September 11, 1915, George Harrison Sprague born in Duluth, Minnesota
moved to Milwaukee with his family around 1924, and worked for Allis Chalmers Manufacturing from 1935 to 1942. At that job, he believed the labor union to be under Communist control and was attacked by what he called a “Communist goon squad” on June 8, 1939, sending him to the hospital. Eight workers were charged with assaulting Sprague when he proposed that the union, UAW Local 248, stop striking and go back to work. At the end of June, the company settled with the strikers but Sprague took the extra step of starting his own independent union not affiliated with the CIO. Those who joined Sprague’s union (approximately 40 of the 7,800 employees) supported the company, which had millions in national defense contracts. In April 1941, Sprague formed a group called the American Workers for Defense, which wanted legislation prohibiting employees from striking if their plant was involved in national defense work. He charged that those who were had been on strike were “un-American.”
1942, joined the Milwaukee Police Department
1945-1946, served as a special investigator in the war crimes trials in the South Pacific
January 8, 1962: A hidden microphone picked up George Sprague thanking Balistrieri for a Christmas present, and there was discussion of Sprague “fixing” traffic tickets for Balistrieri.
November 14, 1963: Captain George Sprague spoke with FBI Agents LeGrand and Thompson. He said Samson Enterprises owned a large bowling alley near the Red Carpet Inn on South 27th Street. Frank Balistrieri had roughly 12 jukeboxes in there. When Sprague found they were not licensed, he told his men to seize them, but before they could he received a phone call from Balistrieri and was told the licensing would be worked out. Sprague clarified that the jukeboxes were not in Balistrieri’s name, but the phone call made it obvious to him who the owner was.
1965, Sprague and other officers began to openly affiliate with the John Birch Society, its front group Committee on Police Support (COPS), or both.
April 22, 1967, an article in the Milwaukee Star claimed several vehicles at the North Side police headquarters had George Wallace bumper stickers. Sprague was included among them. Throughout 1967, Sprague would receive criticism from Milwaukee’s Black community. When they would have marches in favor of civil rights (sometimes lead by Father Groppi), protesters would chant outrageous slogans such as “We want slaves” and “White Power,” and at least one held a sign saying, “Get yourself a ni**er.” Although police were on hand to minimize violence, it was widely believed the officers were sympathetic with the white (primarily Polish) Milwaukee residents.
Sprague had been on a disability pension from Milwaukee because of a back injury, receiving 55% of his former pay, plus $40 per month for his 11-year old daughter Joan. On March 4, 1959 he endured whiplash as his car was rear-ended at 6th and Wells. The disability was not granted until June 20, 1967 —when Sprague was serving as the pension board’s president. He retired from active duty at that time. Sprague had also come under fire from the black community for racial insensitivity and had been singled out by black ministers.
August 29, 1967, while the YC was out marching, police tossed a tear gas canister into their headquarters, which caused a flame and burned down the building.
September 16, 1967, COPS and its leader Sprague rented the Machinists’ Hall for an MCCV rally. At the rally, the film “Anarchy USA” was screened – a documentary that claimed the civil rights movement was created by Communists to create racial tension and violence. Immediately after the meeting, Sprague went to the city council and asked for a referendum banning open housing. Mayor Maier endorsed the proposal a few days later, and MCCV members began to assemble a ballot initiative.
Captain George H. Sprague, 52, was named the police chief in Chicago Heights, Illinois around December 11, 1967 with his new position to start on the first of the year. He was chosen for the $15,000 post by the Chicago Heights City Council. The position was somewhat unusual – Chief Mark Orlick resigned in August, his successor Arno Toll resigned in October, and Jack Ziegler was serving as acting chief, but apparently not preferred by the City. A condition of Sprague’s hiring was that he outlined his position on operation of the department, including discipline, training, and how the chief would interact with city council. Sprague informed the council it would take 3 to 5 years to get the department up to speed on modern training and organization.
Chicago Heights found Sprague to be the best applicant. Health and Safety Commissioner William Schramm said, “I am confident that we are getting a very, very professional man; a very, very professional approach to law enforcement.” Mayor Maurino Richton said Sprague was “unquestionably the most qualified.” They had actually bumped the salary up from $12,000 to $15,000 in order to attract better applicants.
On December 16, during the lunch hour, Captain Sprague met with Frank Balistrieri and Augie Collura at the Golden Ox Restaurant in Milwaukee. An informant (August Maniaci?) believed that Collura was going to move to Chicago Heights and be the go-between for Sprague and the Outfit. Sprague’s tenure was seen by some informants as allowing the Outfit to conduct their business, particularly gambling. Other informants believed he was trying to reduce Outfit control over his officers. There seems to be no clear evidence either way.)
