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Scottish Sun
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scottish Sun
Iconic Hulk Hogan single-handedly transformed pro wrestling from spit & sawdust viewing to multi-billion dollar behemoth
His cartoonish charisma and deft ring theatrics helped transform the sport from spit and sawdust blokeish viewing into family entertainment. LEGACY OF AN ICON Iconic Hulk Hogan single-handedly transformed pro wrestling from spit & sawdust viewing to multi-billion dollar behemoth RIPPING his tee-shirt from his muscle-bound torso like Superman, Hulk Hogan revealed a bright red vest endorsing Donald Trump underneath. "Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!" he bellowed in a mash-up of his own catchphrases at last summer's Republican Convention. Advertisement 12 Hulk Hogan rips his shirt before Republican presidential nominee former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Madison Square Garden Credit: AP 12 Hogan and Donald Trump backstage during the 2024 RNC Credit: X/DanScavino 12 Hulk Hogan posing with Trump Credit: hulkhogan/Instagram 12 Hulk Hogan displaying the WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt Credit: Getty Images - Getty It says much for the controversial Hogan's popularity that the now leader of the free world had chosen the wrestler to endorse him for President. Instantly recognisable in trademark bandana and shaggy, blond handlebar moustache, Hogan had long been a larger-than-life icon for middle America. Without Hogan - who died aged 71 following a cardiac arrest on Thursday - it's unlikely professional wrestling would be the multibillion-pound behemoth it is today. His cartoonish charisma and deft ring theatrics helped transform the sport from spit and sawdust blokeish viewing into family entertainment. Advertisement Hogan became such a big star that he was able to transcend wrestling and starred in the movie The Rock III with Sylvester Stallone, as well as securing his own reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best. There was also controversy. In 2012, a sex tape between Hogan and Heather Clem, the estranged wife of the improbably named radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, appeared online. During the clip, Bubba is heard telling the couple they can 'do their thing' and he will be in his office. Then, at the end of the tape, Bubba tells his wife: 'If we ever need to retire, here is our ticket.' Advertisement Showbiz blog Gawker ran a short clip of the video. It hardly chimed with the wholesome image that Higan had cultivated. Hogan later admitted to radio host Howard Stern that 'it was a bad choice and a very low point'. WWE legend Ric Flair leads tributes to 'close friend' Hulk Hogan who has died aged 71 Three times married Hogan added: 'I was with some friends and made a wrong choice. It has devastated me. I have never been this hurt.' Hogan then sued Bubba, and a settlement was announced. He also sued Gawker and was awarded £85million, which put the gossip site out of business. Advertisement Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, in 1953, his dad was a construction foreman father and his mum was a dance teacher. Hogan remembered: 'Some of my earliest memories of childhood involve getting bullied by other boys in my neighbourhood. Especially by this one red-haired kid who was meaner than a snake: Roger. 'I remember one day, I was six or seven, and I was out in the yard collecting caterpillars from the trees and putting them into glass jars. 'The next thing I know, Roger has taken all my caterpillars and put 'em in his jar. Advertisement 'That was it for me. I got all pissed off. So I stormed over to pick up his jar, and he came up from behind and pushed me down. Smash! 'When Roger saw my finger hanging there and the blood gushing out, he started running home. 'So I bent down and picked up a rock, like David and Goliath, and I threw it so hard and hit him right in the back of his head. Dropped him right there on the pavement. Blood was everywhere.' 12 Hulk Hogan attends Day 1 of the Chiller Theatre Expo at Sheraton Parsippany Hotel in October 2014 in Parsippany, New Jersey Advertisement 12 President Donald Trump and Hulk Hogan at Wrestlemania Vl Convention Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey in March 1987 Credit: Getty Images - Getty 12 Hulk Hogan displaying the WCW World Heavyweight Championship belt Credit: Getty Images - Getty Yet, the fight game was his first calling. A decent baseball pitcher, Hogan began weightlifting as a teenager while living in Tampa, Florida, which helped him develop the massive arms he called his '24-inch pythons'. Advertisement At school, he was called a hippy because of his long hair, love of rock music and hatred of American football despite his physique. Hogan recalled: 'I started out playing guitar in junior high school, because I wasn't a big sports guy. 'I was into music and had long hair. So I started out playing guitar, and as things go, as a music kid, you start playing in bands. 