1939 Chicago mayoral election

Last updated

1939 Chicago mayoral election
Flag of Chicago, Illinois (1933-1939).gif
  1935 April 5, 1939 1943  
  Chicago Mayor discusses Illinois political situation with President. Washington, D.C., Jan. 18. Mayor Edward Kelly of Chicago arriving at the White House for a conference with President LCCN2016872892 (cropped).jpg Dwight H. Green cph.3b30070 (a).jpg
Nominee Edward J. Kelly Dwight H. Green
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote822,469638,068
Percentage56.12%43.54%

Mayor before election

Edward J. Kelly
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Edward J. Kelly
Democratic

The Chicago mayoral election of 1939 was held on April 5, 1939. The election saw incumbent Edward J. Kelly being reelected to a second full term (third overall term), defeating Dwight H. Green by a double-digit margin.

Contents

Both major parties held primary elections to determine their nominees. The primaries were held on February 28, 1939. Kelly won renomination in the Democratic Party primary against Thomas J. Courtney, the Cook County state's attorney. In his candidacy, Courtney had sought to challenge the city's Democratic political machine. In the Republican Party primary, Green won a massive victory over former mayor William Hale Thompson.

Nominations

Democratic primary

Incumbent Democrat Edward J. Kelly had already served for nearly six years, which meant that he was going to tie the record at the time for the most consecutive years spent as mayor (Carter Harrison Jr. had also spent six consecutive years between 1899 and 1905). By seeking election an additional four-year term, Kelly was running to have the longest uninterrupted mayoralty Chicago had ever seen. [1] An additional four years would also tie him with Carter Harrison Jr. for the longest-serving mayor in Chicago history at the time (Harrison had served ten non-consecutive years as mayor).

Kelly fended off a primary challenge from Thomas J. Courtney. Rebellious and reform-oriented Democrats united behind Thomas J. Courtney as a challenger to Kelly and the political machine. [1] Courtney had initially held hopes of aligning himself with Governor Henry Horner. Horner had been engaging in a political feud with Kelly and Chicago Democratic boss Patrick Nash. However, Horner made peace with Chicago's Democratic machine before the mayoral primary, consequentially robbing Courntney of an opportunity to capitalize off of discord between the Chicago political establishment and the state's governor. [2] Despite efforts to draft him, [3] Harold L. Ickes did not run for the nomination.

Results

Chicago Democratic mayoral primary (February 28, 1939) [4]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Edward J. Kelly (incumbent) 604,000 62.78
Democratic Thomas J. Courtney 358,13937.22
Turnout 962,139

Republican primary

Dwight H. Green defeated former mayor William H. Thompson in the Republican primary. Thompson had announced his bid in mid-December 1938. [5] This is regarded to have been the last time that two big-name individuals faced one another in a Republican Chicago mayoral primary. [6]

Results

Chicago Republican mayoral primary (February 28, 1939) [7]
PartyCandidateVotes%
Republican Dwight H. Green 211,965 77.27
Republican William H. Thompson 62,35222.73
Turnout 274,317

Independent candidacy of Arthur P. Reilly

Republican [8] Arthur P. Reilly ran as an independent.

General election

Republican nominee Dwight H. Green was strong opponent to the incumbent Kelly. [9] Green was a young and talented lawyer, as well as a political reformer. As an assistant district attorney, Green had helped to construct the income tax evasion case which led to mobster Al Capone's imprisonment. [1] Green ran a vigorous campaign which attempted to make the case against Kelly's political campaign for its connections with criminal elements. [1] His campaign also harshly criticized increases in the city tax rate. [1] Green's campaign, in a sense, was a four-month series of attacks on the Kelly-Patrick Nash political machine. [9] Kelly did not respond to Green's criticisms. [9] In fact, for the duration of his campaign, Kelly did not even utter his Republican opponent's name. [9] After his defeat in the primary, Thomas Courtney reluctantly agreed to endorse Kelly. [1]

Kelly received the backing of trade unions. [9] By 1939, a significant number of Chicago's African American voters had migrated their support from the Republican party to the Democratic Party. [9] Kelly would receive at least half the African American vote. [9] Additionally, many of those who supported or benefited from the New Deal policies of Democratic president Franklin Roosevelt supported Kelly's reelection. [9] On the eve of the election, Kelly received a further boost when former United States District Attorney George E. Q. Johnson declared in a radio address that he considered Chicago to no longer be a capital of crime, arguing that the city now led the nation in crime prevention, largely crediting Kelly and the city's police commissioner for this. [9]

Results

Kelly won the election by a decisive margin and with a record-setting vote total. [10] The overall vote total in the election was record-setting as well. [9]

Mayor of Chicago 1939 election [11] (General Election)
PartyCandidateVotes%
Democratic Edward J. Kelly (incumbent) 822,469 56.12
Republican Dwight H. Green 638,06843.54
Independent Arthur P. Reilly4,9210.34
Turnout 1,465,458

Aftermath

Both parties attempted to spin the narrative of the election result to their advantage. [10] Democratic National Committee chairman James Farley declared that "As Illinois goes, so will the nation 1940." [10] However Republicans tried to argue that Green's performance, the best by a Republican Chicago mayoral candidate in a decade, demonstrated that there was promise for Republicans to carry Illinois' 29 electoral votes in 1940. [10] Green would go on to be elected Governor of Illinois the following year. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas J. Courtney</span> American politician

Thomas J. Courtney was an influential Illinois Democratic politician and attorney for roughly 50 years in the mid-20th Century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1983 Chicago mayoral election</span> Municipal election

