Bernard Epton ran against African American Democrat Harold Washington in the Chicago mayoral election of 1983 in what was a racially divided and bitter election. Epton who was a Republican, came within 40.000 votes of winning; something astonishing in Chicago's Democrat dominated political scene.
Ironically, in 1987 Epton died less than three weeks after Washington had died. Both men died of heart attacks and are buried near each other in the same cemetery on Chicago's south side .
It all goes to prove that the king and pawn, the black and white, the winners and losers all go back into the box at the end of the game.
