John Coughlin (alderman)

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This article is about the Chicago Alderman. For other uses, see John Coughlin.

"Bathhouse" John Coughlin (1860-1938) was a First Ward Alderman in Chicago from 1893 until his death in 1938. Coughlin received his nickname because he began working in Turkish bathhouses as a rubber, eventually owning his own tavern and bathhouses. Along with his partner, fellow first ward alderman "Hinky Dink" Kenna, Coughlin was known as the "Lords of the Levee," a district included in their ward which provided them with the support of prostitutes, pimps, tavern-owners, and gamblers. They also led the Gray Wolves of Chicago.[1]

Coughlin and Kenna's best known activity was the first ward ball, an annual fundraiser which brought together safecrackers, prostitutes, politicians, businessmen, gamblers, and others. The event would raise more than $50,000 a year for the two first ward aldermen until it was closed down in 1909 by Mayor Fred Busse. By the time it ended, the ball had moved into the Chicago Coliseum and ended in annual riots.

When Coughlin was accused of corruption, he demanded a retraction, not for the charge of graft, but for the claim he was born in Waukegan, Illinois.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Maureen A. Flanagan. Gray Wolves. Electronic Encyclopedia of Chicago. Chicago Historical Society. Retrieved on 2008-03-22.