progressive boarding school that Pete Seeger's children attended. Shiller graduated with a degree in history from the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where she was active in the anti-Vietnam war movement and in the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). In 2005, Shiller graduated from DePaul University's School for New Learning Master's Program, where her focus was public policy.

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