Johnin flag
He expressed the situation this way:
"Almost all European cities have chosen colors, as the universities and colleges have done, and these are called the 'Municipal Colors.' Would it not be well now to see if the authorities of Chicago will not select a color or combination of colors as the 'Municipal Colors' for the city? If this is done, it will simplify the whole matter of civic decorations very much and afford a precedent which will, I am sure, be followed in all great cities of the Union." -MILLET
The idea was embraced and a contest was announced to choose colors for the city. In the following 10 days the Tribune received 892 entries.The winning entry was submitted by architect Alfred Jensen Roewad.
And so, the official Municipal colors adopted by the city were red and white.
In 1915 Alderman James A. Kearns felt the city was falling behind other world cities in terms of identity. He proposed that the City Counsel form the Chicago Municipal Flag Commission.
The Commission, steered by rules and contest guidelines governed by Wallace Rice received over 1000 entries to be considered. On April 4, 1917 - the same day the U.S. Senate voted to support U.S. entry into World War I - City Council approved the winning design. There were 63 "yeas" and zero dissents.
Ironically, the design chosen was submitted by none other than Wallace Rice himself.