Carter H. Harrison

This is the grave of former Chicago mayor Carter Henry Harrison. Not to be confused with his son, Carter Henry Harrison or his father Carter Henry Harrison, or his father, Carter Henry Harrison, who was the first cousin of President William Henry Harrison. He was easily one of the most popular mayors this city has ever had. He was really a man of the people and a very energetic public speaker. He served from 1874 to 1878 as a Representative in the United States Congress but returned to Chicago to run for city mayor. He won the 1879 election and served for 8 consecutive years, during which occurred the infamous Haymarket Riots. Harrison championed the labor unions and the working class. Harrison retired after his fourth term, the longest tenure of any Chicago mayor before him, and traveled the world. He returned to Chicago and again ran for mayor, winning a fifth term in 1893 – before the famous World’s Columbian Exposition. On the night of October 28th of that year, days before Halloween and the close of the fair, a newspaper distributor rang the doorbell at Harrison’s house. After being admitted the man pulled out a pistol and shot Mayor Harrison three times at point-blank range, assassinating him. The man, who was later executed, was a crazed lunatic and former fan of the mayor’s who somehow got into his head that Harrison would appoint him to his mayoral staff once elected, and when that didn’t happen, the assassin felt he had no other choice. This tragic event brought an early, somber end to the World’s Fair. The city, both the working class and the Chicago elite, went into mourning. They brought the mayor to this spot and put him to rest.  

His son Carter Henry Harrison Jr., also was elected mayor of Chicago for five terms like his father. He is buried at this spot as well. Two Chicago mayors for one. How ‘bout that?

Did you know, an obelisk is an extension of Egyptian burial traditions? It is meant to represent a ray of light going into heaven. Notice the tapered top. It’s a pyramid.

Directly behind Harrison’s is a tomb faintly inscribed with the name ‘Lane.’ It is believed by some to be the resting place of a known Chicago witch. Though, I cannot confirm. To the right is the very large Reitz family tomb, the biggest in volume in the entire cemetery.

But friend, regrettably, this was our final stop of the day. There are so many stories to be found and shared in this wonderful place, but alas, we must stop for now. I leave you here, but you are on your own making it back out of Graceland alive. Perhaps there is a grave you want to revisit, or maybe you’d like to wander a bit and see what else you can discover. The choice is yours.

I hope you enjoy your time in Chicago’s greatest cemetery. We all end up here sometime. Maybe one day we’ll be telling your story.

I’m Mitch with Exhumus. Thanks for exploring. 

If you liked this audio tour and want to get to know Chicago even better, in person, you can join any of the Exhumus walking & bicycle tours. Discover the city’s dark history of tragic events in the Loop on the Haunted History tour; relive a historic six-month event that earned a place of Chicago’s flag in the World’s Fair Bicycle tour; or encountered music, architecture, and Al Capone in the Lincoln Park Gangsters & Blues tour.

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Photo by Mitchell J. Ward, 2020.