Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne
Encyclopedia
Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne (October 12, 1853 – May 24, 1937) was an American
politician who was the 24th Governor of Illinois
from 1913 to 1917 and previously served as the 38th mayor
of Chicago
from April 5, 1905 to 1907.
, he was the son of an ardent Irish
nationalist, Patrick William (P. W.) Dunne (1832–1921), who emigrated to America in 1849 after the failed Young Ireland
revolt
. His mother, Delia Mary (Mary) Lawlor, was the daughter of a prosperous Irish contractor
, and participant in the Irish Rebellion of 1798
, who helped construct the docks at Galway Bay
.
The family moved to Peoria, Illinois
while Dunne was still an infant, and he was educated there in the public schools. His father refused to send his son to the local Catholic academy, because the Catholic Church had spoken out against the activities of the Fenians
.
P. W. Dunne was a prosperous businessman, active in both Irish and American politics. He raised money for the Fenians, gave generously of his own funds, and frequently hosted Irish politicians, political exiles, and rebels in his home when they traveled to Chicago.
in Dublin. His father wanted his son to be educated at the alma mater of Irish patriot, Robert Emmet
. Among his classmates was the author Oscar Wilde
. Dunne did extremely well at Trinity, but was forced to leave one year short of graduation, after his father suffered a financial setback.
Dunne returned to Illinois, and finished his education at Union College of Law in Chicago, where his family had settled in 1877. Soon after graduation he married the daughter of a Chicago businessman, Elizabeth Kelly, and started a prosperous legal practice.
in Chicago. He resigned to run for mayor, winning election as a Democrat
, in 1905. As Mayor, Dunne was instrumental in reducing the price of gasoline in Chicago from $1.00 to 85 cents, and of water from 10 cents to 7 cents per thousand gallons. He was also a strong proponent of municipal ownership of public utilities.
Dunne returned to his legal practice in 1907 after he finished his term as mayor. He returned to politics in 1912, when he was elected Governor of Illinois, on the Democratic ticket.
As governor Dunne championed numerous progressive reforms, including Women's Suffrage
, prison reforms, major infrastructural improvements, the creation of the Public Utility Commission, the Efficiency and Economy Commission, the Legislative Reference Bureau, and he also expanded the state's responsibility for overseeing workman's compensation benefits and teachers' pensions.
In November 1915, Dunne designated state Senator Stephen Canaday of Hillsboro
to appear as his representative on the train car along with the Liberty Bell
as it passed through southern Illinois on its nationwide tour returning to Pennsylvania
from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
in San Francisco. After that trip, the Liberty Bell returned to Pennsylvania and will not be moved again.
After finishing his term as governor, Dunne remained politically active. In 1921, he helped found an organization called the "National Unity Council" to combat the Ku Klux Klan
.
in order to voice Irish-American desires for an independent Irish nation. During his stay in Europe, he also visited Ireland. He spend ten days touring the island and meeting with politicians. He also addressed the First Dail on the 9th of May 1919.
, but he supplemented this work with a position as counsel to the Cook County Board of Election Commissioners.
Dunne died in Chicago on May 24, 1937.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
politician who was the 24th Governor of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
from 1913 to 1917 and previously served as the 38th mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
from April 5, 1905 to 1907.
Early years
Born in 1853, in Watertown, ConnecticutWatertown, Connecticut
Watertown is a town in Litchfield County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 21,661 at the 2000 census. The zip code for Watertown is 06795. It is a suburb of Waterbury. It borders the towns of Woodbury, Middlebury, Litchfield, Plymouth, Bethlehem, and Thomaston.-Founding History:More...
, he was the son of an ardent Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
nationalist, Patrick William (P. W.) Dunne (1832–1921), who emigrated to America in 1849 after the failed Young Ireland
Young Ireland
Young Ireland was a political, cultural and social movement of the mid-19th century. It led changes in Irish nationalism, including an abortive rebellion known as the Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848. Many of the latter's leaders were tried for sedition and sentenced to penal transportation to...
revolt
Young Irelander Rebellion of 1848
The Young Irelander Rebellion was a failed Irish nationalist uprising led by the Young Ireland movement. It took place on 29 July 1848 in the village of Ballingarry, County Tipperary. After being chased by a force of Young Irelanders and their supporters, an Irish Constabulary unit raided a house...
. His mother, Delia Mary (Mary) Lawlor, was the daughter of a prosperous Irish contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
, and participant in the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
, who helped construct the docks at Galway Bay
Galway Bay
Galway Bay is a large bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south. Galway city is located on the northeast side of the bay. It is about long and from to in breadth...
.
The family moved to Peoria, Illinois
Peoria, Illinois
Peoria is the largest city on the Illinois River and the county seat of Peoria County, Illinois, in the United States. It is named after the Peoria tribe. As of the 2010 census, the city was the seventh-most populated in Illinois, with a population of 115,007, and is the third-most populated...
while Dunne was still an infant, and he was educated there in the public schools. His father refused to send his son to the local Catholic academy, because the Catholic Church had spoken out against the activities of the Fenians
Fenian Brotherhood
The Fenian Brotherhood was an Irish republican organization founded in the United States in 1858 by John O'Mahony and Michael Doheny. It was a precursor to Clan na Gael, a sister organization to the Irish Republican Brotherhood. Members were commonly known as "Fenians"...
.
P. W. Dunne was a prosperous businessman, active in both Irish and American politics. He raised money for the Fenians, gave generously of his own funds, and frequently hosted Irish politicians, political exiles, and rebels in his home when they traveled to Chicago.