'All of a sudden, I started playing in this kick ass rock n' roll band, and a couple of wrestlers came in to the show. Before I knew it, there were a bunch of wrestlers at our gigs. Advertisement 'These were regional wrestlers, so they'd come back to Tampa every night, where we would be playing till 3am.' Eventually, he plucked up the courage to ask for a ring tryout, pumping iron to develop his massive arms, which he called his '24-inch pythons.' Hulk Hogan tributes Tributes have poured in for Hulk Hogan following his death at 71 years old. "When I nearly lost my dad 8 years ago, one of the few people who was there for all of it was Hulk Hogan. My heart breaks for Nick and Brooke. Rest in peace, brother." - Charlotte Flair "Saddened To Hear About The Passing of Hulk Hogan…I Guess God Needed An Incredible Angel. R.I.P. My Friend." - Sergeant Slaughter "He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!" - Ric Flair "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans." - WWE "R.I.P to a legend. HULK HOGAN." - Donald Trump Jr. "Hulk Hogan was a great American icon. One of the first people I ever truly admired as a kid. The last time I saw him we promised we'd get beers together next time we saw each other. The next time will have to be on the other side, my friend! Rest in peace." - Vice President JD Vance Hogan's leg was broken in his first training session by pro-fighter Hiro Matsuda. It might have ended his career there and then, but ten weeks later, he was back facing Matsuda in training and managed to block the move that had broken his limb. Advertisement Hogan began wrestling in the southern US under names such as Terry the Hulk, Boulder and Sterling Golden. The flag-waving American hero hit the big time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) playing the muscular, egotistical blond villain. Also fighting in Japan, it was there he became a sensation and Hulkamania - the wild scenes he generated in packed stadiums - was born. 'Hulkamania,' as the energy he created was called, started running wild in the mid-1980s and pushed professional wrestling into the mainstream. He was a flag-waving American hero with the horseshoe moustache, red and yellow gear Advertisement Strutting the stage in his signature red and yellow costume, his rippling physique and preening yet magnetic personality saw him become the world's most famous wrestler. 12 Hollywood Hulk Hogan and The Rock at Wrestlemania X8 Credit: Getty Images - Getty 12 Hulk Hogan vs Andre the giant at Wrestlemania Vl in March 1988 Credit: Getty Images - Getty His popularity helped lead to the creation of the annual WrestleMania event in 1985, when he teamed up with the A-Team star Mr T. Advertisement The pair beat 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff in Facing everyone from Andre the Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon, he won a string of WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. Inevitably, Hollywood came calling. He starred as Thunderlips in the movie Rocky III in 1982 and in other films and TV shows. However, Hogan was booted out of the WWE in 2015 after a tape surfaced of him making racist remarks, including the use of the n-word. Advertisement In a video made public by The National Enquirer, Hogan said: 'I guess we're all a little racist' and used the n-word while referring to his daughter's love life, repeating the phrase 'f***ing n******' several times'. After making numerous apologies, he was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. He married his first wife, Linda Claridge, in 1983 and had a daughter, Brooke and a son, Nick, together. The family featured on the reality television show Hogan Knows Best. 12 Hulk Hogan gestures to the audience during his Hulkamania Tour at the Burswood Dome in Perth, Australia in November 2009 Credit: Getty Images - Getty Advertisement 12 Hulk Hogan attends the N.A.T.P.E. Convention in January 1994 in Florida Credit: Getty - Contributor The show was a hit, but Nick struggled with fame and was involved in a number of high-speed car accidents. The worst came in 2007, when his 22-year-old friend and passenger, John Graziano, was left paralysed. In his autobiography, Hulk Hogan: My Life Outside the Ring, he revealed how the crash left him suicidal. He said: 'Here I was nearly four months later, consumed by thoughts of John Graziano, who was still barely clinging to life in a hospital bed. Advertisement 'I took another swig from that bottle of rum. I got angry at the cops and the media and everyone who blamed my son for hurting John. It was an accident, a horrible accident. 'I could feel the life draining out of me. Not from a cut on my body but a wound somewhere deeper. 'It had me curling my index finger on the trigger of a loaded handgun and putting it in my mouth. Why not end it?' The couple divorced, with Linda citing that Hogan had been unfaithful, which the wrestler denied. Advertisement He married Jennifer McDaniel in 2010, but they divorced 12 years later. In 2023, he wed yoga instructor Sky Daily. In the summer, Hogan had roared on stage at the Republican Convention: 'Let Trumpamania make America Great Again!' Yelled by a wrestler who became bigger than the ring. President Trump paid tribute to the wrestler whom he called "a great friend" and the "Hulkster". Advertisement "Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way - Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart," he posted on social media.
