b Aug. 9, 1863, Inowroclaw, Poland; d Feb. 23, 1908, Chicago.
Writer; editor of Polish newspaper Dziennik Związkowy.
Jackson, Daniel McKee
b Sept. 9, 1870, Pittsburgh, PA; d May 17, 1929, Chicago.
Undertaker; president of Emanuel Jackson Undertaking Co.; gambling king.
Jackson, Joseph Harrison
b Sept. 11, 1900, Rudyard, MS; d Aug. 18, 1990, Chicago.
Minister, Olivet Baptist Church; president of National Baptist Convention (1953–1982).
Jackson, Joseph “Shoeless Joe” Jefferson
b July 6, 1887, Dickens County, SC; d Dec. 5, 1951, Greenville, SC.
Baseball player; Chicago White Sox outfielder; acquitted of participating in 1919 “Black Sox” scandal but banned from Major League Baseball for life.
Jackson, Mahalia
b Oct. 26, 1911, New Orleans, LA; d Jan. 27, 1972, Evergreen Park, IL.
Gospel singer; collaborated with Thomas Dorsey; held annual concerts at Carnegie Hall, 1937–1946.
Jackson, Robert R.
b Sept. 1, 1870, Malta, IL; d June 12, 1942, Chicago.
State senator (1912–1916); alderman (1918–1942).
Jackson, Tony
b June 5, 1876, New Orleans, LA; d Apr. 20, 1921, Chicago.
Pianist; composer; ragtime vaudeville artist; wrote “Pretty Baby.”
Jackson, Walter
b Mar. 19, 1938, Pensacola, FL; d June 20, 1983, Chicago.
Soul singer; known for long ballads.
Jacob, W. V.
active late nineteenth century.
Developer of Burnside area in 1890s.
Jacobs, Arnold M.
b June 11, 1915, Philadelphia, PA; d Oct. 7, 1998, Chicago.
Tuba player; member of Chicago Symphony Orchestra; brass instrument teacher.
Jacobson, Egbert
b Sept. 27, 1890, New York, NY; d Jan. 1966, Clearwater, FL.
Graphic designer; first director of Container Corp. of America (CCA) Department of Design.
James, Elmore
b Jan. 27, 1918, Holmes County, MS; d May 24, 1963, Chicago.
Blues singer and slide guitarist; recorded for Meteor label and Chess Records.
James, John
b 1829, Nitshill, Renfrewshire, Scotland; d 1902, Santa Monica, CA.
Coal miner; union leader.
Janowitz, Morris
b Oct. 22, 1919, Paterson, NJ; d Nov. 7, 1988, Chicago.
Sociologist; chairman of Univ. of Chicago sociology department; wrote The Community Press in an Urban Setting.
Janowski, Max
b Jan. 29, 1912, Berlin, Germany; d Apr. 8, 1991, Chicago.
Music director; composer of Jewish liturgical music; voice teacher.
Jefferson, Cornelia Frances
b Oct. 1, 1796, NY; d Nov. 1849, Philadelphia, PA.
Actress; performed in opening production of Chicago Theatre.
Jefferson, Joseph, II
b 1804, Philadelphia, PA; d Nov. 24, 1842, Mobile, AL.
Actor; scene painter; partner of Alexander McKinzie in theater company.
Jefferson, Joseph, III
b Feb. 20, 1829, Philadelphia, PA; d Apr. 23, 1905, Palm Beach, FL.
Actor; identified with role of “Rip van Winkle”; member of Illinois Theatrical Company; namesake of “Jeff” awards in Chicago theater.
Jefferson, “Blind Lemon”
b July 11, 1897? Couch, TX; d Dec. 1929, Chicago.
Blues singer and guitarist; performed and recorded in 1920s; member of Blues Hall of Fame.
Jeffery, Thomas B.
b Feb. 5, 1845, Stoke, England; d Apr. 2, 1910, Pompeii, Italy.
Bicycle manufacturer; mass producer of motor cars; developed Rambler auto.
Jeffries, Zay
b Apr. 22, 1888, Willow Lake, Dakota Territory; d May 21, 1965, Pittsfield, MA.
Metallurgist; scientist; participated in Manhattan Project.
