The University of Chicago Library > The Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center > Finding Aids > Guide to the Chicago Committee of Fifteen Records 1909-1927
© 2007 University of Chicago Library
| Title: | Chicago Committee of Fifteen. Records |
|---|---|
| Dates: | 1909-1927 |
| Size: | 26 Volumes (1 box) |
| Repository: |
Hanna Holborn Gray Special Collections Research Center |
| Abstract: | Also known as Manuscript Codex 1028, these twenty-six volumes were gathered for an investigation of Chicago crime, focusing on prostitution and the illegal sale of alcohol. Notes are from on-scene investigations, summaries of court records and newspaper clippings. |
The collection is open for research.
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The Chicago Committee of Fifteen was initially formed in 1908 as a private organization that sought to combat pandering in Chicago. Its original directive was to investigate and publicize the venues typically associated with vice. The Committee sent investigators (typically in pairs) to designated "sin districts" to gather first-hand observations such as names, addresses, phone numbers, and observed illegal activity at the end of which the task force members would contact the police and swear out affidavits. In 1911 the Committee was re-vamped to increasingly target prostitution, primarily because city officials such as Mayor Fred Busse were interested in exploring the question of whether prostitution should remain a regulated business in segregated vice districts (such as the Levee at 22nd and Dearborn) or should the districts be outlawed, thereby scattering prostitution throughout the city and making it more difficult to keep in check. There were a number of social concerns that the investigators took note of including, but not limited to, crime, vice, military personnel attendance, interracial contact, and potential illegal sexual activities (such as prostitution, miscegenation, and homosexuality).
The related Chicago Vice Commission members initially favored segregation, but eventually shifted their attitude and concluded that segregation and regulation had failed and that the vice districts should be abolished. They published a report in 1911 entitled The Social Evil in Chicago, which asserted that prostitutes had few other economic or educational opportunities for improvement.
One of the more startling findings of the Commission was the connection between low wages and a woman's decision to enter prostitution. Generally a woman earned an income 40 percent lower than what was deemed necessary for independent living, while the average prostitute was able to earn well above it. Even though their research indicated a need for minimum-wage legislation, many members on the commission rejected any connection between wages and vice.
It was after the city refused to follow the recommendations of the Commission and establish a new city bureau to investigate and prosecute prostitution that Chicago's anti-vice leadership passed to the Committee of Fifteen.
Typically, each entry begins with a list or addresses that the observers visited, followed by the time of day (or night) they entered and exited, and then a brief indication of the kind of information that was gleaned. Terms such as "General Observation" and "EVIDENCE" indicate what level of vice was observed. After the summary page, typically the entries of observations for the date follow.
Also listed as Manuscript Codex 1028, this collection is comprised of 26 volumes of material containing research data from the Committee, and an additional box of sources. Volumes 1-24 consist of the hand-written records of the researchers' observations at particular sites and venues of supposed criminal activity. Volumes 25-26 are the records of court cases that resulted from these research endeavors and primarily address pandering allegation. The additional box contains a collection of ledgers that holds lists of addresses, the purpose of which is unclear. It is possible that these ledgers were taken out by investigators to keep track of addresses that they visited in any given evening, though there are no dates recorded to clarify. Many of them are empty or very nearly empty.
The following related resources are located in the Department of Special Collections:
Chicago Vice Commission. The Social Evil in Chicago. 1911
| Volume 1 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, April 1922-April 1923 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. View digitized documents, part 7. |
| Volume 2 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, April 1923-December 1923 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. |
| Volume 3 | Research Observations and address lists of locations, January 1924-February 1925 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. |
| Volume 4 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, March 1924-August 1924 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. |
| Volume 5 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, January 1924-April 1924, February 1926-March 1926, December 1926-January 1927 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. |
| Volume 6 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, March 1926-September 1926 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. View digitized documents, part 7. View digitized documents, part 8. |
| Volume 7 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, November 1916-November 1917 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. |
| Volume 8 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, November 1916-November 1917 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. |
| Volume 9 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, August 1917-January 1918 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. |
| Volume 10 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, November 1917-May 1918 |
| Volume 11 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, November 1917-June 1918 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. |
| Volume 12 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, December 1917-May 1918 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. |
| Volume 13 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, May 1918-November 1918 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. |
| Volume 14 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, June 1918-February 1919 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. |
| Volume 15 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, June 1918-July 1919 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. |
| Volume 16 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, February 1919-September 1919 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. View digitized documents, part 7. |
| Volume 17 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, November 1918-July 1919 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. |
| Volume 18 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, July 1919-December 1920 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. View digitized documents, part 7. View digitized documents, part 8. View digitized documents, part 9. View digitized documents, part 10. |
| Volume 19 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, December 1919-March 1920 |
| Volume 20 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, December 1920-October 1921 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. View digitized documents, part 7. View digitized documents, part 8. View digitized documents, part 9. View digitized documents, part 10. View digitized documents, part 11. View digitized documents, part 12. |
| Volume 21 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, October 1921-March 1922, September 1926-February 1926 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. View digitized documents, part 7. View digitized documents, part 8. View digitized documents, part 9. View digitized documents, part 10. View digitized documents, part 11. View digitized documents, part 12. |
| Volume 22 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, August 1922-April 1923 View digitized documents, part 1. View digitized documents, part 2. View digitized documents, part 3. View digitized documents, part 4. View digitized documents, part 5. View digitized documents, part 6. View digitized documents, part 7. |
| Volume 23 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, August 1924-August 1925, January 1926-February 1926 |
| Volume 24 | Research Observations, Address lists, and date/time schedules of researchers, March 1925-August 1915, December 1925-March 1926 View digitized documents, part 1. |
| Volume 25 | Individual entries for court cases resulting from the Committee's work including information on trial proceedings. October 1909-August 1915 View digitized documents, part 1. |
| Volume 26 | Individual entries for court cases resulting from the Committee's work including information on trial proceedings. August 1915-March 1926 View digitized documents, part 1. |
| Box 1 Folder 1 | Supplemental Reports of Investigation, 1922-1923. |
| Box 1 Folder 2 | Affidavits. Typed and handwritten |
| Box 1 Folder 3 | Aimed at the Pimp Flyer |
| Box 1 Folder 4 | Report of Vice Commission, draft fragment |
| Box 1 Folder 5 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 6 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 7 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 8 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 9 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 10 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 11 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 12 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 13 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 14 | Ledger, blank |
| Box 1 Folder 15 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 16 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 17 | Ledger with Addresses |
| Box 1 Folder 18 | Loose-leaf notes |