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List of mayors of Springfield, Illinois facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Springfield, Illinois, like many cities, has a leader called a mayor. The mayor is like the head of the city government, working to make the city a great place to live. This page lists all the people who have served as mayor of Springfield, from the very first one to the current mayor.

What Does a Mayor Do?

A mayor is the chief executive officer of a city. Think of them as the city's main manager. They work with the city council to make important decisions. These decisions affect everything from how schools are run to how roads are built. Mayors help make sure the city's services, like fire and police departments, work well. They also represent the city when meeting with other leaders.

How Mayors are Chosen

In Springfield, mayors are chosen by the people who live in the city. Citizens vote in elections to pick who they want to lead. Mayors serve for a set number of years, usually four. After their term, they can run for re-election or a new mayor can be chosen.

Springfield's City Leaders: A List of Mayors

Here is a list of the people who have held the important job of mayor in Springfield, Illinois. This list shows when each mayor started and ended their time in office.

Name of Mayor Start of Term End of Term
Benjamin S. Clements 1840
William L. May 1841
David B. Campbell 1842
Daniel B. Hill 1843
Andrew McCormack 1844
James C. Conkling 1845
Eli Cook 1846 1848
John Calhoun 1849 1851
Willam Lavely 1852
Josiah Francis 1853
William Henry Herndon 1854
John Pope Cook 1855
John W. Priest 1856 1858
William Jayne 1859 1860
Goyn A. Sutton 1860 1864
George L. Huntington 1861 1862
John W. Smith 1863
John S. Vredenburg 1864
Thomas J. Dennis 1865
John S. Bradford 1866
Norman M. Broadwell 1867
William E. Shutt 1868
Norman M. Broadwell 1869
John W. Priest 1870
John W. Smith 1871 1872
Charles E. Hay 1873
Obed Lewis 1874
Charles E. Hay 1875
William Jayne 1876 1877
John A. Vincent 1878
R. L. McGuire 1879
Horace C. Irwin 1880
John McCreery 1881
A. N. J. Crook 1882
John McCreery 1883 1884
Jame Garland 1885 1886
Charles E. Hay 1887 1890
Rheuna Lawrence 1891 1892
Frank Kramer 1893 1894
Marion U. Woodruff 1895 1896
Loren Edgar Wheeler 1897 1900
John L. Phillips 1901 1902
Harry Devereux 1903 1906
David Griffiths 1907
Roy R. Reece 1907 1908
John Schnepp 1909 1915
Charles Baumann 1915 1923
Samuel A. Bullard 1923 1926
J. Emil Smith 1926 1930
Hal Smith 1930 1931
John W. Kapp, Jr. 1931 1947
Harry Eielson 1947 1951
John E. MacWherter 1951 1955
Nelson O. Howarth 1955 1959
Lester E. Collins 1959 1963
Nelson O. Howarth 1963 1971
William Telford April 6, 1971 April 8, 1979
J. Michael Houston 1979 1987
Ossie Langfelder 1987 1995
Karen Hasara 1995 April 2003
Timothy Davlin April 2003 December 14, 2010
Frank Kunz December 14, 2010 December 28, 2010
Frank Edwards December 28, 2010 April 29, 2011
J. Michael Houston April 29, 2011 May 7, 2015
Jim Langfelder May 7, 2015 May 5, 2023
Misty Buscher May 5, 2023 Present
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List of mayors of Springfield, Illinois Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.