Image: CREATED/PUBLISHED ca. 1915 Feb. 5 DN-0009693, Chicago Daily News negatives collection, Chicago Historical Society - William Hale Thompson posing in front of the sign for his campaign for Mayor of Chicago.

I have an unusual historical memory of this because of my great-grandfather's political involvement in Park Ridge during this period of time, the book that was published about what the corrupt politicians did to him called "They Got their Man", which family members read and re-read, and the stories that have been passed down from generation to generation in our family.

This picture shows the last Republican Mayor of Chicago, William Hale Thompson, who was reportedly on Al Capone's payroll.

A history of graft

Chicago, with its long history as a center of vice and organized crime, has had its share of official graft.

One of the most notorious alleged recipients was never convicted of any crime.

William “Big Bill” Thompson, who served as mayor from 1915 to 1923 and again from 1927 to 1931, was the last Republican to serve as mayor of the “City of Broad Shoulders.” He returned to office the second time with the support of gangster Al Capone, pledging to clean up organized crime in the city but instead targeting reformers.

Upon his defeat in 1931, the Chicago Tribune leveled the harshest accusations against Thompson in an editorial:

“For Chicago Thompson has meant filth, corruption, obscenity, idiocy and bankruptcy,” the newspaper said. “.... He has given the city an international reputation for moronic buffoonery, barbaric crime, triumphant hoodlumism, unchecked graft, and a dejected citizenship. … He made Chicago a byword for the collapse of American civilization."

Upon his death, two safe-deposit boxes in his name containing nearly $1.5 million in cash reportedly were discovered. (MSNBC)

The picture above taken in 1944 by Marie Hansen, shows Rep. William G. Stratton (3R, seated) counting money found in the safety deposit box belonging to ex-Mayor of Chicago William Hale Thompson after Thompson's death.  More on William Hale Thompson at the Chicago Crime Scenes Project, here. Thompson was quite a character and even served for two years as Cook County Board Commissioner at one point.

Illinois’ official slogan is the “Land of Lincoln,” but an equally apt descriptor would be the “Land of Greased Palms.”

The state, Cook County and its governmental seat, Chicago, have a long history of corruption by elected and appointed officials. (MSNBC)

And corruption is a kind word for what it's historically been; a mixture of gangsters vying for territory which culminated in such unsavory scenes as the Valentine's Day Massacre, and gangster and union involvement influencing politicians with bribes and death threats, and sometimes campaign donations, parties, bootlegging, horses, you name it.

The culture of corruption dates back to the late 19^th century, when a gambling-house owner named Michael Cassius McDonald created the city's first political machine, establishing a model in which officials would distribute contracts, jobs and social services in exchange for political support, according to a scholarly history of organized crime in Chicago by Robert Lombardo, a sociology professor and former Chicago and Cook County police officer. (MSNBC)

So Illinois's culture of corruption was kicked off in the late 19th centure by a gambling house owner.  Gambling in Illinois goes back a very long time, which is why the current video poker ban and videogaming discussions are striking me as -at the very least - humorous.   The mob has been behind gambling in Illinois for longer than most of us have been alive.   Graft, bribes, paybacks, bribery--corruption.

Its persistence was documented in Sept. 7, 2006 by the Chicago Sun-Times, which reported that at least 79 current or former Illinois, Chicago or Cook County elected officials had been found guilty of a crime by judges, juries or their own pleas since 1972. The paper provided this tally of the tarnished: three governors, two other state officials, 15 state legislators, two congressmen, one mayor, three other city officials, 27 aldermen, 19 Cook County judges and seven other Cook County officials.

The article noted that so many aldermen had been jailed that the newspaper ran a front-page-story in 1991 when the year passed with none being indicted or convicted. (MSNBC)

This of course, doesn't include the charges against Rod Blagojevich.  Cleaning up Illinois is going to be a major undertaking, and as my great-grandfather found out, there are people who are deadly serious about making sure their graft, their greased palms, and their bank accounts remain just as they've always been.

See MSNBC's article dated December 9, 2008 if you want to read more:

Illinois has long legacy of public corruption

At least 79 elected officials have been convicted of wrongdoing since 1972