Jane Byrne Memorial Digest

     Yesterday the news came across the wire that Jane Byrne, former mayor(and first and only female mayor) of Chicago, had passed away at the age of 80.  In remembrance of that, here are 2 articles I put out earlier this year talking about plans to have something in the city named after her.
   
     If Thompson made the city corrupt, and Daley I made the city work, Jane Byrne was the Mayor that started to make the city the world-class destination that it is today. True, Daley II played a major part in the large scale beautification and downtown renaissance of the 1990s, but Mayor Byrne took the first steps a decade earlier. Coming to power in the wake of the (politically) disastrous 1979 Blizzard, Byrne saw the need to shake things up.

     Her first big contribution was fine-tuning ChicagoFest. At that time, Navy Pier had seen a lot in its years of use, ranging from shipping, to sailors during World War II(including the skydiving nonagenarian himself, George H.W. Bush), to students enrolled in the University of Illinois(prior to the establishment of UIC). But by 1978 it wasn't seeing much except for disuse and neglect. Mayor Michael Bilandic saw this as an opportunity, and so began a two-week long music festival in the middle of the summer.  After taking office, Byrne saw an the opportunity as well and continued the festival as Mayor Byrne's ChicagoFest. The affair was highly successful, and continued for several more years until it was retired and reimagined. You'll be able to check out Chicagofest in all its modern glory this year at the Taste of Chicago. In addition to that, Byrne was also responsible for helping to extend the Blue Line all the way to O'Hare.

     In 1983, Byrne attempted to run for Re-Election was opposed by Harold Washington as well as a then lesser-known Richard M. Daley. Now you've heard of minority candidates running for an opening and splitting the Black/Hispanic/Asian vote? Well in '84 Byrne and Daley split the White vote allowing Harold Washington to take the election. Mayor Washington went on to leave his own legacy prior to his untimely death in 1987, a legacy that was properly memorialized with the naming of the new library. However, there has been no similar remembrance of Mayor Byrne's legacy. That may soon change though as Alderman Ed Burke has recently submitted a proposal to investigate different possible opportunities to pay tribute to the aging Byrne, some of which include:

• Buckingham Fountain(as in renaming it)
• The International Terminal at O'Hare
• The Plaza in front of Water Tower Place
• Navy Pier's Grand Ballroom.

     Of course, this being Chicago, the land where matters of money, power, and politics are in a constant state of flux, there'll be more to this.
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     As I mentioned last month, there has been a push as of late to honor Former Mayor Jane Byrne by renaming one of the myriad tourist attractions in the city in her honor.  Well, coming down the pipeline fresh today, the City Council has made its decision.  By a unanimous vote, Mayor Jane M. Byrne will be honored through the renaming of the park outside of the old Water Tower.  This represents the culmination of a long process that ultimately wound up honoring the first(and so far only) female mayor of Chicago.  Additionally, Chicago is also the largest city in the United States to have ever had a female mayor as of 2014.  Now Byrne's legacy is preserved for both posterity and countless future generations of Chicagoans.

The Byrne Memorial Pt. 2

     As I mentioned last month, there has been a push as of late to honor Former Mayor Jane Byrne by renaming one of the myriad tourist attractions in the city in her honor.  Well, coming down the pipeline fresh today, the City Council has made its decision.  By a unanimous vote, Mayor Jane M. Byrne will be honored through the renaming of the park outside of the old Water Tower.  This represents the culmination of a long process that ultimately wound up honoring the first(and so far only) female mayor of Chicago.  Additionally, Chicago is also the largest city in the United States to have ever had a female mayor as of 2014.  Now Byrne's legacy is preserved for both posterity and countless future generations of Chicagoans.

The Byrne Memorial?

     If a certain alderman gets his way, one of Chicago's premier summertime destinations may be getting a new name.  Read on for more details.    

     If Thompson made the city corrupt, and Daley I made the city work, Jane Byrne was the Mayor that started to make the city the world-class destination that it is today. True, Daley II played a major part in the large scale beautification and downtown renaissance of the 1990s, but Mayor Byrne took the first steps a decade earlier. Coming to power in the wake of the (politically) disastrous 1979 Blizzard, Byrne saw the need to shake things up.

