John Peter Altgeld (December 30, 1847 – March 12, 1902) was an American politician and the
20th Governor of
Illinois
Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...
, serving from 1893 until 1897. He was the first
Democrat
Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to:
Politics
*A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people.
*A member of a Democratic Party:
**Democratic Party (United States) (D)
**Democratic ...
to govern that state since the 1850s. A leading figure of the
Progressive movement
Progressivism holds that it is possible to improve human societies through political action. As a political movement, progressivism seeks to advance the human condition through social reform based on purported advancements in science, techn ...
, Altgeld signed
workplace safety and
child labor
Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...
laws, pardoned three of the men convicted in the
Haymarket Affair
The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or the Haymarket Incident, was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square i ...
, and rejected calls in 1894 to break up the
Pullman strike
The Pullman Strike was two interrelated strikes in 1894 that shaped national labor policy in the United States during a period of deep economic depression. First came a strike by the American Railway Union (ARU) against the Pullman factory in Chi ...
by force. In 1896 he was a leader of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, opposing President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
and the conservative
Bourbon Democrats
Bourbon Democrat was a term used in the United States in the later 19th century (1872–1904) to refer to members of the Democratic Party who were ideologically aligned with fiscal conservatism or classical liberalism, especially those who supp ...
. He was defeated for reelection in 1896 in an intensely fought, bitter campaign.
Born in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, Altgeld grew up on a farm in the American
Midwest. After a stint in the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
as a youth, Altgeld studied law in Missouri, while working as a manual laborer, and became involved in progressive politics. Altgeld eventually opened a law practice in Chicago, and became a real estate developer, and local judge before being elected governor. Often in poor health, he died at the age of 54, while working in the law office of
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the early 20th century for his involvement in the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He was a leading member of t ...
.
Early life
Altgeld was born in the town of
Selters
Selters is a German brand of natural mineral water sourced from wells in the area of Selters in Hesse, at the Taunus mountains.
The water has been known since the Bronze Age and famous as a natural soda water because of its high concentration ...
in the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
Westerwald
The Westerwald (; literally 'Western forest') is a low mountain range on the right bank of the river Rhine in the German federal states of Rhineland-Palatinate, Hesse and North Rhine-Westphalia. It is a part of the Rhenish Massif ( or Rhenish ...
, the first son of John P. and Mary Altgeld. His parents left Germany when he was three months old, bringing their infant son with them. They settled on a farm near
Mansfield, Ohio. He left home at age 16 to join the
Union Army
During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...
; lying about his age, he enlisted in the 164th Ohio (National Guard) Infantry. Altgeld's regiment served in Virginia as a reserve unit, doing labor and reconnaissance, participating in only one skirmish. Altgeld himself nearly died of fever. He then worked on his father's farm, studied in the library of a neighbor and at a private school in
Lexington, Ohio, and for two years taught school.
After a brief stint in an Ohio seminary, he walked to
Missouri
Missouri is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee): Iowa to the north, Illinois, Kentucky and Tennessee to the east, Arkansas t ...
and studied to become a lawyer while working on itinerant railroad construction crews. Becoming ill from the climate and the labor, Altgeld wandered to Kansas and Iowa before settling as a teacher and farmhand near
Savannah, Missouri
Savannah is a city and county seat of Andrew County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,069 at the 2020 census.
History
Savannah was founded in 1841. The city was named after Savannah Woods, the child of a first settler. A post offic ...
. There, he began to read law at a private law firm and was admitted to the
Andrew County bar in 1871. He was not educated at any university. The university law school at which he would have studied was not even founded until 1872, one year before Altgeld was admitted to the bar. In Savannah Altgeld first became involved in politics. He served as city attorney and was elected
state's attorney, resigning after one year of a two-year term.
[Browne, ''Altgeld of Illinois,'' pp. 16–18.]
In 1875, Altgeld moved to Chicago hoping to continue his legal career there. He frequently visited his home in Ohio. He was married to Emma Ford, the daughter of John Ford and Ruth Smith, in 1877 in
Richland County, Ohio. Their marriage was a happy one by all accounts but produced no children.