The Sun
24-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Iconic Hulk Hogan single-handedly transformed pro wrestling from spit & sawdust viewing to multi-billion dollar behemoth
RIPPING his tee-shirt from his muscle-bound torso like Superman, Hulk Hogan revealed a bright red vest endorsing Donald Trump underneath. "Let Trumpamania run wild, brother!" he bellowed in a mash-up of his own catchphrases at last summer's Republican Convention. 12 12 It says much for the controversial Hogan's popularity that the now leader of the free world had chosen the wrestler to endorse him for President. Instantly recognisable in trademark bandana and shaggy, blond handlebar moustache, Hogan had long been a larger-than-life icon for middle America. Without Hogan - who died aged 71 following a cardiac arrest on Thursday - it's unlikely professional wrestling would be the multibillion-pound behemoth it is today. His cartoonish charisma and deft ring theatrics helped transform the sport from spit and sawdust blokeish viewing into family entertainment. Hogan became such a big star that he was able to transcend wrestling and starred in the movie The Rock III with Sylvester Stallone, as well as securing his own reality TV show, Hogan Knows Best. There was also controversy. In 2012, a sex tape between Hogan and Heather Clem, the estranged wife of the improbably named radio personality Bubba the Love Sponge, appeared online. During the clip, Bubba is heard telling the couple they can 'do their thing' and he will be in his office. Then, at the end of the tape, Bubba tells his wife: 'If we ever need to retire, here is our ticket.' Showbiz blog Gawker ran a short clip of the video. It hardly chimed with the wholesome image that Higan had cultivated. Hogan later admitted to radio host Howard Stern that 'it was a bad choice and a very low point'. Three times married Hogan added: 'I was with some friends and made a wrong choice. It has devastated me. I have never been this hurt.' Hogan then sued Bubba, and a settlement was announced. He also sued Gawker and was awarded £85million, which put the gossip site out of business. Born Terry Gene Bollea in Augusta, Georgia, in 1953, his dad was a construction foreman father and his mum was a dance teacher. Hogan remembered: 'Some of my earliest memories of childhood involve getting bullied by other boys in my neighbourhood. Especially by this one red-haired kid who was meaner than a snake: Roger. 'I remember one day, I was six or seven, and I was out in the yard collecting caterpillars from the trees and putting them into glass jars. 'The next thing I know, Roger has taken all my caterpillars and put 'em in his jar. 'That was it for me. I got all pissed off. So I stormed over to pick up his jar, and he came up from behind and pushed me down. Smash! 'When Roger saw my finger hanging there and the blood gushing out, he started running home. 'So I bent down and picked up a rock, like David and Goliath, and I threw it so hard and hit him right in the back of his head. Dropped him right there on the pavement. Blood was everywhere.' 12 12 Yet, the fight game was his first calling. A decent baseball pitcher, Hogan began weightlifting as a teenager while living in Tampa, Florida, which helped him develop the massive arms he called his '24-inch pythons'. At school, he was called a hippy because of his long hair, love of rock music and hatred of American football despite his physique. Hogan recalled: 'I started out playing guitar in junior high school, because I wasn't a big sports guy. 'I was into music and had long hair. So I started out playing guitar, and as things go, as a music kid, you start playing in bands. 'All of a sudden, I started playing in this kick ass rock n' roll band, and a couple of wrestlers came in to the show. Before I knew it, there were a bunch of wrestlers at our gigs. 