John Joseph Coughlin was born August 15 , 1860 in Chicago to Johanna ( née Hanley ) and Michael Coughlin . Michael , a native of County Roscommon , had come to the 1st ward in 1857 , and owned a moderately-successful grocery at Polk and Wells before it burned down in the Great Chicago Fire . John never seemed concerned about the poverty the fire caused his family , remarking : Coughlin acquired his nicknames as a result of working in a bathhouse as a masseur . Eventually he was able to purchase a tavern and several bathhouses of his own
Great Chicago Fire
Great Chicago Fire
John Coughlin (alderman)