Mayor of Chicago


The Mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and recommendations to the Chicago City Council, is active in the enforcement of the city's ordinances, submits the city's annual budget and appoints city officers, department commissioners or directors, and members of city boards and commissions.
During sessions of the city council, the mayor serves as the presiding officer. The mayor is not allowed to vote on issues except in certain instances, most notably where the vote taken on a matter before the body results in a tie.
The office of mayor was created when Chicago became a city in 1837.

Appointment powers

The mayor appoints the commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department and superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. He or she also appoints the heads of other departments, the largest of which are the Water Management Department, and the Streets & Sanitation Department. He or she also appoints members to the boards of several special-purpose governmental bodies including the Chicago Park District, Chicago Public Library, Chicago Housing Authority, Chicago Transit Authority, and the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority. Under Richard M. Daley, the Illinois legislature granted the mayor power to appoint the governing board and chief executive officer of the Chicago Public Schools and subordinated the district to the mayor; the district had long been an independent unit of government.
The Chicago City Clerk and City Treasurer of Chicago are elected separately, as are the 50 aldermen who form the city council. The mayor is empowered, however, to fill vacancies in any of these 52 elected offices by appointment. In turn, the city council elects one of its own to fill a mayoral vacancy.

Election and succession

The mayor of Chicago is elected by popular vote every four years, on the last Tuesday in February. A run-off election, in the event that no candidate garners more than fifty percent of the vote, is held on the first Tuesday in April. The election is held on a non-partisan basis. Chicago is the largest city in the United States not to limit the term of service for its mayor.
In accordance with Illinois law, the city council elects a vice mayor who serves as 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, until the city council elects one of its members acting mayor or until the mayoral term expires. As of May 2019, the current vice mayor is Tom Tunney. However, if a vacancy occurs in the office of mayor with more than 28 months remaining in the mayoral term and at least 130 days before the next general municipal election, then a special election must be held to choose a new mayor to serve out the remainder of the term at that general municipal election; if a vacancy occurs with fewer than 28 months remaining in the mayoral term or fewer than 130 days before the next general municipal election, then the acting mayor serves as mayor until the mayoral term expires.
The order-of succession involving the vice mayor was made concrete following disputes that arose in the aftermath of the death in office of Richard J. Daley, and was subsequently implemented following the death in office of Harold Washington, which saw Vice Mayor David Orr become acting mayor. Prior to this, the city had vague succession laws which indicated that the president pro tempore of the City Council would succeed as mayor. This was not followed after the death of Daley, and the city council appointed Michael Bilandic acting mayor instead of having pro tempore Wilson Frost become mayor, due to City Corporation Counsel William R. Quinlan ruling that, since the city did not have a statute specifically outlining succession, the City Council would need to elect the interim mayor.
Six instances have seen the City Council appoint either an acting mayor, acting mayor pro tempore, or interim mayor.
In the absence of the mayor during meetings of the city council, the president pro tempore of the city council, who is a member of and elected by the city council, acts as presiding officer. Unlike the mayor, the president pro tempore can vote on all legislative matters. If neither the mayor nor pro tempore can preside, the vice mayor presides.

History

The first mayor was William Butler Ogden. 45 men and two women, have held the office. Two sets of father and son have been elected Mayor of Chicago: Carter Harrison, Sr. and Carter Harrison, Jr., as well as Richard J. Daley and Richard M. Daley. Carter Harrison, Jr. was the first mayor to have been born in the city. As an interim mayor, David Duvall Orr had the shortest mayoral term. Richard M. Daley was elected six times becoming Chicago's longest-serving mayor, surpassing his father's record. The first Irish Catholic mayor was John Patrick Hopkins, and Rahm Emanuel is the only Jewish American to have served as mayor. Harold Washington was the first African American mayor. Current Mayor Lightfoot is the city's first African American woman and first openly LGBTQ mayor.
By charter, Chicago has a "weak-mayor" system, in which most of the power is vested in the city council. In practice, however, the mayor of Chicago has long been one of the most powerful municipal chief executives in the nation. Unlike mayors in most other weak-mayor systems, he or she has the power to draw up the budget. For most of the 20th century, before the decline of patronage and the mayor's office becoming officially nonpartisan in 1999, the mayor was the de facto leader of the city's Democratic Party, and had great influence over the ward organizations.

