Patrick Nash
Encyclopedia
Patrick A. Nash was a political boss
in the early and mid-twentieth century in Chicago
, which is in Cook County
, Illinois
, United States
. He was in large part responsible for consolidating what became the Chicago Democratic political machine
, which was regarded as the first political machine in Chicago. He evolved from a local sewage
contractor
to a political boss by carefully selecting his political allies. His prominence stems from the death of Anton Cermak
and his political career is intertwined with that of Edward Joseph Kelly
. Kelly was considered unusually progressive and Nash was considered unusually honest. The success of this machine was attributed to its decision to be more inclusive than its predecessors. This meant that Nash had success at dealing with a variety of politicians such as William L. Dawson.
, near Delaware Place. When he was six, his family moved to the West side of Chicago. However, it is his final residential address for the King-Nash House
at 3234 West Washington Boulevard where he lived from 1925 until 1943 that became a Chicago Landmark
.
He became a ward committeeman under Roger Sullivan
, an earlier Chicago political boss. At the same time, Nash and his brother Richard formed Nash Brothers, a contractor company that specialized in sewer building. The company remained in place for more than 40 years and earned more than $14 million from work for the Chicago Sanitary district. Edward Joseph Kelly
was the chief engineer of the Sanitary district in the 1920s under Nash's patronage. In 1925, city contracts for Nash Brothers resulted in Nash having one of the ten highest incomes in the city of Chicago.
A close ally of Anton Cermak, when Cermak was elected Mayor of Chicago
in 1931, he asked Nash to become Cook County
Democratic Party Chairman. Nash was said to have represented the professional, and less narrowly ethnic, wing of the Irish contingent, which would help him to expand the party base. Nash held the position from 1931 until his death in 1943.
experienced enough internal struggles to be thwarted from establishing dominance because factionalism abounded in the party. Chicago's first political machines rose under Anton Cermak
, a Chicagoan likened to a George Washington
of the Chicago Democratic Machine, in 1928 after the death of George Brennan.
Some sources claim that Chicago's first political machines rose before World War I
under Roger C. Sullivan, for the Democrats, and William Lorimer for the Republicans. By the time of Sullivan's death in 1920, he was absolute ruler of the Chicago and Illinois Democratic Parties, and his organization was immense and stable. Sullivan was succeeded by his chief lieutenant, George Brennan, who helped elect William Dever
as mayor.
Nash's period of domination in Chicago began with Cermak's assassination in 1933. When Cermak died, Nash helped promote Frank J. Corr
to be the acting mayor of Chicago. Nash and other party leaders lobbied for a change in the city charter which called for a special election in the case of the death of an incumbent mayor. With an expensive special election looming during the Great Depression
, they struck a deal with the Republican-led state legislature to grant the Chicago City Council
the authority to appoint a permanent mayor. Subsequently, Nash turned down his own appointment and instead arranged to have Edward Joseph Kelly
appointed mayor.
The political machine
Nash built up with Kelly's help survived until four years after Nash's death. Unlike many political bosses, Nash was viewed by politicians as fair and scrupulously honest. Part of the success of their machine was the fact that they handed out jobs to ethnic groups across the European spectrum, rather than just to Chicago's Irish population. Nash and Kelly began to integrate Blacks
into Chicagos' political process.
In 1942, William L. Dawson consolidated a black submachine that stayed loyal to the Democrats until his death in 1970. While Nash's financial resources provided the muscle to the machine and Kelly served as its front, Jacob Arvey
, a man said to be the only man in the machine to have ever read a book, was its brains. Arvey would later succeed Nash and Kelly as Cook County Democratic Chairman.
In 1934 Raymond S. McKeough
began the first of four terms as the Democratic Congressman from Illinois' 2nd District. He gained the support of Nash and the Cook County Democratic Organization
for the original nomination.
In 1940, Nash offered his support to Louie Lewis, who was running for Lieutenant Governor in the Democratic primary. After Nash announced his support, a longtime friend of his, State Senator George Maypole, told Nash that he was planning on running against Lewis in the primary. Nash informed Maypole that as he had already given his word to Lewis, he would continue to support Lewis in the primary. Although Lewis defeated Maypole, he went on to lose in the general election and rumors persisted that Nash's support and efforts were not wholehearted. In an attempt to quell those rumors, Nash ordered that Maypole be "purged" when he was up for re-election in 1942 and Maypole lost to Norman Barry
in that year's primary.
Following Nash's death in Chicago in 1943, he was succeeded as Cook County Democratic Chairman by Ed Kelly, who gave way to Jacob M. Arvey
, and owned a stables, Shannon Farm. In addition, he owned a horse farm in the Bluegrass region
of Kentucky
, where he raised horses to be raced.