Altgeld's practice of law began to show success and he was managing an independent legal practice by 1880. He became wealthy, however, from a series of real estate dealings and development projects, including residential and office properties in Chicago and a
streetcar
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport a ...
line in
Newark, Ohio
Newark ( ) is a city serving as the county seat of Licking County, Ohio, United States, east of Columbus, at the junction of the forks of the Licking River. The population was 49,934 at the 2020 census, which makes it the 15th largest city in O ...
. His most notable project was the
Unity Building
The Unity Building, in Oregon, Illinois, is a historic building in that city's Oregon Commercial Historic District. As part of the district the Oregon Unity Building has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The National ...
(1891), the 16-story office building that was at that time Chicago's tallest building. In January 1890, Altgeld bought a lot at what is now 127 North Dearborn Street in downtown Chicago, and he established the Unity Company to build and manage the future Unity Building. He indiscriminately contributed his own fortune toward the endeavor, and for a while the construction was moving more quickly than expected. However, this led to a $100,000 mistake and much of the framework of the building had to be rebuilt. Altgeld also made an error by trying to borrow $400,000 from John R. Walsh, president of the Jennings Trust Company and of the Chicago National Bank. Technicalities in the contract caused many problems for Altgeld. Eventually, a new contract was signed, but Altgeld was able to borrow only $300,000 from Walsh. He ended up raising the rest of the money himself, and the construction of the Unity Building was completed. In 1893, he declared that the Unity Building had given him the most personal satisfaction of all his achievements.
Altgeld became a millionaire, and would, by the time he ran for governor, own six buildings in Chicago.
Early political career
Altgeld's name, according to historian
Philip Dray
Philip Dray is an American writer and historian, known for his comprehensive analyses of American scientific, racial, and labor history.
Awards
Dray's work ''At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America'' won the Robert F. Ken ...
, "is synonymous with the dawn of the Progressive era." His first public post was city attorney in
Savannah, Missouri
Savannah is a city and county seat of Andrew County, Missouri, United States. The population was 5,069 at the 2020 census.
History
Savannah was founded in 1841. The city was named after Savannah Woods, the child of a first settler. A post offic ...
, in which capacity he rewrote a code of ordinances. In Missouri Altgeld became involved in the
Granger movement and the Democratic Party and was elected to be
state's attorney for the county in 1874. As Altgeld later wrote, he quickly became disillusioned with the criminal justice system and resigned after just one year.
Altgeld decided to run for Congress in 1884 against incumbent
George Adams of
Illinois's 4th congressional district. That year, he published an essay on penal reform entitled, ''Our Penal Machinery and Its Victims.'' His essay argued that rather than reform criminals, incarceration produced hardened criminals. Although this district was heavily Republican, Adams defeated him by just 8 points (54–46%), a better showing than well-known Democrat
Lambert Tree
Lambert Tree (November 29, 1832 – October 9, 1910) was a United States state court judge, ambassador, and patron of the arts.
The Tree Family of America and Early life
The Tree family of America were amongst the first colonists from Engla ...
had made two years earlier. As a Republican leader recalled, "He (Altgeld) was not elected, but our executive committee was pretty badly frightened by the strong canvass he made."
In 1886, he was elected as a
Superior Court of Cook County
The Superior Court of Cook County was a court in Cook County, Illinois.
It was preceded by earlier courts. 1845 saw the creation of the County Court of Cook County. In 1849, this was renamed The Cook County Court of Common Pleas. In 1859, this was ...
Justice and served on the bench until 1891.
Illinois governorship
![AltgeldJohn](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3b/AltgeldJohn.PNG)
In 1891, he unsuccessfully challenged
John M. Palmer in seeking to have the
Illinois General Assembly appoint him to the
United States Senate
The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States.
The composition and pow ...
.