'These were regional wrestlers, so they'd come back to Tampa every night, where we would be playing till 3am.' Eventually, he plucked up the courage to ask for a ring tryout, pumping iron to develop his massive arms, which he called his '24-inch pythons.' Hulk Hogan tributes Tributes have poured in for Hulk Hogan following his death at 71 years old. "When I nearly lost my dad 8 years ago, one of the few people who was there for all of it was Hulk Hogan. My heart breaks for Nick and Brooke. Rest in peace, brother." - Charlotte Flair "Saddened To Hear About The Passing of Hulk Hogan…I Guess God Needed An Incredible Angel. R.I.P. My Friend." - Sergeant Slaughter "He Was One Of The First To Visit Me When I Was In The Hospital With A 2% Chance Of Living, And He Prayed By My Bedside. Hulk Also Lent Me Money When Reid Was Sick. Hulkster, No One Will Ever Compare To You! Rest In Peace My Friend!" - Ric Flair "WWE is saddened to learn WWE Hall of Famer Hulk Hogan has passed away. One of pop culture's most recognizable figures, Hogan helped WWE achieve global recognition in the 1980s. WWE extends its condolences to Hogan's family, friends, and fans." - WWE "R.I.P to a legend. HULK HOGAN." - Donald Trump Jr. "Hulk Hogan was a great American icon. One of the first people I ever truly admired as a kid. The last time I saw him we promised we'd get beers together next time we saw each other. The next time will have to be on the other side, my friend! Rest in peace." - Vice President JD Vance Hogan's leg was broken in his first training session by pro-fighter Hiro Matsuda. It might have ended his career there and then, but ten weeks later, he was back facing Matsuda in training and managed to block the move that had broken his limb. Hogan began wrestling in the southern US under names such as Terry the Hulk, Boulder and Sterling Golden. The flag-waving American hero hit the big time with the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) playing the muscular, egotistical blond villain. Also fighting in Japan, it was there he became a sensation and Hulkamania - the wild scenes he generated in packed stadiums - was born. 'Hulkamania,' as the energy he created was called, started running wild in the mid-1980s and pushed professional wrestling into the mainstream. He was a flag-waving American hero with the horseshoe moustache, red and yellow gear Strutting the stage in his signature red and yellow costume, his rippling physique and preening yet magnetic personality saw him become the world's most famous wrestler. His popularity helped lead to the creation of the annual WrestleMania event in 1985, when he teamed up with the A-Team star Mr T. The pair beat 'Rowdy' Roddy Piper and 'Mr. Wonderful' Paul Orndorff in Facing everyone from Andre the Giant and Randy Savage to The Rock and even company chairman Vince McMahon, he won a string of WWE championships and was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2005. Inevitably, Hollywood came calling. He starred as Thunderlips in the movie Rocky III in 1982 and in other films and TV shows. However, Hogan was booted out of the WWE in 2015 after a tape surfaced of him making racist remarks, including the use of the n-word. In a video made public by The National Enquirer, Hogan said: 'I guess we're all a little racist' and used the n-word while referring to his daughter's love life, repeating the phrase 'f***ing n******' several times'. After making numerous apologies, he was reinstated into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018. He married his first wife, Linda Claridge, in 1983 and had a daughter, Brooke and a son, Nick, together. The family featured on the reality television show Hogan Knows Best. 12 12 The show was a hit, but Nick struggled with fame and was involved in a number of high-speed car accidents. The worst came in 2007, when his 22-year-old friend and passenger, John Graziano, was left paralysed. In his autobiography, Hulk Hogan: My Life Outside the Ring, he revealed how the crash left him suicidal. He said: 'Here I was nearly four months later, consumed by thoughts of John Graziano, who was still barely clinging to life in a hospital bed. 'I took another swig from that bottle of rum. I got angry at the cops and the media and everyone who blamed my son for hurting John. It was an accident, a horrible accident. 'I could feel the life draining out of me. Not from a cut on my body but a wound somewhere deeper. 'It had me curling my index finger on the trigger of a loaded handgun and putting it in my mouth. Why not end it?' The couple divorced, with Linda citing that Hogan had been unfaithful, which the wrestler denied. He married Jennifer McDaniel in 2010, but they divorced 12 years later. In 2023, he wed yoga instructor Sky Daily. In the summer, Hogan had roared on stage at the Republican Convention: 'Let Trumpamania make America Great Again!' Yelled by a wrestler who became bigger than the ring. President Trump paid tribute to the wrestler whom he called "a great friend" and the "Hulkster". "Hulk Hogan was MAGA all the way - Strong, tough, smart, but with the biggest heart," he posted on social media. 12
