One-on-One Interview: Dan Rostenkowski

In the first Chicago Stories 1-on-1 interview, host John Callaway conducts a no-holds-barred interview with political giant Dan Rostenkowski. In this half-hour broadcast, Rostenkowski offers a candid look at the story behind his legendary political career, from his early ascension to power to his subsequent fall from grace.

Dan Rostenkowski learned to play the political game at an early age, first from his father, an alderman from the Northwest Side, and later from Mayor Richard J. Daley. He carried Chicago-style politics with him to the Illinois General Assembly, and then to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Rostenkowski became Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee in 1981, where he remained for 15 years until his indictment on 17 counts. He was eventually convicted of mail fraud, and served 17 months in a Wisconsin federal prison.

True to his form, Callaway leaves no stone unturned. From Rostenkowski's lavish gift-giving, to his relationships with all eight presidents under whom he served, to his days in federal prison, we hear the seldom-told human side of his political career.