John Peter Altgeld
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John Peter Altgeld | |
---|---|
20th Governor of Illinois | |
In office January 10, 1893 – January 11, 1897 | |
Lieutenant | Joseph B. Gill |
Preceded by | Joseph W. Fifer |
Succeeded by | John R. Tanner |
Judge of the Superior Court of Cook County | |
In office 1886–1891 | |
Personal details | |
Born | Selters, Duchy of Nassau | December 30, 1847
Died | March 12, 1902 Joliet, Illinois, U.S. | (aged 54)
Political party | Democratic |
Spouse |
Emma Ford
(m. 1877; died 1902) |
Profession | 164th Ohio Infantry |
Battles/wars | American Civil War |
John Peter Altgeld (December 30, 1847 – March 12, 1902) was an American politician and the
Born in the
Early life
Altgeld was born in the town of Selters in the German Westerwald, the first son of John P. and Mary Altgeld. His parents left Germany when he was three months old, bringing their infant son with them.[1] They settled on a farm near Mansfield, Ohio. He left home at age 16 to join the Union Army; lying about his age, he enlisted in the 164th Ohio (National Guard) Infantry. Altgeld's regiment served in Virginia as a reserve unit, doing labor and reconnaissance, participating in only one skirmish. Altgeld himself nearly died of fever.[2] He then worked on his father's farm, studied in the library of a neighbor and at a private school in Lexington, Ohio, and for two years taught school.[3]
After a brief stint in an Ohio seminary, he walked to
In 1875, Altgeld moved to Chicago hoping to continue his legal career there. He frequently visited his home in Ohio. He was married to Emma Ford, the daughter of John Ford and Ruth Smith, in 1877 in Richland County, Ohio. Their marriage was a happy one by all accounts but produced no children.[6]
Altgeld's practice of law began to show success and he was managing an independent legal practice by 1880. He became wealthy, however, from a series of real estate dealings and development projects, including residential and office properties in Chicago and a
Altgeld became a millionaire, and would, by the time he ran for governor, own six buildings in Chicago.[9]
Early political career
Altgeld's name, according to historian
Altgeld decided to run for Congress in 1884 against incumbent George Adams of Illinois's 4th congressional district. That year, he published an essay on penal reform entitled, Our Penal Machinery and Its Victims. His essay argued that rather than reform criminals, incarceration produced hardened criminals.[10] Although this district was heavily Republican, Adams defeated him by just 8 points (54–46%), a better showing than well-known Democrat Lambert Tree had made two years earlier. As a Republican leader recalled, "He (Altgeld) was not elected, but our executive committee was pretty badly frightened by the strong canvass he made."[11]
In 1886, he was elected as a Superior Court of Cook County Justice and served on the bench until 1891.[12]
Illinois governorship
In 1891, he unsuccessfully challenged
1892 gubernatorial election
He was drafted by the Democrats to run for Governor of Illinois.
One of the obstacles in the way of Altgeld receiving the Democratic nomination was Palmer, still bitter over Altgeld challenging him for Senate in 1891.
Altgeld was popular among his fellow German Americans.[9]
The only Chicago newspaper that provided positive coverage of Altgeld was the
Also initially seeking the Democratic nomination was John C. Black.[9] Other potential candidates were dissuaded from running. For instance, State Representative James Cockerell was convinced by Clarence Darrow to abandon his plans of running.[9] However, by February 23, it was reported that Black had withdrawn from the race, leaving Altgeld as the only candidate seeking the Democratic nomination.[9] Altgeld won the Democratic nomination on the first ballot at the state convention in Springfield.[9]
Altgeld's supporters dubbed him, "the poor man's friend".[9]
In the general election he faced popular incumbent Republican governor Joseph W. Fifer.[9]
Altgeld traveled across the state to campaign on a vigorous speaking tour.
To dampen the negative impact that his association with Altgeld would have on Altgeld's electability, particularly among rural downstate voters, Michael C. McDonald temporarily resigned his role on the Cook County Central Committee a month before the election.[9]
Altgeld narrowly defeated Fifer. He was the first Democrat to have been elected governor of Illinois since 1856, the first time a foreign-born citizen had been elected, and the first time a Chicago resident had been elected.[9][15]
Transition
Altgeld suffered a nervous breakdown shortly after his victory, and nearly died of a concomitant fever. He managed to appear at his inauguration, but was only able to deliver a brief portion of his speech. Although the General Assembly hall was so warm as to cause several men to faint, Altgeld, clad in a heavy topcoat, was pale and visibly shivering. The clerk of the Assembly delivered the remainder of his speech. [citation needed]
Tenure
As governor, Altgeld spearheaded the nation's most progressive
Pullman Strike
In 1894, the
Pardons and clemency
Historically, Altgeld is remembered chiefly for pardoning the three surviving men convicted in the 1886
Some argue that in addition to his findings that there had been a miscarriage of justice, Altgeld was also motivated by revenge in his Haymarket pardon. The judge that prosecuted the men,
By the end of 1895, he freed eighty-one prisoners, leading newspapers to dub him John "Pardon" Altgeld.[9]
In May 1895, mob violence erupted after one of Altgeld's pardons, with farmers lynching two accused rapists in Danville.[9]
On his last day in office, he released twenty-six offenders convicted of serious crimes, including seven murderers.[9]
In total, he pardoned or commuted sentences of:
- 75 people convicted of forgery, embezzlement, manslaughter, burglary, or larceny[9]
- 19 people convicted of murder[9]
- 8 people convicted of rape, assault, or incest[9]
- 5 people convicted or
Unsuccessful 1896 reelection campaign
The Pullman incident and the Haymarket pardons were used against Altgeld by his conservative enemies. In 1896, Altgeld was ineligible to run for president (since he was born in Germany), but he led the fight against the Cleveland forces. Altgeld publicly broke from Cleveland and his conservative supporters. Altgeld helped split the Democratic Party during the 1896 presidential election into
Republicans in Illinois focused their attacks on Altgeld.
