From the "Village of Westchester -- 1925-1975 -- Golden Jubilee", 1976.

A Bit of Westchester History

(First in a series)

In 1925, a group of men led by Samuel Insull purchased 2200 acres of farm land 15 miles west of Chicago's loop.  They planned to extend the Rapid Transit System to the western suburbs.  This provision for direct transportation to the Loop would make Westchester an attractive suburb to those who wanted to move away from the hustle and bustle of the city.

On September 16, 1925, a group of interested citizens presented a petition to the Clerk of the County Court of Cook County for a village to be named Westchester.  On October 3, 1925, the country court of Cook County called a special election to vote on the proposition to organize the Village of Westchester*.  The vote to accept the proposition was unanimous.  The Village of Westchester was incorporated on October 30, 1925, and the article of incorporation was filed with the Secretary of State's Office on January 14, 1926.

On November 20, 1925, the County Court of Cook Country ordered that an election be held in Westchester on December 10 of that same year.  The people of Westchester were to elect one President, one Village Clerk, six Trustees, and one Police Magistrate.

The election was held at the house on the North side of 22nd St. one-half mile east of Mannheim Road formerly owned by John Batterman.

Forty-seven persons were qualified to vote; the results of that election were declared on December 15, 1925, and Otto J. Taetrow was the first President, Stephen E. Jackson the Village Clerk, Clemens E. Pushek** the Police Magistrate, and Wesley Pantillia, Warren Owens, Charles R. Gardner, Ernest Ferrand, Klaus Prime, and Grant N. Britten the Village Trustees.

Click HERE to continue to part 2 of this series

*The house in which the incorporation votes occurred still stands today between Portsmouth and Newcastle Avenues.

**The article misspelled the last name for Clemens E. Puscheck.

Last Modified:  03/26/2005