Scope and Contents:
This collection contains two items, a campaign leaflet from the Marion H. Drake Campaign Committee and the accompanying envelope. Drake ran in the 1914 election for alderman of Chicago’s First Ward.
Marion H. Drake was the Progressive Party candidate in the April 1914 election for alderman (an official elected by residents of a geographic area, called a ward, to represent them as a member of City Council) of the First Ward in Chicago, Illinois. She graduated from the Chicago College of Law in 1892 and worked as a suffragist and lawyer. Drake ran against incumbent John “Bathhouse” Coughlin, who began his career as alderman for the First Ward of Chicago in 1892. Coughlin was known for his partnership with Michael “Hinky Dink” Kenna and for the strength of his political machine, which was largely funded by protection money from saloons, brothels, and gambling halls. Drake lost the 1914 election to Coughlin, who would serve as alderman until his death in 1938.
This collection consists of an envelope and a campaign leaflet from the Marion H. Drake Campaign Committee. The campaign leaflet is promoting alderman candidate Marion H. Drake in her campaign against Alderman “Bathhouse John” Coughlin. The leaflet accuses Coughlin of crime and graft while promoting Drake for her strength and virtue. The campaign leaflet states that Drake “has made a brave, square fight against great odds,” referencing her challenging Coughlin in the 1914 alderman election.
The Library purchased this collection in 2024 with the support of the Burce C. Creamer fund.
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