Mayor of Chicago

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 III (1879–1887, 1893) and Carter Harrison IV (1897–1905, 1911–1915), as well as Richard J. Daley (1955–1976) and Richard M. Daley (1989–2011). Carter Harrison IV 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.^[1]

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 fourth African American mayor, Eugene Sawyer (1987–1989) having been selected by the council after Washington died in office.

The mayor appoints the commissioner of the Chicago Fire Department, the superintendent of the Chicago Police Department and the heads of other departments,^[2] 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 non-partisan in 1999, the mayor was the de facto leader of the city's Democratic Party, and had great influence over the ward organizations.^[3] Located in City Hall, "the fifth floor" is sometimes used as a metonym for the office and power of the mayor.^[4]

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,^[5][6] 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.^[6][7] 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.^[8] 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,^[9] 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.^[10]

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.^[11]

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.

• 
  Joseph Medill (#26) was the first foreign-born mayor.
• 
  John Patrick Hopkins (#35) was the youngest and the first Catholic mayor.
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  William Hale Thompson (#41) was the last Republican mayor of Chicago.
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  Jane Byrne (#50) was the first female mayor.
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  Harold Washington (#51) was the first African American mayor.
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  Richard M. Daley (#54) was the longest-serving mayor (22 years).
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  Lori Lightfoot (#56) was the first African American female and the first openly lesbian mayor of Chicago.

More information No., Portrait ...

