John Patrick Hopkins

John Patrick Hopkins
35th Mayor of Chicago
In office
December 27, 1893 – April 8, 1895
Preceded byCarter Harrison Sr.
George Bell Swift (acting)
Succeeded byGeorge Bell Swift
Personal details
Born(1858-10-29)October 29, 1858
Buffalo, New York, US
DiedOctober 13, 1918(1918-10-13) (aged 59)
Chicago, Illinois, US
PartyDemocratic
Signature

John Patrick Hopkins (October 29, 1858 – October 13, 1918) was an American politician who served as the 35th mayor of Chicago from 1893 to 1895.[1] A member of the Democratic Party, Hopkins was the first of nine Irish American Catholic mayors of Chicago.[2]

Hopkins was a close friend and a political ally of Roger Charles Sullivan.[3][4]

Early life

Hopkins was born October 29, 1858, in Buffalo, New York.[2] He was of Welsh descent.[5]

Career

Because his brothers and father died when Hopkins was still young,[6] he became a provider for his family.[6] His first job at a foundry as a boy.[6] He later worked in Buffalo's grain elevators.[6]

In 1879, he moved to Chicago with his mother and sisters.[6]

He worked for some times at the Pullman works.[6] From 1883 to 1885 he served as a paymaster for Pullman interests.[6]

In 1888, he founded the Arcade Trading Co., which later became the Secord and Hopkins Co.[2]

After initially being elected treasurer of Hyde Park Township as a Republican in 1885, Hopkins forged a career in Democratic politics.[3]

Mayoralty

Hopkins was elected the 1893 Chicago mayoral special election, which was held after the assassination of mayor Carter Harrison Sr.

At 35 years of age when he took office, Hopkins became the youngest mayor the city had ever had.[4][7][8][6]

His tenure was marred by numerous scandals, criticisms, and shortcomings. This included incidents of political corruption in the city, such as the Ogden Gas Scandal, rampant public gambling that drew the ire of the Chicago Civic Federation, an indecisive response by Hopkins to the Pullman Strike that was assailed by Republican press outlets.[7][4] Additionally, the misappropriation of significant amounts of campaign contributions by Hopkins had upset many in the Chicago Democratic party, including those who belonged to the party's former Harrison faction.[4]

Hopkins did not seek reelection in the 1895 Chicago mayoral election

Post-mayoralty

Hopkins' grave at Calvary Cemetery

Unsatisfied with the nomination of William Jennings Bryan at the 1896 Democratic National Convention, Hopkins was a delegate to the 1896 National Democratic National Convention (a splinter convention).[9] Hopkins entered the convention hoping that it would nominate Henry Watterson for president and Thomas A. Moran (former Illinois judge) for vice president.[10]

Hopkins died of the Spanish flu on October 13, 1918, in Chicago.[2] He is buried in Calvary Cemetery in Evanston, Illinois.[2]

Personal life

Hopkins never married.[2]

References

  1. ↑ "Chicago Mayors". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Mayor John Patrick Hopkins Biography". Chicago Public Library. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  3. 1 2 Morton, Richard Allen (June 29, 2016). Roger C. Sullivan and the Making of the Chicago Democratic Machine, 1881-1908. McFarland. ISBN 9781476663777. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lindberg, Richard C. (2009). The Gambler King of Clark Street: Michael C. McDonald and the Rise of Chicago's Democratic Machine. SIU Press. p. 292. ISBN 978-0-8093-8654-3. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  5. ↑ "House Resolution 0149 The contribution of the people from Wales to the State of Illinois" (PDF). Illinois House of Representatives.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Dana, Charles Anderson. A Centennial history of the city of Chicago – Its men and institutions. Jazzybee Verlag. p. 33. ISBN 978-3-8496-8799-1. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  7. 1 2 Hogan, John F. (2018). Chicago Shakedown: The Ogden Gas Scandal. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-6474-2. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  8. ↑ Illinois Political Directory. 1899. p. 265. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
  9. ↑ "Delegates Leave for Indianapolis; Interest in the Convention". The Chicago Chronicle. August 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved July 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ "Convention". The Chicago Chronicle. August 30, 1896. p. 2. Retrieved July 31, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.


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