The Beginning in Chicago

Organized crime's glory days have long since passed, however the legacy that they left behind is forever solitifided in American history and folk lure. Chicago is one of the most memorable organized crime spots with many famous gangsters including Al Capone. Yet, ultimatly it was "the great fire" that demoralized the city of Chicago and lead to public drunkeness as a major moral problem. "Conditions were so bad that a group of leading citizens and clergymen formed the Committee of Seventy to battle crime and the liquor industry." Their efforts were entirely supported by reform Mayor Joseph Medill who welcomed Sunday tavern closing laws and worked to close the gambling houses. It was this effort at reform that set the stage for the eventual development of organized crime in Chicago.
Organized crime in Chicago had its beginning in the 1870s with the activities of Michael Cassius McDonald. McDonald made a name for himself by owning and operating a taven at Clark and Monroe known as the Store which reportedly was the largest liquor and gambling house in downtown Chicago.
McDonald was also active in politics. In an effort to overcome the reform activities of Mayor Medill, McDonald organized Chicago’s saloon and gambling interests. "Mike McDonald’s Democrats," as they were called, elected their own candidate, Harvey Colvin, as Mayor of Chicago in 1873. With Colvin in office, McDonald organized the first criminal syndicate in Chicago composed of both gamblers and compliant politicians.