The First Ward Ball was an annual political fundraiser with 10,000–15,000 attendees held in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

from 1896 until 1908, until the city revoked the liquor license in 1909. It was notorious for the riot-like behavior of the illustrious guests. According to the ''

Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is a daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, owned by Tribune Publishing. Founded in 1847, and formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper" (a slogan for which WGN radio and television ar ...

'', the first ball in 1896 had "''attracted a wild mix of society thrill seekers, police captains, politicians, prostitutes and gamblers''" and "''the 1908 ball made that affair look tame''". Initially held at the 7th Regiment Armory, by the time it was banned the ball was so large that it took place in the

Chicago Coliseum Chicago Coliseum was the name applied to three large indoor arenas in Chicago, Illinois, which stood successively from the 1860s to 1982; they served as venues for sports events, large (national-class) conventions and as exhibition halls. The f ...

, the city's major convention center. The event raised more than $50,000 a year for the two aldermen of Chicago's First Ward "Bathhouse" John Coughlin and Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna – Coughlin and Kenna were known as the "Lords of

the Levee The Levee District was the red-light district of Chicago from the 1880s until 1912, when police raids shut it down. The district, like many frontier town red-light districts, got its name from its proximity to wharves in the city. The Levee dis ...

", a

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

of Chicago. The Ball was finally closed down in 1909 by Mayor

Fred Busse Fred A. Busse (March 3, 1866 – July 9, 1914) was the mayor of Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois, from 1907 to 1911. Biography Busse became a local Republican leader, first elected to the Illinois House of Representatives in 1894 and ag ...

. Besides its notoriety in attracting many unsavory characters, it often ended with the police having to curb disorderly conduct bordering on rioting.

References

1896 establishments in Illinois 1908 in Illinois Organized crime in Chicago History of Chicago Political conventions in Chicago Democratic Party of Illinois Political events in Illinois {{Chicago-stub