Chicago has a rich and complicated political history, although it has been marred by corruption. While Richard J. Daley (1902-1976) served as mayor from 1955-1976, his administration was accused of bribery, election-tampering and intimidation. The historian Seymour Hersch suggested that Daley manipulated the 1960 election in John F. Kennedy's favor, and the Illinois Racing Board Coordinator later said that Daley had coerced him into bribing the state governor. In 2010, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (born in 1956) was tried for trying to sell President Obama's Senate seat in 2008.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 transformed the city and spurred architects toward the invention of the skyscraper. The fire, which started in a shed on DeKoven Street, killed hundreds of Chicagoans and burned through the mostly wood buildings in four square miles of the inner city. As a result, later building codes discouraged the use of wood, and architects innovated in the use of structural steel framing buildings. By 1885, structural steel frames resulted in the construction of the Home Insurance Building, the world's first skyscraper.
Al Capone (1899-1947), a Chicago gangster involved in bootlegging and smuggling activities, rose to national prominence. He was often presented sympathetically in Chicago-area newspapers. Federal agent Eliot Ness (1903-1957) conducted a long investigation into his activity, resulting in a conviction for tax evasion in 1931.
In 1919, the Chicago Crime Commission was formed and became a major influence on the justice system, offering advice on prosecutions and composing training manuals for police and other law enforcement officials. The CCC was also important in changing the perception of criminal organizations such as Capone's by writing op-eds denouncing him and raising public awareness of his violent crimes.