BURIED TOGETHER
Partner Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna
Queer Places:
Calvary Catholic Cemetery, 301 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60202, United States
John Joseph Coughlin (August 15, 1860 - November 11, 1938), widely known as "Bathhouse John" or "the Bath", was born on August 15, 1860, and became one of Chicago's most
colorful, eccentric, and enduring political figures. He began his working life as a rubber, or masseur, in Loop Turkish bathhouses and eventually opened his own bath
establishment. Transitioning into politics, Coughlin was elected as a Democrat to the Chicago City Council, serving as alderman for Chicago's First Ward—frequently called
the "world's richest ward"—from 1892 until his death. Alongside his political partner, Michael "Hinky Dink" Kenna, Coughlin
established a powerful and notoriously corrupt political machine. Known together as the "Lords of the Levee," the pair controlled the vice-ridden Levee District, where all
the local brothels, gambling dens, bathhouses, and saloons paid regular protection money. Beyond his political career defined by graft and machine politics, Coughlin was
famous for his outlandish, flamboyant fashion, authorship of eccentric doggerel poetry, and deep involvement in horse racing.
Coughlin's legacy intersects significantly with early LGBTQ history through the notorious First Ward Ball. Running annually from 1896 to 1908, the ball was hosted by
Coughlin and Kenna as a massive political fundraiser where every brothel, gambling den, bathhouse, and saloon in the Levee District was required to buy blocks of tickets as
a payoff for police protection. The event grew into an enormous, scandalous saturnalian gathering that ultimately moved to the Chicago Coliseum, attracting thousands of
attendees. A major highlight of the evening was a grand march led by Coughlin himself, which featured a diverse and countercultural mix of politicians, gangsters, gamblers,
madams, prostitutes, and female impersonators. The inclusion of gender-nonconforming participants and female impersonators in such a public, high-profile setting made the
event a rare early space for public queer visibility, albeit wrapped within a criminal underworld. The open subversion of conventional morality eventually drew intense
public backlash, culminating in 1908 when Walter T. Sumner, dean of the Chicago Episcopal Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, attended as an observer and publicly denounced
the event as an everlasting disgrace to Chicago, leading to its permanent shutdown. Coughlin remained in office for decades afterward until his death on
November 11, 1938.
References:
Other references:
- Wendt, Lloyd, and Kogan, Herman. (1943). [Lords of the Levee: The Story of Bathhouse John and Hinky Dink](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1370745.Lords_of_the_Levee). Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill (reprinted by Indiana University Press, ISBN: 0-253-20109-8). This definitive, classic dual biography details the political machine, corrupt operations, and colorful spectacles of Chicago's First Ward leaders.
- Fremon, David K. (1988). [Chicago Politics Ward by Ward](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coughlin_(alderman)). Bloomington: Indiana University Press (ISBN: 0-253-31344-9), which outlines the structural history of Chicago city wards and Coughlin’s lengthy tenure as alderman.
- Chicago Historical Society. [The Encyclopedia of Chicago](https://www.google.com/search?q=http://encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org/pages/2408.html): “Hinky Dink” Kenna and “Bathhouse” John Coughlin, providing concise academic framing of their 1890s political machine and Levee District control.
- Chicago Tribune and Chicagology Archives. Historical features including James Doherty’s "Bathhouse Coughlin: His Exploits Amazed and Shocked the Town for Almost Half a Century" (Chicago Tribune Grafic Magazine, May 24, 1953) and contemporary newspaper chronicles detailing the organization, attendance, and ultimate 1908/1909 shutdown of the First Ward Ball.
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