Washington Post
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
2026 races loom at Georgia Republican convention as Trump loyalty dominates
DALTON, Ga. — Steve Bannon took the stage Friday night at the Georgia Republican Convention to say it's too early to be talking about 2026. 'Don't even think about the midterms,' the Republican strategist told activists. 'Not right now. '26, we'll think about it later. It's backing President Trump right now.' But it didn't work. There was plenty of praise for Donald Trump. And while the party took care of other business like electing officers and adopting a platform, the 2026 races for governor and Senate were already on the minds of many on Friday and Saturday in the northwest Georgia city of Dalton. 'Everybody campaigns as quick as they can,' U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told The Associated Press Saturday. Lots of other people showed up sounding like candidates. Greene, after passing on a U.S. Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, laid out a slate of state-level issues on Saturday that will likely fuel speculation that she might run for governor. Echoing Trump's signature slogan, Greene told the convention to 'Make Georgia great again, for Georgia.' She called for abolishing the state income tax, infusing 'classical' principles into Georgia's public schools, reopening mental hospitals to take mentally ill people off the streets, and changing Georgia's economic incentive policy to de-emphasize tax breaks for foreign companies and television and moviemakers. 'Now these are state-level issues, but I want you to be talking about them,' Greene said. In her AP interview before the speech, Greene said running for governor is an 'option,' but also said she has a 'wonderful blessing' of serving her northwest Georgia district and exercising influence in Washington. 'Pretty much every single primary poll shows that I am the top leader easily, and that gives me the ability to think about it. But it's a choice. It's my own, that I will talk about with my family.' More likely to run for governor is Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to announce a bid later this summer. 'I promise you, I'm going to be involved in this upcoming election cycle,' Jones told delegates Friday. Like Greene, Jones is among the Georgia Republicans closest to Trump, and emphasized that 'the circle is small' of prominent Republicans who stood by the president after the 2020 election. Jones also took a veiled shot at state Attorney General Chris Carr, who declared his bid for governor in December and showed up Friday to work the crowd, but did not deliver a speech to the convention. 'Always remember who showed up for you,' Jones said. 'And always remember who delivers on their promises.' Carr told the AP that he didn't speak because he was instead attending a campaign event at a restaurant in Dalton on Friday, emphasizing the importance of building personal relationships. Although Trump targeted him for defeat in the 2022 primary, Carr said he's confident that Republicans will support him, calling himself a 'proud Kemp Republican,' and saying he would focus on bread-and-butter issues. 'This state's been built on agriculture, manufacturing, trade, the military, public safety,' Carr said. 'These are the issues that Georgians care about.' The easiest applause line all weekend was pledging to help beat Ossoff. 'Jon Ossoff should not be in office at all,' said U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who is spending heavily on television advertising to support his Senate run. 'Folks, President Trump needs backup, he needs backup in the Senate,' said state Insurance Commissioner John King, who is also running for the Senate. 'He's going to need a four-year majority to get the job done. And that starts right here in the state of Georgia.' Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who expressed interest Friday in running for Senate, did not address delegates. But one other potential candidate, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, did. Collins told delegates that in 2026 it was a priority to defeat Ossoff and replace him with a 'solid conservative.' It's not clear, though, if Collins himself will run. 'We're going to see how this thing plays out,' Collins told the AP. 'I'm not burning to be a senator, but we've got to take this seat back.'
