Background
Coughlin was born August 15, 1860 in Chicago.
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John Coughlin
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He was the longest serving alderman in Chicago history until November 2014 when his record was surpassed by Edward M. Burke. He acquired his nickname as a result of working in a bathhouse as a masseur. Eventually he was able to purchase a tavern and several bathhouses of his own.
Coughlin was elected alderman from Chicago"s First Ward on April 5, 1892.
The Levee was known as being a vice-ridden section of Chicago and home to many saloons, gambling dens, prostitutes, pimps, and flop houses. The two also led the Gray Wolves of Chicago.
First Ward Ball
Coughlin and Kenna were also the hosts of the First Ward Ball, an annual political fundraiser which brought together safecrackers, prostitutes, gangsters, politicians, businessmen, gamblers, and a variety of other types. The event raised more than $50,000 a year for the two First Ward aldermen until it was closed down in 1909 by Mayor Fred Busse.
By the time it was banned, the ball was so large that it had to be held in the Chicago Coliseum, the city"s major convention center.
Besides its notoriety in attracting many unsavory characters it often ended with the police having to curb disorderly conduct bordering on rioting. Later career
Later when Coughlin was accused of corruption, he demanded a retraction, not for the charge of graft, but for the claim he was born in Waukegan, Illinois. Coughlin was re-elected 19 times and never defeated.
After 46 years as alderman of the First Ward, Coughlin died in office at age 78 of pneumonia at Mercy Hospital in Chicago on November 11, 1938.
