Editing Richardson Dilworth (section)

== Champion of Reform ==

Dilworth's entry into electoral politics came in 1947 when he ran for mayor against the Republican machine. Though he lost, his campaign energized reformers and established his reputation as an aggressive, even reckless, challenger of corruption. He named names, accused machine politicians of specific crimes, and occasionally found himself sued for libel. His charges were sometimes exaggerated but often contained enough truth to damage his targets. In 1949, he won election as city treasurer, becoming the first Democrat elected to a major city office since before the Civil War. The victory demonstrated that the machine could be beaten.<ref name="reichley">{{cite book |last=Reichley |first=A. James |title=The Art of Government: Reform and Organization Politics in Philadelphia |year=1959 |publisher=The Fund for the Republic |location=New York}}</ref>

The 1951 reform campaign brought Dilworth's skills to full display. Running for district attorney while Joseph Clark ran for mayor, Dilworth conducted a speaking tour through Philadelphia neighborhoods, detailing corruption in vivid terms that audiences loved. He accused machine politicians of everything from petty graft to serious crimes. His rhetoric was inflammatory—critics called him demagogic—but it served to dramatize the choice facing voters. The reform ticket won decisively, and Dilworth became district attorney with a mandate to prosecute the corruption he had denounced. He proceeded to do exactly that, sending machine officials to prison and establishing his reputation as an honest, aggressive prosecutor.<ref name="binzen"/>