|
| Affiliation | Democratic |
|
| <- |
1897-01-01 |
|
|
| Name | John Peter Altgeld |
| Address |
Chicago, Illinois , United States |
| Email | None |
| Website | None |
| Born |
December 30, 1847
|
| Died | March 11, 1902
(54 years)
|
| Contributor | Thomas Walker |
| Last Modifed | Juan Croniqueur
Dec 04, 2022 01:44am |
| Tags |
German -
|
| Info | John Peter Altgeld, the son of a illiterate farm labourer, was born in Hesse, Germany on 30th December, 1847. The following year the family moved to the United States and settled in Mansfield, Ohio. After a brief schooling he started work on the family farm when he was twelve years old.
Although only sixteen, on the outbreak of the Civil War Altgeld volunteered to fight in the Union Army. He fought under General Benjamin Butler in Virginia until falling ill with Chickahominy Fever. Many of the regiment died but Altgeld managed to survive but the fever was to leave a permanent mark on his health.
After the war Altgeld returned to Mansfield and enrolled in the local high school. After further studies at the Lexington Seminary he found work as a teacher in Woodville. Altgeld fell in love with a fellow teacher, Emma Ford, the daughter of a successful Ohio merchant. Altgeld proposed marriage but Emma's father refused permission as he considered him too poor for his daughter. Devastated by the news, Altgeld left town determined to make his fortune elsewhere.
Altgeld became an itinerant worker in Missouri and Arkansas, where he joined a railroad-building crew. Eventually Altgeld became a school teacher in Missouri. He continued to study until he qualified as a lawyer. A member of the Democratic Party, he developed a reputation for protecting the rights of the poor and in 1874 was elected district attorney of Andrew County, Missouri.
Altgeld moved to Chicago, Illinois, in 1875, where he wrote his book, Our Penal Machinery and Its Victims. The book, that argued that the United States criminal system favoured the rich over the poor, influenced a generation of social reformers, including the lawyer, Clarence Darrow and Jane Addams, the founder of the Hull House Settlement. In 1877 Altgeld returned to Ohio and married Emma Ford.
Over the next few years Altgeld became a successful businessman. Altgeld specialized in the buying and selling of real estate. One of his most successful ventures was the purchase of the sixteen-story Unity Block in Chicago. Despite his wealth, Altgeld developed a strong sympathy for the plight of the poor. He became involved in politics and with the support of the Democrats and the United Labor Party, Altgeld was elected governor of Illinois in 1892.
Once in power Altgeld's embarked on an ambitious program of social reform, which included attempts to prohibit child labour and the inspection of factories. This involved the employment of Florence Kelley as Chief Factory Inspector of Illinois. Altgeld also controversially pardoned three men, Oscar Neebe, Samuel Fielden and Michael Schwab, convicted after the Haymarket Bombing, and introduced a law prohibiting discrimination against trade union members.
In 1894 President Grover Cleveland and Attorney General Richard Olney sent in federal troops to deal with the Pullman Strike. Altgeld protested against this violation of state's rights, but the action was popular with industrialists in Illinois. Altgeld was defeated by the Republican candidate in the 1896 election as governor of Illinois and a further attempt in 1899 also ended in failure. John Peter Altgeld died on 11th March 1902.
Vote totals for elections in which was nominated for the Hall of Fame for Great Americans (1900-1965): 1955-3, 1960-1, 1965-1.
[Link] |
 | BOOKS |
 |
|
| Title |
Purchase |
Contributor |
|
| Start Date |
End Date |
Type |
Title |
Contributor |
|
| Date |
Category |
Headline |
Article |
Contributor |
|
| INFORMATION LINKS |
|
|
|
