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| Mayor Harry Putnam Pearsons |
I have mentioned in this blog before that I was born in Evanston, Illinois, as was my late mother. My maternal grandparents came to Evanston from Millbrook, New York in the Fall of 1903 and stayed here for the rest of their lives.
For many years, Evanston was a rock-ribbed Republican city. Founded by members of the Methodist Church, no liquor was allowed to be sold within the city limits. Since 1900 Evanston has been the home of the worldwide headquarters of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and Northwestern University actually predates the city. When I was growing up Evanston was a quiet, conservative - some would even say "stuffy" city.
So you can imagine the uproar when the Chicago Tribune published the following story in its editions of November 5, 1929:
Before we look into the legal hullabaloo between Mayor Pearsons and his wife, let's see what we can dig up about Mayor Pearsons.
Harry Putnam Pearsons was born January 15, 1873 in Evanston, Illinois to Henry Alonzo Pearsons (1843-1932) and Catharine Jennie West (1843-1926). Henry A. Pearsons was the founder of the Pearsons-Taft Land Credit Company, the oldest farm mortgage house in the United States. He was a soldier of the Union in the Civil War, and rose to the rank of first lieutenant in his regiment, the Eighth Illinois Cavalry. His service was with the Army of the Potomac, and he was an active participant in ninety engagements, including many of the important battles of the war. Lieutenant Pearsons was wounded three times in battle but at no time was he away from active duty.
In 1865 Pearsons was one of the soldiers assigned as special escort to the remains of President Lincoln from Washington to Chicago, where the body lay in state at the courthouse of Cook County before being taken to its final resting place at Springfield. It was here that he met his future wife.
On January 11, 1867, Henry Alonzo Pearsons married Jennie C. West in Wilmington, Ohio. The bride and groom were both twenty-three years old. Harry P. Pearsons was their only child.
Harry Pearsons makes his first appearance in the 1880 US Census. The Enumerator was the well-known Evanstonian Philo P. Judson. The Pearsons were living in the Village of Evanston. Their street address was not noted in the census, but per the Evanston City Directory it was 718 Chicago Avenue. The CTA "el" tracks occupy that spot today. The family consisted of: Henry A. Pearson (sic) (35 years old), wife Kate J. (35), Harry P. (7), sister Virginia M. West (36), servant Carrie Katz (20), and boarder Albert Stevens (30). Henry said his occupation was "Real Estate & Loan," Kate was "Keeping House," and little Harry was "At School."
Harry received his early education in the Evanston public school system. For high school he attended the Evanston Academy. After high school he enrolled in the Liberal Arts Department of Northwestern University and graduated with the class of 1895.
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| Harry Pearsons in 1895 |
While at Northwestern he joined Beta Theta Pi, Theta Nu Epsilon and Delta Chi (Law) fraternities.
After Northwestern, he enrolled in the Law School of Columbia University in the Class of 1895-1896. He completed his law course at Northwestern University, and graduated in 1898, with the degree of Bachelor of Laws.
Harry Putnam Pearsons married Frances "Fannie" Keyes (1878-1959) in Kenilworth, Illinois. The groom was twenty-seven years old; the bride was twenty-one.
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| Chicago Tribune - 09 Feb 1900 |
After their honeymoon, the newlyweds moved in with Harry's parents, as shown in the 1900 US Census. The 1900 US Census shows the extended Pearsons family living at 1718 Chicago Avenue in Evanston. The family consisted of: Henry (56 years old), his wife Catherine J. (57), son Harry P. (27), daughter-in-law Frances (22), and domestic servants Maggie Dohig (38) and Margaret Matthews (33). (As an aside, when Frances Keyes' father filled out the 1900 US Census form, he reported that he employed six live-in servants.) Henry Pearsons said he was a "Banker," and Harry was a "Lawyer." Henry and Katherine said they had been married for thirty-three years. Katherine said she had given birth to one child who was still living in 1900. Henry reported that they owned their home free and clear.
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| Frances Keyes Parsons |
The September 12, 1900 edition of the Chicago Inter Ocean carried this note of interest:
On March 24, 1915 Harry Putnam Pearsons announced that he was running for Mayor of Evanston:
Harry Pearsons succeeded Evanston Mayor James R. Smart. At a celebratory dinner after Pearsons' election Smart told the crowd an interesting story:
"You may not know, that we have a father of two mayors here in Evanston. I was an orphan when I came to this country and I worked for Harry P. Pearsons, Sr. for nineteen years. I was fourteen when I began and he was all the father I had."
Mayor James Smart had an interesting life and will be a future subject of this blog.
