People's Party (Illinois)
Anti-temperance political party in Illinois, US (1873-1875)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The People's Party was a short-lived political party in the state of Illinois, founded in 1873 in the interest of combating the temperance movement and alcohol prohibition in Chicago.
People's Party | |
|---|---|
| Leader | A.C. Hesing |
| Founded | 1873 |
| Dissolved | 1875 |
| Merged into | Republican Party |
| Ideology | Anti-Temperance |
| Political position | Center |
| Colors | Red |
The party was founded by German Americans Boss Hesing and Hermann Raster of the Illinois Staats-Zeitung, who temporarily split with the Republican Party due to its inaction with fighting anti-liquor laws. While the People's Party lasted only two years, it succeeded in electing Harvey Doolittle Colvin as Mayor of Chicago in 1873.[1] The voting base of the People's Party primarily consisted of the German, Irish, Scandinavian, and Bohemian communities of Chicago.[2]
