Carter Harrison Memorial

Carter Henry Harrison Sr. was born to a prosperous family on February 15, 1825 near the town of Lexington in Fayette County, Kentucky. He was educated by private tutors until he enrolled at Yale College, from which he graduated in 1845. In the early 1850s, the Kentucky native traveled and studied throughout Europe. After his sojourn in Europe, Harrison returned to Fayette County and enrolled at Transylvania College, where he studied law. Following his graduation in 1855, he was admitted to the bar. The young lawyer then settled in Chicago, where he established a legal practice and engaged in real estate. 

In 1872, Harrison launched his political career when he ran as a Democrat for a seat in Congress. Despite the unsuccessful bid, he secured a seat on the Cook County board of commissioners two years later in 1874. That same year, Harrison once again ran for Congress, this time successfully. After two terms in Congress, he was elected mayor of Chicago in 1879. Harrison successfully ran for reelection in 1881, 1883, and 1885. Having lost the support of his party, in part due to his handling of the 1886 Haymarket Riot, he declined to stand for reelection in 1887. Four years later, Harrison purchased the Chicago Times and served as the newspaper’s editor for a few years. In 1893, he decided once again to run for mayor of Chicago, in part because he wanted to be mayor when the city hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition later that year. 

On October 28, 1893, just over six months after Harrison secured his fifth term as mayor of Chicago, an Irish immigrant named Patrick Eugene Prendergast paid a visit to the mayor’s mansion on Ashland Avenue. At the time of Prendergast’s unexpected arrival, Harrison was napping in his study. After being awoken by a maid and alerted of his visitor, Harrison exited the study. As the mayor approached him, Prendergast pulled out a revolver and shot Harrison three times at close range, fatally wounding him. Not long after fleeing Harrison’s home, he surrendered to police and confessed to the heinous crime. In the days and weeks that followed, investigators concluded that Prendergast played a very minor role in Harrison’s reelection campaign. Deranged, he was convinced that Harrison would appoint him corporation counsel despite having no legal training or experience. When he did not receive the appointment, he decided to kill Harrison. Despite being represented by Clarence Darrow and entering an insanity plea, Prendergast was convicted of murder and hanged on July 14, 1894. 

Four years after Harrison’s assassination, residents of Chicago formed the Carter H. Harrison Memorial Association and began raising funds for the erection of a memorial to commemorate the slain mayor. Donors received a certificate and medal in recognition of their contribution. After raising the requisite amount of money, the memorial association commissioned Chicago sculptor Frederick C. Hibbard to design the memorial. Dedicated in the city’s Union Park in 1907, the memorial consists of an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Harrison on a roughly-hewn granite pedestal. The bronze sculpture depicts the longtime Chicago mayor standing upright, dressed in a bowtie, vest, and overcoat. In his left hand, he clutches a slouch hat. Originally, two light fixtures flanked the memorial and a bronze plaque engraved with an excerpt from a speech Harrison delivered at the World’s Columbian Exposition adorned the front of its pedestal. 

"Carter Harrison Memorial." Chicago Park District. City of Chicago. Web. 20 February 2021 <https://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/parks-facilities/carter-harrison-memorial>.

"Harrison, Carter Henry." Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. United States Congress. Web. 20 February 2021 <https://bioguide.congress.gov/search/bio/H000267>.

Newton, Michael. Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia. Vol. 1, A-P. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2014.