Cook County Recorder of Deeds

Cook County Recorder of Deeds
Cook County Recorder of Deeds
Term length	4 years (second incarnation)
Inaugural holder	R. J. Hamilton (1st incarnation); James Stewart (2nd incarnation)
Formation	1831 (first incarnation); 1872 (second incarnation)
Final holder	Ed S. Kimberly (first incarnation); Edward Moody (2nd incarnation)
Abolished	1848 (first incarnation); December 7, 2020 (second incarnation)

The Cook County Recorder of Deeds was the recorder of deeds of county government in Cook County, Illinois, prior to the position's abolishment in 2020.

History of office

An early incarnation of a dedicated county recorder of deeds was established with the creation of Cook County in 1831. In 1848, it was eliminated, being merged into the position of clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County (which was renamed "clerk and recorder").^[1] For decades thereafter, the clerk of the Circuit Court served as the ex-officio county recorder of deeds.^[2]

An independent position of Cook County recorder of deeds was re-created in December 1872.^[2]

On November 8, 2016, Cook County voters approved a binding referendum to eliminate the office, merging its functions into the purview of the Cook County Clerk.^[3] The office formally ceased to exist on December 7, 2020.^[4]

Officeholders

1831–1848

	Term in office	Party	Cite
R. J. Hamilton	1831–1839	Democratic	^[1]
Eli R. Williams	1839–1843		^[1]
William A. Eagan	1843–1847		^[1]
Ed S. Kimberly	1847–1848		^[1]

1872–2020

	Term in office	Party	Notes	Cite
James Stewart	1872–1876			^[5]
James W. Brockway	1876–1884	Republican		^[5]

Abel Davis	1904–1912	Republican	Elected in 1904 and 1908	^[6]
Joseph F. Connery	1912–	Democratic		^[7]


Joseph F. Haas				^[8]
Salomea Jaranowski				^[8]
Clayton F. Smith				^[8]
Edward J. Kaindl		Democratic		^[8]^[9]
Victor L. Schlaeger				^[8]
Joseph T. Baran				^[8]
Joseph F. Ropa				^[8]
Edmund J. Kucharski	1956–1960	Republican	Elected in 1956; lost reelection in 1960	^[10]



Sid Olsen	December 1976–December 1984	Democratic	Elected in 1976 and 1980
Harry Yourell	December 1984–December 1, 1988	Democratic	Elected in 1984
Carol Moseley Braun	December 1, 1988 – December 1, 1992	Democratic	Elected in 1988
Jesse White	December 1, 1992 – January 11, 1999	Democratic	Elected in 1992 and 1996; resigned in January 1999 to serve as Illinois Secretary of State
Eugene Moore	January 1999–December 2012	Democratic	Appointed in January 1999; elected in 2000, 2004, 2008	^[11]
Karen Yarbrough	December 2012–December 3, 2018	Democratic	Elected in 2012 and 2016
Edward Moody	December 4, 2018 – December 7, 2020	Democratic	Appointed in December 2018

Recent election results

Year	Winning candidate	Party	Vote (pct)	Opponent	Party	Vote (pct)	Opponent	Party	Vote (pct)	Opponent	Party	Vote (pct)
Cook County Recorder of Deeds general elections
1984^[12]	Harry "Bus" Yourell	Democratic	1,232,485 (60.94%)	Deborah L. Murphy	Republican	789,906 (39.06%)
1988^[13]	Carol Moseley Braun	Democratic	1,020,805 (54.32%)	Bernard L. Stone	Republican	795,540 (42.33%)	Edward M. Wojkowski	Illinois Solidarity	62,968 (3.35%)
1992^[14]	Jesse White	Democratic	1,121,865 (58.07%)	Susan Catania	Republican	809,963 (41.93%)
1996^[15]	Jesse White	Democratic	1,061,436 (65.33%)	Patrick A. Dwyer	Republican	499,551 (30.75%)	Brenda Hernandez Frias	Harold Washington Party	53,421 (3.29%)	Smith Wiiams	Justice Party	10,251 (0.63%)
2000^[16]^[17]	Eugene "Gene" Moore	Democratic	1,167,630 (73.01%)	Arthur D. Sutton	Republican	431,717 (26.99%)
2004^[18]^[19]	Eugene "Gene" Moore	Democratic	1,283,762 (70.74%)	John H. Cox	Republican	530,945 (29.26%)
2008^[20]^[21]	Eugene "Gene" Moore	Democratic	1,324,426 (70.49%)	Gregory Goldstein	Republican	451,452 (24.03%)	Terrence A. Gilhooly	Green	102,968 (5.48%)
2012^[22]	Karen Yarbrough	Democratic	1,313,967 (73.82%)	Sherri Griffith	Republican	466,038 (26.18%)
2016^[23]	Karen Yarbrough	Democratic	1,647,174 (98.58%)	Others	Write-ins	7,250 (0.81%)

