Citizens' Association of Chicago records, 1874-1964.

 

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

By Carole L. Wrubel, 1966; rev. 2007

 

 

Please address questions to:

Chicago History Museum, Research Center

1601 North Clark Street

Chicago, IL 60614-6038

Web-site: http://www.chicagohistory.org/research

 

 

© Copyright 2007, Chicago Historical Society

 

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Title: Citizens' Association of Chicago records [manuscript], 1874-1964.

Main entry: Citizens' Association of Chicago

Inclusive dates: 1874-1964

Size:

13 linear ft. (including 62 v.)

1 oversize folder.

 

Restriction: Research use of this collection is governed by the standard rules and regulations of the Chicago History Museum Research Center.

Accession number: M1966.0572+; M1958.0080; M1968.0770.

Provenance statement: .Gift of the Citizens' Association of Chicago (M1966.0572+), plus ca. 75 items which were received from the University of Chicago Library in 1957.

Terms governing use: Copyright may be retained by the creators of items, or their descendents, as stipulated by United States copyright law, unless otherwise noted.

Please cite this collection as: Citizens' Association of Chicago records (Chicago History Museum) plus a detailed description, date, and box/folder number of a specific item.

 

This descriptive inventory contains the following sections:

Historical/biographical note,

Summary description of the collection,

Description of some material related to the collection,

List of online catalog headings about the collection,

Arrangement of the collection,

Detailed description of archival series in the collection,

List of contents of the collection.

 

Historical/biographical note:

The Citizen' Association of Chicago, the nation's oldest civic reform organization, was formed in 1874 (shortly after the major Chicago fire of that year) by a group of business and professional men, to institute the reforms demanded by insurance underwriters for increased fire protection in the city. Recognizing the need for a broad program of reform, the group immediately expanded its scope to that of a non-partisan, study-action group devoted to investigating and correcting civic problems and the structure of municipal government. Through the support of its members the Citizens' Association remained financially independent of other groups or persons who might dictate its terms of action. From 1874 to 1939, the Citizens' Association dealt with such diverse matters as drainage, water supply and sanitation problems; election and civil service frauds; gambling and other criminal activities; fire protection; and revision of the Chicago City Charter. Many improvements in municipal government were effected by its direct influence and actions during these years.

 

Due to the emergence between 1900 and 1939 of other organizations devoted to the improvement of city governmental services, the Citizens' Association began to concentrate on the evaluation of the City Council. In 1939 it absorbed the Municipal Voters' League, and carried on that organization's investigation of aldermanic candidates and publication of its findings. The Municipal Voters' League, founded in 1896, opposed corruption in municipal government through reports on aldermanic candidates and active support of honest City Council members until the financial hardships of the 1930s led to its absorption by the Citizens' Association. In the early 1940s, the Citizens' Association made an intensive study of ward-redistricting, which culminated in the redistricting ordinance of 1947.

 

In 1939, the Citizens' Association also united with six other better government groups to form a separate organization, The Joint Civic Committee on Elections, whose fundamental activity was furnishing poll watchers in wards with a history of election frauds.

 

In 1949 The Citizens' Association launched the Citizens' Community Conference, a self-contained federation of neighborhood civic organizations, to provide a medium for collecting and distributing firsthand information on city-wide civic problems. This was done through periodic conference meetings in which the Citizens' Community Conference acted as a clearing house for the interchange of ideas and experience between member groups on neighborhood problems. The relationship of the Citizens' Community Conference to the Citizens' Association remained informal, the latter organization providing its facilities and services, until 1955 when the member organizations of the Conference were incorporated into the Citizens' Association, and the Citizens' Community Conference's program became the basis of the work carried forward by the Citizens' Association.

 

Summary description of the collection:

Correspondence, minutes, account and membership books, aldermanic reports, ward maps, investigation reports, etc. of the Citizens’ Association of Chicago (CAC: 1876-1964, 46 vols. and other items); plus news clippings, correspondence, minutes, membership and financial accounting ledgers, and reports of the Municipal Voters’ League (1896-1939, 16 vols. and other items). The association dealt with such diverse matters as drainage, water supply and sanitation problems; election and civil service frauds; gambling and other criminal activities; fire protection; and revision of the Chicago City Charter; and advocacy for an Illinois Constitutional Convention (1913-1922). Includes diaries of Shelby M. Singleton, executive secretary of CAC for 35 years (1903-1914, 7 vols.).

