| Chicago to Springfield: Crime and Politics in the 1920s Contributor(s): Ridings, Jim (Author) |
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ISBN: 0738583731 ISBN-13: 9780738583730 Publisher: Arcadia Publishing (SC) OUR PRICE: $22.49 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: December 2010 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - History | United States - State & Local - Midwest(ia,il,in,ks,mi,mn,mo,nd,ne,oh,sd,wi - History | United States - 20th Century - True Crime | Organized Crime |
| Dewey: 364.132 |
| LCCN: 2010931332 |
| Series: Images of America (Arcadia Publishing) |
| Physical Information: 0.35" H x 6.63" W x 9.2" (0.70 lbs) 128 pages |
| Themes: - Locality - Chicago, Illinois - Chronological Period - 1920's - Geographic Orientation - Illinois - Locality - Springfield, Illinois |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: The story of Chicago gangsters in the 1920s is legendary. Less talked about is the tale of the politicians who allowed those gangsters to thrive. During the heyday of organized crime in the Prohibition era, Chicago mayor Big Bill Thompson and Gov. Len Small were the two most powerful political figures in Illinois. Thompson campaigned on making Chicago a wide open town for bootleggers. Small sold thousands of pardons and paroles to criminals, embezzled $1 million, and was then acquitted after mobsters bribed the jury. This book is the story of those Jazz Age politicians whose careers in government thrived on and endorsed corruption and racketeering, from Chicago to Springfield. It complements author Jim Ridings s groundbreaking biography, Len Small: Governors and Gangsters, which was praised by critics and situated Ridings as a trailblazer among Chicago crime authors." |
Contributor Bio(s): Ridings, Jim: - Author Jim Ridings won several awards for investigative reporting at daily newspapers in Ottawa and Aurora. His books of local history have won awards from the Illinois State Historical Society. Ridings was presented a Studs Terkel Humanities Award from the Illinois Humanities Council in 2006. |