William Hale Thompson

William Hale Thompson

William Hale Thompson (* 14. May 1869 in Boston , Massachusetts ; † 18th March 1944 in Chicago , Illinois ) was an American politician of the Republican Party and from 1915 to 1923 and from 1927 to 1931 mayor of Chicago . The politician known as the Big Bill was the last Republican mayor of Chicago to date.

Early years

When Thompson was nine years old, he and his parents left Boston to move to Chicago. Instead of going to college , he spent a long time traveling around Europe . He then became a farmer in Texas and New Mexico and only returned to Chicago after the death of his father in 1892.

Political career

Since 1900 he was politically active as a member of the Republican Party. Between 1902 and 1904 he served as a commissioner in Cook County . In 1915 he was elected the new mayor of Chicago. He held this post until 1923. During this time, the race riots that rocked Chicago in 1919, the beginning of Prohibition and the rise of Al Capone .

Mayor Thompson felt like a demagogue. He had no qualms about changing his views and opinions at will. During the First World War he initially supported the Germans, which earned him the nickname "Kaiser Bill". Once he was for and once against prohibition. It was the same with many other subjects. Then he came to terms with Johnny Torrio and his successor Capone, who more or less ruled the city.

In 1923 he decided not to run again due to fraud proceedings initiated against him. Four years later he made the leap to the office of mayor again. During the election campaign he had promised everything to practically every section of the population just to be elected. The following four years in Chicago were marked by violence and crime. During this time the legendary gang wars took place, which culminated in the massacre on Valentine's Day in 1929. Thompson himself was suspected of being on Capone's payroll. John Kobler, the author of a biography of Al Capone, dedicated a separate chapter in this book to Thompson, entitled “The Most Corrupt of All Mayors”.

In 1930 his wife was attacked; while the police officer accompanying him, Peter O'Malley, who acted as chauffeur and bodyguard, had a gun held to his head. The value of the loot - essentially the wife's jewelry - is said to have been around $ 15,000. A suspect - Sam Battaglia - was arrested a few days later, but had to be let go again for lack of evidence.

In fact, in addition to brute force, corruption and bribery also flourished during this period. The police were powerless and inactive. Significantly, Mayor Thompson supported Governor Len Small , who was also suspected of corruption. Thompson's rejection of everything British was striking.

In 1936 his attempt to return to the office of mayor failed. He died in 1944.

literature

• John Kobler: Al Capone (pages 215-233) published in 1971 by Eduard Kaiser Verlag. (Original American title: "Capone: The Life and World of Al Capone").

Web links

• William Thompson in the Columbia Encyclopedia
• biography

• William Hale Thompson in the database of Find a Grave (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Reynolds, Paul (2009-11-29). "US-UK 'Special Relationship' Not So Special Any More" . BBC.
2. ^ John William Tuohy: Battaglia Brothers. July 2001 on americanmafia.com (English).