The Chicago Relief and Aid Society was one of several charitable organizations created in Chicago in the latter part of the 19th century to provide aid and support to people and families living in poverty. Founders of the organization modeled it after the

Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor The Association for Improving the Condition of the Poor (AICP) was a charitable organization in New York City, established in 1843 and incorporated in 1848 with the aim of helping the deserving poor and providing for their moral uplift.Coble, Alan ...

in New York.

Early years

The Chicago Relief and Aid Society was a philanthropic charitable organization formed in Chicago in 1851. With its incorporation, the Society was charged with administering private charity in the City of Chicago and was authorized to receive appropriations from the city, In addition to providing fuel, food, and other necessities the Society worked to find employment for those it helped. Though it was one of many relief and charitable organizations in Chicago during the mid-19th century, the Chicago Relief and Aid Society came to prominence when Mayor

Roswell B. Mason Roswell B. Mason (September 19, 1805January 1, 1892) served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1869–1871) for the Citizens Party. Early life Mason was born on September 19, 1805, in New Hartford, New York to Arnold Mason and Mercy Coman. His mo ...

appointed the Society as the primary relief organization for the city in the aftermath of the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

The Great Chicago Fire

In weeks and months following the Fire, the Society provided a great deal of aid to the city's residents. The Society raised over $5 million from sources around the world to provide food, clothing, water, and fuel. Additionally 5,000 sewing machines were provided to women so they could make clothes for their families. Medical care was also a high priority and most notably, over 60,000 people were vaccinated against

smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...

Post Fire

The fundraising efforts of the Society were so successful that when the official relief efforts stopped, the Society had a surplus of $600,000 in unspent funds. These funds supported Society programs for several years after the Fire. During the

Panic of 1893 The Panic of 1893 was an economic depression in the United States that began in 1893 and ended in 1897. It deeply affected every sector of the economy, and produced political upheaval that led to the political realignment of 1896 and the pres ...

and its aftermath, the Chicago Relief and Aid Society came under criticism for its efforts to help the poor. It was the contention of the Society that poverty was a moral issue rather than an economic or social problem and as a result, a competing organization, the Central Relief Association, was formed as an alternative for helping those living in poverty in Chicago. The Central Relief Association was later renamed the Chicago Bureau of Charities, and the two organizations merged in 1909 to form the United Charities of Chicago.

References

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External links

* http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/1054.html History of Chicago Great Chicago Fire