• IdentificationMSCFC_66
  • TitleCivic Federation of Chicago collection MSCFC_66
  • PublisherSpecial Collections
  • LanguageEnglish
  • RepositorySpecial Collections
  • Physical Description2.25 Linear feet
  • Date1918-1960
  • AbstractThe collection contains bulletins, pamphlets, reports, and newspaper clippings dating from 1918 until 1960. The materials pertain to Chicago municipal government, salaries of government workers and to education.
  • OriginationCivic Federation (Chicago, Ill.).

Old Resource ID was CFederation

The Civic Federation of Chicago held its first meeting at the Palmer House on February 15, 1894. This committee of leading citizens was spurred to action by negative domestic and international opinion of Chicago during the World's Fair of 1893. British journalist William T. Stead was so disturbed by the poverty, disease, decrepit infrastructure and political corruption of Chicago that he delivered and later published the famous speech, "If Christ Came to Chicago." The goal of the new Civic Federation, led by Lyman Gage, president of First National Bank of Chicago, was to make Chicago the cleanest, healthiest and most efficient city in America.

The Civic Federation of Chicago attacked government waste and corruption, vices such as gambling, sanitation, and unsafe food by issuing bulletins, reports, and lobbying politicians. The organization's Municipal Committee once cleaned Chicago's streets for six months to prove to the City that the work could be accomplished for a cost of $10.00 per mile as opposed to the then going rate of $18.00 per mile. Many of the Civic Federation's early philanthropic efforts were undertaken by committees that later became independent organizations. The Civic Federation of Chicago focused more on tax issues and problems of financial accountability and efficiency in government during the latter part of the twentieth century. The Civic Federation of Chicago exists today with three levels of membership: corporate, associate, and supporter. Corporate members provide most of the financial support for the group and wield the most power within its organizational structure.

The Civic Federation of Chicago Collection includes bulletins issued by the group from 1912 through January 1966. Some specialized reports about public services such as the Sanitary District of Chicago are held for the 1940s, 1950s, and early 1960s. A few articles, pamphlets, polemics, and memoranda are also included.

See the Civic Federation of Chicago's website at http://www.civicfed.org.

Civic Federation of Chicago collection, Special Collections and University Archives, University of Illinois at Chicago

  • NamesCivic Federation (Chicago, Ill.). -- Archives
  • Subject
    • Civic improvement.
    • Education.
    • Municipal services.
    • Politics and government.
  • Geographic CoverageIllinois--Chicago.