Jack Sheridan (1905–1967) was an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

poet and soapbox orator particularly known for his participation in the

Bughouse Square Debates The Bughouse Square Debates are an annual event sponsored by the Newberry Library in Chicago. The debates take place across from the Newberry, in Washington Square Park. Soapboxes located throughout the park give a series of scheduled speakers plat ...

, the

Dil Pickle Club The Dil Pickle Club or Dill Pickle Club was once a popular Bohemian club in Chicago, Illinois between 1917 and 1935. The Dil Pickle was known as a speakeasy, cabaret and theatre and was influential during the "Chicago Renaissance" as it allowed a ...

and the College of Complexes. He was an activist in the

Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines genera ...

. Jack was attracted to

hobohemia Hobohemia is a low rent district in a city where artistic bohemians and the down-and-outs or hobos mix. In Chicago from the turn of the century to circa 1940s this was Tower Town and the area often known as "The West Madison Stem" (Madison Street w ...

whilst still at school. He soon became a regular attendee at the

. In 1928 he went to Europe via

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

staying primarily in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. In 1931 he returned to the USA, spending time in

Lower Manhattan Lower Manhattan (also known as Downtown Manhattan or Downtown New York) is the southernmost part of Manhattan, the central borough for business, culture, and government in New York City, which is the most populated city in the United States with ...

. Here he acquired such nicknames as the "King of the Hobohemians" and the "Byron of the Soapboxes". He married his wife Ruth in 1944 and became active in a literary group called the Druids in Chicago's Near North Side.

References

1905 births 1967 deaths Industrial Workers of the World members American male poets {{US-poet-1900s-stub