Political boss
A boss, in politics, is a person who wields the power over a particular political region or constituency. Bosses may dictate voting patterns, control appointments, and wield considerable influence in other political processes. They do not necessarily hold public office themselves...
in the early and mid-twentieth century in 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...
, which is in Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
, 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,...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. He was in large part responsible for consolidating what became the Chicago Democratic political machine
Cook County Democratic Organization
The Cook County Democratic Organization is one of the most powerful political machines in American history. Historically called the "Chicago Democratic machine", or simply the "Chicago Machine", the organization has dominated Chicago politics since the 1930s...
, which was regarded as the first political machine in Chicago. He evolved from a local sewage
Sewage
Sewage is water-carried waste, in solution or suspension, that is intended to be removed from a community. Also known as wastewater, it is more than 99% water and is characterized by volume or rate of flow, physical condition, chemical constituents and the bacteriological organisms that it contains...
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:...
to a political boss by carefully selecting his political allies. His prominence stems from the death of Anton Cermak
Anton Cermak
Anton Joseph Cermak was the mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1931 until his assassination by Giuseppe Zangara in 1933.-Early life and career:...
and his political career is intertwined with that of Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago sanitary district in the 1920s, and later as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Democratic Party....
. Kelly was considered unusually progressive and Nash was considered unusually honest. The success of this machine was attributed to its decision to be more inclusive than its predecessors. This meant that Nash had success at dealing with a variety of politicians such as William L. Dawson.
Early life
Nash was born on Chicago's Rush StreetRush Street (Chicago)
Rush Street is predominantly a northbound one-way street in the Near North Side community area of Chicago in Cook County, Illinois, United States...
, near Delaware Place. When he was six, his family moved to the West side of Chicago. However, it is his final residential address for the King-Nash House
King-Nash House
The King-Nash House, also known as Patrick J. King House, is a combination of Sullivanesque, Colonial Revival, and Prairie styles house at 3234 West Washington Boulevard in the East Garfield Park area of Chicago, Illinois, United States. The house was built in 1901 by George W. Maher for Patrick...
at 3234 West Washington Boulevard where he lived from 1925 until 1943 that became a Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark
Chicago Landmark is a designation of the Mayor of Chicago and the Chicago City Council for historic buildings and other sites in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Listed sites are selected after meeting a combination of criteria, including historical, economic, architectural, artistic, cultural,...
.
He became a ward committeeman under Roger Sullivan
Roger Sullivan
Roger Charles Sullivan , was a member of the Cook County Democratic Organization during the early twentieth century.-Biography:He was born in Belvidere, Illinois in 1861 the child of Irish immigrants....
, an earlier Chicago political boss. At the same time, Nash and his brother Richard formed Nash Brothers, a contractor company that specialized in sewer building. The company remained in place for more than 40 years and earned more than $14 million from work for the Chicago Sanitary district. Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago sanitary district in the 1920s, and later as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Democratic Party....
was the chief engineer of the Sanitary district in the 1920s under Nash's patronage. In 1925, city contracts for Nash Brothers resulted in Nash having one of the ten highest incomes in the city of Chicago.
Political rise
Nash was active in Chicago politics from the early twentieth century. He was first appointed to political office in 1915, when he served on the board of assessors. Three years later, he was elected to the board of review, which set tax valuations. He ran for reelection in 1924, supported by the Chicago teachers' union, but lost in an election in which the Democrats were swept from office by the Republicans, and never ran for public office again. Nash did continue to run for Democratic party offices and served as a ward committeeman for the 14th Ward and later for the 28th Ward.A close ally of Anton Cermak, when Cermak was elected Mayor of Chicago
Mayor of Chicago
The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of Chicago, Illinois, the third largest city in the United States. He or she is charged with directing city departments and agencies, and with the advice and consent of the Chicago City Council, appoints department and agency leaders.-Appointment...
in 1931, he asked Nash to become Cook County
Cook County, Illinois
Cook County is a county in the U.S. state of Illinois, with its county seat in Chicago. It is the second most populous county in the United States after Los Angeles County. The county has 5,194,675 residents, which is 40.5 percent of all Illinois residents. Cook County's population is larger than...
Democratic Party Chairman. Nash was said to have represented the professional, and less narrowly ethnic, wing of the Irish contingent, which would help him to expand the party base. Nash held the position from 1931 until his death in 1943.
Kelly-Nash Machine
Stretching back to its early beginnings, Chicago had had a long two-party political history that prevented either party from developing a political machine. Republicans usually won at the national level, while Democrats usually won the majority of local contests. However, both political partiesPolitical party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
experienced enough internal struggles to be thwarted from establishing dominance because factionalism abounded in the party. Chicago's first political machines rose under Anton Cermak
Anton Cermak
Anton Joseph Cermak was the mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1931 until his assassination by Giuseppe Zangara in 1933.-Early life and career:...
