Mayor of Chicago

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. Image Name Term start Term end Terms Years PartyTown presidents  Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen  August 11, 1834 1 1 None  John H. Kinzie  May 1837 3 3 years  WhigMayors  William B. Ogden May 1837 March 1838 1 10 months  Democratic  Buckner S. Morris 1838 1839 11  Whig  Benjamin W. Raymond 1839 1840 11  Whig  Alexander Loyd March 9, 1840 March 4, 1841 11  Democratic  Francis C. Sherman March 4, 1841 March 7, 1842 11  Democratic  Benjamin W. Raymond March 7, 1842 March 7, 1843 11  Whig  Augustus Garrett March 7, 1843 April 2, 1844 1 1 year, 
1 month  Democratic  Alson Sherman April 2, 1844 March 10, 1845 1 11 months  Independent Democratic  Augustus Garrett March 10, 1845 March 3, 1846 1 1  Democratic  John P. Chapin March 3, 1846 March 9, 1847 1 1  Whig  James Curtiss March 9, 1847 March 14, 1848 1 1  Democratic  James H. Woodworth March 14, 1848 March 12, 1850 2 2  Independent Democratic  James Curtiss March 12, 1850 March 11, 1851 1 1  Democratic  Walter S. Gurnee March 11, 1851 March 7, 1853 2 2  Democratic  Charles McNeill Gray March 7, 1853 March 15, 1854 1  1  Democratic  Isaac L. Milliken March 15, 1854 March 13, 1855 1 1  Democratic  Levi Boone March 13, 1855 March 11, 1856 1 1  American(Know Nothing)  Thomas Dyer March 11, 1856 March 10, 1857 1 1  Democratic  John Wentworth March 10, 1857 March 2, 1858 1 1  Republican  John C. Haines March 2, 1858 March 22, 1860 2 2  Republican  John Wentworth March 22, 1860 May 6, 1861 1 1 year, 
1.5 months  Democratic  Julian S. Rumsey May 6, 1861 May 5, 1862 1 1  Republican  Francis C. Sherman May 5, 1862 May 3, 1865 2 3  Democratic  John B. Rice May 3, 1865 December 6, 1869 2 4 years, 
6 months  Republican  Roswell B. Mason December 6, 1869 December 4, 1871 1 2  Citizens  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  Harvey Doolittle Colvin December 1, 1873 July 24, 1876 1 2 years,
8 months  Republican (Wet)  Monroe Heath July 24, 1876 April 28, 1879 2 2 years, 
7 months  Republican  Carter Harrison III April 28, 1879 April 18, 1887 4 8  Democratic  John A. Roche April 18, 1887 April 15, 1889 1 2  Republican  DeWitt C. Cregier April 15, 1889 April 27, 1891 1 2  Democratic  Hempstead Washburne April 27, 1891 April 17, 1893 1 2  Republican  Carter Harrison III † April 17, 1893 October 28, 1893 1 6 months  Democratic  George Bell Swift(interim mayor) November 9, 1893 December 27, 1893    Republican  John P. Hopkins December 27, 1893 April 8, 1895 1 1 year, 
4 months  Democratic  George Bell Swift April 8, 1895 April 15, 1897 1 2  Republican  Carter Harrison IV April 15, 1897 April 10, 1905 4 8  Democratic  Edward F. Dunne April 10, 1905 April 15, 1907 1 2  Democratic  Fred A. Busse April 15, 1907 April 17, 1911 1 4  Republican  Carter Harrison IV April 17, 1911 April 26, 1915 1 4  Democratic  William H. Thompson April 26, 1915 April 16, 1923 2 8  Republican  William E. Dever April 16, 1923 April 18, 1927 1 4  Democratic  William H. Thompson April 18, 1927 April 9, 1931 1 4  Republican  Anton Cermak † April 9, 1931 March 6, 1933 1 1 year, 
11 months  Democratic 100px Frank J. Corr(acting mayor) March 15, 1933 April 8, 1933 -- 24 days  Democratic  Edward J. Kelly April 17, 1933 April 15, 1947 3  14  Democratic  Martin H. Kennelly April 15, 1947 April 20, 1955 2 8  Democratic  Richard J. Daley † April 20, 1955 December 20, 1976 6 21 years, 
8 months  Democratic  Michael A. Bilandic December 20, 1976 April 16, 1979  1 2 years, 
4 months  Democratic  Jane Byrne April 16, 1979 April 29, 1983 1 4  Democratic  Harold Washington † April 29, 1983 November 25, 1987 2 4 years, 
7 months  Democratic  David Orr(acting mayor) November 25, 1987 December 2, 1987 -- 7 days  Democratic  Eugene Sawyer December 2, 1987 April 24, 1989 1 1 year, 
4.5 months  Democratic  Richard M. Daley April 24, 1989 May 16, 2011 6
(5 elected) 22 years, 
1 month  Democratic1  Rahm Emanuel May 16, 2011 May 20, 2019 2 8  Democratic1  Lori Lightfoot May 20, 2019 May 15, 2023 1 4  Democratic1  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. 

Past holders of this office have included Walter Burnett Jr. (2023–2025), Tom Tunney (2019–2023), Brendan Reilly (2015–2019) Ray Suarez (2011–2015), and David Orr.

  Vice Mayor Took office Left office Party  1 100px Casey Laskowski    Democratic  Michael A. Bilandic 2 100px Richard Mell    Democratic Jane ByrneHarold Washington 3 100px David Orr    Democratic Harold WashingtonHimself Eugene Sawyer 4 100px Terry Gabinski    Democratic Eugene SawyerRichard M. Daley 5 100px Bernard Stone    Democratic Richard M. Daley  6 100px Ray Suarez   Unknown Rahm Emanuel 7 100px Brendan Reilly    Democratic Rahm Emanuel 8 100px Tom Tunney    Democratic Lori Lightfoot 9 100px Walter Burnett Jr.    Democratic Brandon Johnson

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."

References

Other websites

Category:Lists of Illinois politicians
Category:Mayors of Chicago
Category:1837 establishments in Illinois