In case you hadn't noticed, Chicago and Illinois have a long history of colorful politics, underhanded machinations and brash solutions. There was that time we
reversed the flow of the Chicago River. (Rather than build a sewage treatment plant, the city opted to reverse the river and send sewage downstream to the Mississippi.) There was that time our mayor
illegally closed down an airport under the cover of darkness. There was that time our governor was arrested for corruption. No, that other time. Ok fine, 5 out of our last 9 governors has been indicted. But, come on now, how could someone with
such great hair possibly be guilty of racketeering?
Anyway, I stumbled across this gem in my internet wanderings:
1861
--- John Wentworth fired the entire Chicago Police Department when his term as mayor came to a close. This included 60 patrolmen, 3 sergeants, 3 lieutenants, and one captain. The city was entirely without police protection for twelve hours until the Board of Commissioners swore in some new officers to take their place.
Apparently, when the Illinois State Legislature took away Mayor Wentworth's police authority, he decided to fire the whole force. Wentworth, by the way, is the street I currently live on.
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