The Burial of a Political Crutch
Due to his standing as the mayor of the large city of Chicago, Anton Cermak was buried with ceremony befitting a man of his stature and circumstance. Cermak's was the most magnificent funeral procession in the history of Chicago, nearly 150,000 attended his interment.
Funeral guests viewing the coffin
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Funeral procession; Cermak being carried into his tomb
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The nation grieved alongside the Chicagoans, for the loss of Mayor Cermak was truly the country's loss.
"Cermak's tragic, untimely passing was not just Chicago's loss, but the country's... The nation mourned" (Bernard 87).
Despite the tragic turn of events, FDR continued on with his plans to rehabilitate the country and, for the same reason Cermak went to see FDR, worked to help local governments get back on their feet.