Chicago mayoral candidacies
1899
Altgeld was a political opponent of
Altgeld charged that Harrison was building a political machine and that his administration was corrupt, publicly claiming in March 1899 that Harrison's administration was complicit in the theft of city funds by political allies in connection with city public works projects.[25]
In his final campaign, Altgeld ran for mayor of Chicago as the candidate of the Municipal Ownership Party. He finished third, garnering more than 15% percent of the vote, but was unable to achieve his ulterior motive, the defeat of Mayor Carter Harrison.
1901
In 1901, Altgeld made a quixotic effort to challenge Harrison for the Democratic nomination for mayor.[26]
Post-gubernatorial years
Sickly since his brush with death in the Civil War, Altgeld had suffered from locomotor ataxia while governor, impairing his ability to walk. He lost all of his property except his heavily mortgaged personal residence, and only the intervention of his friend and former protégé, Clarence Darrow, saved him from complete financial ruin.
Death and legacy
Altgeld was working as a lawyer in Darrow's law firm when he suffered a
Altgeld is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Uptown, Chicago.
The governor influenced the design of
See also
References
- ^ Waldo R. Browne, Altgeld of Illinois: A Record of His Life and Labor. New York: B.W. Huebsch, 1924; pp. 279–
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, pp. 7–8.
- ^ The Alumni Record of the University of Illinois at Urbana. University of Illinois (Urbana-Champaign campus). 1906. p. 573. Retrieved May 25, 2017.
John Peter Altgeld lexington ohio.
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, pp. 13–16.
- ^ a b Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, pp. 16–18.
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, pp. 19–20.
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, pp. 33–34.
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, pp. 36–39.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8093-8654-3. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
- ISBN 978-0-385-52629-6.
- ^ "German American Corner: Altgeld, John Peter (1847–1902)". germanheritage.com.
- ^ "John Peter Altgeld | governor of Illinois, United States | Britannica". www.britannica.com. Retrieved July 17, 2022.
- ^ Donovan, Henry (January 19, 1895). "Hon. John P. Altgeld". Chicago Eagle. Retrieved June 26, 2015.
- ^ Koenig-Badowski (September 9, 2013). "John Peter Altgeld Monument".
- ^ "1896: John Peter Altgeld". Retrieved October 24, 2014.
- ^ Stone, Irving (1941). Clarence Darrow for the Defense. Garden City, New York: Doubleday, Doran & Company. p. 4.
- ^ Madison, Charles (1947). Critics & Crusaders: A Century of American Protest. New York: Henry Holt and Company.
- ^ Dray. There is Power in a Union. Doubleday.
- ^ Chris Wallace, Character: Profiles in Presidential Courage. New York: Rugged Land, 2004; p. [page needed]
- ISBN 978-0226483832.
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, pp. 279–280.
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, p. 286.
- ^ Browne, Altgeld of Illinois, p. 287.
- ^ a b c "Tells Aim of Altgeld: William Prentiss Explains the Opposition to Harrison," Chicago Tribune, Jan. 5, 1899, p. 10.
- ^ "Fraud in Pay Rolls: Altgeld Exposes Steals of Harrison Administration," Chicago Inter Ocean, March 21, 1899, p. 5.
- ISBN 978-1476623788. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Davies, Chris (October 16, 2007). "Many campuses throughout Illinois have castle-style buildings". The Vidette.
- ^ "History of Altgeld Hall". Department of Mathematics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Archived from the original on January 16, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
Sources
- Harry Barnard, Eagle Forgotten, the Life of John Peter Altgeld. Indianapolis, IN: Bobbs-Merrill, 1938.
- Howard Fast, The American: A Middle Western Legend. New York: Duell, Sloan And Pearce, 1946
- Harvey Wish, "Governor Altgeld Pardons the Anarchists," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, vol. 31, no. 4 (Dec. 1938), pp. 424–448. In JSTOR.
- Harvey Wish, "John Peter Altgeld and the Background of the Campaign of 1896," Mississippi Valley Historical Review, vol. 24, no. 4 (March 1938), pp. 503–518. in JSTOR.
- Harvey Wish, "John Peter Altgeld and the Election of 1896," Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, vol. 30, no. 3 (Oct. 1937), pp. 353–384. In JSTOR.
External links
- Appletons' Cyclopædia of American Biography. 1900. .
- Works by or about John Peter Altgeld at Internet Archive
- Works by John Peter Altgeld at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)