Chicago Municipal Court records

Chicago Municipal Court records, 1900-1927

Descriptive Inventory for the Collection at Chicago History Museum, Research Center

By Archie Motley, 1964

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Title: Chicago Municipal Court records, 1900-1927.

Main entry: Chicago (Ill.). Municipal Court

Inclusive dates: 1900-1927

Size: 4 linear feet (8 boxes), ca. 4000 items

2 oversize folders.

A&M accession number for boxes 1-6: 1964.0454

CHS accession number for boxes 7-8: 1994.0335.

This descriptive inventory contains:

Brief History,

Brief Biography,

Description of the collection,

List of card catalog headings,

Provenance statement,

Storage designation,

Container list of box/folder numbers and titles.

Brief History:

The Municipal Court was established to counteract maladministration of justice in Chicago by justices of the peace and police magistrates. In 1904, an Amendment to the Illinois State Constitution empowered the General Assembly to “pass any law (local, special or general) providing a scheme or charter of local municipal government for the territory now or hereafter embraced within the limits of the city of Chicago”; and stated that “in case the General Assembly shall create municipal courts in the city of Chicago it may abolish the offices of justices of the peace, police magistrates and constables in and for the territory within said city.”

Shortly after the adoption of this amendment, an Association known as the Chicago Charter Convention elected a committee to secure the drafting and passage of an act establishing municipal courts in and for the City of Chicago. A Municipal Court Act was passed by the General Assembly; approved by Governor Charles S. Deneen, May 18, 1905; and ratified by Chicago voters Nov. 7, 1905. A Chief Justice and 27 Associate Justices were chosen for the Court in a Chicago election, Nov. 6, 1906. The Municipal Court of Chicago, the first of its kind in the country and a model for many others, commenced operation on Dec. 3, 1906.

Brief Biography:

Harry Olson, first Chief Justice of the Municipal Court, was born in Chicago, Aug. 4, 1867, the son of Olof and Clare C. (Oberg) Olson. He moved to Kansas with his family at age 3 and to Pecatonica (Ill.) when he was 13, remaining there until graduating from high school. He then returned to Kansas as a high school teacher and principal, and as a student at Washburn College, Topeka, 1887-1888. In 1888 he returned to Chicago, taught night school classes, and studied at Northwestern University Law School, obtaining a legal degree in 1891.

Olson was admitted to the Illinois Bar in 1891, commencing practice in Chicago. From 1896 to 1906 he was Assistant State’s Attorney for Cook County; and in 1906 was elected Chief Justice of the newly established Municipal Court of Chicago, despite his original opposition to the legislative act that created the Court. He was reelected Chief Justice in 1912, 1918, and 1924.

During his Court service, Olson instituted its Boys’, Domestic Relations, Women’s, and Morals branches, and its Psychopathic Laboratory. In 1930 he was defeated for reelection as Chief Justice by John C. Sonsteby, and returned to his private law practice.

Olson, a Trustee of Northwestern University (1908-1927) and Lake Forest College (1923-1935), was an unsuccessful candidate for the mayoralty nomination in Republican Party primaries in 1915 and 1919. He died in Chicago, Aug. 1, 1935, survived by his wife, two sons, and a daughter. He was married to Bernice Miller of Pecatonica (Ill.), June 1, 1902.

Summary description of the collection:

Records relating to the Municipal Court of Chicago during the Chief Justiceship of Harry Olson. Items in boxes 1-6 include letters (many carbon copies), statistical and financial reports, printed copies of legislative bills, newspaper clippings, etc.

Letters from judges, bailiffs, other court employees, and from the public pertain to court policies and operations, specific cases before the court, and judicial conduct. Other topics include various branches of the court, including the Psychopathic Laboratory (later known as the Psychiatric Institute), established in 1914. Many items involve administrative matters, such as salaries, budgets, judicial assignments, the number and type of cases tried.