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Officers of Cook County The Names of Officer-Holders from the Beginning". Chicago Tribune. December 12, 1867. Retrieved February 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Andreas, Alfred Theodore (1885). "From 1857 until the fire of 1871". A. T. Andreas. p. 663. Retrieved December 26, 2020.
^ "Cook County, Illinois, Merge Offices, (November 2016)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
^ "Cook County Vital Records moving to county building in Chicago". Daily Herald. November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.
^ ^a ^b History of Cook County, Illinois: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time. A.T. Andreas. 1884. p. 352.
^ "Who's Who in our Citizen Soldiery - 1921". American Hebrew. 110: 80. December 2, 1921. Retrieved February 3, 2016.
^ Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year-Book for 1913. p. 532.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Johnson, Charles B. (1960). "Growth of Cook County; a history of the large lake-shore county that includes Chicago". [Chicago] : Board of Commissioners of Cook County. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
^ "Illinois Blue Book, 1947-1948". www.idaillinois.org. 1947. p. 666. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
^ Heise, Kenan (August 19, 1994). "COOK COUNTY GOP STALWART EDMUND J. KUCHARSKI, 78". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
^ Eltagouri, Marwa (June 16, 2016). "Eugene Moore, former Cook County recorder of deeds, dies at 73". nydailynews.com. New York Daily News. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2020.
^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1984" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2008.
^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1988" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2008.
^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1992" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2008.
^ "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1996" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2008.
^ "SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY RESULTS". voterinfonet.com. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original on March 1, 2005.
^ "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER, 2000 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
^ "FINAL RESULTS SUMMARY REPORT COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS GENERAL ELECTION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
^ "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
^ "Official General Election 11/4/2008 Summary Report Cook County Unofficial Results" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 4, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
^ "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
^ "Cook County and the City of Chicago Combined Summary Report General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Retrieved March 16, 2020.
^ "General Election Cook County and The City of Chicago Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Combined Summary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.

[officersDec1867-1] "Officers of Cook County The Names of Officer-Holders from the Beginning". Chicago Tribune. December 12, 1867. Retrieved February 5, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.

[andreas663-2] Andreas, Alfred Theodore (1885). "From 1857 until the fire of 1871". A. T. Andreas. p. 663. Retrieved December 26, 2020.

[3] "Cook County, Illinois, Merge Offices, (November 2016)". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 16, 2020.

[4] "Cook County Vital Records moving to county building in Chicago". Daily Herald. November 23, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2020.

[Andreas-5] History of Cook County, Illinois: From the Earliest Period to the Present Time. A.T. Andreas. 1884. p. 352.

[6] "Who's Who in our Citizen Soldiery - 1921". American Hebrew. 110: 80. December 2, 1921. Retrieved February 3, 2016.

[7] Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year-Book for 1913. p. 532.

[Johnson1-8] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Johnson, Charles B. (1960). "Growth of Cook County; a history of the large lake-shore county that includes Chicago". [Chicago] : Board of Commissioners of Cook County. Retrieved January 3, 2021.

[9] "Illinois Blue Book, 1947-1948". www.idaillinois.org. 1947. p. 666. Retrieved August 20, 2025.

[10] Heise, Kenan (August 19, 1994). "COOK COUNTY GOP STALWART EDMUND J. KUCHARSKI, 78". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2020.

[11] Eltagouri, Marwa (June 16, 2016). "Eugene Moore, former Cook County recorder of deeds, dies at 73". nydailynews.com. New York Daily News. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2020.

[12] "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 1984" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2008.

[13] "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1988" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 3, 2008.

[14] "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 1992" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2008.

[15] "OFFICIAL FINAL RESULTS GENERAL ELECTION COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1996" (PDF). voterinfo.net. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 2, 2008.

[16] "SUBURBAN COOK COUNTY RESULTS". voterinfonet.com. Cook County Clerk. Archived from the original on March 1, 2005.

[17] "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION HELD IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER, 2000 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. Retrieved June 18, 2020.

[18] "FINAL RESULTS SUMMARY REPORT COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS GENERAL ELECTION TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 23, 2020. Retrieved March 19, 2020.

[19] "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2004 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved March 19, 2020.

[20] "Official General Election 11/4/2008 Summary Report Cook County Unofficial Results" (PDF). Cook County Clerk's Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 4, 2020. Retrieved March 16, 2020.

[21] "TABULATED STATEMENT OF THE RETURNS AND PROCLAMATION OF THE RESULTS OF THE CANVASS OF THE ELECTION RETURNS FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION IN EACH OF THE PRECINCTS IN ALL THE WARDS IN THE CITY OF CHICAGO ON TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2008 A.D." (PDF). Chicago Board of Elections. Retrieved March 16, 2020.

[22] "Cook County and the City of Chicago Combined Summary Report General Election November 6, 2012" (PDF). Retrieved March 16, 2020.

[23] "General Election Cook County and The City of Chicago Tuesday, November 8, 2016 Combined Summary" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on October 29, 2020. Retrieved March 15, 2020.

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v t e Government of Cook County, Illinois
Elected executive offices	President of Board of Commissioners Assessor Clerk Sheriff State's Attorney Treasurer Defunct offices Coroner Recorder of Deeds Superintendent of the Education Service Region
Board of Commissioners	1st district 2nd district 3rd district 4th district 5th district 6th district 7th district 8th district 9th district 10th district 11th district 12th district 13th district 14th district 15th district 16th district 17th district
Other	Board of Review Circuit Court (Clerk) Superior Court defunct Committeepeople Forest Preserves Public Defender Public Guardian Medical Examiner
Elections	1946 1980 (State's Attorney) 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 (State's Attorney) 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 (State's Attorney) 2022 2024
Buildings and facilities	Administration Building City Hall-County Building Richard J. Daley Center Jail Provident Hospital John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital

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