Editing Anton Cermak (section)

==Mayor of Chicago (1931–1933)==
{{more citations needed section|date=February 2011}}
Cermak won election as [[mayor of Chicago]] in 1931.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Democratic Party |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Chicago |url=http://www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/371.html |last=Hirsch |first=Arnold R.}}</ref> His mayoral victory came in the wake of the [[Great Depression]], the deep resentment many Chicagoans had of [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]], and the increasing violence resulting from [[organized crime in Chicago|organized crime]]'s control of Chicago—typified by the [[St. Valentine's Day Massacre]].{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

The many ethnic groups, such as [[Czech-American|Czechs]], [[Polish-American|Poles]], [[Ukrainian American|Ukrainians]], [[Jewish American|Jews]], [[Italian American|Italians]], and [[African Americans]], who began to settle in Chicago in the early 1900s were mostly detached from the political system, due in part to a lack of organization, which led to underrepresentation in the City Council.{{Citation needed|date=August 2023}} As an immigrant himself, Cermak recognized Chicago's relatively new immigrants as a significant population of disenfranchised voters, which had the potential to be a large power base for Cermak and his local Democratic organization.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

Before Cermak, the [[Cook County Democratic Party|Democratic party in Cook County]] was run by [[Irish Americans]]. The Irish first became successful in politics since they spoke English, and because, coming from an island on the edge of Europe, they had few ancestral enemies. As the old saying went: "A Lithuanian won’t vote for a Pole, and a Pole won’t vote for a Lithuanian. A German won’t vote for either of them. But all three will vote for a turkey—an Irishman."<ref>{{Cite web |last=McClelland |first=Edward |date=January 19, 2011 |title=Why the Irish are More Powerful Than Ever in Chicago |url=https://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Luck-of-the-Irish-114204744.html |publisher=[[NBC Chicago]]}}</ref> As Cermak climbed the local political ladder, the resentment of the party leadership grew. When the bosses rejected his bid to become the mayoral candidate, Cermak swore revenge. He formed his political army from the non-Irish elements.{{Citation needed|reason=According to Dawson's page, he did not switch to the Democrats until 1939, after Cermak had died.|date=March 2017}}

Cermak's political and organizational skills helped create one of the most influential political organizations of his day. With support from [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]] on the national level, Cermak gradually wooed members of Chicago's growing black community into the Democratic fold. Walter Wright, the superintendent of parks and aviation for the city of Chicago, aided Cermak in stepping into office.{{citation needed|date=November 2012}}

When Cermak challenged the incumbent, [[William Hale Thompson|William Hale "Big Bill" Thompson]], in the 1931 mayor's race, Thompson, who represented Chicago's existing Irish-dominated power structure, responded with an ethnic slur–filled ditty that ridiculed his [[teamster]] past (pushing a pushcart):<ref name="big bill song">{{Cite web |last=Gunderson |first=Erica |date=July 15, 2016 |title=Original Chicago Cocktail: Pushcart Tony |url=https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/January-2020/The-Chicago-Political-Quote-Hall-of-Fame/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211128062244/https://www.chicagomag.com/city-life/January-2020/The-Chicago-Political-Quote-Hall-of-Fame/ |archive-date=November 28, 2021 |access-date=October 23, 2022 |website=[[Chicago (magazine)|Chicago]]}}</ref>

:''I won’t take a back seat to that [[List of ethnic slurs#B|Bohunk]], Chairmock, Chermack, or whatever his name is.''
:''Tony, Tony, where’s your pushcart at?''
:''Can you picture a [[Century of Progress|World’s Fair]] mayor with a name like that?''

Cermak replied, "He doesn’t like my name… it’s true I didn’t come over on the ''[[Mayflower]]'', but I came over as soon as I could." It was a sentiment to which ethnic Chicagoans could relate, and Thompson's prejudicial insults largely backfired.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wendt |first=Lloyd |url=https://archive.org/details/chicagotribuneri00wend |title=Chicago Tribune |publisher=Rand McNally |year=1979 |isbn=0528818260 |location=Chicago}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Gottfried |first=Alex |title=Boss Cermak of Chicago: A Study of Political Leadership |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1962}}{{ISBN?}}</ref>

Thompson's reputation as a buffoon, many voters’ disgust with the corruption of his [[political machine]], and his inability or unwillingness to clean up [[organized crime in Chicago]] were cited as major factors in Cermak capturing 58% of the vote in the mayoral election on April 6, 1931. Cermak's victory finished Thompson as a political power, and largely ended the Republican Party's influence in Chicago; indeed, [[Mayor of Chicago#List of mayors|all the mayors of Chicago since 1931]] have been members of the Democratic Party. For nearly his entire administration, Cermak had to deal with a major [[Tax resistance|tax revolt]]. From 1931 to 1933, the [[Association of Real Estate Taxpayers]] mounted a "tax strike."<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Forgotten Tax Revolt of the 1930s |first=David T. |last=Beito |url=https://www.independent.org/news/article.asp?id=3032 |access-date=November 10, 2021 |website=The Independent Institute}}</ref>

At its height, the association, which was headed by [[John M. Pratt]] and [[James E. Bistor]], had over 30,000 members. Much to Cermak's dismay, it successfully slowed down the collection of real estate taxes through litigation and the promotion of the refusal to pay. In the meantime, the city found it difficult to pay teachers and maintain services. Cermak had to meet President-elect Roosevelt to "mend fences," and to request money to fund essential city services.{{citation needed|date=April 2018}}

A 1993 survey of historians, political scientists and urban experts conducted by Melvin G. Holli of the [[University of Illinois at Chicago]] ranked Cermak as the twenty-fifth-best American big-city mayor to have served between the years 1820 and 1993.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Holli |first=Melvin G. |url=https://archive.org/details/americanmayorbes0000holl |title=The American Mayor |publisher=Penn State University Press |year=1999 |isbn=0-271-01876-3 |location=University Park}}</ref>