     Her first big contribution was fine-tuning ChicagoFest. At that time, Navy Pier had seen a lot in its years of use, ranging from shipping, to sailors during World War II(including the skydiving nonagenarian himself, George H.W. Bush), to students enrolled in the University of Illinois(prior to the establishment of UIC). But by 1978 it wasn't seeing much except for disuse and neglect. Mayor Michael Bilandic saw this as an opportunity, and so began a two-week long music festival in the middle of the summer.  After taking office, Byrne saw an the opportunity as well and continued the festival as Mayor Byrne's ChicagoFest. The affair was highly successful, and continued for several more years until it was retired and reimagined. You'll be able to check out Chicagofest in all its modern glory this year at the Taste of Chicago. In addition to that, Byrne was also responsible for helping to extend the Blue Line all the way to O'Hare.

     In 1983, Byrne attempted to run for Re-Election was opposed by Harold Washington as well as a then lesser-known Richard M. Daley. Now you've heard of minority candidates running for an opening and splitting the Black/Hispanic/Asian vote? Well in '84 Byrne and Daley split the White vote allowing Harold Washington to take the election. Mayor Washington went on to leave his own legacy prior to his untimely death in 1987, a legacy that was properly memorialized with the naming of the new library. However, there has been no similar remembrance of Mayor Byrne's legacy. That may soon change though as Alderman Ed Burke has recently submitted a proposal to investigate different possible opportunities to pay tribute to the aging Byrne, some of which include:

• Buckingham Fountain(as in renaming it)
• The International Terminal at O'Hare
• The Plaza in front of Water Tower Place
• Navy Pier's Grand Ballroom.

     Of course, this being Chicago, the land where matters of money, power, and politics are in a constant state of flux, there'll be more to this.

Day 29: The Builder-Mayor

     As I mentioned, the position of Mayor started out as a 1-year term.  When Benjamin Raymond lost his first re-election bid, he lost out to Alexander Loyd.  Mr. Loyd was born in 1805 in Orange County, New York.  In 1833, he made his way to Chicago, and started working as a carpenter.  By 1837, he'd become a very integral and important builder in Chicago.  So much so, that he was named the city's Chief Engineer the very next year.

     In 1840, he ran for mayor and was elected to said position.  On March 9, 1840, he was inaugurated as mayor.  After his term, he served the city once again as an alderman, as well as a trustee of the 2nd District Chicago Schools. He died in 1872 of what was called "Rheumatism of the heart", and is buried in Rosehill Cemetery.  Loyd also has a rather fascinating legacy.  Seeing that he was the 2nd Democrat to serve as Mayor, Mr. Loyd was the beginning of the long line of Democrat mayors in Chicago.

Day 22: The Mayor who made State Street great.

     In the wake of the first Chicago politician to run afoul of the law, the next man to serve as Mayor was a gentleman by the name of Benjamin Raymond.  Raymond spent his formative years acquiring an education in both New York State and Montreal.  In 1836, he made his way to Chicago to try his hand in the booming real estate market.

     In 1839, he ran for the office and was elected the city's third mayor. After getting voted out of office the next year(at that time mayoral terms were only for a single year), he reclaimed his seat in 1842.  While he was mayor, his two biggest contributions to the legacy of the city were the purchase of Fort Dearborn when it was put up for sale by the Government.  His other legacy is a little more important, as he was the mayor that ensured that State Street would be a wide street.  If you've ever done anything on State Street(even if you've only taken the El), you've got Ben Raymond to thank for it.

     Upon entering civilian life, Raymond went on to other pursuits.  Much like William Ogden, he developed an interest in railroads.  He also helped secure the charter for Lake Forest College when it opened in 1857.  Additionally, he started the Elgin Watch Company in 1866, which would go on to manufacture fine watches for more than 100 years.  In 1883, Benjamin Raymond died at the age of 81. Chicago's third mayor is buried in Graceland Cemetery, where he remains to this day.

Day 284: To Kill a Mayor-Chicago Week Day 5

     Carter Harrison Sr. had already been elected mayor 4 times, steering the city through some of its most tumultuous labor battles of the 1880s, including the Haymarket Affair, where he famously walked through the morass of rioters without so much as wrinkling his suit. After his first go-around as mayor, Harrison devoted himself to other pursuits(including running the Chicago Tribune), until Chicago was gearing up to host the Columbian Exposition.

     At this point, Harrison felt the need to run again in order to help steer the preparations, and so he ran once again in the 1893 election and won. One of the many Chicagoans who campaigned for Harrison was a newspaper distributor by the name of Patrick Pendergast. Pendergast was also very concerned about the danger that railroad grade crossings posed to the public(14 years later, it would seem that others saw the same danger). While he was campaigning, Pendergast got the crazy idea that if Harrison won he would appoint Pendergast to the Corporation Counsel. Long story short, it didn't happen.

