# Patrick Gilgan — The Titan character guide

> Patrick Gilgan in The Titan by Theodore Dreiser.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Mr. Patrick Gilgan, Patrick Gilgan, Mr. Gilgan, Gilgan, Patrick, Pat

**First appearance:** 0003-iv-peter-laughlin-co

## Snapshot

Irish ward boss and alderman whose grip on Chicago's river wards makes him a useful ally and a dangerous enemy to any financier seeking political cover.

## Who they are

Gilgan belongs to the gritty machine politics of South Clark Street, where saloons, gambling dens, and a pliable city council form the real government of the wards. He has spent years beating back the McKenty opposition in his district, and he knows exactly how much a man like Cowperwood needs friends who can deliver votes. His value lies in that transactional loyalty: he can open doors for the rising financier, but he also keeps a ledger of favors owed, and the story's middle stretch turns on whether such a man can be kept bought.

## In the story

### [Enter Hosmer Hand](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxiv-enter-hosmer-hand)

A powerful South Side politician and state senator, recruited by Hand to lead a Republican campaign to defeat the McKenty-Cowperwood Democratic machine.

### [A Political Agreement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxv-a-political-agreement)

Proposes a political deal to Kerrigan, offering money and power-sharing in exchange for switching wards to the Republican side.

### [A Political Agreement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxv-a-political-agreement)

Describes the Republican strategy to win the city council and oust McKenty and Cowperwood from power.

### [A Political Agreement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxv-a-political-agreement)

Argues for the feasibility of the plan, citing financial backing from La Salle Street and a detailed ward-by-ward analysis.

### [A Political Agreement](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxv-a-political-agreement)

Insists on his trustworthiness and offers to put the agreement in writing.

### [An Election Draws Near](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxvi-an-election-draws-near)

Secretly meets with Tiernan, Kerrigan, and Edstrom to plan a division of political spoils.

### [An Hour of Defeat](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxviii-an-hour-of-defeat)

Cowperwood meets with him to seek his allegiance; Gilgan is noncommittal, feeling caught between Cowperwood and the reformers.

### [The New Administration](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/chapters/xxxix-the-new-administration)

Discusses with Hosmer Hand the difficulty of controlling aldermen and the political situation regarding Cowperwood.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters/patrick_gilgan
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/the_titan_se/characters