Although Evanston was mostly quiet during Mayor Pearsons' first term, the storm clouds of war were gathering. Although the United States did not officially join World War I until 1917, people knew that the US joining the conflict was inevitable. This is from the Chicago Tribune from March 21, 1916:
The Tribune reported in September of 1916 that Mayor Pearsons presided over a "silver shovel ceremony" at Mulford Street and and Custer Avenue to inaugurate a new sewer system for Evanston. Up until that time, Evanston was still dumping its sewage directly into Lake Michigan - the only city between Calumet and Waukegan that was still doing this. Instead of dumping its sewage into Lake Michigan, when the project was complete Evanston would instead dump its sewage into the canal west of the city.
It was in March of 1917 that the "Evanston Beautiful" plan was released with the full support of Mayor Pearsons. It had been complied by Thomas Talmadge assisted by Daniel Burnham and Dwight Perkins:
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| Chicago Tribune 28 Mar 1917 |
In those days the term for an Evanston mayor was two years, so Mayor Pearsons announced early in 1917 that he was a candidate for reelection. In what the Tribune described as a "Bitter Campaign," Pearsons had only one opponent, Assistant State's Attorney Malcolm B. Sterritt. The main issue in this election was where to construct a new interurban transit line in Evanston. Mayor Pearsons, and the majority of the city council wanted a west side streetcar line, while Sterritt and his supporters preferred one through South Evanston into Chicago.
Mayor Pearsons was reelected with a plurality of 1,868 votes.
In August of 1917, William G. Edens president of the Associated Roads Organizations of Chicago and Cook County, first proposed a new $1,500,000 highway from Waukegan to Chicago. The new highway would support the Great Lakes Naval Station as well as Fort Sheridan. Although the road would not pass through Evanston, Mayor Pearsons was an early proponent of the plan. The proposal in 1917 that was projected to cost $1.5 million was finally constructed in the 1940s at a cost of over $23 million. I am of course talking about what became the Edens Expressway.
In 2013 I told the story of Edens and his expressway:
https://undereverytombstone.blogspot.com/2013/07/he-pulled-illinois-out-of-mud-william.html
The biggest crisis of Mayor Pearsons' second term was the coal shortage of 1918. The shortage was caused by a combination of factors: 1. World War I Demands for Coal, 2. Railroad Congestion and Mismanagement, 3. Labor Shortages, and 4. Severe Winter Weather:
The winter of 1917–1918 was particularly harsh, with heavy snowfall and cold temperatures across much of the country. This increased demand for heating fuel and also impeded transportation networks, exacerbating the coal shortage.
The crisis hit Evanston hard, and Evanstonians did what they could to reduce coal consumption. In January of 1918 Northwestern University closed for five days, and Mayor Pearsons ordered the closing of all Evanston public and private schools to reduce the need for coal. Courts were closed indefinitely and many churches suspended services. James A. Patten closed three rooms of his Ridge Avenue mansion. Judge Oscar M. Torrison closed his sixteen room residence on Chicago Avenue and moved into the Evanston Hotel. Mayor Pearsons issued an appeal to clergymen to share any surplus coal held by the churches with their parishioners.
As 1918 went on, the weather ultimately warmed up, and of course the war ended in November. The winter of 1918-1919 did not have a coal shortage.
On September 12, 1918 Harry Putnam Pearsons registered for the draft. The Draft Board occupied space in the Evanston City Hall, so the mayor didn't have far to go to register. He filled out the form answering all the usual questions: Name, Address, Date of Birth, Race, Citizenship. For Present Occupation he wrote "Mayor of Evanston," and for Employer he wrote "All of us."
Mayor Pearsons' wife Frances became involved in the war effort, as described in the Chicago Tribune from October 11, 1918:
Mayor Harry Pearsons was elected to a third term on April 1, 1919, having run unopposed.
Pearsons ran into some trouble the night of August 20, 1919 when he was arrested in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago for "ignoring traffic regulations." The charges were quietly dropped the next day.
"Not so fast," declared Judge John Stelk of the Speeders Court and demanded that the charges be heard in open court.
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| Judge John Stelk |
The charges had been dismissed by Francis T. Simmons, President of the Board of Lincoln Park Commissioners. When questioned further, Simmons declared that Judge Stelk had no jurisdiction over the matters of the Lincoln Park Commissioners, and that the matter was closed.
As with some of today's politicians, Mayor Harry Pearsons was eminently quotable as shown by the Chicago Tribune on October 30, 1919:
The 1920 US Census finds the Pearsons family still living at 1816 Chicago Avenue. The family consisted of: Harry P. (46 years old), wife Frances K. (41), daughter Frances (18) and line-in servant Amanda Burns (29). Pearsons reported that he owned his home free and clear. For occupation he wrote "Lawyer" in "Own Office." Everyone in the house could read, write and speak English, and young Frances attended school.
