Washington Hesing (1849-1897) 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 ...

newspaper editor and political figure primarily known for his ownership of the ''

Illinois Staats-Zeitung ''Illinois Staats-Zeitung'' (''Illinois State Newspaper'') was one of the most well-known German-language newspapers of the United States; it was published in Chicago from 1848 until 1922. Along with the ''Westliche Post'' and ''Anzeiger des West ...

'' and his term as postmaster of Chicago during the second term of President Grover Cleveland. Washington Hesing by Max Platz

Biography

Hesing was the son of newspaper publisher and former

Sheriff of Cook County The Cook County Sheriff is the Sheriffs in the United States, sheriff of Cook County, Illinois, Cook County, Illinois, heading the Cook County Sheriff's Office. Office description Terms are currently four-years in length. Officeholders Rec ...

Anton C. Hesing Anton Caspar Hesing (1823–1895), known as "Boss Hesing", was a German-American newspaper publisher and political boss who became a prominent figure in Chicago during the second half of the 19th Century. The long-time publisher of the ''Illino ...

. He graduated from Yale University and later studied at the University of Berlin in his father's native Germany. At the age of 22, he was appointed to the

Chicago Board of Education The Chicago Board of Education serves as the board of education (school board) for the Chicago Public Schools. The board traces its origins to the Board of School Inspectors, created in 1837. The board is currently appointed solely by the mayor ...

. After his term on the board, he declined an offer from Mayor Joseph Medill to be nomination for a second term. While initially an active Republican, like his father, and a campaigner for President Grant, Hesing left the Republican Party and joined the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

in 1880. After completing his brief stint on the Chicago Board of Education, Hessing became a full time editorial manager of the '' Staats-Zeitung'', working under both his own father as well as editor-in-chief

Hermann Raster Hermann Raster (May 6, 1827 – July 24, 1891) was an American editor, abolitionist, writer, and anti-temperance political boss who served as chief editor and part-owner of the ''Illinois Staats-Zeitung'', a widely circulated newspaper in the G ...

. Hesing unsuccessfully sought the Democratic nomination for mayor in

1893 Events January–March * January 2 – Webb C. Ball introduces railroad chronometers, which become the general railroad timepiece standards in North America. * Mark Twain started writing Puddn'head Wilson. * January 6 – Th ...

and

1895 Events January–March * January 5 – Dreyfus affair: French officer Alfred Dreyfus is stripped of his army rank, and sentenced to life imprisonment on Devil's Island. * January 12 – The National Trust for Places of Histor ...

. In 1897, Hessing ran for mayor as an

independent candidate An independent or non-partisan politician is a politician not affiliated with any political party or bureaucratic association. There are numerous reasons why someone may stand for office as an independent. Some politicians have political views th ...

. After his unsuccessful campaign in the regularly-scheduled mayoral election of 1893, Hessing was appointed postmaster of Chicago by President Grover Cleveland in 1893. His appointment had been secured by

John Patrick Hopkins John Patrick Hopkins (October 29, 1858October 13, 1918) served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1893–1895) for the Democratic Party. John Patrick Hopkins was the first of nine Irish American Catholic mayors of Chicago. Hopkins was a close frien ...

. Hopkins was a candidate at the time in the

1893 Chicago mayoral special election In the Chicago mayoral special election of 1893, John Patrick Hopkins was elected mayor. The election was triggered by the assassination of mayor Carter Harrison Sr. (a Democrat that had been elected to his fifth non-consecutive term earlier tha ...

, which was held due to the death in office by

assassination Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have ...

of Mayor

Carter Harrison Sr. Carter Henry Harrison Sr. (February 15, 1825October 28, 1893) was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1879 until 1887; he was subsequently elected to a fifth term in 1893 but was assassinated before completing t ...

, who had been the winner of the regularly-scheduled mayoral election held earlier that year. Hopkins pointed to his ability to secure Hessing this appointment as a demonstration of his own sway with the Cleveland administration. In his successful special election campaign, Hopkins touted his connections with Cleveland as something that would benefit the city if he were elected mayor. Hessing left his position as postmaster in the Spring of 1897 to again campaign for the mayoralty. Hessing died in December 1897 of heart disease.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hesing, Washington 1849 births 1897 deaths People from Chicago Postmasters of Chicago 19th-century American newspaper publishers (people) Publishers (people) of German-language newspapers in the United States Illinois Republicans Illinois Democrats Journalists from Illinois Illinois Staats-Zeitung people Members of the Chicago Board of Education

Biography

See also

References