, a Chicagoan likened to a George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
of the Chicago Democratic Machine, in 1928 after the death of George Brennan.
Some sources claim that Chicago's first political machines rose before World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
under Roger C. Sullivan, for the Democrats, and William Lorimer for the Republicans. By the time of Sullivan's death in 1920, he was absolute ruler of the Chicago and Illinois Democratic Parties, and his organization was immense and stable. Sullivan was succeeded by his chief lieutenant, George Brennan, who helped elect William Dever
William Dever
William Dever may refer to:* William Emmett Dever , mayor of Chicago 1923–1926* William G. Dever, biblical archaeologist...
as mayor.
Nash's period of domination in Chicago began with Cermak's assassination in 1933. When Cermak died, Nash helped promote Frank J. Corr
Frank J. Corr
Frank J. Corr served as acting mayor of Chicago, Illinois in 1933 following the assassination of Anton Cermak...
to be the acting mayor of Chicago. Nash and other party leaders lobbied for a change in the city charter which called for a special election in the case of the death of an incumbent mayor. With an expensive special election looming during the Great Depression
Great 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...
, they struck a deal with the Republican-led state legislature to grant the Chicago City Council
Chicago City Council
The Chicago City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Chicago in Illinois. It consists of 50 aldermen elected from 50 wards to serve four-year terms...
the authority to appoint a permanent mayor. Subsequently, Nash turned down his own appointment and instead arranged to have Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly
Edward Joseph Kelly served as chief engineer of the Chicago sanitary district in the 1920s, and later as mayor of Chicago, Illinois for the Democratic Party....
appointed mayor.
The political machine
Political machine
A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...
Nash built up with Kelly's help survived until four years after Nash's death. Unlike many political bosses, Nash was viewed by politicians as fair and scrupulously honest. Part of the success of their machine was the fact that they handed out jobs to ethnic groups across the European spectrum, rather than just to Chicago's Irish population. Nash and Kelly began to integrate Blacks
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
into Chicagos' political process.
In 1942, William L. Dawson consolidated a black submachine that stayed loyal to the Democrats until his death in 1970. While Nash's financial resources provided the muscle to the machine and Kelly served as its front, Jacob Arvey
Jacob Arvey
Jacob M. Arvey was aninfluential Chicago political leader from the Depression era until the mid-1950s. He may be best-known for his efforts to end corruption in the Chicago Democratic organization, and for promoting the candidacies of liberal Democratic politicians such as Adlai Stevenson and...
, a man said to be the only man in the machine to have ever read a book, was its brains. Arvey would later succeed Nash and Kelly as Cook County Democratic Chairman.
In 1934 Raymond S. McKeough
Raymond S. McKeough
Raymond Stephen McKeough was a Democratic politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Illinois from 1935 to 1943....
began the first of four terms as the Democratic Congressman from Illinois' 2nd District. He gained the support of Nash and the Cook County Democratic Organization
Cook County Democratic Organization
The Cook County Democratic Organization is one of the most powerful political machines in American history. Historically called the "Chicago Democratic machine", or simply the "Chicago Machine", the organization has dominated Chicago politics since the 1930s...
for the original nomination.
In 1940, Nash offered his support to Louie Lewis, who was running for Lieutenant Governor in the Democratic primary. After Nash announced his support, a longtime friend of his, State Senator George Maypole, told Nash that he was planning on running against Lewis in the primary. Nash informed Maypole that as he had already given his word to Lewis, he would continue to support Lewis in the primary. Although Lewis defeated Maypole, he went on to lose in the general election and rumors persisted that Nash's support and efforts were not wholehearted. In an attempt to quell those rumors, Nash ordered that Maypole be "purged" when he was up for re-election in 1942 and Maypole lost to Norman Barry
Norman Barry
Norman "Norm" Barry was an American football coach. He was the head coach for the National Football League's Chicago Cardinals from 1925 to 1926. He compiled a record of 16-10-2 in two seasons....
in that year's primary.
Following Nash's death in Chicago in 1943, he was succeeded as Cook County Democratic Chairman by Ed Kelly, who gave way to Jacob M. Arvey
Jacob Arvey
Jacob M. Arvey was aninfluential Chicago political leader from the Depression era until the mid-1950s. He may be best-known for his efforts to end corruption in the Chicago Democratic organization, and for promoting the candidacies of liberal Democratic politicians such as Adlai Stevenson and...
Personal life
Nash was a fan of horse racingHorse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
, and owned a stables, Shannon Farm. In addition, he owned a horse farm in the Bluegrass region
Bluegrass region
The Bluegrass Region is a geographic region in the state of Kentucky, United States. It occupies the northern part of the state and since European settlement has contained a majority of the state's population and its largest cities....
of Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, where he raised horses to be raced.