Mayor of Chicago facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Chicago
Seal of the City of Chicago
Incumbent Brandon Johnson since May 15, 2023
Government of Chicago
Style	His Honor The Honorable
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	William B. Ogden
Formation	1837
Succession	Vice mayor of Chicago
Salary	$216,210

The mayor of Chicago is the main leader of the city government in Chicago, Illinois. Chicago is the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is in charge of running many city departments. They also suggest ideas to the Chicago City Council. The mayor helps make sure the city's rules are followed. They also present the city's yearly budget. The mayor chooses many city officials and leaders.

During city council meetings, the mayor leads the discussion. The mayor usually cannot vote on issues. But they can vote if there is a tie.

The job of mayor started when Chicago became a city in 1837.

History of Chicago's Mayors

William B. Ogden was the first mayor of Chicago.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry leaving "The Fifth Floor" office of the mayor in 2016

The first mayor was William B. Ogden. He served from 1837 to 1838. So far, 46 men and two women have been mayor. The women were Jane Byrne (1979–1983) and Lori Lightfoot (2019–2023).

Two pairs of fathers and sons have been Chicago mayors. They are Carter Harrison, Sr. and Carter Harrison, Jr.. Also, Richard J. Daley and Richard M. Daley were father and son mayors. Carter Harrison, Jr. was the first mayor born in Chicago.

David Duvall Orr was an interim mayor for only one week in 1987. This was the shortest time anyone held the office. Richard M. Daley was elected six times. He served for 22 years. This made him Chicago's longest-serving mayor. He beat his father's record of 21 years.

The first Irish Catholic mayor was John Patrick Hopkins. He served from 1893 to 1895. Rahm Emanuel (2011–2019) is the only Jewish American mayor.

Harold Washington (1983–1987) was the first African American mayor. Lori Lightfoot (2019–2023) was the city's first African American woman mayor. She was also the first openly gay female mayor. Brandon Johnson (2023–present) is the fourth African American mayor. Eugene Sawyer (1987–1989) was chosen by the council after Washington died.

What Powers Does the Mayor Have?

The mayor chooses the head of the Chicago Fire Department. They also pick the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department. The mayor appoints leaders for other city departments too. Some of the biggest are Water Management and Streets & Sanitation.

The mayor also chooses members for many important boards. These include City Colleges of Chicago and the Chicago Park District. Other boards are the Chicago Public Library and Chicago Housing Authority. Also, the Chicago Transit Authority and Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority.

Under Mayor Richard M. Daley, the state government gave the mayor more power. The mayor could then choose the leaders of the Chicago Public Schools. Before this, the school district was independent.

The Chicago City Clerk and City Treasurer of Chicago are elected by voters. So are the 50 alderpersons who make up the city council. But if any of these jobs become empty, the mayor can appoint someone. If the mayor's job becomes empty, the city council chooses someone to fill it.

Chicago's system is called a "weak-mayor" system by law. This means the city council has most of the power. But in reality, Chicago's mayor has always been very powerful. Unlike other "weak-mayor" systems, Chicago's mayor can create the city's budget. For most of the 1900s, the mayor was the unofficial leader of the city's Democratic Party. They had a lot of influence over local politics. The mayor's office is in Chicago City Hall. People sometimes call the mayor's power "the fifth floor."

How Mayors Are Elected and Replaced

The mayor of Chicago is elected by people's votes every four years. The election is held on the last Tuesday in February. If no candidate gets more than half the votes, a second election is held. This "run-off" election is on the first Tuesday in April. The election does not use political parties. Chicago is the largest U.S. city that does not limit how many terms a mayor can serve.

Illinois law says the city council chooses a vice mayor. This vice mayor becomes interim mayor if the mayor's job is empty. They also step in if the mayor is sick or hurt. This happens until the council picks an acting mayor or the term ends.

If the mayor's job becomes empty with more than 28 months left in the term, a special election is held. This election chooses a new mayor to finish the term. But if there are fewer than 28 months left, the acting mayor serves until the term ends.

The rules for replacing a mayor became clearer after Richard J. Daley died in office. They were used again when Harold Washington died. Vice Mayor David Orr became acting mayor then. Before this, the rules were unclear. The city council had to choose an interim mayor.

The City Council has appointed an acting or interim mayor six times.

If the mayor is not at a city council meeting, the president pro tempore leads it. This person is a council member chosen by the council. Unlike the mayor, the president pro tempore can vote on all issues. If neither the mayor nor the president pro tempore can lead, the vice mayor steps in.

List of Mayors

Joseph Medill (#26) was the first foreign-born mayor.

John Patrick Hopkins (#35) was the youngest and the first Catholic mayor.

William Hale Thompson (#41) was the last Republican mayor of Chicago.

Jane Byrne (#50) was the first female mayor.

Harold Washington (#51) was the first African American mayor.

Richard M. Daley (#54) was the longest-serving mayor (22 years).

Lori Lightfoot (#56) was the first African American female and the first openly gay female mayor of Chicago.

From 1833 to 1837, Chicago was a town. It was led by town presidents. Since 1837, it has been a city led by mayors.

The mayor's term was one year from 1837 to 1863. Then it changed to two years. In 1907, it changed again to four years. Until 1861, elections were in March. That year, they moved to April. In 1869, election day moved to November. In 1875, it moved back to April.

#No.	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	1⁄12	1⁄6		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 1⁄2	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)	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

^† Died/murdered in office.
¹ Since 1999, mayoral elections have officially been nonpartisan. This means candidates do not run under party names in Chicago. However, Richard M. Daley, Rahm Emanuel, Lori Lightfoot, and Brandon Johnson are known to be Democrats.

The Vice Mayor of Chicago

Vice mayor of Chicago
Seal of the City of Chicago
Incumbent Walter Burnett since May 15, 2023
Inaugural holder	Casey Laskowski
Formation	1976
Salary	$0

Illinois law states that the city council chooses a vice mayor. This person steps in as interim mayor if the mayor's office is empty. They also serve if the mayor cannot do their job due to illness or injury. They serve until the city council chooses an acting mayor or the mayor's term ends. The current vice mayor is Walter Burnett.

This position was created by a state law in 1976. It was made after a power struggle happened when Mayor Richard J. Daley died in office.

If neither the mayor nor the president pro tempore can lead a City Council meeting, the vice mayor leads it.

For a long time, the vice mayor's job was mostly ceremonial. This means it was an honor, but without much power. However, in 2023, Mayor Brandon Johnson helped pass a plan. This plan gave the vice mayor's office a $400,000 budget. Mayor Johnson also had his vice mayor, Burnett, work as an official link to the community.

List of Vice Mayors

See also

In Spanish: Alcalde de Chicago para niños

• Law and government of Chicago
• Timeline of Chicago history