No.[12]	Portrait	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Tenure	Election	Party		Vice Mayor
Town Presidents
1		Thomas Jefferson Vance Owen (1801–1835)	August 12, 1833	August 11, 1834	364 days	–		Nonpartisan	Position not yet established
2		John H. Kinzie (1803–1865)	1834	May 1837	3 years	–		Whig
Mayors
1		William B. Ogden (1805–1877)	May 1837	March 1838	10 months	1837		Democratic	Position not yet established
2		Buckner Stith Morris (1800–1879)	1838	1839	1 year	1838		Whig
3		Benjamin Wright Raymond (1801–1883) 1st time	1839	1840	1 year	1839		Whig
4		Alexander Loyd (1805–1872)	March 9, 1840	March 4, 1841	360 days	1840		Democratic
5		Francis Cornwall Sherman (1805–1870) 1st time	March 4, 1841	March 7, 1842	1 year, 3 days	1841		Democratic
6		Benjamin Wright Raymond (1801–1883) 2nd time	March 7, 1842	March 7, 1843	1 year, 0 days	1842		Whig
7		Augustus Garrett (1801–1848) 1st time	March 7, 1843	April 2, 1844	1 year, 26 days	1843		Democratic
						March 1844[a]
8		Alson Sherman (1811–1903)	April 2, 1844	March 10, 1845	342 days	April 1844		Independent Democratic
9		Augustus Garrett (1801–1848) 2nd time	March 10, 1845	March 3, 1846	358 days	1845		Democratic
10		John Putnam Chapin (1810–1864)	March 3, 1846	March 9, 1847	1 year, 6 days	1846		Whig
11		James Curtiss (1806–1859) 1st time	March 9, 1847	March 14, 1848	1 year, 5 days	1847		Democratic
12		James Hutchinson Woodworth (1804–1869)	March 14, 1848	March 12, 1850	1 year, 363 days	1848		Independent Democratic
						1849
13		James Curtiss (1806–1859) 2nd time	March 12, 1850	March 11, 1851	364 days	1850		Democratic
14		Walter S. Gurnee (1813–1903)	March 11, 1851	March 7, 1853	1 year, 361 days	1851		Democratic
						1852
15		Charles McNeill Gray (1807–1885)	March 7, 1853	March 15, 1854	1 year, 8 days	1853		Democratic
16		Isaac Lawrence Milliken (1813–1889)	March 15, 1854	March 13, 1855	363 days	1854		Democratic
17		Levi Boone (1808–1882)	March 13, 1855	March 11, 1856	364 days	1855		American
18		Thomas Dyer (1805–1862)	March 11, 1856	March 10, 1857	364 days	1856		Democratic
19		John Wentworth (1815–1888) 1st time	March 10, 1857	March 2, 1858	357 days	1857		Republican
20		John Charles Haines (1818–1896)	March 2, 1858	March 22, 1860	2 years, 20 days	1858		Republican
						1859
21		John Wentworth (1815–1888) 2nd time	March 22, 1860	May 6, 1861	1 year, 45 days	1860		Democratic
22		Julian Sidney Rumsey (1823–1886)	May 6, 1861	May 5, 1862	364 days	1861		Republican
23		Francis Cornwall Sherman (1805–1870) 2nd time	May 5, 1862	May 3, 1865	2 years, 363 days	1862		Democratic
						1863
24		John Blake Rice (1809–1874)	May 3, 1865	December 6, 1869	4 years, 217 days	1865		Republican
						1867
25		Roswell B. Mason (1805–1892)	December 6, 1869	December 4, 1871	1 year, 363 days	1869		Citizens
26		Joseph Medill (1823–1899)	December 4, 1871	August 22, 1873	1 year, 261 days	1871		Republican (Dry)
–		Lester L. Bond (1829–1903) Acting	August 22, 1873	December 1, 1873	101 days	–		Republican
27		Harvey Doolittle Colvin (1815–1892)	December 1, 1873	July 24, 1876	2 years, 236 days	1873		People's
–		Thomas Hoyne (1817–1883) Disputed	Election invalidated; tenure annulled			April 1876[b]		Independent Democratic
28		Monroe Heath (1827–1894)	July 24, 1876	April 28, 1879	2 years, 278 days	July 1876		Republican
						1877
29		Carter Harrison III (1825–1893) 1st time	April 28, 1879	April 18, 1887	7 years, 355 days	1879		Democratic
						1881
						1883
						1885
30		John A. Roche (1844–1904)	April 18, 1887	April 15, 1889	1 year, 362 days	1887		Republican
31		DeWitt Clinton Cregier (1829–1898)	April 15, 1889	April 27, 1891	2 years, 12 days	1889		Democratic
32		Hempstead Washburne (1851–1918)	April 27, 1891	April 17, 1893	1 year, 355 days	1891		Republican
33		Carter Harrison III (1825–1893) 2nd time	April 17, 1893	October 28, 1893[†]	194 days	1893		Democratic
34		George Bell Swift (1845–1912) Pro tempore 1st time	November 9, 1893	December 27, 1893	48 days	–		Republican
35		John Patrick Hopkins (1858–1918)	December 27, 1893	April 8, 1895	1 year, 102 days	1893 special		Democratic
36		George Bell Swift (1845–1912) 2nd time	April 8, 1895	April 15, 1897	2 years, 7 days	1895		Republican
37		Carter Harrison IV (1860–1953) 1st time	April 15, 1897	April 10, 1905	7 years, 360 days	1897		Democratic
						1899
						1901
						1903
38		Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne (1853–1937)	April 10, 1905	April 15, 1907	2 years, 5 days	1905		Democratic
39		Fred A. Busse (1866–1914)	April 15, 1907	April 17, 1911	4 years, 2 days	1907		Republican
40		Carter Harrison IV (1860–1953) 2nd time	April 17, 1911	April 26, 1915	4 years, 9 days	1911		Democratic
41		William Hale Thompson (1869–1944) 1st time	April 26, 1915	April 16, 1923	7 years, 355 days	1915		Republican
						1919
42		William Emmett Dever (1862–1929)	April 16, 1923	April 18, 1927	4 years, 2 days	1923		Democratic
43		William Hale Thompson (1869–1944) 2nd time Campaign	April 18, 1927	April 9, 1931	3 years, 356 days	1927		Republican
44		Anton Cermak (1873–1933)	April 9, 1931	March 6, 1933[†]	1 year, 331 days	1931		Democratic
45		Frank J. Corr (1877–1934) Acting	March 15, 1933	April 8, 1933	24 days	–		Democratic
46		Edward Joseph Kelly (1876–1950)	April 17, 1933	April 15, 1947	13 years, 363 days	App.		Democratic
						1935
						1939
						1943
47		Martin H. Kennelly (1887–1961)	April 15, 1947	April 20, 1955	8 years, 5 days	1947		Democratic
						1951
48		Richard J. Daley (1902–1976)	April 20, 1955	December 20, 1976[†]	21 years, 244 days	1955		Democratic
						1959
						1963
						1967
						1971
						1975
49		Michael A. Bilandic (1923–2002)	December 20, 1976	April 16, 1979	2 years, 117 days	App.		Democratic	Casey Laskowski
						1977 special
50		Jane Byrne (1933–2014)	April 16, 1979	April 29, 1983	4 years, 13 days	1979		Democratic	Richard Mell
51		Harold Washington (1922–1987)	April 29, 1983	November 25, 1987[†]	4 years, 210 days	1983		Democratic
						1987			David Orr
52		David Orr (born 1944) Acting [13]	November 25, 1987	December 2, 1987	7 days	–		Democratic	Himself
53		Eugene Sawyer (1934–2008)	December 2, 1987	April 24, 1989	1 year, 143 days	App.		Democratic	David Orr
									Terry Gabinski
54		Richard M. Daley (born 1942)	April 24, 1989	May 16, 2011	22 years, 22 days	1989 special		Democratic
						1991
						1995
						1999		Nonpartisan[c] (Democratic)	Bernard Stone
						2003
						2007
55		Rahm Emanuel (born 1959)	May 16, 2011	May 20, 2019	8 years, 4 days	2011		Nonpartisan[c] (Democratic)	Ray Suarez
						2015			Brendan Reilly
56		Lori Lightfoot (born 1962)	May 20, 2019	May 15, 2023	3 years, 360 days	2019		Nonpartisan[c] (Democratic)	Tom Tunney
57		Brandon Johnson (born 1976)	May 15, 2023	Incumbent	2 years, 304 days	2023		Nonpartisan[c] (Democratic)	Walter Burnett Jr.

