Commercial Club of Chicago
Nonprofit
Established1877 (age 149)
Tax id36-2197847
LocationChicago, United States
Region servedChicago metropolitan area
ChairJennifer F. Scanlon,
Vice ChairE. Scott Santi
PresidentKelly R. Welsh
Revenue (2020)$3.5m USD
Expenses (2020)$3.6M USD
Num staff (2020)14
Websitecommercialclubchicago.org

The Commercial Club of Chicago is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) social welfare organization founded in 1877 with a mission to promote the social and economic vitality of the metropolitan area of Chicago.[1]

History

The Commercial Club was founded in 1877 as a capitalist reaction to the Great Upheaval, a national labor strike that began with railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia.[2] In 1907, the Commercial Club merged with the Merchants Club (organized in 1896).[3] In 1933, the Industrial Club of Chicago (organized in 1905) joined.[4][5] Its most active members included George Pullman, Marshall Field, Cyrus McCormick, George Armour, Frederic Delano, Sewell Avery, Rufus C. Dawes, and Julius Rosenwald.[5] The club championed member Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago (1909), also known as Burnham's plan.[5] The plan gave the blueprint for the future growth and development of the entire Chicago region.[6][7]

Activities

The Commercial Club addressed many other progressive reform issues: supported street cleaning and paving projects, smoke abatement and sanitation schemes, and the development of city parks and playgrounds.[5] They also endorsed the creation of the Cook County Forest Preserve district.[8]

They also maintained a consciousness of social reform issues like juvenile delinquency, race relations, and old-age pensions.[5]

The club traces its origins back to the 17 founding members of the Commercial Club in 1877.[9] The current chairman is Jennifer F. Scanlon and the current president is Kelly R. Welsh.[10]

Criticism

The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club has often come under criticism for pursuing an unrealistic zeal for cutting the constitutionally protected pensions of state employees in Illinois.[11] Former president Tyrone C. Fahner stated that some members had talked to bond ratings agencies about lowering Illinois' bond rating to create more pressure for pension reform.[12][13][14]

References

  1. ^ "The Commercial Club of Chicago". Cause IQ. Archived 12 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  2. ^ "The 1877 Class War That America Forgot". Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  3. ^ "Letter to Members of the Merchant's Club, 1906". Encyclopedia of Chicago. The Merchants Club. Archived March 10, 2006 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  4. ^ History of The Industrial Club of Chicago - From Its Organization in 1905 To Its Merger With The Commercial Club in 1933. Chicago: The Lakeside Press. 1934. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
  5. ^ Wirka, Susan Marie. "Commercial Club of Chicago". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Archived 23 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  6. ^ Burnham, Daniel H. & Bennett, Edward H. (June 1909). Plan of Chicago. Chicago: The Commercial Club. Archived 18 August 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  7. ^ "1909 PLAN OF CHICAGO". Chicago Architecture Center. Archived 15 September 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  8. ^ "Commercial Club of Chicago". To Protect and Preserve - An Early History of the Forest Preserve District of Cook County, Illinois. Special Collections Department, Richard J. Daley Library, University of Illinois at Chicago. Archived 5 February 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 February 2017.
  9. ^ Currey, J. Seymour (1918). Manufacturing and Wholesale Industries of Chicago. Chicago: Thomas B. Poole Company. pp. 401–404. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  10. ^ "Leadership". Commercial Club of Chicago. Archived 25 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 15 October 2021.
  11. ^ Hinz, Greg (16 November 2012). "Fahner, Civic Committee ripped over pension stance". Crain's Chicago Business. Archived 9 August 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  12. ^ Fazekas, Lynn (7 August 2013). "The Civic Committee and the Pension Crisis". Citybarbs.com. Archived 11 April 2021 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 20, 2019.
  13. ^ "CEOs vs Illinois". Illinois Education Association. 10 August 2013. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2015.
  14. ^ Fortino, Ellyn (5 August 2013). "Unions Demand Answers Over Civic Committee's Talks To Downgrade Illinois' Bond Rating". Progress Illinois. Archived June 6, 2015 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 9, 2015.