Title: The gambler king of Clark Street : Michael C. McDonald and the rise of Chicago's Democratic machine /
Authors: Lindberg, Richard C., 1953-
Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press,
Year: 2009
Subjects: McDonald, Michael C.; Democratic Party (Chicago, Ill.) History; Politicians Illinois Chicago Biography.; Businessmen Illinois Chicago Biography.; Gamblers Illinois Chicago Biography.; Irish American criminals Illinois Chicago Biography.; Political culture Illinois Chicago History; Political corruption Illinois Chicago History; Chicago (Ill.) Biography.; Chicago (Ill.) Politics and government
Abstract: "McDonald was warmly welcomed into the White House by two sitting presidents who recognized him for what he was: the reigning 'boss' of Chicago. In a colorful and often riotous life, McDonald seemed to control everything around him--everything, that is, except events in his personal life. His first wife, the fiery Mary Noonan McDonald, ran off with a Catholic priest. The second, Dora Feldman, twenty-five years his junior, murdered her teenaged lover in a sensational 1907 scandal that broke Mike's heart and drove him to an early grave." -- From the publisher.
Contents: Introduction. The Dark City on the Edge of Civilization -- 1. A Train Butcher Raising the Wind -- 2. Brace Games and Bunko Men -- 3. A Department Store of Gambling -- 4. Tammany by the Lake -- 5. The People's Party and the Overturn of Puritan Rule -- 6. Bummers, Gutter-Rats, Whiskey Soakers, and Saloon Loafers -- 7. The City Hall Swindle -- 8. Our Carter -- 9. Oyster on the Half Shell -- 10. Boodle for the Gang -- 11. Is He Not a Typical Democrat? -- 12. A Flighty and Excitable Woman -- 13. Bribing the Gray Wolves for an "Upstairs" Railroad -- 14. The Garfield Park Racetrack War -- 15. Electing Altgeld -- 16. That Little Feldman Girl -- 17. Pearls before Swine: Poetry, Murder, and the McDonalds -- 18. Betrayal and Death -- Epilogue: A Legacy of Corruption -- App. 1. Organized Gambling in Chicago during the Reign of Mike McDonald, 1868-1888 -- App. 2. Organized Gambling and Horse Racing Poolrooms in Chicago, Post-McDonald Period, 1889-1900.