List of mayors of Rock Island, Illinois

The office of Mayor of Rock Island, Illinois has existed since the Rock Island's incorporation in 1841 with Benjamin Barrett serving as the city's first mayor. Rock Island adopted a Mayor-Council form of government. It held that form of government for the next 110 years when in 1952 the city adopted a new popular form of city government, the council-manager form. Carl F. Bauer was elected as the first mayor under this form in 1953. This form of government still elected a mayor but the mayor is nothing more than a figurehead whereas the true power lay in the hands of the City Council and City Manager.

The Rock Island mayoralty is a ceremonial position that is often used as a stepping stone for higher political office. Most of Rock Island's mayors did not go far past the mayoralty but a few did, mostly running for State Representative, State Senator, and U.S. Congress. Rock Island held partisan election throughout much of its history. For a brief time from 1911 to 1923, Rock Island's mayor served as a non-partisan mayor; then again in 1923 the City went back to partisan elections. The Republican Party has dominated the mayoralty, the city had more Republican mayors than Democratic mayors. In 1953 when the city adopted the Council-Manager form of government the city once again went to non-partisan elections and it continues to this day.

In 1984 a referendum appeared on the city ballot asking whether voters wanted to adopt partisan elections or continue with non-partisan elections, the referendum was defeated by an overwhelming margin.

Rock Island mayors

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Rock Island's mayors since the city's first mayoral election in 1849:

 
Ben Harper
 
William McConochie
# Name Term start Term end   Party
1 Benjamin Barrett 1849 1850
2 Joshua Hatch 1850 1851
3 Patrick Whitaker 1851 1852
4 William Frizzell 1852 1854
5 Ben Harper
(1817–1887; aged 70)
1854 1855 Republican
6 Benjamin Barrett 1855 1856
7 William Bailey 1856 1857
8 Patrick Gregg 1857 1858
9 Thomas Bulford 1858 1860
10 Calvin Truesdale 1860 1861
11 Bailey Davenport 1861 1866
12 Calvin Truesdale 1866 1867
13 B. H. Kimball 1867 1867
14 William Eggleston 1867 1868
15 Thomas Murdock 1868 1869
16 James Buford 1869 1870
17 Porter Skinner 1870 1871
18 Elijah Carter 1871 1872
19 Thomas Murdock 1872 1873
20 Bailey Davenport 1873 1874
21 Thomas Gaft 1874 1875
22 Bailey Davenport 1875 1876
23 William Butler 1876 1878
24 Elisha Reynolds 1878 1880
25 Henry Carse 1880 1883
26 James Z. Mott 1883 1885
27 Thomas Murdock 1885 1887
28 Virgil M. Blanding 1887 1889
29 William McConochie 1889 1893
30 Thomas J. Medill, Jr. 1893 1895
31 B. Frank Knox 1895 1897
32 Thomas J. Medill, Jr. 1897 1899
33 William McConochie 1899 1901
34 B. Frank Knox 1901 1903
35 William McConochie 1903 1905
36 George W. McCaskrin 1905 1907
37 Harry C. Schaffer 1907 1909
38 George W. McCaskrin 1909 1911
39 Harry M. Shriver 1911 1915
40 William McConochie 1915 1919
41 Harry M. Shriver 1919 1923
42 Walter A. Rosenfield 1923 1927
43 Chester C. Thompson
(1893–1971; aged 77)
1927 1933 Democratic
44 Clarence Hodson 1933 1933
45 Herman Brown 1933 1933
46 John Graham 1934 1935
47 Charles Johnson 1935 1935
48 John Bengston 1935 1937
49 Robert P. Galbraith 1937 1945
50 Melvin McKay 1945 1953
51 Carl F. Bauer 1953 1957
52 Warren Yerger 1957 1961
53 Morris E. Muhleman
(1915–1998; aged 83)
1961 1965 Republican
54 James H. Haymaker 1965 1977
55 Alan A. Campbell 1977 1978 [1]
56 Martin Galex 1977 1978
57 James R. Davis 1979 1985
58 Robert Millett 1985 1989
59 Mark Schwiebert
(born in 1950; age 74)
1989 2009 Democratic
60 Dennis E. Pauley May 1, 2009 2017
61 Mike Thoms
(born in 1958; age 65–66)
May 1, 2017 Present

References

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  1. ^ "Mayor Campbell, 36, Dies". The Rock Island Argus. February 9, 1978.