{{Infobox recurring event |name = First Ward Ball |native_name = |native_name_lang = |nickname = |logo = |logo_alt = |logo_caption = |logo_size = |image = |image_size = |alt = |caption = |status = <!-- e.g. defunct, active, inactive ... --> |genre = <!-- e.g. natural phenomena, fairs, festivals, conferences, exhibitions ... --> |date = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|mm|dd}} "dates=" also works, but do not use both --> |begins = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|mm|dd}} --> |ends = <!-- {{end date|YYYY|mm|dd}} --> |frequency = <!-- Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Semi-annually, Annually, Bi-annually, 2nd Tuesday of November, etc. --> |venue = |location = Chicago, Illinois |coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|type:event|display=inline,title}} --> |country = United States |years_active = <!-- {{age|YYYY|mm|dd}} Date of the first occurrence --> |first = <!-- {{start date|YYYY|mm|dd}} "founded=" and "established=" also work --> |founder_name = <!-- or | founders = --> |last = 1908 |prev = |next = |participants = |attendance = 10,000–15,000 |capacity = |area = |budget = |activity = |leader_name = |patron = |organised = <!-- "organized=" also works --> |filing = |people = |member = |sponsor = <!-- | or sponsors = --> |website = <!-- {{URL|example.com}} --> |current = |footnotes = }}
The '''First Ward Ball''' was an annual political fundraiser with 10,000–15,000 attendees held in Chicago from 1896 until 1908, until the city revoked the liquor license in 1909. It was notorious for the riot-like behavior of the illustrious guests. According to the ''Chicago Tribune'', the first ball in 1896 had "''attracted a wild mix of society thrill seekers, police captains, politicians, prostitutes and gamblers''" and "''the 1908 ball made that affair look tame''". Initially held at the 7th Regiment Armory, by the time it was banned the ball was so large that it took place in the Chicago Coliseum, the city's major convention center.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://chicagocrimescenes.blogspot.com/2009/05/first-ward-ball.html|publisher=The Chicago Crime Scenes Project|title=First Ward Ball|accessdate=23 December 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=The first Ward Ball|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-chicagodays-wardball-story,0,1020358.story|publisher=Chicago Tribune|accessdate=23 December 2013|date=December 15, 1908}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=CHICAGO'S BAD OLD DAYS--THE NOTORIOUS FIRST WARD BALL|url=http://kennethsuskin.blogspot.de/2010/02/chicagos-bad-old-days-notorious-first.html|publisher=Ken Suskin Report|accessdate=23 December 2013}}</ref>
The event raised more than $50,000 a year for the two aldermen of Chicago's first ward: "Bathhouse" John Coughlin and Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna. Coughlin and Kenna were known as the "Lords of the Levee", a red-light district of Chicago. The Ball was finally closed down in 1909 by Mayor Fred Busse. Besides its notoriety in attracting many unsavory characters, it often ended with the police having to curb disorderly conduct bordering on rioting.
==References== {{reflist}}
Category:1896 establishments in Illinois<!--First--> Category:1908 in Illinois<!--Last--> Category:Organized crime in Chicago Category:History of Chicago Category:Political conventions in Chicago Category:Democratic Party of Illinois Category:Political events in Illinois Category:Events at Chicago Coliseum
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