1892 gubernatorial election
![Altgeld](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Altgeld.JPG)
He was
drafted by the Democrats to run for
Governor of Illinois
The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois, and the various agencies and departments over which the officer has jurisdiction, as prescribed in the state constitution. It is a directly elected position, votes being cast by p ...
.
One of the obstacles in the way of Altgeld receiving the Democratic nomination was Palmer, still bitter over Altgeld challenging him for Senate in 1891.
Viewed as an elder statesman of the party, Palmer's opposition to Altgeld would have carried weight.
Altgeld supporter
Michael C. McDonald
Michael Cassius McDonald (1839 – August 9, 1907) was a crime boss, political boss, and businessman based out of Chicago. He is considered to have introduced organized crime to the city, and to have also established its first political machine. ...
made an empty promise to Palmer that, in turn for not opposing Altgeld's candidacy, Cook County Democrats would support him for the party's presidential nomination in
the same year's presidential election.
Altgeld was popular among his fellow German Americans.
The only Chicago newspaper that provided positive coverage of Altgeld was the ''
Chicago Globe'', which was run by Michael C. McDonald.
Elsewhere in the Chicago press, Altgeld received vilification for his political association with Michael C. McDonald, his liberal sympathies towards the men convicted in the
Haymarket Affair
The Haymarket affair, also known as the Haymarket massacre, the Haymarket riot, the Haymarket Square riot, or the Haymarket Incident, was the aftermath of a bombing that took place at a labor demonstration on May 4, 1886, at Haymarket Square i ...
, and his alliance with Chicago's Iroquois Club.
He was painted as a hazardous radical and a dangerous threat to the state's business and commercial concerns.
However, many downstate newspapers provided positive coverage to Altgeld.
Also initially seeking the Democratic nomination was
John C. Black
John Charles Black (January 27, 1839 – August 17, 1915) was a Democratic U.S. Congressman from Illinois. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions as a Union Army lieutenant colonel and regimental commander at the Battle of Prairie Grove ...
.
Other potential candidates were dissuaded from running. For instance, State Representative
James Cockerell was convinced by
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the early 20th century for his involvement in the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He was a leading member of t ...
to abandon his plans of running.
However, by February 23, it was reported that Black had withdrawn from the race, leaving Altgeld as the only candidate seeking the Democratic nomination.
Altgeld won the Democratic nomination on the first ballot at the state convention in
Springfield.
Altgeld's supporters dubbed him, "the poor man's friend".
In the general election he faced popular incumbent Republican governor
Joseph W. Fifer.
Altgeld traveled across the state to campaign on a vigorous speaking tour.
He attacked Fifer's use of
prison labor for state projects, and attacked his school reform record.
Fifer did not refute Altgeld's allegations against his record, which helped make them stick in the minds of voters.
To dampen the negative impact that his association with Altgeld would have on Altgeld's electability, particularly among rural downstate voters, Michael C. McDonald temporarily resigned his role on the
Cook County Central Committee
Cook or The Cook may refer to:
Food preparation
* Cooking, the preparation of food
* Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food
* Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry
* ...
a month before the election.
Altgeld narrowly defeated Fifer. He was the first Democrat to have been elected governor of Illinois since 1856, the first time a
foreign-born citizen had been elected, and the first time a Chicago resident had been elected.
Transition
Altgeld suffered a nervous breakdown shortly after his victory, and nearly died of a concomitant fever. He managed to appear at his inauguration, but was only able to deliver a brief portion of his speech. Although the General Assembly hall was so warm as to cause several men to faint, Altgeld, clad in a heavy topcoat, was pale and visibly shivering. The clerk of the Assembly delivered the remainder of his speech.
Tenure
As governor, Altgeld spearheaded the nation's most progressive
child labor
Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...
and
occupational safety
Occupational safety and health (OSH), also commonly referred to as occupational health and safety (OHS), occupational health, or occupational safety, is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the safety, health, and welfare of people at wor ...
laws, appointed women to important positions in the state government, and vastly increased state funding for education.
