Big Bill Thompson, Chicago, and the Politics of Image

An unforgettable story of a volatile Chicago leader and his era

History

Bukowski, Douglas

Americas

University of Illinois Press

There are politics, politicians, and scandals, but only in Chicago can any combination of these spark the kind of fireworks they do. And no other American city has had a mayor like William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson, not in any of his political incarnations. A brilliant chameleon of a politician, Thompson could move from pro- to anti-prohibition, from opposing the Chicago Teachers Federation to opposing a superintendent hostile to it, from being anti-Catholic to winning, in huge numbers, the Catholic vote. Shape-shifter extraordinaire, Thompson stayed in power by repeatedly altering his political image. In Big Bill Thompson, Chicago, and the Politics of Image, Douglas Bukowski captures the essence of this wily urban politico as no other biographer or historian has. Using materials accessible only thanks to the Freedom of Information Act, Bukowski has fashioned an unforgettable story of a volatile Chicago leader and his era. And he does it with such grace and in such an irresistible style that readers will yearn to visit the local speakeasy and lift a glass to colorful politicians gone by. "An excellent book, written in a lively style with a contemporary resonance. A first rate meditation on the image and reality of 'Big Bill' in the context of actual and mythological Chicago political history." -- Steven P. Erie, author of Rainbow's End: Irish-Americans and the Dilemma of Urban Machine Politics "Written with a flair and a gentle sardonicism that makes it fun to read, Big Bill Thompson  is a significant contribution to the literature of urban history and politics." -- Roger W. Biles, author of The South and the New Deal and Richard J. Daley: Politics, Race, and the Governing of Chicago

Biographies & Memoirs

Historical

This primary-source reader, organized to parallel Henretta, Brody, and Dumenil's America: A Concise History, presents a representative collection of documents in American history. Over 200 documents record the central political, social economic, and cultural themes of the American past, complete with a headnote for each reading and three to five critical thinking questions that follow.

American History: A Concise Documents Collection, Volume 1: To 1877

Bedford/St.Martin's

Primary documents important in 19th Century, Recontruction America

American History: A Concise Documents Collection, Volume 2: Since 1865

America A Concise History 2e and American History Concise Documents Volume 2: A Concise Documents Collection

Dumenil, Lynn

Henretta, James A.

Brody, David

America A Concise History 2e and American History Concise Documents Volume 1 and: American History Concise Documents Volume 2 and Sovereignty and the Goodness of God

Salisbury, Neal

Rowlandson, Mary

Since 1673 when Father Jacques Marquette and Louis Jolliet portaged through the territory that is now Chicago, water transportation has been vital to the city's growth. In the early twentieth century, when Daniel Burnham put together his master plan for the design of Chicago―a plan intended to create a sense of civic virtue―he envisioned a grand municipal pier for public recreation near the central city. Later modified for multiple uses by the Chicago-Harbor Commission, Navy Pier opened in 1916. This glorious extension into Lake Michigan was a feat of engineering not unlike the construction of the Brooklyn Bridge, and prompted a similar fascination. In this entertaining history, abundantly illustrated with 75 photographs and 32 color plates, Douglas Bukowski traces the origins and construction of Navy Pier, its "golden era" to 1940, its uses in the World War II home front, its college campus years, and its rediscovery and redevelopment for recreational use from the 1970s to the present. Daniel Burnham's advice to Chicago to "make no little plans" is beautifully captured in this book. A publication of the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority of Chicago.

Navy Pier: A Chicago Landmark

Metropolitian Pier and Exposition Authority

An entertaining, abundantly illustrated history of a Chicago landmark, inspired by Daniel Burnham and a feat of engineering, now a grand locale for public recreation.

Ivan R. Dee

Pictures of Home is based on photographs that were stored on a shelf in the bedroom closet where Douglas Bukowski grew up. The pictures are a source and a measure. They show a family on the South Side of Chicago, where the children of immigrants fought to keep out the descendants of slaves. They show a boy from Hardscrabble who forever lived in the shadow of Richard J. Daley. The one was born within a mile of the other; each received the baptismal name of Joseph; they both drew a city paycheck as firefighter or mayor; and they died on the same date in December. The pictures tell about a husband and wife, their children, and the inevitability of change. While the house they lived in remained much the same from 1939 to 2000, the surrounding neighborhood did not. The streets changed, the children grew up, and the man died a slow death to which two daughters and a son bore witness even as they sought to fight it. The mother stays in the house still, comforted by pictures of a life that slips from her memory a little more each day. The pictures and the history behind them are brought to life in stunning fashion in Mr. Bukowski's spare prose. Pictures of Home is the story of a family and a city, told affectionately and endearingly by one who is part of both.

Pictures of Home: A Memoir of Family and City

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bukowski, Douglas. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Bukowski, Douglas

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Bukowski, Douglas. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Big Bill Thompson, Chicago, and the Politics of Image

Big Bill Thompson, Chicago, and the Politics of Image

American History: A Concise Documents Collection, Volume 1: To 1877

American History: A Concise Documents Collection, Volume 2: Since 1865

America A Concise History 2e and American History Concise Documents Volume 2: A Concise Documents Collection

America A Concise History 2e and American History Concise Documents Volume 1 and: American History Concise Documents Volume 2 and Sovereignty and the Goodness of God

Navy Pier: A Chicago Landmark

Navy Pier: A Chicago Landmark

Pictures of Home: A Memoir of Family and City