     Once Harrison took office, he busied himself with final preparations for the fair, one of which involved leaving the operation of the red-light district under the control of two crooked aldermen. The fair opened up on May 1, 1893 to rave reviews. Over the next six months, the fair welcomed millions of guests from around the world, and introduced us to such things as the Ferris wheel, ice cream cones, and even the Vienna Beef hot dog. And if folks tired of the official activities, they could always schlep over to Buffalo Bill just outside of the fairgrounds.  And if they were really unlucky, they ran into H.H. Holmes.  At the end of October, the fair was entering its final weeks, and the attitude was one of happiness and fulfillment. That is, except for Patrick Pendergast, who had spent the whole year stewing over his presumed snub at the hands of Harrison. Finally, Pendergast decided to act. On October 28, Pendergast slipped into Harrison's house, and when Harrison awoke to investigate the commotion, Pendergast fatally shot him.

     The city was instantly plunged into a state of mourning, and all celebrations associated with the end of the fair were cancelled. Pendergast turned himself in to the authorities later on that same day. He was initially attempting to plead insanity, but that did not work. He was then convicted and sentenced to die. During the appeals process, he was awarded a temporary victory thanks to the efforts of Clarence Darrow, but ultimately was still executed on July 14, 1894(31 years later, Darrow would have better luck defending monkeys than murderers). Carter Harrison was the first mayor to be assassinated(though not the last), as well as the first to die in office(again, not the last either)

Day 15: The Bleeding-Heart Mayor: The tale of Buckner Morris

     After William Ogden fulfilled his term as Mayor, the next person to fulfill the duty was a man belonging to the Whig Party, by the name of Buckner Morris.  Prior to coming to Chicago, Morris had been born and raised in Kentucky, which is also where he met and married his first wife.  In 1834, he moved to Chicago, where he established a law firm.  In 1838, he was elected Mayor of Chicago.  After his term was up, he served as an alderman(and had a much less colorful tenure than Michael Kenna and John Coughlin did, that's for sure).  He would also go on to serve as Illinois Secretary of State, as well as spend time as a Lake County Judge.

     When the time came for the Civil War, Morris was violently opposed to it, even to the point of being a suspected Copperhead(which were a faction of Democrats who were in favor of making immediate peace with the South).  This desire for reconciliation with the South eventually landed Morris in some hot water.  In 1864, there was a conspiracy for a Confederate jailbreak.  More precisely, there was a plot to bust many Confederate POWs out of Camp Douglas, a plot that Morris was privy to and a participant in.  Many of the conspirators, including Morris, were arrested before the escape could be affected.  Morris ended up serving 9 months in prison, during which time most of his business affairs were foreclosed upon due to lack of maintenance.  His heirs were so incensed by this action, that they refused to donate any of his personal material to the Chicago Historical Society.

     And one final note.  If you've ever mused that something is going to hell in a hand basket, you've got Buckner Morris to thank for it.  He issued the first recorded utterance of the phrase in reference to the fact that there were POWs in Camp Douglas.

Day 8: The First Mayor

     On March 4, 1837, the city of Chicago was incorporated(that much you've been able to gather by now just from looking at the back walls of CTA bus shelters)  And the man chosen to lead the newly minted city was none other than one William Ogden.  Ogden was born and raised in New York.  Over the years, he went to law school and served on the New York State Assembly.  Eventually, he moved to Chicago, where he would help to design the first swing bridge over the Chicago River, as well as donating the land for Rush Medical Center.

     Early on, Ogden was a big proponent of the I&M Canal, but as the railroads gained in popularity, he switched his allegiance to them.  He used this influence in part to help facilitate the construction of the Galena and Chicago Railroad, which not only built a terminal into the city, but also is the forerunner to today's UP North(which in turn gave us the Deerpath legacy), Northwest, and West(which honors the legacy of Kate Shelley to this day) Lines.  Later in his life, his home was lost as a casualty to the Great Chicago Fire.

Day 225: Filth, Corruption, Obscenity, Idiocy, and Bankruptcy

     Chicago(and to a greater extent the state of Illinois) has a very rich history of being one of the most corrupt places in this great nation.  However, when looking over the decades upon decades of Chicago-style politics, who seems like the worst offender to you? Is it George Ryan, hands bloodied by the deaths of 6 children?  Is it Rod Blagojevich, who tried to sell an "f*&%ing golden" Senate seat?  Is it Richard J. Daley, who advocated the police as a means of preserving disorder?  Actually, it is none of the above.  The epitome of Chicago's corrupt past did his dirty work long before any of the aforementioned men were around.

