The 4th Ward is one of the 50 aldermanic wards with representation in the City Council of Chicago, Illinois. It is divided into 28 election precincts. Lake Michigan is the ward's eastern boundary for much of its area. Its northwesternmost point, as of 2022, was located at the intersection of West Jackson Boulevard and South Clark Street and its southeasternmost point at the intersection of East 53rd Street and Lake Park Avenue.

David K. Fremon wrote in 1988 that "No other ward has wealth and poverty in such proximity." Today the 4th Ward boasts 93,975 residents, with a racially diverse population that is plurality Black (46.0%), followed by White (30.2%), Asian (13.3%), Hispanic or Latino (6.4%), Multiracial (3.5%), Native (0.2%), and Other (0.5%). Between 2010 and 2018, the 4th Ward saw the second-largest population growth in the city after the 42nd Ward, driven primarily by the population influx in the South Loop.

The 4th Ward was one of six created upon Chicago's incorporation as a city in 1837. At the time its boundaries were the city limits at North Avenue and Wood Street to its respective north and west, Randolph Street to its south, and the Chicago River to its east. In 1847 it was moved to the Loop and Near South Side, being bounded by the Chicago River to its north and west, 22nd Street (modern-day Cermak) to its south, and Wells Street to its east. In 1857 the southern boundary was extended to 31st street and in 1863 the ward was significantly moved eastward, bounded by 16th street, Lake Michigan, 31st street, and Clark Street. In 1869 its southern boundary was retracted to 26th street.

In 1876 it was moved southward, between 26th Street and Egan Street (modern-day Pershing) and Lake Michigan and Clark Street. In 1887 it was moved south yet again, to the area bounded by the Lake, 33rd and 39th streets, and Stewart Avenue. In 1901 it was extended west to once again touch the River, which it would do until 1923. In 1923, coincident with the City being divided into its modern 50 wards, it covered Kenwood and northern Washington Park.

Before 1923, wards were represented by two aldermen.

Aldermen							# Council	Aldermen
Alderman		Term in office	Party		Notes	Cite		Alderman		Term in office	Party		Notes	Cite
	John S.C. Hogan	1837–1838			Redistricted to the 2nd ward in 1838		1st		Asahel Pierce	1837–1840
	Francis C. Taylor	1838–1839					2nd
	John Murphy Jr.	1839–1840					3rd
	Seth Johnson	1840–1841					4th		William Otis Snell	1840–1842
	G.W. Rogers	1841–1842					5th
	Eben C. Chalonder	1842–1843					6th		Daniel Elston	1842–1843			Later elected alderman again in 1851 in the 6th ward
	John Murphy Jr.	1843–1845					7th		William S. Warner	1843–1844
							8th		James Poussard	1844
									Asahel Pierce	1844–1846
	Thomas McDonough	1845–1846					9th
	Henry Magee	1846–1847					10th		Joseph Wilson	1846–1847
	Robert H. Foss	1847–1852		Republican	Later represented ward again (1854-55)		11th		Charles McDonnell	1847–1849			Previously served in same ward
							12th
							13th		Amos G. Throop	1849–1853			Later elected alderman again in 1976 in 11th ward
							14th
							15th
	Charles McDonnell	1852–1854					16th
							17th		William Kennedy	1853–1855
	Robert H. Foss	1854–January 1855		Republican	previously represented same ward (1847–1852); resigned in order to serve as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives; later elected alderman again in 1860 in the 5th ward		18th
							19th		William Colby	1855–1857			Later elected alderman again in 1860 in 1st ward
	Samuel Myers	1856–1862					20th
							21st		J.M. Kennedy	1857–1861
							22nd
							23rd
							24th
							25th		William Baragwanath	1861–1863
	Andrew Schall	1862–1863			Redistricted in 1863 to 1st ward		26th
	John T. Edwards	1863–1864			Redistricted from 1st ward		27th		Benjamin E. Gallup	1863–1865
	Samuel McRoy	1864–1866					28th
							29th		H.M. Willmarth	1865–1867
	Alan C. Calkins	1866–1870					30th
							31st		Samuel McRoy	1867–1869
							32nd
							33rd		John H. McAvoy	1869–1873
							34th
	Harvey M. Thompson	1870–1872					35th
							36th
	George H. Sidwell	1872–1874					37th
							38th		Jesse Spaulding	1873–1876
	Rensselaer Stone	1874–1876					39th
	John W. Stewart	1876–1878					40th		James H. Gilbert	1876–1879
							41st
	Herbert E. Mallory	1878–1880					42nd
							43rd		Amos Grannis	1879–1881		Republican
	William W. Watson	1880–1882		Republican			44th
							45th		Oscar D. Wetherell	1881–1888		Republican	Previously served in 3rd ward
	S.D. Foss	1882–1884					46th
							47th
	Thomas C. Clarke	1884–1888		Republican	Previously served in the 5th ward		48th
							49th
							50th
							51st
	John W. Hepburn	1888–1896		Republican			52nd		Harry D. Hammer	1888–1889
							53rd		Martin B. Madden	1889–1897		Republican
							54th
							55th
							56th
							57th
							58th
							59th
	William S. Jackson	1896–1901		Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901		60th
							61st		Abraham A. Ballenberg	1897–1899		Democratic
							62nd
							63rd		Milton J. Foreman	1899–1901		Republican	Redistricted to the 3rd ward in 1901
							64th
	William E. Kent	1901–1902			Redistricted from 5th ward; died in office		65th		Frank Doubek	1901–1903
	Henry Stuckart	1902–1904					66th
							67th		James M. Dailey	1903–1907
	John A. Richert	1904–1923		Democratic			68th
							69th
							70th
							71st		John W. McNeal	1907–1909
							72nd
							73rd		James M. Dailey	1909–1911
							74th
							75th		Joseph F. Ryan	1911–1915
							76th
							77th
							78th
							79th		David R. Hickey	1915–December 8, 1918		Democratic	Died in office
							80th
							81st
							82nd
							83rd		Timothy A. Hogan	1919–1923			Continued as alderman after 1923, but redistricted to the 11th ward
							84th
							85th
							86th

Since 1923, wards have been represented by a single alderman. Elections have also been nonpartisan, though officeholders often still publicly affiliate with parties.

In 2021, the state government enacted legislation to change the designation for members of the city council from "aldermen" to "alderpersons".

List of Chicago alderpersons from the 4th Ward since 1923

Image	Alderperson	Party	Term start	Term end	Notes	Ref.
	Ulysses S. Schwartz	Democratic	1923	1925	Previously represented the 3rd ward (1916–1923)
	Berthold A. Cronson	Republican	1925	December 23, 1937 (died in office)
	Abraham H. Cohen		1939	1955
	Claude Holman	Democratic	1955	June 1, 1973	died in office
	Timothy C. Evans		November 27, 1973	1991
	Toni Preckwinkle		April 2, 1991	December 6, 2010	Resigned in order to become president of the Cook County Board of Commissioners
	Shirley Newsome		2010	2011	Appointed by Mayor Richard M. Daley
	William D. Burns	Democratic	May 2011	April 2016	Resigned
	Sophia King		April 13, 2016	May 15, 2023
	Lamont Robinson		May 15, 2023	incumbent

• 50th Ward in Chicago