January 1968, his first month in charge, Sprague submitted a number of proposals to city council. One that jumped out was the idea that all bartenders in the city should be licensed. Sprague recommended that any applicant would have to be a resident of the city for one year, be photogrpahed, fingerprinted and submit to a blood test. A background check would also require no convictions for gambling or any felonies. A fee of $10 was suggested. The city was hesitant, with corporation counsel Chris Gregory saying there may be “constitutional questions” involved. There was also widespread protest from the city’s taverns and restaurants.
April 1968, Chicago Heights was the scene of civil unrest. Numerous fires were started, and “roving bands of Negro youths smashed windows at some business places on the East side,” according to the Chicago Heights Star. Over the course of two nights, Sprague estimated they had caused $10,000 in damage and he upped patrols in affected areas.
August 1968, Sprague said, “We have good evidence that the Blackstone Rangers are attempting to form a group in the city.” He blamed their recruitment drive for civil unrest. Cook County Undersheriff confirmed that as many as 250 Rangers had been in the area and appeared to be recruiting, and their leader Jeff Fort was known to have been in the area. Curfews were suggested but Sprague said he saw no reason to punish 40,000 citizens for the actions of 50 hoodlums.
A group calling themselves the “Black Citizens of Chicago Heights” accused Sprague of creating a “police state” on the city’s east side.
Fall 1968, the city funded Sprague’s trip to Hawaii when he told them he was attending the International Police Chiefs Conference and was speaking on a panel. It was later found he was not on any panel.
October 1968, the Milwaukee police union began voting on whether or not to make Sprague their executive secretary. When Chicago Heights reporters asked, Sprague said he knew nothing about it, had not applied for the job and was not looking for a job. He did acknowledge he still talked to the union when he was in Milwaukee and would go to Green Bay Packer games in his squad car. The union was very divided on Sprague, with the vice president threatening to sue if he won.
December 17, Sprague was quoted in the Milwaukee Journal that he was going to leave Chicago Heights and return to Milwaukee. He also said he heard that Mayor Henry Maier opposed his election to the police union and Maier would not work with them if Sprague was chosen. When Chicago Heights reporters asked about this article, Sprague denied he talked to any newspaper in Milwaukee.
December 31, 1968, Sprague submitted his letter of resignation. He claimed he has the victim of political attacks where he was called “a Prussian general” and “uncooperative with political ideas,”, and asked for a raise to $17,000 that the city did not want to pay. He said his final day would be February 28. William Schramm told the press, “I consider this a tremendous loss to the department and the city of Chicago Heights. I personally feel very, very sorry that he is leaving.”
January 16, 1969, Sprague ordered his men to raid the Lincoln Theatre (1658 Chicago Road) and confiscate two films being shown there: “The Muthers” and a trailer for “Acapulco Uncensored.” Sprague declared them obscene under state law. (I’m not sure what the statute was in Illinois at the time, but both films – directed by Donald Davis and released in 1968 – were not pornographic. They were low budget “sexploitation” and “mondo” films, but no actual sex is shown.)
On January 19, the operators retained attorney Russell G. Miller and sued the city for confiscating their property without a warrant. The theater said the reels o film were distributed by Astro Jemco Films of Dallas, and had 36 bookings across the country, including in nearby Chicago, Waukegan and Harvey. The reels were supposed to be going to Detroit next, but with them in police custody the theater claimed losses of $10,000. Owner Charles Cooper told the press, “They came into the theatre just like the gestapo without rhyme or reason, without any warrants, and took possession of other people’s property. Who does the chief of police think he is, anyway? Does the chief think he’s a judge, jury and God – that he can take something without any legal right, something that doesn’t belong to him?” He added, “I have every right to be in business. Where do they get the right to close me down? Censorship in any form is illegal. We have never had any problems with people attending the show. We are trying to maintain a clean place. Our shows are suitable for adults.”
District judge William Lynch ordered the films returned to the theater and placed an injunction barring the authorities from prosecuting owner Charles Cooper and manager John Hetzel.
Cashing out his three weeks of vacation, Sprague spent most of February 1969 out of the office.
(Sprague would later be replaced by Henry Pilotto, brother of Chicago Heights LCN member —and future boss —Al Pilotto.)
May 1970: Horace Brelsford lawsuit for $11,000 with Sprague as a co-defendant. Brelsford said he was defamed by the police retirement and pension board when they published a newsletter and said he had “gone to city hall to produce a fix” in a pension controversy. At a hearing before court commissioner Jack Goodsitt, Sprague would only answer questions by invoking his right to silence. Eventually as questions continued, he told Goodsitt, “You are insulting my intelligence.”
Died December 15, 2003.