Jemsek, Joe
b Dec. 24, 1912 or 1913, IL; d Apr. 2, 2002, Chicago.
Pro golfer; golf course owner; early developer of public golf courses.
Jenkins, Thomas
active 1830s.
Built structure on northern bank of Lake Michigan in 1835.
Jenney, William Le Baron
b Sept. 25, 1832, Fairhaven, MA; d June 15, 1907, Los Angeles, CA.
Engineer; architect; built Home Insurance Building.
Jensen, Jens
b Sept. 13 or Sept. 30, 1860, Dybbol, Denmark; d Oct. 1, 1951, Ellison Bay, WI.
Landscape architect; designed Humboldt Park, Columbus Park, and Garfield Park Conservatory.
Jepson, Ivar Per
b Nov. 2, 1903, Onnestad, Sweden; d Nov. 1968.
Industrial designer; engineer; chief designer at Sunbeam.
Jewett, Eleanor [Eleanor Jewett Lundberg]
b Feb. 9, 1892, Chicago; d June 1968.
Newspaper writer; art critic for Tribune beginning in 1917.
Job, Samuel
b Nov. 19, 1842, Beaufort, South Wales, England.
Businessman; active in Welsh exhibition at World's Columbian Exposition in 1893.
Joffrey, Robert [Abdullah Jaffa Anver Bey Khan]
b Dec. 24, 1930, Seattle, WA; d Mar. 25, 1988, New York, NY.
Founder and artistic director of Joffrey Ballet.
Johnson, Charles Nelson
b Mar. 16, 1860, Brock Township, Ontario, Canada; d July 17, 1938, Chicago.
Dentist; professor at Chicago College of Dental Surgery; editor of Dental Review.
Johnson, Charles Spurgeon
b July 24, 1893, Bristol, VA; d Oct. 27, 1956, Louisville, KY.
Sociologist; president of Fisk Univ.; research director for Chicago Urban League; coauthor of Chicago's Commission on Race Relations report, The Negro in Chicago (1922).
Johnson, David
active 1830s.
Norwegian sailor; arrived in 1834.
Johnson, John “Mushmouth” V.
b ca. 1857, St. Louis, MO; d Sept. 12, 1907, Brooklyn, NY.
Gambling-house proprietor.
Johnson, Robert Leroy
b May 8, 1911, Hazelhurst, MS; d Aug. 16, 1938, Greenwood, MS.
Blues guitarist; harmonica player; exemplified Mississippi Delta blues tradition.
Johnson, William H.
b Sept. 20, 1895, Chicago; d May 1, 1981, Fort Lauderdale, FL.
Educator; superintendent of Chicago Public Schools (1936–1946).
Johnsos, Luke
b Dec. 9, 1905, Chicago; d Dec. 10, 1984, Evanston, IL.
Professional football player; coach; spent nearly 40 years with Chicago Bears.
Joliet, Louis
b Sept. 21, 1645, Quebec City, Canada; d May 1700, Canada.
Explorer; cartographer; one of the first Europeans to visit Chicago (1673).
Jones, J. Wesley
b Sept. 8, 1884, Nashville, TN; d Feb. 11, 1961, Chicago.
Choral leader; musician.
Jones, Jenkin Lloyd
b Nov. 14, 1843, Llandysul, Wales; d Sept. 12, 1918, Tower Hill, WI.
Clergyman; established All Souls' Church; secretary of World Parliament of Religions (1893).
Jones, John
b Nov. 3, 1816, Greene County, NC; d May 21, 1879, Chicago.
Tailor; businessman; philanthropist; Underground Railroad activist; abolitionist; civil rights activist; county commissioner; first African American to hold elective office in Illinois (1871).
Jones, John A. “Jack”
b Oct. 12, 1876, Kingston, Ontario, Canada; d Dec. 12, 1940, Chicago.
Owner and proprietor of Dill Pickle Club; labor activist; participant in IWW founding convention in Chicago (1905).
Jones, Mary Harris “Mother” [Mary Harris]
b baptized Aug. 1, 1837, Cork, Ireland; d Nov. 30, 1930, Silver Springs, MD.
Dressmaker; union organizer for United Mine Workers, Knights of Labor, and others; participant in IWW founding convention in Chicago (1905).