Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce - History of The Chamber

History of The Chamber

History: The Chamber is a direct lineal descendent of the Chicago Board of Trade which was founded in 1848. 1904 is the official founding date, for at this time, numerous groups were amalgamated to form the present Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber has played, and continues to play, a major role in the development of the business and civic life of the community. Its record of accomplishments is notable, reflecting with credit the efforts over many years of a continuous succession of articulate business and civic leaders, united by the common goal to make Chicago a better community in which to live, work, and engage in business:

List of major achievements.

• 1908 - the Chamber helps Northwestern University found its School of Commerce.
• 1912 - the Chamber contributes to the creation and organization of the United States Chamber of Commerce.
• 1920’s - the Chamber organizes the "Secret Six." This group became an internationally famous crime fighting body, and was headed by Chamber President Colonel Robert Isham Randolph.
• 1940's - the Chamber conducts a series of surveys resulting in the ordinance that took the public schools out of politics and created the position of General Superintendent of Schools.
• 1950: The Chamber conducted a successful Chicagoland Fair, Commerce and Industry Exposition in 1957, and an even more successful Chicago International Trade Fair of 1959 followed it. The latter brought Her Majesty, Elizabeth, Queen of the British Commonwealth, to Chicago as well as a giant U.S. Naval Flotilla. The trade fair added millions of dollars to 1959 Chicago business totals.
• 1965: Mayor Richard J. Daley presented the Chamber with a 1965 Human Relations Commission Award for, "initiating and successfully carrying out unique programs with the business community to open up more and better job opportunities for minority group people."
• 1975: The Chamber organized a citizen's sponsoring committee, which raised $450,000 to educate the public about the essential need for the Regional Transportation Authority in 1974. The Chamber was also an active member in the successful passage of the six-county referendum that created the Regional Transportation Authority.
• 1987 - the Chamber participates in the broad-based school reform coalition that led to the landmark School Reform Act of 1988.
• 2001 – Chamber is vocal advocate for expansion of O'Hare International Airport to support the region’s business needs.
• 2002 - the Chamber is awarded four-star accreditation by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for its outstanding contribution to positive change in the community. The Chamber has earned the highest rating to date for any Chamber in the United States.
• 2006 - partnership established with Scholarship of Chicago.
• 2008 – the Chamber’s Chicagoland Entrepreneurship Center launches the Illinois Innovation Accelerator Fund. Awarded top honors by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce with five-star accreditation.