 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Anton Cermak" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Anton Cermak | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Cermak in 1933 | |
| 44th Mayor of Chicago | |
| In office April 9, 1931 – March 6, 1933 | |
| Preceded by | William Hale Thompson |
| Succeeded by | Frank J. Corr (acting) |
| President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners | |
| In office December 4, 1922 – March 23, 1931 | |
| Preceded by | Daniel Ryan Sr. |
| Succeeded by | Emmett Whealan |
| Chair of theCook County Democratic Party | |
| In office 1928–1931 | |
| Preceded by | George E. Brennan |
| Succeeded by | Patrick Nash |
| Member of theChicago City Councilfrom the 12th ward | |
| In office April 1919 – December 1922 Serving with Joseph I. Novak,Joseph Cepak | |
| Preceded by | Otto Kerner Sr. |
| In office April 1909 – December 1912 Serving with Michael Zimmer,William F. Schulz | |
| Preceded by | Joseph Z. Uhlir |
| Succeeded by | Joseph I. Novak |
| Member of theIllinois House of Representatives | |
| In office 1902–1909 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Antonín Josef Čermák (1873-05-09)May 9, 1873 |
| Died | March 6, 1933(1933-03-06) (aged 59) Miami, Florida, U.S. |
| Manner of death | Assassination |
| Resting place | Bohemian National Cemetery |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives |
|
Anton Joseph Cermak (May 9, 1873 – March 6, 1933) was an American politician who served as the 44thMayor of Chicago from April 7, 1931, until his death in 1933.[1] He was killed byGiuseppe Zangara, whose likely target was President-electFranklin D. Roosevelt, but Cermak was shot instead after a bystander hit the perpetrator with a purse.
A 1994 survey of experts on Chicago politics assessed Cermak as one of the ten best mayors in the city's history (up to that time).[a]
.jpg)
Anton Joseph Cermak was born to a mining family inKladno,Austria-Hungary (now in theCzech Republic), the son of Antonín Čermák and Kateřina née Frank(ová).[3][4][5]
He immigrated with his parents to the United States in 1874, and grew up in the town ofBraidwood, Illinois, where he was educated before beginning to work full time while still a teenager.[6] He followed his father into coal mining, and labored at mines inWill andGrundy counties.[7] After moving to Chicago at age 16, Cermak worked as a tow boy for the horse-drawnstreetcar line,[8][b] and then tended horses in the stables of Chicago'sPilsen neighborhood.[7] During the early years of his working life, Cermak supplemented his education with evening high school and business college classes.[9]
After saving enough money to buy his own horse and cart, he went into business selling firewood, and he subsequently expanded his venture into ahaulage business.[9] As he became more politically active, Cermak served in municipal government jobs, including as a clerk in the city police court, and as abailiff for theMunicipal Court of Chicago.[10][11] As his political fortunes began to rise, Cermak was able to avail himself of other business opportunities, including interests in real estate, insurance, and banking.[9]
Cermak began his political career as a Democratic Party precinct captain, and in 1902, he was elected to theIllinois House of Representatives. Seven years later, in 1909 he was elected to theChicago City Council as an alderman of the 12th Ward. He was re-elected in 1911.[12] In December 1912, he resigned from the city council in order to accept a position as bailiff of theChicago Municipal Court.[13] In 1918, Cermak unsuccessfully ran as the Democratic nominee forCook County sheriff. He narrowly lost to Republican nomineeCharles W. Peters.[14]
Cermak was elected in 1919 to again represent the 12th ward on the city council, and was re-elected in 1921.[12] He was electedpresident of the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 1922, and resigned from the city council in order to assume office as county president on December 4.[15] He was elected the chairman of theCook County Democratic Party in 1928.Also in 1928, he was the Democratic nominee for a seat in theUnited States Senate, but was defeated by RepublicanOtis F. Glenn, 54.46% to44.94%.