     William Hale Thompson was born in Boston in 1869.  When he was only 9 days old, his family moved to Chicago. Fast-forward through nomadic cross-country moves, a trip to Europe for self-discovery, and the death of his father, and we come up for air in 1900, when he started off his career in politics by narrowly winning election as the 2nd Ward Alderman.  A decade and a half later he is elected the 41st Mayor of Chicago.  Once mayor, he instituted a surcharge on city workers in order to amass a war chest for a future Presidential run.  One of the biggest events that happened in his first term was the Race Riot of 1919, which witnessed Thompson's initial refusal to accept National Guard troops into the city merely to spite the Governor.  (In an interesting side note, Richard J. Daley was a member of an ethnic Irish 'gang' at the time of the riot. Furthermore, Daley never completely denied rumors that he had been party to the bullying of the city's blacks in that incident.)  He stepped down in 1923, though he stayed in the public eye through a phony scientific expedition.

     Thompson ran once again amidst a gang war in 1927, an election that saw him pull such stunts as debating two live rats and threatening to punch the King of England in the nose.  Additionally, he openly courted the support of Al Capone, even going so far as to accept a $250,000 donation from the man.  This brand of gangland politics continued after Thompson was elected, as shown by the Pineapple Primary(a sideshow unto itself which featured rampant violence before and after the Primary) which ushered even more of Thompson's men into power. Also, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre happened on Thompson's watch. He failed in his quest to secure the GOP's nomination for the 1928 Presidential race, which he then blamed on the sister-in-law of the publisher of the Chicago Tribune.

     In 1931, Anton Cermak ran against Thompson for the Mayorship, and Thompson proceeded to run a campaign that probably was one of the most racist ones ever run.  To give you an idea, one of his campaign ditties had him saying that Cermak's name was too ethnic for it to work as a Mayor's last name.  Fed up with his tomfoolery, the citizens of Chicago unceremoniously dumped Thompson in favor of Cermak.  In one final twist, two safe deposit boxes were found upon Thompson's death that contained close to $1.5 Million in cash.  One more thing: the title for this entry comes from an editorial that ran in the Tribune after Thompson's defeat.

Day 197: Like Father, Like Son: the Harrisons

     A man becomes Mayor of Chicago, has ties to politicians of his day, gets elected to 5 terms, becomes the longest serving Mayor in the city's history, only to die in office.  Later on his son, having come up through the political ranks of the city he grew up in, follows in his footsteps, acts as more moderate than his father, and also goes on to serve longer than his father did.  Collectively, the two men define an era of Chicago politics.  And both of them had completed their terms by the time The Statue of The Republic was erected(1918).  While the Daleys may be Chicago's most infamous and well-known political dynasty, they weren't the first.  That honor goes to Carter Harrison Sr. and his son, Carter Jr.

     Carter Harrison Sr. served on the Cook County Board, until he won election to the U.S. House in 1875.  After winning re-election in 1877, Harrison stepped down in 1879 to run for Mayor, an office which he won.  His time as Mayor may be best remembered for the one time during the Haymarket Riot that he walked through the crowd without getting a scratch, so that he could implore the police to take it easy on the protesters.  He left office in 1887, upon which he ran the Chicago Times from 1891-1893.  At that time, Harrison once again ran for Mayor, and was elected to a record fifth term.  Harrison was elected in April of 1893, just in time to kick off the World's Colombian Exposition on May 1 of that year. He desired to show the world the best that Chicago had to offer.  For the most part, Harrison proved to be correct, and the 1893 Fair was the talk of the town for 6 months, even attracting more than 710,000 people in a single day.  However, the Fair ended badly(and very badly for Harrison) when Harrison was assassinated by a disgruntled former office seeker 2 days before the end of the fair.  The city was plunged into a deep depression, and all closing festivities of the Fair were abruptly cancelled.

     Four years later, Chicago voters walked into the voting booth and were welcomed with the sight of a familiar name running for Mayor.  Carter Harrison Jr. had claimed his birthright.  Jr. was more moderate than his father, and was seen as a reformer, since he kept in tune with the needs of the middle class.  In fact, in one of his more well-known moves, he made motions to close down the Levee District, and infamous red-light district that had been occupying space in the city ever since the 1893 World's Fair.  Harrison Jr's legacy may have been one of reform, but what is most notable about his time as Mayor is the fact that by the time he stepped down in 1915, the city was essentially at its modern size and was on its way to becoming the metropolis that it is today.  Over the course of the 36 years between 1879 and 1915, There was a Harrison at the helm of city government for 21 of those years.  Carter Harrison Jr. was succeeded in office by William Hale Thompson, who would leave his own distinctive legacy on the city.

