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 The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

in 1894 and again in 1896. In 1898, Busse was elected to the Illinois State Senate. He then served as Illinois state treasurer beginning in 1902. In 1905, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed him

postmaster of Chicago A a post office was first established in Chicago on March 8, 1831, with Johnathan N. Baily, a fur trader, being appointed Chicago's first postmaster. Chicago was long the hub of the Railway Mail Service of the United States. Chicago saw particular ...

, a political position at that time (see USPS History). He won the 1907 election for mayor against

Democratic 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 ...

incumbent

Edward F. Dunne Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne (October 12, 1853 – May 24, 1937) was an American political figure, politician who was the List of Governors of Illinois, 24th Governor of Illinois from 1913 to 1917 and previously served as the 38th mayor of Chic ...

. In business, Busse had been Secretary and Treasurer of the

Northwestern Coal Company Northwestern or North-western or North western may refer to: * Northwest, a direction * Northwestern University, a private research university in Evanston, Illinois ** The Northwestern Wildcats, this school's intercollegiate athletic program ** No ...

until 1905.

Mayor of Chicago

Busse was elected

mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...

1907 Events January * January 14 – 1907 Kingston earthquake: A 6.5 Mw earthquake in Kingston, Jamaica, kills between 800 and 1,000. February * February 11 – The French warship ''Jean Bart'' sinks off the coast of Morocco. ...

. Busse was sworn-in as mayor on April 15, 1907. Busse's mayoral tenure is noted for its extensive

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

and presence of organized crime in the city. Busse had connections and was a political ally with a number of organized crime figures. Busse's inaction in the face of growing popular concern led to the formation of several organizations opposed to crime and desirous of cleaning up the city government. Busse's image was used by at least one brothel owner to promote her business. While reform, both political and moral, was beginning to appear Chicago, Busse noted, "They don't need anyone sleuthing around after me. They can always get me any evening at J.C. Murphy's saloon, Clark Street and North Avenue." By 1907, pressure was strong enough that Busse was forced to appoint a vice commission, although the commission didn't issue a report until Busse was out of office. As mayor, Busse was a strong supporter of the

Plan of Chicago The Burnham Plan is a popular name for the 1909 ''Plan of Chicago'', co-authored by Daniel Burnham and Edward H. Bennett and published in 1909. It recommended an integrated series of projects including new and widened streets, parks, new railr ...

. He and the City Council established a 328-member

Chicago Plan Commission The Chicago Plan Commission is a commission implemented to promote the ''Plan of Chicago,'' often called the Burnham Plan. After official presentation of the Plan to the city on July 6, 1909, the City Council of Chicago authorized Mayor Fred A. Bu ...

in order to realize the plan. Busse ultimately lost his bid for reelection in 1911 to Democrat

Carter Harrison Jr. Carter Henry Harrison IV (April 23, 1860 – December 25, 1953) was an American newspaper publisher and Democratic politician who served a total of five terms as mayor of Chicago (1897–1905 and 1911–1915) but failed in his attempt to becom ...

, and was succeeded by Harrison on April 17, 1911.

Death

He died on July 9, 1914 of valvular heart disease at 48 in Chicago, Illinois. He was buried in Graceland Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Busse, Fred A. 1866 births 1914 deaths Burials at Graceland Cemetery (Chicago) Mayors of Chicago State treasurers of Illinois Republican Party members of the Illinois House of Representatives Republican Party Illinois state senators Postmasters of Chicago 19th-century American politicians