List of mayors of Springfield, Illinois facts for kids
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 |