The Commercial Club of Chicago is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) social welfare organization founded in 1877 with a mission to promote the social and economic vitality of the metropolitan area of Chicago.[1]
The Commercial Club was founded in 1877 as a capitalist reaction to the Great Upheaval, a national labor strike that began with railroad workers in Martinsburg, West Virginia.[2] In 1907, the Commercial Club merged with the Merchants Club (organized in 1896).[3] In 1933, the Industrial Club of Chicago (organized in 1905) joined.[4][5] Its most active members included George Pullman, Marshall Field, Cyrus McCormick, George Armour, Frederic Delano, Sewell Avery, Rufus C. Dawes, and Julius Rosenwald.[5] The club championed member Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago (1909), also known as Burnham's plan.[5] The plan gave the blueprint for the future growth and development of the entire Chicago region.[6][7]
The Commercial Club addressed many other progressive reform issues: supported street cleaning and paving projects, smoke abatement and sanitation schemes, and the development of city parks and playgrounds.[5] They also endorsed the creation of the Cook County Forest Preserve district.[8]
They also maintained a consciousness of social reform issues like juvenile delinquency, race relations, and old-age pensions.[5]
The club traces its origins back to the 17 founding members of the Commercial Club in 1877.[9] The current chairman is Jennifer F. Scanlon and the current president is Kelly R. Welsh.[10]
The Civic Committee of the Commercial Club has often come under criticism for pursuing an unrealistic zeal for cutting the constitutionally protected pensions of state employees in Illinois.[11] Former president Tyrone C. Fahner stated that some members had talked to bond ratings agencies about lowering Illinois' bond rating to create more pressure for pension reform.[12][13][14]