Glory, darkness, light : a history of the Union League Club of Chicago / James D. Nowlan.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Nowlan, James Dunlap, 1941-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Union League Club of Chicago--History.

Union League Club of Chicago.

History.

Chicago (Ill.)--History.

Chicago (Ill.).

Physical Description:

xv, 254 pages, 20 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations ; 26 cm

Place of Publication:

Evanston, Ill. : Northwestern University Press, [2004]

Summary:

With roots dating back to the Civil War, the Union League Club of Chicago has grown, prospered, and suffered alongside its city. Glory, Darkness, Light: A History of the Union League Club of Chicago tells an honest story of how the Club and its members have built, squabbled with, and boosted their city for 125 years.

Throughout its history, the Club has fought public corruption, winning battles but never the war. For instance, in 1909, a quiet conversation in the Club between two members led to the expulsion of William Lorimer from the U.S. Senate for buying his seat and of lumber magnate Edward G. Hines from the Club rolls, the latter following a sensational three-month trial inside the Club. Twenty years later, leading members of the Club created and funded a secret army that gangster A1 Capone credited with his downfall.

The Union League Club of Chicago is unique among the country's two thousand city clubs in its rich mix of civic, artistic, and charitable missions. In 1893, Club leaders saved, then opened, the incomparable World's Columbian Exposition for twenty-seven million visitors. Today, a noted art collection covers the walls of the twenty-three-story clubhouse, including the offices for its Boys and Girls Clubs and other charitable foundations. But the Club's history has darker chapters as well. Half the members of the 2003 board of directors -- Jews, blacks, women -- would not have been eligible for membership fifty years ago. The book recounts in sharp detail the Club's resistance to opening membership to these groups.

Drawing on interviews, oral histories, and extensive archives, Glory, Darkness, Light is both a grand city history and a revealing look at what goes on behind the brass plaque of a prestigious city club.

Contents:

Glory

1. The Union Leagues Versus the Knights of the Golden Circle 5

2. Owen Needs a Job; "Long John" Seeks a Marching Club 13

3. Life in the Early Club 20

4. "If Christ Came to Chicago!" 30

5. The Titan Versus the Second-Class Businessman 42

6. "The West End of the Next World" 56

7. The Buying of a U.S. Senate Seat

as Revealed at the Union League Club 69

8. The Roaring Twenties 83

Darkness

9. A Gentleman's Agreement 101

10. Old Crow and Jim Crow 110

11. The Side Door 126

Light

12. "If 20 Dead Gangsters Could Be Boys Again" 145

13. It's a Grand Night for Singing 159

14. Art Alone Endures 169

15. A "Done Deal" Undone 182

16. Public Affairs in a Private Club 191

17. The Club and Its House 204

18. The Club and Its City 220

Appendix A Articles of Association 225

Appendix B Union League Club of Chicago: A Representative Chronology 226

Appendix C Club Presidents 230

Appendix D Mission of the Civic and Arts Foundation 232.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 235-246) and index.

ISBN:

0810115492

OCLC:

53840208