List of mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2020) |
This is a list of mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin, also known as the Village of "Southport" until 1850.[1][2]
Village presidents (1841–1850)
[edit]The City of Kenosha was incorporated from the area previously known as the Village of Southport in 1850.[3]
| Order | President | Term start | Term end |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Frank | 1841 | 1842 |
| 2 | William Bullen | 1842 | 1843 |
| 3 | John W. McKoy | 1843 | 1844 |
| 4 | Sereno Fisk | 1844 | 1846 |
| 5 | Theodore Newell | 1846 | 1847 |
| 6 | John W. McKoy | 1847 | 1848 |
| 7 | Michael Holmes | 1848 | 1849 |
| 8 | William S. Strong | 1849 | 1850 |
Mayors (1850–1922)
[edit]In 1850, Kenosha was incorporated as a city using the Mayor-Aldermanic system of government with officeholders to be elected in an 1850 general election.[2]
| Order | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Frank | 1850 | 1851 | |
| 2 | David C. Gaskill | 1851 | 1852 | |
| 3 | Charles C. Sholes | 1852 | 1856 | |
| 4 | Volney Hughes | 1856 | 1857 | |
| 5 | George Howard Paul | 1857 | 1859 | |
| 6 | Asahel Farr | 1859 | 1860 | |
| 7 | Isaac W. Webster | 1860 | 1861 | |
| 8 | Milton H. Pettit | 1861 | 1862 | |
| 9 | Frederick Robinson | 1862 | 1864 | |
| 10 | Asahel Farr | 1864 | 1865 | |
| 11 | Milton H. Pettit | 1865 | 1866 | |
| 12 | Dennis J. Hynes | 1866 | 1867 | |
| 13 | Milton H. Pettit | 1867 | 1868 | |
| 14 | Isaac W. Webster | 1868 | 1869 | |
| 15 | Frederick Robinson | 1869 | 1870 | |
| 16 | Milton H. Pettit | 1870 | 1871 | |
| 17 | Asahel Farr | 1871 | 1874 | |
| 18 | Isaac W. Webster | 1874 | 1875 | |
| 19 | Otis G. King | 1875 | 1876 | |
| 20 | Joseph V. Quarles | 1876 | 1877 | |
| 21 | Asahel Farr | 1877 | 1879 | |
| 22 | Frederick Robinson | 1879 | 1880 | |
| 23 | A. C. Sinclair | 1880 | 1881 | |
| 24 | Henry Williams | 1881 | 1883 | |
| 25 | O. S. Newell | 1883 | 1884 | |
| 26 | Zalmon G. Simmons | 1884 | 1886 | |
| 27 | Emory L. Grant | 1886 | 1887 | |
| 28 | Fred Stemm | 1887 | 1888 | |
| 29 | Henry Williams | 1888 | 1890 | |
| 30 | John B. Kupfer | 1890 | 1891 | |
| 31 | Ossian Marsh Pettit | 1891 | 1894 | Son of former Mayor Milton Pettit |
| 32 | William M. Farr | 1894 | 1897 | |
| 33 | Frank C. Culley | 1897 | 1898 | |
| 34 | Ossian Marsh Pettit | 1898 | 1899 | |
| 35 | James Gorman | 1899 | 1902 | |
| 36 | Charles H. Pfennig | 1902 | 1904 | |
| 37 | James Gorman | 1904 | 1908 | |
| 38 | Mathias J. Scholey | 1908 | 1912 | |
| 39 | Daniel O. Head | 1912 | 1914 | |
| 40 | Mathias J. Scholey | 1914 | 1916 | |
| 41 | Charles H. Pfennig | 1916 | 1918 | |
| 42 | John G. Joachim | 1918 | 1922 |
City managers (1922–1958)
[edit]In 1921, Kenosha elected to move to a council-manager style government where the chief executive and administrator was a city manager elected by the city commissioners.[4]
| Order | Manager | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C. M. Osborne | 1922 | 1928 | |
| 2 | William E. O'Brien | 1928 | 1933 | |
| 3 | Harold C. Laughlin | 1933 | 1941 | |
| 4 | LeRoy Wolfe Sr. | 1941 | 1942 | |
| 5 | James G. Wallace | 1942 | 1946 | Resigned[5] |
| — | Robert V. Baker | 1946 | 1947 | Acting[5] |
| 6 | Albert E. Axtell | 1947 | 1952 | |
| 7 | Richard H. Custer | 1952 | 1957 | Resigned[6] |
| — | Robert V. Baker (1903–1968) |
1957 | 1958 | Acting[7] |
Mayors (1958–present)
[edit]In 1957, Kenosha elected to return to a Mayor-Aldermanic system of government with officeholders to be elected in April 1958 general elections.[8]
| Order | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | Eugene R. Hammond | 1958 | 1966 | Resigned[9] |
| — | Hiene Borden (1913–2006) |
January 1967 | 1967 | Interim[10] |
| 44 | Wallace E. Burkee (1926–2014) |
April 1967 | April 1976 | Defeated in 1976 primary[11] |
| 45 | Paul W. Saftig (1926–2010) |
1976 | 1980 | |
| 46 | John D. Bilotti (1944–) |
1980 | 1987 | Resigned to accept appointment to Wisconsin Department of Revenue[12] |
| — | Eugene J. Dorff (1930–2005) |
June 15, 1987 | April 19, 1988 | Interim[12] |
| 47 | Patrick E. Moran (1947–) |
April 19, 1988 | 1992 | Resigned 7 weeks prior to end of term to accept position with Merkt Cheese Co.[13] |
| — | Dennis Wade (1952–2005) |
1992 | April 15, 1992 | Interim[13] |
| 48 | John Antaramian (1954–) |
1992 | 2008 | Elected in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004. Did not run in 2008.[14][15] |
| 49 | Keith Bosman (1944–) |
April 15, 2008 | April 19, 2016 | |
| 50 | John Antaramian (1954–) |
April 19, 2016 | April 16, 2024 | Longest-serving mayor in city history[15] |
| 51 | David Bogdala | April 16, 2024 | present | Current mayor |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Kenosha, Wisconsin - A Brief History". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ a b "History of Kenosha". The History of Racine and Kenosha Counties, Wisconsin. Chicago: Western Historical Co. 1879. pp. 506–517. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
- ^ "Town of Southport No More". Kenosha Democrat. March 11, 1853. Retrieved January 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Change in government Endorsed by Voters". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. January 25, 1922. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Baker Again Named Acting City Manager". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. November 1, 1946. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Custer Takes Post in Ohio". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. November 16, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Name Baker Acting City Manager". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. December 12, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Mayor Form Winner By 1,975 Votes". Kenosha Evening News. April 8, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Taylor, Virginia (December 21, 1966). "Mayor Hammond resigns to take position with bank". Kenosha News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Borden named interim mayor by City Council". Kenosha News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Election fogs Bosman issue". Kenosha News. February 18, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Backman, Dave (June 3, 1987). "Bilotti takes state revenue job". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b DiGiovanni, Joe (March 3, 1992). "council picks wade as acting mayor/". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ DiGiovanni, Joe (April 8, 1992). "Antaramian in landslide". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Zampanti, Jeffrey (January 19, 2020). "Glimpses of Kenosha's future: Kenosha mayor discusses smart growth, running unopposed". Kenosha News. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
Further reading
[edit]- Commemorative Biographical Record of Prominent and Representative Men of Racine and Kenosha counties, Wisconsin. Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co. 1906.