Associated Press
07-06-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
2026 races loom at Georgia Republican convention as Trump loyalty dominates
DALTON, Ga. (AP) — Steve Bannon took the stage Friday night at the Georgia Republican Convention to say it's too early to be talking about 2026. 'Don't even think about the midterms,' the Republican strategist told activists. 'Not right now. '26, we'll think about it later. It's backing President Trump right now.' But it didn't work. There was plenty of praise for Donald Trump. And while the party took care of other business like electing officers and adopting a platform, the 2026 races for governor and Senate were already on the minds of many on Friday and Saturday in the northwest Georgia city of Dalton. 'Everybody campaigns as quick as they can,' U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene told The Associated Press Saturday. Lots of other people showed up sounding like candidates. Greene, after passing on a U.S. Senate bid against Democratic incumbent Jon Ossoff, laid out a slate of state-level issues on Saturday that will likely fuel speculation that she might run for governor. Echoing Trump's signature slogan, Greene told the convention to 'Make Georgia great again, for Georgia.' She called for abolishing the state income tax, infusing 'classical' principles into Georgia's public schools, reopening mental hospitals to take mentally ill people off the streets, and changing Georgia's economic incentive policy to de-emphasize tax breaks for foreign companies and television and moviemakers. 'Now these are state-level issues, but I want you to be talking about them,' Greene said. In her AP interview before the speech, Greene said running for governor is an 'option,' but also said she has a 'wonderful blessing' of serving her northwest Georgia district and exercising influence in Washington. 'Pretty much every single primary poll shows that I am the top leader easily, and that gives me the ability to think about it. But it's a choice. It's my own, that I will talk about with my family.' More likely to run for governor is Lt. Gov. Burt Jones, who is expected to announce a bid later this summer. 'I promise you, I'm going to be involved in this upcoming election cycle,' Jones told delegates Friday. Like Greene, Jones is among the Georgia Republicans closest to Trump, and emphasized that 'the circle is small' of prominent Republicans who stood by the president after the 2020 election. Jones also took a veiled shot at state Attorney General Chris Carr, who declared his bid for governor in December and showed up Friday to work the crowd, but did not deliver a speech to the convention. 'Always remember who showed up for you,' Jones said. 'And always remember who delivers on their promises.' Carr told the AP that he didn't speak because he was instead attending a campaign event at a restaurant in Dalton on Friday, emphasizing the importance of building personal relationships. Although Trump targeted him for defeat in the 2022 primary, Carr said he's confident that Republicans will support him, calling himself a 'proud Kemp Republican,' and saying he would focus on bread-and-butter issues. 'This state's been built on agriculture, manufacturing, trade, the military, public safety,' Carr said. 'These are the issues that Georgians care about.' The easiest applause line all weekend was pledging to help beat Ossoff. 'Jon Ossoff should not be in office at all,' said U.S. Rep. Buddy Carter, who is spending heavily on television advertising to support his Senate run. 'Folks, President Trump needs backup, he needs backup in the Senate,' said state Insurance Commissioner John King, who is also running for the Senate. 'He's going to need a four-year majority to get the job done. And that starts right here in the state of Georgia.' Former University of Tennessee football coach Derek Dooley, who expressed interest Friday in running for Senate, did not address delegates. But one other potential candidate, U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, did. Collins told delegates that in 2026 it was a priority to defeat Ossoff and replace him with a 'solid conservative.' It's not clear, though, if Collins himself will run. 'We're going to see how this thing plays out,' Collins told the AP. 'I'm not burning to be a senator, but we've got to take this seat back.'
