The Union League Club of Chicago is a prominent civic and

social club A social club may be a group of people or the place where they meet, generally formed around a common interest, occupation, or activity. Examples include: book discussion clubs, chess clubs, anime clubs, country clubs, charity work, criminal ...

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

that was founded in 1879. Its second and current clubhouse is located at 65 W Jackson Boulevard on the corner of Federal Street, in the Loop neighborhood of Chicago. The club is considered one of the most prestigious in Chicago, ranking fouth in the United States and first in the Midwest on the Five Star Platinum Club list.

Union League The Union Leagues were quasi-secretive men’s clubs established separately, starting in 1862, and continuing throughout the Civil War (1861–1865). The oldest Union League of America council member, an organization originally called "The Leag ...

clubs, which are legally separate but share similar histories and maintain reciprocal links with one another, are also located in

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 ...

and

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

. Additional Union League clubs were formerly located in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

and

New Haven New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134,02 ...

History

Founded in 1879, the Union League Club of Chicago (the Club) traces its roots to the earlier Union League of America. The Union League of America was founded during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

to support

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...

and preserve the Union. Its first council was founded on June 25, 1862, in Pekin, Illinois and spread rapidly across the North with the first Chicago council formed on August 19, 1862. After the last Chicago council of the Union League of America disbanded in 1877, Orrin H. Salisbury, a local politician and former member, conceived an idea of a new club in the same tradition that would influence local, state and national politics. He approached John Wentworth ("Long John") who saw in the idea a "marching club" to specifically support

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...

's bid for a third term as President. Even after Grant lost his bid for a third term, Wentworth recruited heavily for the Club. The Club was incorporated as the Chicago Club of the Union League of America on December 19, 1879. It was later renamed The Union League Club of Chicago. The first directors included, among others, James B. Bradwell, John Wentworth,

William Penn Nixon William Penn Nixon, Sr., (1832 – February 20, 1912) was an American publisher and politician from Indiana. Following an extensive private education, Nixon graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and became involved in Ohio politics. He se ...

, and John H. Kedzie. The Club had two sets of officers its first year: James B Bradwell and Lewis Larned Coburn, both elected as President of the Club. In the Articles of Association, the Club's primary objectives are to (paraphrased): encourage loyalty to the Federal Government, defend the Union, inculcate good citizenship, maintain equality of all citizens, and assure the purity of the ballot, and oppose corruption, and secure honesty in the administration of National, State, and Municipal affairs. At the same time, some members, led by R. S. Critchell, wanted the Club to have the amenities of a social club including fine dining. Today, according to the Club's website, it is both "a catalyst for action in nonpartisan political, economic and social arenas" and a social club with "an array of unique opportunities for entertainment and personal growth" and fine dining. The Club's website states: "the Public Affairs Committee and its various subcommittees address a wide range of public policy issues and serve as the conduit for the Club’s involvement in civic affairs". Some of these issues have included: * Enacting election reform * Enabling the Chicago Crime Commission * 1970 Constitutional Convention * Siting and opening of the

Harold Washington Library Center The Harold Washington Library Center is the central library for the Chicago Public Library System. It is located just south of the Loop 'L', at 400 S. State Street in Chicago, in the U.S. state of Illinois. It is a full-service library and is A ...

* Informing the establishment of a moratorium on the death penalty in Illinois The Club is one of The Top 100 Platinum City Clubs of the World for 2020/2021.

Building

Clubhouse

The Club's first clubhouse was designed by

William Le Baron Jenney William Le Baron Jenney (September 25, 1832 – June 14, 1907) was an American architect and engineer who is known for building the first skyscraper in 1884. In 1998, Jenney was ranked number 89 in the book ''1,000 Years, 1,000 People: Ran ...

. The current clubhouse, built on the same site as the first, was designed by

Mundie & Jensen Mundie & Jensen was an architectural firm in Chicago, Illinois. Several of its works are listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). It was a partnership of William Bryce Mundie and Elmer C. Jensen. Finding aid, including biogra ...

. The building houses meeting rooms, overnight guest rooms, 5 dining areas, a pool and workout facilities.

Art Collection

The Club’s art collection is extensive prompting the Chicago Tribune to call the Club “The other art institute in Chicago” The same article cites Monet’s “Pommiers en fleurs” as the Club’s most significant painting and discusses the depth of the collection in historic and contemporary Chicago artists.

The George N Leighton Library

According to the Club's website, the Library and Archives are one of the oldest amenities of the Club. The Library was renamed in 2019 to honor long-time member and jurist, George N. Leighton. The Club is a Partner Organization with the

Chicago Collections ttp://chicagocollections.org/ Chicago Collections Consortiumis a membership organization of more than 45 libraries, museums, historical societies, and other cultural heritage organizations collaborating to preserve and promote the history of the Ch ...

in order to share its archives more broadly.

Notable members

Dankmar Adler Dankmar Adler (July 3, 1844 – April 16, 1900) was a German-born American architect and civil engineer. He is best known for his fifteen-year partnership with Louis Sullivan, during which they designed influential skyscrapers that boldly addr ...

. architect, designed

Auditorium Theater The Auditorium Theatre is a music and performance venue located inside the Auditorium Building at 50 Ida B. Wells Drive in Chicago, Illinois. Inspired by the Richardsonian Romanesque Style of architect Henry Hobson Richardson, the building was ...