Education and early career
After Dunne graduated from high school in 1871, he was sent to Ireland to attend Trinity CollegeTrinity College, Dublin
Trinity College, Dublin , formally known as the College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, was founded in 1592 by letters patent from Queen Elizabeth I as the "mother of a university", Extracts from Letters Patent of Elizabeth I, 1592: "...we...found and...
in Dublin. His father wanted his son to be educated at the alma mater of Irish patriot, Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet was an Irish nationalist and Republican, orator and rebel leader born in Dublin, Ireland...
. Among his classmates was the author Oscar Wilde
Oscar Wilde
Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde was an Irish writer and poet. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of London's most popular playwrights in the early 1890s...
. Dunne did extremely well at Trinity, but was forced to leave one year short of graduation, after his father suffered a financial setback.
Dunne returned to Illinois, and finished his education at Union College of Law in Chicago, where his family had settled in 1877. Soon after graduation he married the daughter of a Chicago businessman, Elizabeth Kelly, and started a prosperous legal practice.
Political career
He served from 1892-1905 as Judge of the Circuit CourtCircuit court
Circuit court is the name of court systems in several common law jurisdictions.-History:King Henry II instituted the custom of having judges ride around the countryside each year to hear appeals, rather than forcing everyone to bring their appeals to London...
in Chicago. He resigned to run for mayor, winning election as a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, in 1905. As Mayor, Dunne was instrumental in reducing the price of gasoline in Chicago from $1.00 to 85 cents, and of water from 10 cents to 7 cents per thousand gallons. He was also a strong proponent of municipal ownership of public utilities.
Dunne returned to his legal practice in 1907 after he finished his term as mayor. He returned to politics in 1912, when he was elected Governor of Illinois, on the Democratic ticket.
As governor Dunne championed numerous progressive reforms, including Women's Suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
, prison reforms, major infrastructural improvements, the creation of the Public Utility Commission, the Efficiency and Economy Commission, the Legislative Reference Bureau, and he also expanded the state's responsibility for overseeing workman's compensation benefits and teachers' pensions.
In November 1915, Dunne designated state Senator Stephen Canaday of Hillsboro
Hillsboro, Illinois
Hillsboro is a city in Montgomery County, Illinois, United States. The population was 4,359 at the 2000 census, and 6,106 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Montgomery County.-History:...
to appear as his representative on the train car along with the Liberty Bell
Liberty Bell
The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American Independence, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formerly placed in the steeple of the Pennsylvania State House , the bell was commissioned from the London firm of Lester and Pack in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY...
as it passed through southern Illinois on its nationwide tour returning to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
from the Panama-Pacific International Exposition
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (1915)
The Panama-Pacific International Exposition was a world's fair held in San Francisco, California between February 20 and December 4 in 1915. Its ostensible purpose was to celebrate the completion of the Panama Canal, but it was widely seen in the city as an opportunity to showcase its recovery...
in San Francisco. After that trip, the Liberty Bell returned to Pennsylvania and will not be moved again.
After finishing his term as governor, Dunne remained politically active. In 1921, he helped found an organization called the "National Unity Council" to combat the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
.
- "In view of the fact that the Ku Klux Klan has adopted the weapon of mass action, it was our desire to organize a society which shall develop harmony and good feeling between different classes, rather than enmity," Mr. Dunne said today. "Invitations were sent to many prominent church, political, business and welfare men, and the replies are coming in now...."
- The Ku Klux Klan, which maintains an office here under the name of the "Southern Publicity Bureau" was called "a menace to this and any community" by former Governor Dunne in their adoption of the "equipment of burglar masks and implements of violence."
American Commission on Irish Independence
In 1919, Dunne was appointed by the Irish Race Convention to serve on the American Commission on Irish Independence. As part of this commission, Dunne traveled to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919Paris Peace Conference, 1919
The Paris Peace Conference was the meeting of the Allied victors following the end of World War I to set the peace terms for the defeated Central Powers following the armistices of 1918. It took place in Paris in 1919 and involved diplomats from more than 32 countries and nationalities...
in order to voice Irish-American desires for an independent Irish nation. During his stay in Europe, he also visited Ireland. He spend ten days touring the island and meeting with politicians. He also addressed the First Dail on the 9th of May 1919.
Later years and death
Dunne returned once again to practicing law after leaving office in 1917. His legal practice was damaged by the ravages of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, but he supplemented this work with a position as counsel to the Cook County Board of Election Commissioners.
Dunne died in Chicago on May 24, 1937.
Further reading
- Morton, Richard Allen. Edward F. Dunne: Illinois' Most Progressive Governor. ISHS, Winter 1990 edition. p. 218-234 http://dig.lib.niu.edu/ISHS/ishs-1990winter/ishs-1990winter218.pdf
- Morton, Richard Allen. Justice and Humanity: Edward F. Dunne, Illinois Progressive. Carbondale, Ill.: Southern Illinois University Press, 1997. ISBN 0809320959
- Sullivan, William Larkin. Dunne: Judge, Mayor, Governor. Chicago: Windermere Press, 1916 http://books.google.com/books?id=CLUhAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA217&lpg=PA217&dq=%22edward+fitzsimons+dunne&source=bl&ots=MIwzLXzvl4&sig=YrG4OEAoN4AdrHVFDD3-kfInxWI&hl=en&ei=v12YSovON4iksgPh0vGbAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=&f=false
External links
- Public Transportation and the Failure of Municipal Socialism in Chicago, 1905-1907: http://www.lib.niu.edu/2002/iht910228.html
- Chicago and Municipal Ownership, by Edward F. Dunne, National Magazine, June 1905