 

Description of some material related to the collection:

Related materials at Chicago History Museum, Research Center, include publications cataloged separately and a collection of 114 scrapbooks of news clippings, 1855-1909, compiled by J.C. Ambler for the Citizens' Association and cataloged separately. These volumes are fragile and have been withdrawn from use until they can be microfilmed. Poll watchers' reports (1940-1964) from the Joint Civic Committee on Elections are cataloged with that collection.

 

List of online catalog headings about the collection:

Citizens' Association of Chicago--Archives.

Municipal Voters League (Chicago, Ill.)--Archives.

Citizens’ Community Conference (Chicago, Ill.)

Committee of One Hundred (Chicago, Ill.)

Singleton, Shelby M.--Diaries.

Chicago (Ill.). City Council.

Joint Civic Committee on Elections (Chicago, Ill.)

Kenna, Michael, 1858-1946.

Citizens' associations--Illinois--Chicago.

Civic improvement--Illinois--Chicago--19th century.

Civic improvement--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Election districts--Illinois--Chicago--1st Ward.

Election districts--Illinois--Chicago--Maps.

Election monitoring--Illinois--Chicago--20th century.

Municipal government--Illinois--Chicago.

Political corruption--Illinois--Chicago.

Chicago (Ill.)--Politics and government--19th century.

Chicago (Ill.)--Politics and government--20th century.

 

Form/genre:

Account books.

Correspondence.

Diaries.

Maps.

Membership lists.

Minutes.

Reports.

 

Added entries:

Crane, Richard Teller, 1832-1912.

Singleton, Shelby M.

Citizens’ Community Conference (Chicago, Ill.)

Committee of One Hundred (Chicago, Ill.)

Municipal Voters' League (Chicago, Ill.)

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

 

Arrangement of the collection:

Series 1. Citizens' Association volumes, 1874-1949

Series 2. Chronological files of the Citizens' Association and the Municipal Voters League, 1875-1964

Series 3. Municipal Voters' League volumes, 1896-1939

 

Detailed description of archival series in the collection:

Series 1. Citizens' Association volumes, 1874-1949

The Citizens' Association materials include Executive Committee and Board of Directors minutes (Aug. 21, 1874-Nov. 2, 1942, 7 vols.); ledgers of membership accounts, annual financial reports, receipts and disbursements (1878-1949, 25 vols.); diaries of Shelby M. Singleton, Executive Secretary of the Citizens' Association for 35 years (1903-1914, 7 vols.); plus wage account books (1922-1937, 7 vols.).

 

Series 2. Chronological files of the Citizens' Association and the Municipal Voters League, 1875-1964

The loose papers arrange chronologically contain correspondence, bulletins, and reports on organizational matters and sundry civic and governmental problems from both the Citizens' Association and the Municipal Voters League. Topics include agitation for an Illinois Constitutional Convention (June 14, 1913-Apr. 28, 1922, 25 items); Chicago sanitary affairs (July 7, 1913-Aug. 9, 1948, 25 items); civil service reforms (Jan. 1898-Feb. 1907, and Feb.-Apr. 1942, 21 items); the voting machine controversy (June 1936 and Nov. 1946-Sept. 1948, 21 items); and housing bond issues (Nov. 1946-Aug. 1956, 37 items). More concentrated areas of the Citizens' Association's work can be found during its advocacy of better water supply and drainage (Sept. 8, 1885j-June 8, 1892, 77 items); First Ward investigation reports on election fraud practices (filed separately in Box 13, 1931-1939, 319 items) plus sundry material on election frauds throughout the whole collection; formation of the Joint Civic Committee on Elections (1939-1940, 90 items); and ward reapportionment studies (1943-1944, 73 items). Aldermanic reports and related material are generally filed under the following election months: Feb. 1943, Apr. 1943, Sept. 1945, Apr. 1946, and Feb. 1947.

 

The papers during 1949 deal with the formation of the Citizens' Community Conference and the Citizens' Association's 75th Anniversary celebration. The material from the 1950s is mainly devoted to membership appeals and the Citizens' Community Conference's organizational matters, with some material related to Conference topics. See Mar. 8, 1955, for a program of Conference meetings.