List of mayors

The mayoral term in Chicago was one year from 1837 through 1863, when it was changed to two years. In 1907, it was changed again, this time to four years. Until 1861, municipal elections were held in March. In that year, legislation moved them to April. In 1869, however, election day was changed to November, and terms expiring in April of that year were changed. In 1875, election day was moved back to April by the city's vote to operate under the Cities and Villages Act of 1872.
was the first mayor of Chicago.
, 26th mayor of Chicago, was the first foreign-born mayor.
, 50th mayor of Chicago, was the first woman mayor.
, 51st mayor of Chicago, was the first African American mayor.
, 54th mayor of Chicago, was the longest-serving mayor.
, 56th and current Mayor of Chicago, is the first African American woman, and first openly LGBTQ mayor of Chicago.

Town Presidents

Between 1833 and 1837, Chicago was incorporated as a town. Two individuals served as Town President during that period.

Mayors

Chicago has been incorporated as a city since 1837. Here is a list of mayors since that time.
#Consecutive terms#Mayor MayorTerm startTerm endTermsYears Party
William B. Ogden1837183811Democratic
Buckner S. Morris1838183911Whig
Benjamin W. Raymond1839184011Whig
Alexander Loyd1840184111Democratic
Francis C. Sherman1841184211Democratic
Benjamin W. Raymond1842184311Whig
Augustus Garrett1843184411Democratic
Alson Sherman1844184511-
Augustus Garrett1845184611Democratic
John P. Chapin1846184711Whig
James Curtiss1847184811Democratic
James H. Woodworth1848185022-
James Curtiss1850185111Democratic
Walter S. Gurnee1851185322Democratic
Charles McNeill Gray1853185411Democratic
Isaac L. Milliken1854185511Democratic
Levi Boone1855185611American
Thomas Dyer1856185711Democratic
John Wentworth1857185811Republican
John C. Haines1858186022Democratic
John Wentworth1860186111Republican
Julian S. Rumsey1861186211Republican
Francis C. Sherman1862186522Democratic
John B. Rice1865186924Republican
Roswell B. Mason1869187112Citizens
Joseph Medill1871187312Republican
Lester L. Bond
18731873Republican
Harvey Doolittle Colvin1873187512Republican
Monroe Heath1876187924Republican
Carter Harrison Sr.1879188748Democratic
John A. Roche1887188912Republican
DeWitt C. Cregier1889189112Democratic
Hempstead Washburne1891189312Republican
Carter Harrison Sr. †18931893Democratic
George Bell Swift
18931893Republican
John P. Hopkins189318953Democratic
George Bell Swift1895189712Republican
Carter Harrison Jr.1897190548Democratic
Edward F. Dunne1905190712Democratic
Fred A. Busse1907191114Republican
Carter Harrison Jr.1911191514Democratic
William H. Thompson1915192328Republican
William E. Dever1923192714Democratic
William H. Thompson1927193114Republican
Anton Cermak †193119332Democratic
Frank J. Corr
19331933Democratic
Edward J. Kelly193319473 14Democratic
Martin H. Kennelly1947195528Democratic
Richard J. Daley †195519765 21Democratic
Michael A. Bilandic197619792 Democratic
Jane Byrne1979198314Democratic
Harold Washington †198319871 4 Democratic
David Orr
19871987Democratic
Eugene Sawyer198719891 Democratic
Richard M. Daley198920115 22Democratic1
Rahm Emanuel2011201928Democratic1
Lori Lightfoot2019Democratic1

† Deceased/murdered in office.
1 Since 1999, mayoral elections have officially been nonpartisan. A 1995 Illinois law stipulated that "candidates for mayor... no longer would run under party labels in Chicago." However, Richard M. Daley, Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot are known to be Democrats.

Living mayors

As of 2018, four mayors of Chicago are still living, the oldest of whom is Richard M. Daley. The most recent former mayor to die was Jane Byrne, on November 14, 2014. The most recently serving mayor to have died, however, was Eugene Sawyer, on January 19, 2008.
NameMayoral termDate of birth
David OrrNovember 1987 – December 1987
Richard M. Daley1989–2011
Rahm Emanuel2011–2019
Lori Lightfoot2019-present

Vice mayor

In accordance with Illinois law, the city council elects a vice mayor who serves as 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, until the city council elects one of its members acting mayor or until the mayoral term expires. The current vice mayor is Tom Tunney.
The position was created by state law after the power struggle that took place following Richard J. Daley's death in office.
The position is considered to be largely ceremonial.
If neither the mayor nor president pro tempore can preside over a City Council meeting, then the vice mayor presides.

List of vice mayors