Carter Harrison Jr. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Carter Henry Harrison IV
|
|
|---|---|
.jpg) |
|
| 37th & 40th Mayor of Chicago | |
| In office Apri 17, 1911 – April 26, 1915 |
|
| Preceded by | Fred A. Busse |
| Succeeded by | William Hale Thompson |
| In office April 15, 1897 – April 10, 1905 |
|
| Preceded by | George Bell Swift |
| Succeeded by | Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne |
| Personal details | |
| Born | April 23, 1860 Chicago, Illinois |
| Died | December 25, 1953 (aged 93) Chicago, Illinois |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Edith Ogden |
| Children | Carter Harrison V Edith Ogden Harrison II |
| Parent |
|
Carter Henry Harrison IV (born April 23, 1860 – died December 25, 1953) was an American newspaper publisher and a Democratic politician. He served as the mayor of Chicago five times in total. His terms were from 1897 to 1905 and again from 1911 to 1915.
Carter Harrison IV came from a well-known family in Virginia. His father, Carter Harrison Sr., was also a five-time mayor of Chicago. Carter Harrison IV was special because he was the first person born in Chicago to become its mayor.
Contents
Becoming Mayor of Chicago
.jpg)
Carter Harrison IV was born in Chicago on April 23, 1860. He went to school in Germany before returning to Chicago. He first worked as a lawyer.
Later, he joined his family in running the Chicago Times newspaper. His father had bought the newspaper in 1891. Under the Harrisons, the newspaper strongly supported the Democratic Party. It was also the only local newspaper to support the workers during the Pullman Strike in the mid-1890s. Carter Harrison IV worked as the editor of the newspaper until 1895.
First Time as Mayor (1897-1905)
Harrison was first elected mayor in the 1897 Chicago mayoral election. He won three more elections in a row: in 1899, 1901, and 1903. He officially became mayor on April 15, 1897.
Like his father, Harrison believed that people in Chicago wanted to make money and spend it. He didn't try to control what people did in their private lives.
However, many people saw Harrison as more interested in making changes than his father. This helped him get votes from the middle class. One of his main challenges was dealing with Charles Yerkes. Yerkes wanted to control all of Chicago's streetcar lines. Mayor Harrison strongly opposed these plans. This disagreement started what was known as the Chicago Traction Wars. This became a big focus of his time as mayor.
The Iroquois Theatre Fire
On December 30, 1903, a very sad event happened in Chicago. The Iroquois Theatre fire broke out, causing 602 people to lose their lives. This was the deadliest single-building fire in U.S. history. Even though there was a lot of international news coverage about the fire, Harrison still hoped to become the Democratic candidate for President of the United States in 1904.
However, the Democratic Party chose Alton B. Parker instead. Parker later lost the election to Theodore Roosevelt.
Harrison decided not to run for mayor again in 1905. He was replaced by another Democrat, Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne, on April 10, 1905.
Between Mayoral Terms
In 1907, Harrison tried to become mayor again. He ran against Mayor Dunne for the Democratic nomination but did not win.
Second Time as Mayor (1911-1915)
In 1911, Harrison was elected mayor for a four-year term. He started his fifth term as mayor on April 17, 1911.
In 1914, Harrison convinced the city council to create a special group. This group was called the Commission for the Encouragement of Local Art. Its job was to buy art from artists in Chicago. Harrison himself bought artwork from painters like Victor Higgins and Walter Ufer.
Harrison tried to get elected for a sixth time in 1915. However, he lost in the Democratic primary election to Robert Sweitzer. Sweitzer then lost the main election to Republican William Hale Thompson. Thompson took over as mayor on April 26, 1915.
By the time Harrison left office in 1915, Chicago had grown a lot. It had almost reached its modern size and had a population of 2.4 million people. The city was becoming a major modern metropolis. Carter Harrison IV and his father had been mayors of Chicago for a total of 21 years out of the previous 36 years.
After Being Mayor
From 1933 to 1944, Harrison worked for the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He was the tax collector for the Chicago area. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appointed him to this job on July 28, 1933.
Harrison also led a group that supported local arts. He wrote two books about his life. One of them, called Growing Up with Chicago, was published in 1944.
Carter Harrison IV passed away on December 25, 1953, in his Chicago apartment. He is buried in Graceland Cemetery. His personal papers are kept at Chicago's Newberry Library.
Family Life
Carter Harrison IV came from several important families in Virginia. His ancestors included Robert Carter I, Benjamin Harrison IV, William Randolph, and Isham Randolph of Dungeness.
His wife, Edith Ogden Harrison, was a well-known writer. She wrote many children's books and fairy tales in the early 1900s.