Day 95: Their way or the Highway: 176 years of political thuggery.

     They say that Chicago is called the Windy City because of its constant breezes, but really its called that because of its windbag politicians.  Chicago politicians have always been corrupt(remember Big Bill Thompson and the Levee Boys?), but they've also always been slightly boorish.  What follows is an anthology of the most outrageous things ever said by Chicago Politicians:

• "Gentlemen, let's get this thing straight, once and for all. The policeman is not here to create disorder. The policeman is here to preserve disorder"  Mayor Richard J. Daley, talking to reporters about the chaos that surrounded the 1968 Democratic National Convention
• "It’s been very effective. (Holding a rifle): I put this up your butt, you’ll find out how effective it is. Let me put a round up your, you know" Mayor Richard M. Daley, responding to a reporter's question on the effectiveness of the city's handgun ban in 2010.
• "I won't take a back seat to that Bohunk, Chairmock, Chermack or whatever his name is. Tony, Tony, where's your pushcart at?  Can you picture a World's Fair mayor?  With a name like that?"  Mayor William H. Thompson, issuing a racial-slur laden campaign against Anton Cermak in the 1931 election(which he lost, by the way)
• "They think there’s wetlands out there. They’re trying to romanticize the wetlands issue. … I guess everything’s a wetland. My backyard could be a wetland. It should be designated. They could designate everything in the country as a wetland. All of DuPage County would be a wetland" Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1991, addressing concerns that a potential suburban airport would negatively impact wetlands
• "I've got this thing, and it's F$%#ing golden!" Governor Rod Blagojevich, referring to Barack Obama's former Senate seat that he was attempting to sell in late 2008
• "I  thought the health of people is very important. If a rat is on your sandwich, you hope to know it before. If a mouse is on your salad, it’s common sense" Mayor Richard M. Daley in 1994, addressing concerns over food safety in the city's restaurants.
• "Snow? What Snow?!"*  Mayor Michael Bilandic, downplaying the severity of the 1979 Blizzard that was indeed quite severe.  The next month, Bilandic lost his bid for reelection to Jane Byrne in the primary.
• "To do this any other way would have been needlessly contentious"  Mayor Richard M. Daley, defending his 2003 decision to tear up Meigs Field with bulldozers, in violation of an FAA ruling.

(*=Not a direct quote)

Day 81: "I'm the Mayor! No you're not!": The story of Thomas Hoyne

     The year is 1875.  Thomas Hoyne has just been elected Mayor by a free and fair vote of the citizens of Chicago.  However, the Circuit Court declares the election null and void and returns power to the incumbent.  This sounds like the set-up to a political thriller.  And in many ways, it is. However, to gain a fuller understanding on the back story of this case, we must go back 3 years prior to this.

     On April 10, 1872, the Illinois General Assembly adopted the Cities and Villages act, which served to provide a blueprint for towns to incorporate without requiring special legislation to be passed each and every time.  On April 25, 1875, the city of Chicago voted to operate under the Cities and Villages Act, and changed mayoral elections from November to April(yes, there was an election that year; yes, the elections were moved to April at the end of the month; and yes, this was COMPLETELY an act of political hucksterism on the part of the City Council[a la this, as well as this]).  At the time of the Act's adoption, Mayor Harvey Doolittle Colvin was in office.  His attorneys informed him that according to their interpretations, the Act cancelled the April elections and extended his term for another year.

     However, the Act left a fairly large loophole in place, because it didn't implicitly include OR exclude the office of Mayor from the changes in election dates.  Because of this, a Mayoral election was held in November 1875 anyway.  Neither the Republicans or the Democrats fielded a candidate. Thomas Hoyne captured 33,000 of the 40,000 votes cast, and was summarily declared Mayor of Chicago.  Mayor Colvin wasn't too pleased with this, and refused to give up his office.  He was supported in this quest by the city's comptroller.  Eventually, the Circuit Court ruled Hoyne's election null and void, which allowed Colvin to continue his term unimpeded.  Finally, a special election was held on July 12, 1876; one that Colvin lost.  Thomas Hoyne later died in 1883 in New York as a result of a railroad accident, but his name lives on as the name of a street on the North Side of Chicago.