Mayor of Chicago

Mayor of Chicago
Incumbent
Brandon Johnson

since May 15, 2023
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderWilliam Butler Ogden
Formation1837
WebsiteOffice of the Mayor

The mayoral term in Chicago was one year from 1837 through 1863, when it was increased to two years. In 1907 it was again lengthened to four years, the present duration.

Until 1861, municipal elections were held in March. In that year, legislation changed them to April. In 1869, however, election time was changed to November, and terms expiring in April of that year were lengthened.

In 1875, the election day was moved back to April by the city's vote to operate under the Cities and Villages Act of 1872. Lester L. Bond was the acting mayor when Joseph Medill left to a tour around Europe. Thomas Hoyne won election as mayor, but could not become the mayor so the election became a void. As of 1995, no mayor can run for a political party, they are considered as nonpartisans.

List of mayors

#No.[1] Image Name Term start Term end Terms Years   Party
Town presidents
1 Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen August 12, 1833 August 11, 1834 1 1 None
2
John H. Kinzie 1834 May 1837 3 3 years Whig
Mayors
1
William B. Ogden May 1837 March 1838 1 10 months Democratic
2
Buckner S. Morris 1838 1839 1 1 Whig
3
Benjamin W. Raymond 1839 1840 1 1 Whig
4
Alexander Loyd March 9, 1840 March 4, 1841 1 1 Democratic
5
Francis C. Sherman March 4, 1841 March 7, 1842 1 1 Democratic
6
Benjamin W. Raymond March 7, 1842 March 7, 1843 1 1 Whig
7
Augustus Garrett March 7, 1843 April 2, 1844 1 1 year,

1 month

Democratic
8
Alson Sherman April 2, 1844 March 10, 1845 1 11 months Independent Democratic
9
Augustus Garrett March 10, 1845 March 3, 1846 1 1 Democratic
10
John P. Chapin March 3, 1846 March 9, 1847 1 1 Whig
11
James Curtiss March 9, 1847 March 14, 1848 1 1 Democratic
12
James H. Woodworth March 14, 1848 March 12, 1850 2 2 Independent Democratic
13
James Curtiss March 12, 1850 March 11, 1851 1 1 Democratic
14
Walter S. Gurnee March 11, 1851 March 7, 1853 2 2 Democratic
15
Charles McNeill Gray March 7, 1853 March 15, 1854 1 1 Democratic
16
Isaac L. Milliken March 15, 1854 March 13, 1855 1 1 Democratic
17
Levi Boone March 13, 1855 March 11, 1856 1 1 American
(Know Nothing)
18
Thomas Dyer March 11, 1856 March 10, 1857 1 1 Democratic
19
John Wentworth March 10, 1857 March 2, 1858 1 1 Republican
20
John C. Haines March 2, 1858 March 22, 1860 2 2 Republican
21
John Wentworth March 22, 1860 May 6, 1861 1 1 year,

1.5 months

Democratic
22
Julian S. Rumsey May 6, 1861 May 5, 1862 1 1 Republican
23
Francis C. Sherman May 5, 1862 May 3, 1865 2 3 Democratic
24
John B. Rice May 3, 1865 December 6, 1869 2 4 years,

6 months

Republican
25
Roswell B. Mason December 6, 1869 December 4, 1871 1 2 Citizens
26
Joseph Medill December 4, 1871 August 22, 1873 1 2 Republican (Dry)
--
Lester L. Bond
(acting)
August 22, 1873 December 1, 1873 -- 3 months Republican
27
Harvey Doolittle Colvin December 1, 1873 July 24, 1876 1 2 years,

8 months

Republican (Wet)
28
Monroe Heath July 24, 1876 April 28, 1879 2 2 years,

7 months

Republican
29
Carter Harrison III April 28, 1879 April 18, 1887 4 8 Democratic
30
John A. Roche April 18, 1887 April 15, 1889 1 2 Republican
31
DeWitt C. Cregier April 15, 1889 April 27, 1891 1 2 Democratic
32
Hempstead Washburne April 27, 1891 April 17, 1893 1 2 Republican
33
Carter Harrison III April 17, 1893 October 28, 1893 1 6 months Democratic
34
George Bell Swift
(interim mayor)
November 9, 1893 December 27, 1893 112 16 Republican
35
John P. Hopkins December 27, 1893 April 8, 1895 1 1 year,