Controversy over the probation policies of Judge McKenzie Cleland are discussed in folders 8, 12-13, 19, and 21. Care of, and legislation regarding people with mental disabilities are discussed in folders 27-31. Municipal Court legislative bills, amendments, and related discussion are in folders 23-25, 30, 32 and 45. Lectures given by Olson on the Municipal Court, law enforcement, and related topics are in folders 37-43.

Records filled out by Thomas M. Hunter (1906-1912) and Anton J. Cermak (1912-1919) as bailiffs also are present.

Collection includes 2 oversize folders (stored separately).

Boxes 7-8 contain newsclippings, 1908-1916, from a disassembled scrapbook that was compiled by Judge Harry Olson. The clippings are arranged under names of various judges and officials and often concerned controversial public statements or sentencing of people convicted of crimes.

List of online catalog headings:

The following headings were placed in the online catalog for this collection:

Main entry: Chicago (Ill.). Municipal Court

Subject headings:

Olson, Harry, 1867-1935.

Cermak, Anton Joseph, 1873-1933

Hunter, Thomas Munro, 1852-1923.

Cleland, Mackenzie.

Chicago (Ill.). Municipal Court

Chicago (Ill.). Municipal Court. Psychopathic Laboratory.

Crime and criminals--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Judges--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Mental health laws--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Insane--Commitment and detention--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Probation--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Chicago (Ill.)--Politics and government--1875-1950.

Forms/genres:

Clippings.

Laws, statutes, etc.

Lectures.

Legal documents.

Reports.

Statistics.

Added entries:

Cermak, Anton Joseph, 1873-1933

Olson, Harry, 1867-1935.

Hunter, Thomas Munro, 1852-1923.

Chicago (Ill.). Municipal Court. Psychopathic Laboratory.

United States--Illinois--Cook County--Chicago.

Provenance statement:

Boxes 1-6 were a gift of the Hon. Augustine J. Bowe, March 1964 (1964.0454). Boxes 7 and 8, the scrapbook, was a gift of Northwestern University Archives (1994.0335).

This descriptive inventory by:

Archie Motley, April 1964

Container list of box/folder numbers and titles:

Chicago Municipal Court

Box 1

1906-1907 (Folders 1-7)

Box 2

1908-1909 September (Folders 8-14)

Box 3

1909 October-1911 (Folders 15-21)

Box 4

1912-1915 November (Folders 22-29)

Box 5

1915 December-1923 (Folders 30-37)

Box 6

1924-1927; Undated (Folders 38-45)

2 oversize folders (stored separately)

Harry Olson disassembled scrapbook:

Box 7

Olson Scrapbook Information File

Municipal Court

Olson, Chief Justice

Olson

Political 1912

Political 1914

Swanson

Weigle

Bowles

Jarecki

Sullivan

Gemmill

Goodnow, Charles W.

Hill

Robinson

Uhlir

Brentano

Scully

Hopkins

Wade

Rooney

Goodnow

Fry

Ryan

Dolan

Fake

Sabath

Mahoney

(Blank)

Dr. Young-Health Fight-1912

Of Interest

Of Interest 1913

Political 1913

Other Cities

Vice Commission

Of Interest 1915

Of Interest 1914

Box 8

Municipal Court, Misc.

Court of Domestic Relations

Morals Court 1913

Clippings to be pasted in

Boy’s Court

Uhler

Morals Court 1914-1916

Domestic Relations Court

Wells

Walker

Torrison

Stewart

Scully

Scovel

Martin

Hume

Hopkins

Houston

Himes

Heap

Girten

Going

Fry

Foster

Fake

Eberhardt

Cottrell, J.

Crowe, J.

Galpin, Chief Clerk

Bailiff, Municipal Court

Country Judges

Beitler, J.

Blake, J.

Bruggenmeyer, J.

Cleland-1911

Dicker

Gemmill

(Blank)

Sabath

Goodnow

Caverly

Cleland, J.

Newcomer

Caverly