Robert R. McCormick. Diary as Chicago Alderman
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Scope and Contents
This diary illustrates Robert R. McCormick's brief career as a member of the City Council of Chicago as Alderman for the 21st Ward. Each entry in the diary describes a request from a constituent (identified by name, address and sometimes organization), and any action taken. Although the entries themselves are not dated, the date can be determined in most cases by the correspondence attached to entries, or laid into the volume.
Examples of matters brought to McCormick's attention are: an alley needs to be paved; a baseball team wants a permit to play on a city lot; a tavern owner wants to put up a large electric sign; a bad sidewalk needs repair; a constituent wants a job, or wants a ticket to the upcoming Republican convention, or wants a dog released from the dog pound.
The basic information about some requests is written in an unknown hand. Information about other entries, and the descriptions of any actions taken (in the "Remarks" section) appear to be in McCormick's hand.
Dates
- 1904-04 - 1905-01
Creator
Conditions Governing Access
There are no restrictions on use of the materials in the department for research; all patrons must comply with federal copyright regulations. This collection is stored off-site and requires two business days advance notice for retrieval. Please contact the McCormick Library at specialcollections@northwestern.edu or 847-491-3635 for more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection.
Biographical / Historical
McCormick took office as Alderman to the 21st Ward immediately following the election of 1904-04-05. His term on the City Council lasted only until he began his term as President of the Board of the Sanitary District, following the election of 1905-11-07.
Extent
1 Volumes
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
This diary illustrates Robert R. McCormick's brief career as a member of the City Council of Chicago as Alderman for the 21st Ward. Each entry in the diary describes a request from a constituent (identified by name, address and sometimes organization), and any action taken. Although the entries themselves are not dated, the date can be determined in most cases by the correspondence attached to entries, or laid into the volume.
Arrangement
Entries in the diary are in chronological order. There are three entries on each pre-printed page. Spaces are provided for name, address, "particulars" (sometimes used for the name of an organization), nature of business, and "remarks" (used for a description of any action taken). The meaning of the abbreviation "T.D." (or perhaps "Y.D.") in the "remarks" section is not known.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Received from the Robert R. McCormick Foundation, Chicago Tribune Company, and Nexstar Media Group on January 10, 2020, accession #SPEC-2020-1.
Physical Description
The volume is fragile. The covers are detached, and many pages are loose. Pages 48-200 of the volume are blank.
General
Includes a clipping from the Chicago Record-Herald (1904-04-06), with a photograph of McCormick sitting in a chauffeur-driven automobile "as he appeared at his headquarters after the polls closed."
Processing Information
The clipping from the Chicago Record-Herald was part of the collection assigned the temporary identifier XI-393
- Title
- Guide to the Robert R. McCormick. Diary as Chicago Alderman
- Author
- Gary L. Strawn
- Date
- 2021-10-22
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Library Details
Part of the Charles Deering McCormick Library of Special Collections Repository
Deering Library, Level 3
1970 Campus Drive
Evanston IL 60208-2300 US
847-491-3635
specialcollections@northwestern.edu