 

The loose papers (130 items) from the Municipal Voters' League are almost entirely devoted to organizational matters of the Municipal Voters' League, e.g. by-laws (Nov. 1922), membership list (1925), incorporation certificate (Mar. 1, 1916) and appeals for funds, with the exception of the Executive Council hearing for Alderman Oscar F. Nelson with Edward Nockels and Victor Olander present as witnesses, plus two aldermanic reports (Feb. 28, 1933 and Feb. 26, 1935). Also includes poll watchers' reports from the 1930s, before the formation of the Joint Civic Committee on Elections.

 

Series 3. Municipal Voters' League volumes, 1896-1939

This series is comprised of minutes (Feb. 1896-Jan. 1932, 3 vols.) of the Committee of One Hundred, Executive Committee, and board of directors; correspondence, endorsements of aldermanic candidates and official publications (Feb. 1896-Mar. 1898, 1 vol.); newspaper clippings of published aldermanic reports and related material (1896-1902 and 1930-1931, 3 vols.); minutes of the United Cities Conference (Jan. 11-12, 1906, 1 vol.); newspaper clippings, letters, printed material, investigation reports relevant to aldermanic candidates (Dec. 1925-Feb. 1927, 2 vols.); ledgers listing membership accounts, receipts and disbursements (1911-1939, 5 vols.).

 

List of contents of the collection: (Items marked "Shelf" are found next to respective boxes on the shelf.)

Series 1. Citizens' Association volumes, 1874-1949

Executive Committee minutes,

Box 1

Volumes:

1 (Shelf)          Executive Committee minutes, Aug. 21, 1874-June 3, 1889

2 (Shelf)          Executive Committee minutes, June 5, 1889-Jan. 28, 1903

3                      Executive Committee minutes, Feb. 24, 1903-Apr. 15, 1913

4                      Executive Committee minutes, May 12 1913-Feb. 14, 1921

5                      Executive Committee minutes, Apr. 26, 1921-May 4, 1929

 

Box 1A

News clippings (1968.0770 accn.)

 

Box 2

Volumes:

1          Executive Committee minutes, Oct. 4, 1929-Jan. 9, 1936

2          Executive Committee minutes, Feb. 13, 1936-Nov. 2, 1942

3          Committee on Public Safety minutes, Dec. 2, 1884-Oct. 17, 1885

 

Box 3  Financial ledgers: memberships, receipts, disbursements:

Volumes:

1                      Oct. 1878-Aug. 1879

2 (Shelf)          Nov. 1881-Oct. 1884

3 (Shelf)          Oct. 1884-July 1887

4 (Shelf)          Oct. 1887-Oct. 1895

5 (Shelf)          Oct. 1895-Oct. 1900

6 (Shelf)          Oct. 1900-Oct. 1905

7 (Shelf)          Oct. 1905-Oct. 1910

8                      Oct. 1907-Oct. 1912

9 (Shelf)          Oct. 1910-Oct. 1916

10                    Oct. 1912-Oct. 1917

11 (Shelf)        Oct. 1916-Oct. 1919

12 (Shelf)        Oct. 1916-Oct. 1921

13                    Oct. 1917-Oct. 1922

14 (Shelf)        Oct. 1920-Oct. 1923

15 (Shelf)        Oct. 1920-Sept. 1926

16 (Shelf)        Oct. 1921-Oct. 1925

17                    Oct. 1922-Oct. 1930

18 (Shelf)        Oct. 1923-Oct. 1927

19(shelf)          Oct. 1925-Oct. 1930

20 (Shelf)        Oct. 1926-Oct. 1934

21(Shelf)         Oct. 1926-Oct. 1938

22                    Oct. 1930-Oct. 1938

23 (Shelf)        Oct. 1930-Oct. 1938

24                    Oct. 1934-Oct. 1938

25 (Shelf)        Oct. 1938-Oct. 1939

 

Box 4  Wage Account Books for Shelby M. Singleton, Amelia Ross, H. C. Crane, T. J. Larkin:

Volumes:

1                      Oct. 7, 1922-Sept. 27, 1924

2                      Oct.4, 1924-Sept. 26, 1925

3                      Oct. 3, 1925-Sept. 24, 1927

4                      Oct. 8, 1927-Sept. 28, 1929

5                      Oct. 5, 1929-Sept. 26, 1931

6                      Oct. 3, 1931-Sept. 30, 1933

7                      Oct. 5, 1935-Aug. 21, 1937

8          Shelby M. Singleton diaries, 1903

9          Shelby M. Singleton diaries, 1904

10        Shelby M. Singleton diaries, 1905

11        Shelby M. Singleton diaries, 1906

12        Shelby M. Singleton diaries, 1909

13        Shelby M. Singleton diaries, 1910

14        Shelby M. Singleton diaries, 1917

 