Grant, Bruce (1955)''Fight for a city:the story of the Union League Club of Chicago and its times, 1880-1955''. John S. Swift Co. * Robert W. Bergstrom. led 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention Nowlan, James D. (2004). Glory, Darkness, Light: A History of the Union League Club. Northwestern University Press. * James B. Bradwell. Illinois lawyer, judge, politician, represented

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) served as First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln in 1865. Mary Lincoln was a member of a large and wealthy, slave-owning ...

Daniel Burnham Daniel Hudson Burnham (September 4, 1846 – June 1, 1912) was an American architect and urban designer. A proponent of the '' Beaux-Arts'' movement, he may have been, "the most successful power broker the American architectural profession has ...

. architect, Director of Works,

World’s Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

Charles G. Dawes Charles Gates Dawes (August 27, 1865 – April 23, 1951) was an American banker, general, diplomat, composer, and Republican politician who was the 30th vice president of the United States from 1925 to 1929 under Calvin Coolidge. He was a co-reci ...

. 30th Vice President of the United States *

Marshall Field Marshall Field (August 18, 1834January 16, 1906) was an American entrepreneur and the founder of Marshall Field and Company, the Chicago-based department stores. His business was renowned for its then-exceptional level of quality and customer ...

. founder of

Marshall Field and Company Marshall Field & Company (commonly known as Marshall Field's) was an upscale department store in Chicago, Illinois. Founded in the 19th century, it grew to become a large chain before Macy's, Inc acquired it in 2005. Its eponymous founder, Mar ...

Charles L. Hutchinson Charles Lawrence Hutchinson (March 7, 1854 – October 7, 1924) was a prominent Chicago business leader and philanthropist who is best remembered today as the founding and long-time president of the Art Institute of Chicago. Background Hutch ...

. business leader, 1st president of the

Art Institute of Chicago The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mill ...

. architect, designed

Home Insurance Building The Home Insurance Building was a skyscraper that stood in Chicago from 1885 to 1931. Originally ten stories and tall, it was designed by William Le Baron Jenney in 1884 and completed the next year. Two floors were added in 1891, bringing its ...

* John H. Kedzie. lawyer, real estate developer, member Illinois House of Representatives * George N. Leighton. United States District Judge *

. President of

Chicago Inter Ocean The ''Chicago Inter Ocean'', also known as the ''Chicago Inter-Ocean'', is the name used for most of its history for a newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, from 1865 until 1914. Its editors included Charles A. Dana and Byron Andrews. Histo ...

Julius Rosenwald Julius Rosenwald (August 12, 1862 – January 6, 1932) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He is best known as a part-owner and leader of Sears, Roebuck and Company, and for establishing the Rosenwald Fund, which donated millions in ...

. leader and part-owner of

Sears, Roebuck and Company Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began ...

Louis Sullivan Louis Henry Sullivan (September 3, 1856 – April 14, 1924) was an American architect, and has been called a "father of skyscrapers" and "father of modernism". He was an influential architect of the Chicago School, a mentor to Frank Lloy ...

. architect, including

and Carson Pirie Scott Store * John Wentworth ("Long John"). Mayor of Chicago, member of US House of Representatives, editor of

Chicago Democrat The ''Chicago Democrat'' was the first newspaper in Chicago, Illinois. It was published from 1833 to 1861. In 2017 Atom, LLC restarteChicago Democratand has built a website aimed at statewide coverage of news, sports, weather and information in Il ...

Foundations and military support

Foundations

The Club sponsors and houses the administrative staff of 3 non-profit foundations, according to the Foundations' websites, * Union League Boys & Girls Clubs provides after school programs at 11 locations in Chicago and a summer camp in Wisconsin. Club One was founded in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood as the Union League Boys Club in 1919. *Luminarts Cultural Foundation was founded in 1949 as the Union League Civic & Arts Foundation. It supports young Chicago artists, writers, and musicians through the annual selection of Luminarts Fellows. *The Chicago Engineers’ Foundation evolved from the Chicago Engineers’ Club, an organization established in 1903 as a professional and networking group for the Chicago engineers.

Military support

According to the Club's website, it supports the men and women of the armed services through the following groups: *The Club’s American Legion Post #758 was established in 1934. *The Chicago 502, organized by the Club in 2001, supports the soldiers and families of the 502nd Infantry Regiment of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

. *The 721 Club supported the commissioning and now supports the crew and families of the USS ''Chicago'' (SSN-721) submarine. *The 786 Club supported the commissioning and now supports the crew and families of the USS ''Illinois'' (SSN-786) submarine. *The Club sponsored the Commissioning Committee for the USS ''Hyman G. Rickover'' (SSN-709) submarine.

References

External links

* {{official website, https://www.ulcc.org/
Union League Boys & Girls Clubs websiteLuminarts websiteChicago Engineers' Foundation websiteChicago 721 Club website

Chicago 786 Club website

USS Hyman G. Rickover (SSN 796) Commissioning CommitteeChicago Collections website
Non-profit organizations based in Chicago 1879 establishments in Illinois Clubs and societies in the United States Illinois in the American Civil War Gentlemen's clubs in the United States Skyscrapers in Chicago Skyscrapers in Illinois