Pullman Strike
In 1894, the
Pullman Rail Strike, led by
Eugene V. Debs
Eugene Victor "Gene" Debs (November 5, 1855 – October 20, 1926) was an American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five times the candidate of the Soc ...
, took place. Altgeld, however, refused to authorize President
Grover Cleveland
Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...
to send in Federal troops to quell the disturbances. Altgeld wrote to President Cleveland indicating that reports of strike-related violence had been exaggerated and warned that real violence would begin only as a result of sending soldiers. Nevertheless, a federal injunction was issued against the strike, with disruption of
U.S. Mail deliveries, a
Federal
Federal or foederal (archaic) may refer to:
Politics
General
*Federal monarchy, a federation of monarchies
*Federation, or ''Federal state'' (federal system), a type of government characterized by both a central (federal) government and states or ...
concern, cited as a justification. However, the superintendent of mails, L. L. Troy, stated that no mail had been disrupted. Citing Article IV of the Constitution, which permits federal troops to enter a state only if a condition of insurrection exists, Altgeld argued that there was no legal bearing to a decision to send the military to quell the strike. Finally, he took the occasion to criticize the attorney general's misuse of court injunctions under the
Sherman Act, writing: "This decision marks a turning point in our history for it establishes a new form of government never before heard of among men; that is government by injunction. . . . Under this new order of things a federal judge becomes at once a legislator, court and executioner." However, on July 4, 1894, Cleveland went ahead and sent several thousand troops to Chicago without Altgeld's approval, an action later upheld by the
U.S. Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...
. Altgeld's opposition was seen as a highly unusual stance for a state governor at that time. Altgeld may have opposed the use of federal troops but he wielded the state militia to rein in the strike. He sent the militia to eight areas during the strike, including to Mount Olive, where the miners blocked the Chicago, Peoria, and St. Louis railroad from shipping coal. Once there the Governor issued General Order No. 8, which prohibited them from being used "as custodians or guards of private property."
Pardons and clemency
Historically, Altgeld is remembered chiefly for pardoning the three surviving men convicted in the 1886
Haymarket bombing (four others had already been executed, one committed suicide in prison). After reviewing their cases, he concluded, as have subsequent scholars, that there had been a serious miscarriage of justice in their prosecutions. Altgeld concluded that the trial had taken place in such an atmosphere of prejudice that the convictions were not credible. As a result of his decision to pardon the three surviving men, he came under intense attack.
Some argue that in addition to his findings that there had been a miscarriage of justice, Altgeld was also motivated by revenge in his Haymarket pardon. The judge that prosecuted the men,
Joseph E. Gary, had upheld a ruling that found Altgeld in
contempt
Contempt is a pattern of attitudes and behaviour, often towards an individual or a group, but sometimes towards an ideology, which has the characteristics of disgust and anger.
The word originated in 1393 in Old French contempt, contemps, ...
of the Cook County Superior Court.
Altgeld was known to hold strong grudges.
By the end of 1895, he freed eighty-one prisoners, leading newspapers to dub him John "Pardon" Altgeld.
In May 1895, mob violence erupted after one of Altgeld's pardons, with farmers
lynching two accused
rapists
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or a ...
in
Danville.
On his last day in office, he released twenty-six offenders convicted of serious crimes, including seven
murderers.
In total, he pardoned or commuted sentences of:
*75 people convicted of
forgery,
embezzlement,
manslaughter,
burglary, or
larceny
Larceny is a crime involving the unlawful taking or theft of the personal property of another person or business. It was an offence under the common law of England and became an offence in jurisdictions which incorporated the common law of Eng ...
*19 people convicted of murder
*8 people convicted of
rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...
,
assault, or
incest
Incest ( ) is human sexual activity between family members or close relatives. This typically includes sexual activity between people in consanguinity (blood relations), and sometimes those related by affinity (marriage or stepfamily), adopti ...
