Mayor of Chicago - List of Mayors

List of Mayors

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.

# Name Term Party Notes
1 William Butler Ogden 1837–1838 Democratic
2 Buckner Stith Morris 1838–1839 Whig
3 Benjamin Wright Raymond 1839–1840 Whig
4 Alexander Loyd 1840–1841 Democratic
5 Francis Cornwall Sherman 1841–1842 Democratic
6 Benjamin Wright Raymond 1842–1843 Whig
7 Augustus Garrett 1843–1844 Democratic
8 Alson Sherman 1844–1845 Independent Democrat
9 Augustus Garrett 1845–1846 Democratic
10 John Putnam Chapin 1846–1847 Whig
11 James Curtiss 1847–1848 Democratic
12 James Hutchinson Woodworth 1848–1850 Independent Democrat
13 James Curtiss 1850–1851 Democratic
14 Walter S. Gurnee 1851–1853 Democratic
15 Charles McNeill Gray 1853–1854 Democratic
16 Isaac Lawrence Milliken 1854–1855 Democratic
17 Levi Day Boone 1855–1856 American Party
18 Thomas Dyer 1856–1857 Democratic
19 John Wentworth 1857–1858 Republican
20 John Charles Haines 1858–1860 Democratic
21 John Wentworth 1860–1861 Republican
22 Julian Sidney Rumsey 1861–1862 Republican
23 Francis Cornwall Sherman 1862–1865 Democratic
24 John Blake Rice 1865–1869 Republican
25 Roswell B. Mason 1869–1871 Citizens Mayor during the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.
26 Joseph Medill 1871–1873 Fireproof Born in Canada
27 Harvey Doolittle Colvin 1873–1875 People's
28 Monroe Heath 1876–1879 Republican
29 Carter Harrison, Sr. 1879–1887 Democratic father of Carter Harrison, Jr.
30 John A. Roche 1887–1889 Republican
31 DeWitt Clinton Cregier 1889–1891 Democratic
32 Hempstead Washburne 1891–1893 Republican
33 Carter Harrison, Sr. 1893 Democratic Assassinated in office; father of Carter Harrison, Jr.
34 George Bell Swift 1893 Republican Mayor Pro Tem
35 John Patrick Hopkins 1893–1895 Democratic
36 George Bell Swift 1895–1897 Republican
37 Carter Harrison, Jr. 1897–1905 Democratic First Chicago born mayor; son of Mayor Carter Harrison, Sr.
38 Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne 1905–1907 Democratic
39 Fred A. Busse 1907–1911 Republican
40 Carter Harrison, Jr. 1911–1915 Democratic
41 William Hale Thompson 1915–1923 Republican
42 William Emmett Dever 1923–1927 Democratic
43 William Hale Thompson 1927–1931 Republican
44 Anton Cermak 1931–1933 Democratic Assassinated in office; second foreign born (in Austria -Hungary)
45 Frank J. Corr 1933 Democratic 32 days, Acting Mayor
46 Edward Joseph Kelly 1933–1947 Democratic Act of the Illinois legislature permitted City Council to elect a non-alderman to fill the vacancy.
47 Martin H. Kennelly 1947–1955 Democratic
48 Richard J. Daley 1955–1976 Democratic Died in office; father of Richard M. Daley
49 Michael Anthony Bilandic 1976–1979 Democratic
50 Jane Margaret Byrne 1979–1983 Democratic First female mayor
51 Harold Washington 1983–1987 Democratic Died in office; first Black/African-American mayor
52 David Duvall Orr 1987 Democratic 8 days, Interim Mayor
53 Eugene Sawyer 1987–1989 Democratic Elected by city council to complete Mayor Washington's term
54 Richard M. Daley 1989–2011 Democratic Longest serving mayor; son of Richard J. Daley
55 Rahm Emanuel 2011–present Nonpartisan1 First Jewish mayor

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."

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