Opposition Party (Illinois)

Not to be confused with Opposition Party (Northern U.S.) or Opposition Party (Southern U.S.).

The Opposition Party in Illinois was a political label used in 1874, when it was adopted by a coalition of all groups opposed to Republican Party rule in Chicago and Cook County.[1] The Opposition Party opposed temperance laws and the alleged corruption of the Republican machine[2] and incorporated both Democrats and more radical political elements.[1] Several members were elected to the 29th Illinois General Assembly on the Opposition Party ticket in the election of 1874; these included Moses J. Wentworth in the 1st district, William H. Stickney in the 6th district, and William H. Skelly in the 7th district.[3] The coalition was not successful at the local level, and did not appear in subsequent elections.[1]

  1. ^ a b c Weston Arthur Goodspeed; Daniel David Healy, eds. (1909). History of Cook County, Illinois. Goodspeed Historical Association. p. 569. ISBN 9780608368948.
  2. ^ "The Opposition in the 17th Ward". Illinois Staats-Zeitung. 1874-10-27.
  3. ^ Illinois Legislative Manual–1875. 1875. pp. 84–88.