The Chicago mayoral election of 1983 was first the primary on February 22, 1983, which was followed by the general on April 12, 1983. The election saw the election of Chicago's first African-American mayor, Harold Washington. Incumbent Mayor Jane Byrne, who had served since April 16, 1979 had lost renomination in the Democratic primary in a three-way race between herself, then–Congressman Washington, and then–Cook County State’s Attorney Richard M. Daley in February 1983. Washington would face off against Republican nominee Bernard Epton, winning with a 3.7% lead over Epton in the general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 Chicago mayoral special election</span> Special municipal election

The Chicago mayoral election of 1977 was a special election held on June 7, 1977 to complete the remainder of the unexpired mayoral term of Richard J. Daley who died of a heart attack in December 1976. The election saw Interim Mayor Michael A. Bilandic win the election. Bliandic defeated Republican Dennis H. Block by a landslide 56% margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1931 Chicago mayoral election</span> Municipal election

The 1931 Chicago mayoral election was held to elect the Mayor of Chicago. Former Cook County Board of Commissioners President Anton Cermak defeated incumbent mayor William Hale Thompson by a 17-point margin of victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1975 Chicago mayoral election</span> Municipal election

The Chicago mayoral election of 1975 was held on April 1, 1975. Democratic Party incumbent Richard J. Daley was elected to a record sixth term as mayor by a landslide 59% margin over Republican nominee John J. Hoellen Jr. Only one other individual has since matched Daley's feat of winning six Chicago mayoral elections. This was the first Chicago mayoral election since the ratification of the Twenty-sixth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which lowered the voting age from 21 to 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1935 Chicago mayoral election</span> Municipal election

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1935, incumbent Interim Mayor Edward J. Kelly defeated Republican Emil C. Wetten and independent candidate Newton Jenkins by a landslide 60% margin of victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1905 Chicago mayoral election</span>

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1905, Democrat Edward F. Dunne defeated Republican John Maynard Harlan and Socialist John Collins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1911 Chicago mayoral election</span> Mayoral election of the city of Chigago

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1911, Democrat Carter Harrison Jr. was elected to his fifth non-consecutive term as mayor, tying the then-record set by his father Carter Harrison Sr. for the most Chicago mayoral election victories. Harrison defeated Republican nominee Charles E. Merriam and Socialist nominee William E. Rodriguez.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1907 Chicago mayoral election</span>

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1907, Republican Fred A. Busse defeated Democratic incumbent Edward F. Dunne.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1915 Chicago mayoral election</span>

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1915, Republican William Hale Thompson defeated Democrat Robert Sweitzer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1919 Chicago mayoral election</span>

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1919, Republican William H. Thompson won reelection, winning a four way race against Democrat Robert Sweitzer, independent candidate Maclay Hoyne, and Cook County Labor Party candidate John Fitzpatrick. Sweitzer was the incumbent Cook County clerk, while Hoyne was the incumbent Cook County state's attorney. Fitzpatrick was a trade unionist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1923 Chicago mayoral election</span>

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1923, Democrat William E. Dever defeated Republican Arthur C. Lueder and Socialist William A. Cunnea. Elections were held on April 3, the same day as aldermanic runoffs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1897 Chicago mayoral election</span>

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1897, Democratic nominee Carter Harrison Jr. was elected, winning a majority of the vote and defeating independent Republican John Maynard Harlan, Republican nominee Nathaniel C. Sears, independent Democrat Washington Hesing, as well as several minor candidates. Harrison carried a 26.7 point lead over second-place finisher Harlan, a margin greater than Harlan's vote share itself.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1899 Chicago mayoral election</span>

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1899, Democrat Carter Harrison Jr. was reelected, winning a plurality of the vote and defeating Republican nominee Zina R. Carter, former Illinois governor John Peter Altgeld, as well as several minor candidates by a double-digit margin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1947 Chicago mayoral election</span> Municipal election

The Chicago mayoral election of 1947 was held on April 1, 1947. The election saw Democrat Martin H. Kennelly being elected, defeating Republican Russell Root by a more-than 17% margin of victory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2020 Cook County, Illinois, elections</span>

The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 3, 2020. Elections were held for Clerk of the Circuit Court, State's Attorney, Cook County Board of Review district 1, three seats on the Water Reclamation District Board, and judgeships on the Circuit Court of Cook County.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1990 Cook County, Illinois, elections</span> American election

The Cook County, Illinois, general election was held on November 6, 1990.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1940 Illinois elections</span>

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 5, 1940.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1936 Illinois elections</span>

Elections were held in Illinois on Tuesday, November 3, 1936.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1936 Illinois gubernatorial elections</span>

Incumbent first-term governor Henry Horner, a Democrat, won reelection.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Mayors: The Chicago Political Tradition, fourth edition by Paul M. Green, Melvin G. Holli SIU Press, Jan 10, 2013
  2. "Illinois: Windy Primary". Time. March 13, 1939. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
  3. Ickes Asked To Run For Chicago Mayor's Office Lawrence Journal-World - Dec 6, 1938
  4. "RaceID=283330". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  5. "Ellensburg Daily Record - Google News Archive Search".
  6. Neal, Steve (February 10, 1985). "MAYORAL PRIMARY TO BE DOUBLE FEATURE". chicagotribune.com. Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 2, 2020.
  7. "RaceID=283329". Our Campaigns. Retrieved December 4, 2018.
  8. "The Political Graveyard: Index to Politicians: Reilly".
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Simpson, Dick (March 8, 2018). Rogues, Rebels, And Rubber Stamps: The Politics Of The Chicago City Council, 1863 To The Present. Routledge. ISBN   9780429977190 . Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Lawrence Journal-World - Google News Archive Search".
  11. "Board of Election Commissioners For the City of Chicago Mayoral Election Results Since 1900 General Elections Only". Chicago Board of Election Commissioners. July 18, 2004. Archived from the original on July 18, 2004. Retrieved March 26, 2023.