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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 vice mayoralty is currently vacant following the resignation of Walter Burnett Jr. on August 7, 2025.

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.^[9][15][16]

If neither the mayor nor president pro tempore can preside over a City Council meeting, then the vice mayor presides.^[11]

The position was long considered to be largely ceremonial.^[17][18][19] 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.^[20]

List of vice mayors

More information No., Vice Mayor ...

No.	Vice Mayor		Took office	Left office	Party		Mayor(s) served under
1		Casey Laskowski (1918–2003) [21][22]	1976	1979		Democratic	Michael A. Bilandic
2		Richard Mell (born 1938) [23]	April 16, 1979	April 24, 1987		Democratic	Jane Byrne Harold Washington
3		David Orr (born 1944) [8][24][25]	April 1987	May 1988		Democratic	Harold Washington Himself (acting) Eugene Sawyer
4		Terry Gabinski (born 1938) [24][26]	1988	1998		Democratic	Eugene Sawyer Richard M. Daley
5		Bernard Stone (1927–2014) [25][27][28]	1998	2011		Democratic	Richard M. Daley
6		Ray Suarez (born 1946) [17][18]	May 16, 2011	May 20, 2015	Unknown		Rahm Emanuel
7		Brendan Reilly (born 1971) [29][30]	May 18, 2015	May 20, 2019		Democratic	Rahm Emanuel
8		Tom Tunney (born 1955) [7]	May 20, 2019	May 15, 2023		Democratic	Lori Lightfoot
9		Walter Burnett Jr. (born 1963) [31]	May 15, 2023	August 7, 2025		Democratic	Brandon Johnson

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