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 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.

History

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 (1837–1838). Forty-six men and two women (Jane Byrne, 1979–1983, and Lori Lightfoot, 2019–2023), have held the office. Two sets of father and son have been elected Mayor of Chicago: Carter Harrison, Sr. (1879–1887, 1893) and Carter Harrison, Jr. (1897–1905, 1911–1915), as well as Richard J. Daley (1955–1976) and Richard M. Daley (1989–2011). Carter Harrison, Jr. was the first mayor to have been born in the city.

As an interim mayor, David Duvall Orr (1987) held the office for one week, the shortest time period. Richard M. Daley was elected six times becoming Chicago's longest-serving mayor, his 22 years surpassing his father's record of 21 years.

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

Harold Washington (1983–1987) was the first African American mayor. Lightfoot (2019–2023) was the city's first African American woman and first LGBT mayor. Brandon Johnson (2023–present) is the third elected African American mayor, Eugene Sawyer (1987–1989) having been selected by the council after Washington died in office.

Appointment powers

The mayor appoints the commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and the heads of other departments, the largest of which are the Water Management Department (formed by the consolidation of the former Water Department and Sewer Department under Richard M. Daley), and the Streets & Sanitation Department. The mayor also appoints members to the boards of several special-purpose governmental bodies including City Colleges of Chicago, 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 alderpersons 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.

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 in most other weak-mayor systems, the mayor 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. Located in City Hall, "the fifth floor" is sometimes used as a metonym for the office and power of the mayor.

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 case 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. 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.

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 woman mayor of Chicago.

Between 1833 and 1837, Chicago was incorporated as a town and headed by town presidents. Since 1837, it has been incorporated as a city and headed by 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.

#No.	Image	Name	Term start	Term end	Terms	Years		Party
Town presidents
0.1 1		Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen	August 12, 1833	1834	1	1		None
0.2 2		John H. Kinzie	1834	March 4, 1837	3	3		Whig
Mayors
01 1		William B. Ogden	1837	1838	1	1		Democratic
02 2		Buckner S. Morris	1838	1839	1	1		Whig
03 3		Benjamin W. Raymond	1839	1840	1	1		Whig
04 4		Alexander Loyd	1840	1841	1	1		Democratic
05 5		Francis C. Sherman	1841	1842	1	1		Democratic
06 6		Benjamin W. Raymond	1842	1843	1	1		Whig
07 7		Augustus Garrett	1843	1844	1	1		Democratic
08 8		Alson Sherman	1844	1845	1	1		Independent Democratic
09 9		Augustus Garrett	1845	1846	1	1		Democratic
10 10		John P. Chapin	1846	1847	1	1		Whig
11 11		James Curtiss	1847	1848	1	1		Democratic
12 12		James H. Woodworth	1848	1850	2	2		Independent Democratic
13 13		James Curtiss	1850	1851	1	1		Democratic
14 14		Walter S. Gurnee	1851	1853	2	2		Democratic
15 15		Charles McNeill Gray	1853	1854	1	1		Democratic
16 16		Isaac L. Milliken	1854	1855	1	1		Democratic
17 17		Levi Boone	1855	1856	1	1		American (Know Nothing)
18 18		Thomas Dyer	1856	1857	1	1		Democratic
19 19		John Wentworth	1857	1858	1	1		Republican
20 20		John C. Haines	1858	1860	2	2		Republican
21 21		John Wentworth	1860	1861	1	1		Democratic
22 22		Julian S. Rumsey	1861	1862	1	1		Republican
23 23		Francis C. Sherman	1862	1865	2	2		Democratic
24 24		John B. Rice	1865	1869	2	4		Republican
25 25		Roswell B. Mason	1869	1871	1	2		Citizens
26 26		Joseph Medill	1871	1873	1	2		Republican (Dry)
26.5 --		Lester L. Bond (acting)	1873	1873	.25 1⁄4	.5 1⁄2		Republican
27 27		Harvey Doolittle Colvin	1873	1875	1	2		Republican (Wet)
28 28		Monroe Heath	1876	1879	2	4		Republican
29 29		Carter Harrison Sr.	1879	1887	4	8		Democratic
30 30		John A. Roche	1887	1889	1	2		Republican
31 31		DeWitt C. Cregier	1889	1891	1	2		Democratic
32 32		Hempstead Washburne	1891	1893	1	2		Republican
33 33		Carter Harrison Sr. †	1893	1893	.25 1⁄4	.5 1⁄2		Democratic
34 34		George Bell Swift (interim mayor)	1893	1893	.16 1⁄12	.16 1⁄6		Republican
35 35		John P. Hopkins	1893	1895	.5 2⁄3	1.3 11⁄3		Democratic
36 36		George Bell Swift	1895	1897	1	2		Republican
37 37		Carter Harrison Jr.	1897	1905	4	8		Democratic
38 38		Edward F. Dunne	1905	1907	1	2		Democratic
39 39		Fred A. Busse	1907	1911	1	4		Republican
40 40		Carter Harrison Jr.	1911	1915	1	4		Democratic
41 41		William H. Thompson	1915	1923	2	8		Republican
42 42		William E. Dever	1923	1927	1	4		Democratic
43 43		William H. Thompson	1927	1931	1	4		Republican
44 44		Anton Cermak †	1931	1933	.5 1⁄2	2		Democratic
45 45		Frank J. Corr (acting mayor)	1933	1933	.016427 24⁄1461	.06575 24⁄365		Democratic
46 46		Edward J. Kelly	1933	1947	3 .5 1⁄2	14		Democratic
47 47		Martin H. Kennelly	1947	1955	2	8		Democratic
48 48		Richard J. Daley †	1955	1976	5 .25 3⁄8	21		Democratic
49 49		Michael A. Bilandic	1976	1979	.625 5⁄8	2 .33 1⁄3		Democratic
50 50		Jane Byrne	1979	1983	1	4		Democratic
51 51		Harold Washington †	1983	1987	1 .125 1⁄8	4 .58 7⁄12		Democratic
52 52		David Orr (acting mayor)	1987	1987	.00479 7⁄1461	.01917 7⁄365		Democratic
53 53		Eugene Sawyer	1987	1989	.354 17⁄48	1.5 11⁄2		Democratic
54 54		Richard M. Daley	1989	2011	5 .5 1⁄2	22		Democratic1
55 55		Rahm Emanuel	2011	2019	2	8		Democratic1
56 56		Lori Lightfoot	2019	2023	1	4		Democratic1
57 57		Brandon Johnson	2023	present	1			Democratic1

^† Died/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, Lori Lightfoot, and Brandon Johnson are known to be Democrats.

Vice mayor

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

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 Walter Burnett.

The position was created by a state law that was passed in response to the power struggle that took place over succession following Richard J. Daley's death in office.

If neither the mayor nor president pro tempore can preside over a City Council meeting, then the vice mayor presides.

The position was long considered to be largely ceremonial. However, in 2023, Mayor Brandon Johnson successfully championed a resolution that gave the office a $400,000 budget. He also had his vice mayor, Burnett, act as an official community liaison for the mayoral administration.

List of vice mayors

See also

In Spanish: Alcalde de Chicago para niños

• Law and government of Chicago
• Timeline of Chicago history