Near West Side in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)
Carter H. Harrison
Photographed By Sean Flynn, December 22, 2023
1. Carter H. Harrison Marker
"Genius is but audacity and the audacity of Chicago has chosen a star. It has looked upward to it and knows nothing that it fears to attempt and thus far has found nothing that it can not accomplish."
The World's Fair
Oct. 28th, 1893
Erected 1907 by Carter H. Harrison Memorial Association.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Notable Events • Parks & Recreational Areas. A significant historical date for this entry is October 28, 1893.
Location. 41° 52.98′ N, 87° 39.952′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in the Near West Side. Marker is on Washington Boulevard east of Ashland Avenue, on the left when traveling west. The statue is in the southern portion of Union Park bounded by Ashland Avenue on the west, Washington and Warren Boulevards on the north and south respectively, and Ogden Avenue on the east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1501 West Randolph Street, Chicago IL 60607, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Jackson Boulevard (approx. 0.3 miles away); Jackson Boulevard District (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker also named Jackson Boulevard (approx. 0.4 miles away); a different marker
this page online
More about this marker. According to the Chicago Park District, the plaque on this statue is a replacement—likely from sometime in the 2010s or early 2020s—of an original that adorned the statue when erected in 1907 but had been missing for years. A pair of ornamental lights that flanked the statue have also been lost but not replaced.
The statue is a short distance from the Carter Harrison home on South Ashland Boulevard, where the five-term Chicago mayor was assassinated on October 28, 1893, just hours after the speech commemorated on the plaque.
Regarding Carter H. Harrison. Carter Harrison, a native of Kentucky, served as Chicago's mayor from 1879 until 1887 and then again in 1893, leading the city during its famed World's Columbian
Photographed By Sean Flynn, December 22, 2023
2. Carter H. Harrison Statue
On October 28, 1893, just months into his fifth term, Harrison gave a speech at the Columbian Exposition, and then returned home that evening for dinner in his family mansion on South Ashland, Avenue, close to the spot of this statue today. Patrick Prendergast, an unemployed Irish immigrant who had expected an appointment in Harrison's new mayoral administration, came to the home and fatally shot Harrison three times with a .38 caliber revolver. A celebration for the final day of the fair was replaced with a public memorial service for Harrison; Harrison lay in state in City Hall, and was later buried at Graceland Cemetery in the city's Lakeview neighborhood. Prendergast was convicted and hanged in 1894.
Harrison's son, Carter Jr., would also be notable mayor of Chicago, serving four terms from 1897-1905 and another term from 1911-1915.
Also see . . .
1. Assassination of Carter Harrison. From the
Photographed By Sean Flynn, December 22, 2023
3. Carter H. Harrison Statue
2. Carter Harrison Memorial. From the Chicago Park District (Submitted on December 23, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois.)
Library of Congress, circa 1930
4. Carter H. Harrison Statue
This circa 1930 photo shows the original ornamental lamps on either side of the statue, as well as the original plaque.
Chicago Public Library
5. Carter H. Harrison (1825-1893)
Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 23, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. This page has been viewed 61 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 23, 2023, by Sean Flynn of Oak Park, Illinois. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.