| This sectionneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources in this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.(February 2011) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Cermak won election asmayor of Chicago in 1931.[16] His mayoral victory came in the wake of theGreat Depression, the deep resentment many Chicagoans had ofProhibition, and the increasing violence resulting fromorganized crime's control of Chicago—typified by theSt. Valentine's Day Massacre.[citation needed]
The many ethnic groups, such asCzechs,Poles,Ukrainians,Jews,Italians, andAfrican Americans, who began to settle in Chicago in the early 1900s were mostly detached from the political system, due in part to a lack of organization, which led to underrepresentation in the City Council.[citation needed] As an immigrant himself, Cermak recognized Chicago's relatively new immigrants as a significant population of disenfranchised voters, which had the potential to be a large power base for Cermak and his local Democratic organization.[citation needed]
Before Cermak, theDemocratic party in Cook County was run byIrish Americans. The Irish first became successful in politics since they spoke English, and because, coming from an island on the edge of Europe, they had few ancestral enemies. As the old saying went: "A Lithuanian won’t vote for a Pole, and a Pole won’t vote for a Lithuanian. A German won’t vote for either of them. But all three will vote for a turkey—an Irishman."[17] As Cermak climbed the local political ladder, the resentment of the party leadership grew. When the bosses rejected his bid to become the mayoral candidate, Cermak swore revenge. He formed his political army from the non-Irish elements.[citation needed]
Cermak's political and organizational skills helped create one of the most influential political organizations of his day. With support fromFranklin D. Roosevelt on the national level, Cermak gradually wooed members of Chicago's growing black community into the Democratic fold. Walter Wright, the superintendent of parks and aviation for the city of Chicago, aided Cermak in stepping into office.[citation needed]
When Cermak challenged the incumbent,William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson, in the 1931 mayor's race, Thompson, who represented Chicago's existing Irish-dominated power structure, responded with an ethnic slur–filled ditty that ridiculed histeamster past (pushing a pushcart):[18]
Cermak replied, "He doesn’t like my name… it’s true I didn’t come over on theMayflower, but I came over as soon as I could." It was a sentiment to which ethnic Chicagoans could relate, and Thompson's prejudicial insults largely backfired.[19][20]
Thompson's reputation as a buffoon, many voters’ disgust with the corruption of hispolitical machine, and his inability or unwillingness to clean uporganized crime in Chicago were cited as major factors in Cermak capturing 58% of the vote in the mayoral election on April 6, 1931. Cermak's victory finished Thompson as a political power, and largely ended the Republican Party's influence in Chicago; indeed,all the mayors of Chicago since 1931 have been members of the Democratic Party. For nearly his entire administration, Cermak had to deal with a majortax revolt. From 1931 to 1933, theAssociation of Real Estate Taxpayers mounted a "tax strike."[21]
At its height, the association, which was headed byJohn M. Pratt andJames E. Bistor, had over 30,000 members. Much to Cermak's dismay, it successfully slowed down the collection of real estate taxes through litigation and the promotion of the refusal to pay. In the meantime, the city found it difficult to pay teachers and maintain services. Cermak had to meet President-elect Roosevelt to "mend fences," and to request money to fund essential city services.[citation needed]
A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of theUniversity of Illinois at Chicago ranked Cermak as the twenty-fifth-best American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.[22] A 1994 survey of experts on Chicago politics saw Cermak ranked as one of the ten best mayors in the city's history (up to that time).[2]
On February 15, 1933, while shaking hands with President-electFranklin D. Roosevelt atBayfront Park inMiami, Florida, Cermak was shot in the lung and mortally wounded byGiuseppe Zangara, who was attempting toassassinate Roosevelt. At the critical moment, Lillian Cross, a woman standing near Zangara, hit Zangara's arm with her purse, and spoiled his aim.[23] In addition to Cermak, Zangara hit four other people: Margaret Kruis, 21, ofNewark, NJ, shot through the hand; Russell Caldwell, 22, of Miami, hit squarely in the forehead by a spent bullet, which embedded itself under the skin; Mabel Gill of Miami, shot in the abdomen; and William Sinnott, a New York police detective, who received a glancing blow to the forehead and scalp.[24] All four of those injuries were minor.