Series 2. Chronological files of the Citizens' Association and the Municipal Voters League, 1875-1964

Box 5

1          Chronological files, 1875-1887

2          Chronological files, 1888-1890

3          Chronological files, 1891-1905

 

Box 6

1          Chronological files, 1906-1914

2          Chronological files, 1915-1921

3          Chronological files, 1922-1926

4          Chronological files, 1927-1930

5          Chronological files, 1931-1938

6          Chronological files, Jan.-June 1939

 

Box 7

1          Chronological files, July-Dec. 1939

2          Chronological files, Jan.-Mar. 1940

3          Chronological files, Apr.-Aug. 1940

4          Chronological files, Sept.-Oct. 1940

5          Chronological files, Nov.-Dec. 1940

6          Chronological files, Jan.-Sept. 1941

7          Chronological files, Oct.-Dec. 1941

 

Box 8

1          Chronological files, Jan.-June 1942

2          Chronological files, July-Dec. 1942

3          Chronological files, Jan.-Feb. 15, 1943

4          Chronological files, Feb. 16-28, 1943

5          Chronological files, Mar.-May 1943

6          Chronological files, June-Dec. 1943

7          Chronological files, Undated 1943

 

Box 9

1          Chronological files, Jan.-Mar. 1944

2          Chronological files, Apr. 1944

3          Chronological files, May 1944

4          Chronological files, June-Oct. 1944

5          Chronological files, Nov.-Dec. 1944

6          Chronological files, Jan.-Aug. 1945

7          Chronological files, Sept.-Dec. 1945

 

Box 10

1          Chronological files, Jan.-June 1946

2          Chronological files, July-Nov. 28. 1946

3          Chronological files, Nov. 29-Dec. 1946

4          Chronological files, Jan.-Apr. 1947

5          Chronological files, May-Oct. 1947

6          Chronological files, Nov. 1947

 

Box 11

1          Chronological files, Dec. 1947

2          Chronological files, Jan.-June 1948

3          Chronological files, July-Dec. 1948

4          Chronological files, Jan.-Feb. 1949

5          Chronological files, Mar.-June 1949

6          Chronological files, July-Sept. 1949

 

Box 12

1          Chronological files, Oct. 1949

2          Chronological files, Nov.-Dec. 1949

            Chronological files, Undated 1949

3          Chronological files, Jan.-Apr. 1950

4          Chronological files, May-Dec. 1950

 

Box 13

1          Chronological files, Jan.-May 1951

2          Chronological files, June-Dec. 1951

3          Chronological files, Jan.-Apr. 1952

4          Chronological files, May-Sept. 1952

5          Chronological files, Oct. 1922(?) 1952?

6          Chronological files, Nov.-Dec. 1922 (1952?)

 

Box 14

1          Chronological files, Jan.-Aug. 1953

2          Chronological files, Sept.-Oct. 1953

3          Chronological files, Nov.-Dec. 1953

4          Chronological files, 1954

5          Chronological files, Jan.-Dec. 1953

 

Box 15

1          Chronological files, Undated 1955

2          Chronological files, Jan.-July 1956

3          Chronological files, Aug.-Dec. 1956

4          Chronological files, Jan.-Sept. 1957

5          Chronological files, Oct.-Dec. 1957

 

Box 16

1          Chronological files, Undated 1957

2          Chronological files, Jan.-Mar. 1958

3          Chronological files, Apr.-Aug. 1958

4          Chronological files, Sept.-Dec. 1958

5          1959

 

Box 17

1          Chronological files, 1960

2          Chronological files, 1961-1964

            Chronological files, Undated

3          Citizens' Community Conference, membership files & notes, 1947-1956

4          Citizens' Community Conference, Executive Committee minutes & papers, 1947-1953

5          Citizens' Community Conference, meeting transcript, Nov. 29, 1950

6          Citizens' Community Conference, meeting transcript, Apr. 9, 1951

7          Citizens' Community Conference, meeting transcript, May 14, 1951

 

Box 18 (pre-Joint Civic Committee on Elections):