4 months

Democratic
36
George Bell Swift April 8, 1895 April 15, 1897 1 2 Republican
37
Carter Harrison IV April 15, 1897 April 10, 1905 4 8 Democratic
38
Edward F. Dunne April 10, 1905 April 15, 1907 1 2 Democratic
39
Fred A. Busse April 15, 1907 April 17, 1911 1 4 Republican
40
Carter Harrison IV April 17, 1911 April 26, 1915 1 4 Democratic
41
William H. Thompson April 26, 1915 April 16, 1923 2 8 Republican
42
William E. Dever April 16, 1923 April 18, 1927 1 4 Democratic
43
William H. Thompson April 18, 1927 April 9, 1931 1 4 Republican
44
Anton Cermak April 9, 1931 March 6, 1933 1 1 year,

11 months

Democratic
45 Frank J. Corr
(acting mayor)
March 15, 1933 April 8, 1933 -- 24 days Democratic
46
Edward J. Kelly April 17, 1933 April 15, 1947 3 12 14 Democratic
47
Martin H. Kennelly April 15, 1947 April 20, 1955 2 8 Democratic
48
Richard J. Daley April 20, 1955 December 20, 1976 6 21 years,

8 months

Democratic
49
Michael A. Bilandic December 20, 1976 April 16, 1979 1 2 years,

4 months

Democratic
50
Jane Byrne April 16, 1979 April 29, 1983 1 4 Democratic
51
Harold Washington April 29, 1983 November 25, 1987 2 4 years,

7 months

Democratic
52
David Orr
(acting mayor)[2]
November 25, 1987 December 2, 1987 -- 7 days Democratic
53
Eugene Sawyer December 2, 1987 April 24, 1989 1 1 year,

4.5 months

Democratic
54
Richard M. Daley April 24, 1989 May 16, 2011 6

(5 elected)

22 years,

1 month

Democratic1
55
Rahm Emanuel May 16, 2011 May 20, 2019 2 8 Democratic1
56
Lori Lightfoot May 20, 2019 May 15, 2023 1 4 Democratic1
57
Brandon Johnson May 15, 2023 incumbent 1 Democratic1

Vice Mayor

The city council elects a vice mayor who is interim mayor in the event of a vacancy in the office of the mayor or the inability of the mayor to serve due to illness or injury. As of May 2023, the current vice mayor is Walter Burnett Jr..

Past holders of this office have included Tom Tunney (2019–2023), Brendan Reilly (2015–2019)[3][4] Ray Suarez (2011–2015),[5][6] and David Orr.

Notes

1 Rahm Emanuel is a Democrat, but he and all other candidates in the 2011 election officially ran as nonpartisans. Under a 1995 Illinois law, "candidates for mayor . . . no longer would run under party labels in Chicago."[7]

References

  1. "Chicago Mayors". Chicago Public Library. Archived from the original on 2019-03-22. Retrieved 2019-03-23.
  2. "Chicago Mayors, 1837-2007". Encyclopedia of Chicago. Archived from the original on 7 July 2012. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  3. Sullivan, Emmet. "What Would Actually Happen if Rahm Resigns". ChicagoMag.org. Chicago Magazine. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  4. Pratt, John Byrne, Juan Perez Jr , Gregory. "Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot aces first test of her power: City Council overhaul approved". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2019-05-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Spielman, Fran (20 May 2015). "City Council shuffle rewards Emanuel allies". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015.
  6. Dumke, Mick (18 May 2011). "The first meeting of the new mayor and City Council is nothing if not efficient". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 1 March 2020.
  7. Hardy, Thomas (July 7, 1995). "Gov. Edgar To End City Partisan Votes". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on 2012-10-07. Retrieved 2013-02-27.

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