Once at the hospital, Cermak reportedly uttered the line that was engraved on his tomb, saying to Roosevelt, "I'm glad it was me, not you." TheChicago Tribune reported the quote without attributing it to a witness, and most scholars doubt that it was ever said.[25][26]
Zangara told the police that he hated rich and powerful people, but not Roosevelt personally.[27] Later, rumors circulated that Cermak, not Roosevelt, had been the intended target, as his promise to clean up Chicago's rampant lawlessness posed a threat toAl Capone and the Chicagoorganized crime syndicate.[28][29] One of the first people to suggest the organized crime theory was reporterWalter Winchell, who happened to be in Miami the evening of the shooting.[30][31] According to Roosevelt biographerJean Edward Smith, there is no proof for this theory.[32]
Long-time Chicago newsman Len O’Connor offers a different view of the events surrounding the mayor's assassination. He has written that aldermenPaddy Bauler and Charlie Weber informed him that relations between Cermak and Roosevelt were strained, because Cermak fought Roosevelt's nomination at theDemocratic convention in Chicago.[33]
Author Ronald Humble provides yet another perspective as to why Cermak was killed. In his bookFrank Nitti: The True Story of Chicago’s Notorious Enforcer, Humble contends that Cermak was as corrupt as Thompson, and that theChicago Outfit hired Zangara to kill Cermak in retaliation for Cermak's attempt to murderFrank Nitti.[citation needed]
Cermak died atJackson Memorial Hospital in Miami[34] on March 6, partly due to his wounds. On March 30, however, his personal physician, Dr. Karl A. Meyer, revealed that the primary cause of Cermak's death wasulcerative colitis, commenting, "The mayor would have recovered from the bullet wound had it not been for the complication of colitis. The autopsy disclosed the wound had healed ... the other complications were not directly due to the bullet wound."[35] Doubts were raised at the time and later concerning whether the bullet wound directly contributed to his death. A theory raised decades later contended that the bullet had actually caused damage to his colon which led to perforation which was undiagnosed by his doctors. It alleged that "but for [the] physicians' blunders" Cermak might have survived.[36] This theory was refuted by a later medical analysis of the event.[37]
Zangara was convicted of murder after Cermak's death under the law oftransferred intent, and wasexecuted in Florida'selectric chair on March 20, 1933.[38]
Cermak firstlay in state in Miami. His remains were then transported to Chicago in solidbronze casket placed in thebaggage car of afuneral train operated by theIllinois Central. The casket was decorated withbunting and draped with anAmerican flag.[39] The train was transported to its train by honorary escort.[40]
Family members and associates of Cermak rode on the train. Sixteen members of theChicago City Council served aspallbearers for the heavy casket, carrying it off the train, through a cordon of military members andAmerican Legionnaires, and into a automobilehearse. The hearse was then followed by two fire trucks, carrying flowers that had been transported to Chicago aboard the funeral car. At least 50,000 people gathered on the streets near theCentral Station in Chicago to greet the return of his remains to the city at 10 am local time on March 8. TheUnited Press reported that alongMichigan Avenue, crowds were "aligned 10 deep...and overflowed intoGrant Park.[39]
On March 10, Cermak's non-sectarian funeral service was held at theChicago Stadium arena.[41] Crowds were described as exceeding the venue's 25,000 spectator seating capacity. The services were short, and featuredeulogies by GovernorHenry Horner, Reverend John Thompson (First United Methodist Church of Chicago), Father Daniel Frawley (St. Jerome Croatian Catholic Church), RabbiLouis Mann (Chicago Sinai Congregation).[42] The service was followed by a procession between the arena and Chicago'sBohemian National Cemetery along a route 12 miles (19 km) in length, with approximately 50,000 marchers forming a marching line that measured 5 miles (8.0 km). The procession was spectated by hundreds of thousands. Cermak was interred in a family mausoleum at Bohemian National Cemetery.[41]
The mayor's death was followed by a struggle for succession both to his party chairmanship, and for the mayor's office.[43]
A plaque honoring Cermak still lies at the site of the assassination in Miami'sBayfront Park. It is inscribed with Cermak's alleged words to Roosevelt after he was shot, "I'm glad it was me instead of you." Following Cermak's death, 22nd Street—a major east–west artery that traversed Chicago's West Side, and the close-in suburbs ofCicero andBerwyn, areas with significant Czech populations—was renamedCermak Road. In 1943, aLiberty ship, theSSA. J. Cermak was named in Cermak's honor. It was scrapped in 1964.[citation needed]
Cermak'sson-in-law,Otto Kerner Jr., served as the 33rdGovernor of Illinois, and as afederal circuit judge.
His grandson,Frank J. Jirka, Jr., who was with him in Miami when he was assassinated, later became anUnderwater Demolition Team officer in theUnited States Navy. Jirka was awarded aSilver Star andPurple Heart for his actions during theBattle of Iwo Jima; the wounds he suffered led to theamputation of both legs below the knee. AfterWorld War II, he became aphysician, and in 1983, was elected president of theAmerican Medical Association. Cermak's great niece, Kajon Cermak, is a radio broadcaster.[44] His daughter, Lillian, was married toRichey V. Graham, who served in theIllinois General Assembly.[45]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | President of the Cook County Board of Commissioners 1922–1931 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Mayor of Chicago 1931–1933 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Democratic nominee forU.S. Senator fromIllinois (Class 3) 1928 | Succeeded by |
