1885 Chicago mayoral election
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||
| Elections in Illinois |
|---|
 |
The Chicago mayoral election of 1885 saw Democratic incumbent Carter Harrison Sr. win an unprecedented fourth term, receiving a majority of voter and narrowly defeating Republican Sidney Smith by a less than half-percent margin of victory.
The election was held on April 7.[1][2]
Campaign
Republicans exploited controversies which had tarnished the image of Harrison's administration. Unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud and patronage had been key controversies throughout his mayoralty.[3] In February 1885, a month before the election, a grand jury found Michael Cassius McDonald's right-hand man Joseph Mackin and others with connections to Harrison guilty of election fraud in the 1984 elections. Despite the fact that no personal wrongdoing on Harrison's part was involved in these charges, the charges against Mackin and others compounded with the preexisting rumors relating to Harrison to foster a public sentiment that challenged Harrison's popularity.[3][4]
Citizens groups led by the city's elite forged a strong campaign effort against Harrison, taking advantage of the voter fraud charges against those connected to Harrison.[4]
Harrison lost the support of many liberal German voters that had previously voted for him.[3]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Carter H. Harrison, Sr. (incumbent) | 43,352 | 50.09 | |
| Republican | Sidney Smith | 42,977 | 49.66 | |
| Prohibition | William Bush | 221 | 0.26 | |
| Turnout | 86,550 | |||
Less than 50% of the city's German population voted for Harrison.[3]
References
- ^ https://www.chipublib.org/mayor-carter-henry-harrison-iii-biography/
- ^ Currey, Josiah Seymour (1912). Chicago: Its History and Its Builders, a Century of Marvelous Growth. S. J. Clarke publishing Company. p. 335.
- ^ a b c d Labor and Urban Politics: Class Conflict and the Origins of Modern Liberalism in Chicago, 1864-97 Front Cover Richard Schneirov University of Illinois Press, 1998 (pages 166-67)
- ^ a b Miller, Donald L. (2014). City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America. Rosetta Books. p. 731. ISBN 978-0-7953-3985-1. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
- ^ The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1912. Chicago Daily News, Incorporated. 1911. p. 464. Retrieved 12 May 2020.