*5 people convicted or
armed robbery
Robbery is the crime of taking or attempting to take anything of value by force, threat of force, or by use of fear. According to common law, robbery is defined as taking the property of another, with the intent to permanently deprive the perso ...
or
arson
Unsuccessful 1896 reelection campaign
The Pullman incident and the Haymarket pardons were used against Altgeld by his conservative enemies. In 1896, Altgeld was ineligible to run for president (since he was born in Germany), but he led the fight against the Cleveland forces. Altgeld publicly broke from Cleveland and his conservative supporters. Altgeld helped split the Democratic Party during the 1896 presidential election into
Free Silver and
Bourbon Democrats
Bourbon Democrat was a term used in the United States in the later 19th century (1872–1904) to refer to members of the Democratic Party who were ideologically aligned with fiscal conservatism or classical liberalism, especially those who supp ...
. He ran for re-election on the same ticket with Democratic presidential nominee
William Jennings Bryan
William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the Democratic Party, running three times as the party's nominee for President ...
. Altgeld had not supported Bryan for the nomination and hesitated to support the "Free Silver" plank that was central to Bryan's campaign. ''
Harper's Weekly
''Harper's Weekly, A Journal of Civilization'' was an American political magazine based in New York City. Published by Harper & Brothers from 1857 until 1916, it featured foreign and domestic news, fiction, essays on many subjects, and humor, ...
'' warned that Bryan would be a puppet of Altgeld, whom it referred to as "the ambitious and unscrupulous Illinois communist." However, Bryan, who was being hurt by Republican charges that he was a stooge for Altgeld, avoided the governor and did not endorse him.
Republicans in Illinois focused their attacks on Altgeld.
Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
, before an audience of 13,000 cheering partisans in Chicago, said Altgeld was "one who would connive at wholesale murder," who "condones and encourages the most infamous of murders," and who "would substitute for the government of Washington and Lincoln a red welter of lawlessness and dishonesty as fantastic and vicious as the Paris Commune." Altgeld campaigned energetically despite his failing health, and was defeated by
John R. Tanner; Altgeld outpolled his party's presidential candidate, Bryan, by 10,000 votes in Illinois.
Chicago mayoral candidacies
1899
Altgeld was a political opponent of
Carter H. Harrison, Jr. (1860–1953), who had been elected Mayor of Chicago in 1897.
["Tells Aim of Altgeld: William Prentiss Explains the Opposition to Harrison,"]
''Chicago Tribune,'' Jan. 5, 1899, p. 10. Altgeld believed that Harrison aimed to spearhead conservative forces in the Democratic Party at the national level and that if he were re-elected as mayor Harrison would have the power to hand pick conservative delegates to the 1900 Democratic National Convention.
Finding Harrison's prospective opponent, a "Free Silver" Republican, a less offensive option, Altgeld decided to himself run for Mayor – having faint hope of victory himself, but seeking to split away the progressive Democratic vote and thereby send Harrison to defeat.
Altgeld charged that Harrison was building a political machine and that his administration was corrupt, publicly claiming in March 1899 that Harrison's administration was complicit in the theft of city funds by political allies in connection with city public works projects.
In his final campaign, Altgeld ran for mayor of Chicago as the candidate of the Municipal Ownership Party. He finished third, garnering more than 15% percent of the vote, but was unable to achieve his ulterior motive, the defeat of Mayor Carter Harrison.
1901
In 1901, Altgeld made a quixotic effort to challenge Harrison for the Democratic nomination for mayor.
Post-gubernatorial years
Sickly since his brush with death in the Civil War, Altgeld had suffered from
locomotor ataxia
Locomotor ataxia is the inability to precisely control one's own bodily movements.
__TOC__ Disease
People afflicted with this disease may walk in a jerky, non-fluid manner. They will not know where their arms and legs are without looking (i.e. a f ...
while governor, impairing his ability to walk. He lost all of his property except his heavily mortgaged personal residence, and only the intervention of his friend and former protégé,
Clarence Darrow
Clarence Seward Darrow (; April 18, 1857 – March 13, 1938) was an American lawyer who became famous in the early 20th century for his involvement in the Leopold and Loeb murder trial and the Scopes "Monkey" Trial. He was a leading member of t ...