Chicago Tribune
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Michael Peregrine: Chicago helped give rise to Abraham Lincoln's presidency 165 years ago
The intersection of Lake Street and Wacker Drive is well known for several reasons. For the confluence of the Chicago River branches. For the hazards of the tricky pedestrian crossings. For the cold wind that often roars down Lake Street from the west. But history remembers it for this reason: It's the site of the 'Wigwam' assembly hall, where Abraham Lincoln accepted the Republican presidential nomination on May 18, 1860. Bet you didn't know that. But maybe you should. For in a city well known for holding political conventions, perhaps none stands more consequential than the 1860 Republican Convention. It was consequential for Chicago, in that it provided the young, burgeoning city with perhaps its first real national recognition. And it was consequential for the nation, as the long-simmering sectional crisis over slavery was reaching a boiling point that would be the focus of the upcoming presidential campaign. Chicago's primary attraction as convention city was Illinois' status as a 'border state' and the city's growing reputation as a trade center. Because the city lacked a suitable venue for the convention, the Wigwam was constructed as a temporary meeting facility. Built entirely of wood, it was located at what is now 191 N. Wacker and had a capacity of 10,000 attendees. The Wigwam was erected on the site of the Sauganash Hotel, which had held many of Chicago's earliest town meetings until it was destroyed by fire in 1851. The convention was to be a tumultuous affair, with tension over the slavery controversy permeating the proceedings. The national discourse was gripped not only by the legality (and morality) of slavery in the Southern states, but more pointedly by the question of whether the federal government was empowered to abolish slavery in the new 'Western territories' of the still-young country. Lincoln had previously expressed support for such power in his famous 1858 'House Divided' speech. Nevertheless, by the time of the convention, Lincoln was not widely known. Rather, the able New York Sen. William P. Seward was perceived as the favorite, despite electability concerns amongst the delegates over his strong opposition to slavery. Yet Lincoln proved to be a shrewd strategist, presenting himself as an acceptable and more moderate alternative to a divided convention and capturing the nomination on the third ballot. But with Lincoln's nomination came the enormous recognition that the next president would be called to confront slavery's threat to national solidarity. He faced a deeply torn political climate, with the rise of abolitionism in the North and unequivocal support for states' rights in the South. This was, truly, 'soul of the nation' stuff. A proposed compromise, which would have banned slavery north of a geographic line while allowing it south of the line, failed. The electorate was on edge, with fears that a civil war was inevitable. And, of course, it was right. This was the unique landscape that Lincoln confronted when he accepted his party's nomination in Chicago on that day in May 1860. The country, only 75 years old, was bitterly torn apart by competing views on whether the practice of slavery was a legal right or a mortal sin. Some politicians have pursued the presidency with the knowledge that the potential for war lay on the nation's horizon — but that was with an external enemy. Lincoln pursued the presidency knowing that the potential for a true war between the states was on the nation's doorstep. And he assumed the presidency with an absolute conviction to preserve the national union and to peacefully resolve the slavery divide. 'We are not enemies, but friends,' he said. And the seeds of what was to come — the appointment of the 'team of rivals,' the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, the 13th Amendment and the successful prosecution of the war — were planted in Chicago. For subsumed within Lincoln's willingness to accept the Chicago nomination was knowledge — perhaps without a doubt — of what actions by states were to come and what actions were morally right for the government to pursue. 'You have no oath registered in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to 'preserve, protect, and defend it,'' Lincoln said in his first inaugural address. Lincoln was assassinated April 14, 1865, and the Wigwam burned to the ground on Nov. 13, 1869. A small plaque commemorating the hall's existence is next to the tall office building that rose from its ashes. Think of all this the next time you're standing at the southeast corner of Lake and Wacker. As you wait for the light to turn green, close your eyes for a moment and let your mind drift. You're standing on space where Lincoln may well have stood, 165 years ago. And think about what he meant to the country then, and what he still means to the country today. Michael Peregrine is a Chicago lawyer and grateful graduate of Oak Park High.