On June 23, 1920 Mayor Harry Pearsons issued a Notice that "No firecrackers, skyrockets, torpedoes, squibs, roman candles, or any other fireworks would be permitted in Evanston on July 4th, and that disobedience of the official order would be punished by ducking the miscreants in the pond at Fountain Square, or some similar severe disciplinary action." An empty threat today, considering the condition of the Fountain Square fountain.
On January 14, 1922 the Tribune reported the following about the Pearsons:
Frances Keyes Pearsons filed for divorce from her husband Harry Putnam Pearsons as reported by the Chicago Tribune on January 20, 1922:
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| 1210 Forest, Evanston |
Here's how the Chicago Tribune reported the Evanston Municipal Elections in their issue of April 5, 1923:
"We also had an election in Evanston. Mayor Pearsons was opposed by H. C. Williams, whose campaign manager made much of the fact that Williams was a local businessman, (and) owner of a garage and repair station. The issue was economical administration of the municipality. Many persons in Evanston own autos. Monthly statements arrived on Monday. The election was Tuesday. Pearsons was reelected by a substantial majority."
1923 would mark the start of Harry Pearsons' fifth and final term as Mayor of Evanston.
Readers of this blog will remember my articles about the murder of Northwestern University student Leighton Mount as part of a hazing stunt at Northwestern. The stories can be found here;
https://undereverytombstone.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-strange-disappearance-of.html
https://undereverytombstone.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-shocking-conclusion-to-strange.html
According to a story in the Belvidere (IL) Daily Republican of May 5, 1923, (Evanston) police records were altered to change the name of the institution (Northwestern University) involved in the Mount case. Evanston police chief Leggett altered the records of hazing on orders from Mayor Harry Pearsons. The mayor had been requested by Northwestern President Walter Dill Scott to make the changes. After all, Harry Pearsons was a proud Northwestern alum; I'm sure all it took was a call from Walter Dill Scott and Pearsons was more than happy to do whatever necessary. The reputation of Northwestern had to be protected at all costs, even if it involved covering up the murder of an NU student by hazing.
But it was not all sadness for Harry Pearsons. On September 14, 1923, he was proud to make the following announcement in the Chicago Tribune:
However, two days later on September 16, 1923 the Tribune ran an article about the former Mrs. Pearsons that spoke for itself:
The Tribune enjoyed the story so much they added photos:
The Tribune did not point out that the new Mrs. Stillwell was eleven years older than Mr. Stillwell. They divorced in 1928.
On May 8, 1924, Mayor Pearsons turned one of the first shovelfuls of dirt to inaugurate the new extension of the North Shore Line from Howard Street to downtown Niles Center (Skokie). The ceremony took place at Ridge Avenue and Case Street:
This is now what we call the "Skokie Swift." It was hoped that ultimately the line would be extended all the way north to Waukegan.
In early 1925 Mayor Harry Pearsons announced that he would stand for reelection for a sixth term. He had been mayor of Evanston since 1915. On March 8, 1925 the Tribune reported that "Evanston was headed for one of its hottest elections:"
On Election Day, April 7, 1925, two things went down to defeat in Evanston - Movies on Sunday and Mayor Pearsons. The final results in the Movies on Sunday question were:
Yes: 3,209
No: 5,112
The final tally in the mayoral election was:
Charles Bartlett: 9,216
Harry Pearsons: 7,660
Huxtable: 146
Only after he was elected did Mayor-elect Bartlett admit that "I go to movies on Sunday, but in another town."
Like his predecessor, Charles Bartlett attended Northwestern University (although he graduated from Cornell), and was an attorney.
As his defeat on Election Night became obvious, Mayor Pearsons said, "I have nothing to say; for what is there to say?" He went on, "I don't feel sorry for myself, but I do feel sorry for my loyal supporters who worked for me. They have one big satisfaction, however, Sunday movies have been defeated. I hope I was able in my opposition, to do something to keep Evanston the Evanston its people want it to be." The defeated mayor was fifty-two years old.
Harry Pearsons' mother, Catharine West Pearsons died February 24, 1926 in Evanston. She was eighty-two years old. Here is her Death Notice from the Chicago Tribune of February 25, 1926:
Starting in 1929 his name appeared in the newspapers on an almost daily basis. His good name and reputation were rocked by a scandal from which he never fully recovered. That's it for this month, but come back on August 1 when I will tell you "the rest of the story" of Harry Putnam Pearsons.
