mayoral charter to revamp the police and fire departments. More important
than his ideological stamp and tangible accomplishments, however, was Medill's
unprecedented willingness to attempt to govern the city. In the course of this
effort, Medill went beyond the "transition mayor" status conventionally as-
signed to him ² and became the first mayor of the city's modern political era.

In 1871, Chicago was the fastest growing city in the country. As the result of
a massive influx of immigrants in the previous decade, Chicago surpassed Saint
Louis in population to become the fourth largest American city. According to
the 1870 census, half of the city was foreign-born, with one of every six Chi-
cagoans being a native of Germany. Chicago's changing demographic picture
made for rivalries that would affect profoundly the political landscape of the
city for more than a century.

These conflicts were temporarily put aside when fire devastated the city in
October of 1871. In three days, four-fifths of Chicago burned. Thirteen thou-
sand two hundred dwellings were destroyed, leaving 350,000 people homeless.
The city was in a state of financial ruin.

Chicago's elected representatives were ill-equipped to handle the crisis.
Mayor Rosewall Mason's formal authority was virtually nonexistent, while the
forty members of the city council were too disorganized and preoccupied with
the plight of their own businesses to be able to assume a leadership role. City
Hall was one of many official buildings that burned to the ground, forcing the
city's decision-makers to meet in temporary headquarters. The city treasury
was quickly bankrupt by the effort to provide relief to the homeless and clean
up the ruins.

With less than one month remaining before the November election for city
officeholders, a coalition of business and civic leaders led by Carter Harrison
decided to slate Joseph Medill for mayor on a bipartisan "Citizens Fire-Proof"
ticket. The choice of Medill was not surprising. His life had been devoted to
public causes. Trained as an attorney, he had gradually abandoned the practice
of law to become a newspaper editor and publisher in Cleveland in the early
1850s. Medill's newspaper generally supported Whig party candidates and
principles. However, he became increasingly disillusioned with the Whigs after
their defeat in the national election of 1852. In 1854, Medill spearheaded the
move to create a probusiness, antislavery political organization that he named
the Republican party.

In the 1850s, Medill moved to Chicago and became editor and part-owner of
the Chicago Tribune. He used the voice of the Tribune and his personal lobby-
ing ability to convince the new Republican party to nominate Abraham Lin-

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