Catherine O'Leary
| Catherine O'Leary | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Catherine Donegan c. 1827 Ireland |
| Died | July 3, 1895 (aged 68) Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Other names | Cate |
| Spouse(s) | Patrick O'Leary |
| Children | 3 |
Catherine O'Leary (also known as Cate O'Leary; ca. 1827 – 3 July 1895) was an Irish immigrant living in Chicago, Illinois who became famous when it was alleged that an accident involving her cow had started the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. Catherine and her husband Patrick O'Leary had three children, one of whom, James Patrick O'Leary, ran a well-known Chicago saloon and gambling hall.
On the evening of October 8, 1871, a fire consumed the O'Leary family's barn at 137 DeKoven Street. Due to a high wind and dry conditions it spread to burn a large percentage of the city, an event known as the Great Chicago Fire.
After the Great Fire, Chicago Tribune reporter Michael Ahern published a report that the fire had started when a cow kicked over a lantern while it was being milked. The woman was not named, but Catherine O'Leary was soon identified, as the fire had begun in her barn. Illustrations and caricatures soon appeared depicting Mrs. O'Leary with the cow. The idea took the popular imagination and is still widely circulated.
In 1893, however, Ahern admitted he had made the story up. The official report at the time stated: "whether it originated from a spark blown from a chimney on that windy night, or was set on fire by human agency, we are unable to determine". Mrs. O'Leary herself stated that she had been in bed when the fire started, and she had no idea what set it off. Daniel "Pegleg" Sullivan, the first person to raise the alarm, reported that on seeing a fire in the barn, he ran across the street to free the animals, which included a cow owned by Sullivan's mother. He then informed the O'Learys, who were at home.
Anti-Irish attitudes at the time encouraged scapegoating the O'Leary family. It was claimed that the supposed accident happened because she was drunk, or that she hid the evidence to avoid being blamed. Neighbors later claimed to have seen shards from the broken lamp, but none of these stories could be verified. One person stated that he had found the lamp, but it had been stolen by an Irishman to protect the O'Learys.
Other theories suggest that Daniel "Pegleg" Sullivan himself may have started the fire, or possibly Louis M. Cohn, who later claimed to have been gambling in the barn with the O'Learys' son and several others.
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