, saved him from complete financial ruin.
Death and legacy
Altgeld was working as a lawyer in Darrow's law firm when he suffered a
cerebral hemorrhage while delivering a speech on behalf of the
Boers
Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled this are ...
in
Joliet, Illinois in March 1902. He was 54 years old when he died. Thousands filed past his body as it lay in state in the lobby of the
Chicago Public Library
The Chicago Public Library (CPL) is the public library system that serves the City of Chicago in the U.S. state of Illinois. It consists of 81 locations, including a central library, two regional libraries, and branches distributed throughout the ...
, and he was eulogized by Darrow and by
Hull House
Hull House was a settlement house in Chicago, Illinois, United States that was co-founded in 1889 by Jane Addams and Ellen Gates Starr. Located on the Near West Side of the city, Hull House (named after the original house's first owner Cha ...
founder
Jane Addams
Laura Jane Addams (September 6, 1860 May 21, 1935) was an American settlement activist, reformer, social worker, sociologist, public administrator, and author. She was an important leader in the history of social work and women's suffrage ...
.
Altgeld is buried in
Graceland Cemetery
Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery located in the north side community area of Uptown, in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Established in 1860, its main entrance is at the intersection of Clark Street and Ir ...
in
Uptown, Chicago
Uptown is one of Chicago, Illinois’ 77 community areas. Uptown's boundaries are Foster Avenue on the north; Lake Michigan on the east; Montrose (Ravenswood to Clark), and Irving Park ( Clark Street to Lake Michigan) on the south; Ravenswood ( ...
.
The governor influenced the design of
five castle-like structures in Illinois universities. One is
Altgeld Hall
Altgeld Hall, located at 1409 West Green Street in Urbana, Illinois on the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) campus, was built in 1896–97 and was designed by Nathan Ricker and James M. White of the University's architecture depa ...
at the
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the Univ ...
, which is on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. It is currently home to the Mathematics Department, and had previously housed the College of Law and the University Library.
The other four are the eponymous edifices at
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Illinois University (SIU or SIUC) is a public research university in Carbondale, Illinois. Founded in 1869, SIU is the oldest and flagship campus of the Southern Illinois University system. The university enrolls students from all 50 st ...
and
Northern Illinois University
Northern Illinois University (NIU) is a public research university in DeKalb, Illinois. It was founded as Northern Illinois State Normal School on May 22, 1895, by Illinois Governor John P. Altgeld as part of an expansion of the state's system ...
, as well as
John W. Cook Hall at
Illinois State University
Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
and Old Main at
Eastern Illinois University. Chicago's
Altgeld Gardens Homes, one of the first housing projects in the United States, was named after the former governor as well as the street located at 2500 North in Chicago's grid system, Altgeld Street.
See also
*
List of U.S. state governors born outside the United States
In total, 72 governors of U.S. states have been born outside the current territory of the United States. Joe Lombardo of Nevada, born in Japan, is the only current governor to have been born outside the United States. Arnold Schwarzenegger ...
References
Sources
* Harry Barnard, ''Eagle Forgotten, the Life of John Peter Altgeld.'' Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1938.
* Howard Fast, ''The American: A Middle Western Legend.'' New York: Duell, Sloan And Pearce, 1946
* Harvey Wish, "Governor Altgeld Pardons the Anarchists," ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society,'' vol. 31, no. 4 (Dec. 1938), pp. 424–448
In JSTOR
* Harvey Wish, "John Peter Altgeld and the Background of the Campaign of 1896," ''Mississippi Valley Historical Review,'' vol. 24, no. 4 (March 1938), pp. 503–518
in JSTOR
* Harvey Wish, "John Peter Altgeld and the Election of 1896," ''Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society,'' vol. 30, no. 3 (Oct. 1937), pp. 353–384
In JSTOR
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Altgeld, John Peter
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Lawyers from Chicago
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