1          Poll watchers' reports, 1931-Apr. 10, 1934

2          Poll watchers' reports, Nov. 6, 1934

3          Poll watchers' reports, Apr. 14, 1936 (Wards 1-26)

4          Poll watchers' reports, Apr. 14, 1936 (Wards 27-42)

5          Poll watchers' reports, Apr. 14, 1936 (Wards 42-50)

6          Poll watchers' reports, Nov. 3, 1936

            Poll watchers' reports, Nov. 8, 1938

 

Oversize folder: 1949 Mayor's proclamation

 

Series 3. Municipal Voters' League volumes, 1896-1939

Box 19

Volumes:

1          Minutes, Feb.-Apr. 12, 1896

2          Minutes, Feb. 1896-Mar. 1899

3          Minutes, Dec. 30, 1904-May 19, 1915

4          Minutes, May 19, 1915-Jan. 2, 1931

 

Box 20

Volumes:

1          Letters, Feb. 25, 1896-Feb. 22, 1897

2          Letters, Feb. 22, 1897-Mar. 1898

 

Box 21

Letters re: aldermanic elections, Wards 1-19, Dec. 1925-Feb. 1927

 

Box 22

Letters re: aldermanic elections, Wards 20-50, Dec. 1925-Feb. 1927

 

Box 23

Volumes:

1          News clippings, Mar. 4, 1896-Mar. 2, 1902

2          News clippings, Mar. 22, 1902-Nov. 1, 1902

3          News clippings, May 27-July 8, 1930

4          News clippings, July 8, 1930-Jan. 2 1931

5          News clippings, Jan. 2-Feb. 28, 1931

 

Box 24

Volumes:

1          Financial and membership ledgers, Jan. 1911-Apr. 1916

2          Financial and membership ledgers, Apr. 1916-Aug. 1921

3          Financial and membership ledgers, 1914-1916

4          Financial and membership ledgers, 1921-1931

5          Financial and membership ledgers, 1931-1937

6          Financial and membership ledgers, 1937-1939

 

List of card catalog entries made for this collection:

1. Chicago. City Council.

2. Chicago. Civic Improvement.

3. Chicago. Communities.

4. Chicago. Drainage Canal.

5. Politics and Government.

6. Chicago. Sanitary Affairs.

7. Chicago. Wards.

8. Chicago. Water Supply.

9. Civil Service. Chicago.

10. Elections. Chicago.

11. Elections. Corrupt Practices. Chicago.

12. Housing. Chicago.

13. Illinois and Mississippi (Hennepin) Canal.

14. Illinois. Constitutional Convention, 1920-1922.

15. Joint Civic Committee on Elections.

16. Kenna, Michael, 1858-1946.

i. Blair, William McCormick, 1884-

ii. Citizens' Community Conference.

iii. Crane, Richard Teller, 1832-1912.

iv. Deneen, Charles Samuel, 1863-1940.

v. Donnelley, Thomas Elliott, 1867-1955.

vi. Douglas, Paul Howard, 1892-

vii. Green, Dwight Herbert, 1897-1958.

viii. Insull, Samuel, 1900-

ix. Kelly,. Edward Joseph, 1876-1952.

x. Kennelly, Martin H. 1887-1961

xi. McCormick, Cyrus Hall, 1890-

xii. McCormick, Katharine Dexter, 1875-

xiii. Municipal Voters' League.

xiv. Nelson, Oscar F. 1884-

xv. Nockels, Edward Nicholas, 1869-1937.

xvi. Olander, Victor

xvii. Roche, John A. 1844-1904.

xviii. Taylor, Graham, 1851-1938.

xix. United Cities Conference.

 

Description of the J.C. Ambler for the Citizens' Association:

These volumes contain mostly newspaper clippings, pertaining chiefly to Chicago affairs.

CONTENTS . v. 1-42 Politics and elections . v. 43-50. Chicago city administration – v. 51-54. Chicago City Council—v. 55-57. Chicago transportation—v. 58-62. Chicago parks, boulevards, Lake front – v. 65-68. Public works: streets, street obstructions, nuisances—v. 69-70. Chicago Dept. of Health: smoke sanitation – v. 71. Smoke – v. 72-75. Chicago Board of Trade—v. 76. Labor—77-78. Law reform—v. 79-81. Cook County affairs—v. 82-87. National affairs—v. 88-95. Strikes and labor; v. 96-101. Pertains chiefly to waterways, sewerage and drainage problem, and affairs of the Chicago Sanitary district for the period 1887-1893—v. 102-104. Covers the 1903 session of the Illinois General Assembly.