Pineapple Primary facts for kids
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The Pineapple Primary was the name given to an important election in Illinois on April 10, 1928. This election campaign was known for a lot of violence, especially in Chicago. In the six months before the election, there were 62 bombings in the city. At least two politicians were also killed. The name "Pineapple Primary" came from a slang term at the time. A "pineapple" was a word for a hand grenade.
The violence during this election was caused by several things. There was a lot of money to be made from illegal trade during the Prohibition Era. Some city leaders had connections to organized crime groups. There was also a strong and bitter rivalry between different Republican candidates in Illinois. The risk of violence on election day was so high that a U.S. Marshal in Chicago asked for help. He wanted to add 500 federal marshals to make sure people could vote safely.
What Was the Pineapple Primary?
The Pineapple Primary happened in 1928. This was during the time when William Hale Thompson was the mayor of Chicago. He was a Republican and was known as "Big Bill." Thompson had been mayor before, in 1915 and 1919. His earlier terms had faced issues related to city management.
Why Was Thompson Mayor Again?
After some problems, Thompson did not run for mayor in 1923. A different person, William Emmett Dever, became mayor. Dever was a Democrat. He tried to strictly enforce the laws of the Prohibition era.
Thompson decided to run for mayor again in 1927. Many people were unhappy with how strictly the Prohibition laws were being enforced. Thompson promised to make the city "wide open." He even suggested he would allow illegal places to reopen. This promise helped Thompson get support from some powerful crime figures. It was said that his campaign received a large amount of money from one of these figures. In the 1927 election, Thompson won against Dever.
Once Thompson returned to City Hall in 1927, he changed the city's focus. Instead of fighting illegal trade, the city's resources were used against those who wanted to reform the government.
Who Won the Election?
In the end, the voters chose the candidates supported by Charles S. Deneen. All three of his candidates won the primary election. Louis Emmerson defeated Len Small by a large number of votes. Emmerson then went on to become the Governor.
John Swanson won against Crowe. His victory was partly because many Democrats voted Republican after the bombings. Otis Glenn also won a Senate seat. Glenn's win meant that Smith's earlier attempts to get into the Senate were finally over.
