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Thomas Hoyne

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His Honor the Mayor
Thomas Hoyne
Mayor of Chicago (disputed)
In office
March 1876 (not allowed to take office)
Preceded byHarvey Doolittle Colvin
Succeeded byHarvey Doolittle Colvin
United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois[1]
In office
1860–1861
Preceded byCharles U. Pine
Succeeded byJoseph Russell Jones
United States District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois[2]
In office
1855–1857
Preceded byposition established
Succeeded byA.M. Herrington
United States District Attorney for Illinois
In office
1853–1855
Succeeded byposition abolished
Cook County Probate Justice of the Peace[3]
In office
1845–1848
Succeeded byposition abolished
City Clerk of Chicago[4]
In office
1840–1842
Preceded byWilliam H. Brackett
Succeeded byJames Curtiss
Personal details
BornFebruary 11, 1817
New York City, US
DiedJuly 27, 1883(1883-07-27) (aged 66)
Carlton, New York, US
Resting placeRosehill Cemetery
Political partyIndependent
Spouse
Leonora Maria Temple
​
​
(m. 1840)​
[5]
Children7,[6] including Frank G. Hoyne
Residence(s)Chicago, Illinois, US
Signature

Thomas Hoyne (February 11, 1817 – July 27, 1883) was elected Mayor of Chicago in 1876, but his election was later declared null and void by a Circuit Court. Prior to 1876, Hoyne had led a political career in which he had occupied numerous state and municipal offices.

Life and career

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Hoyne moved to Chicago in 1837, where he turned his back on the mercantile life he had been leading and studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1839. He was elected Chicago city clerk in 1840.[7] In 1853, he was appointed United States District Attorney for Illinois. Six years later, he became a US Marshal for the northern district of Illinois.

In 1863, Hoyne traveled to New York and then to Boston to acquire a lens for a telescope for the University of Chicago. In Boston, he met with Alvan Clark and purchased an 18½-inch lens and mounting for the Dearborn Observatory, at the time, the largest refracting telescope ever built. By 1866, he became one of the founding members of the Chicago Astronomical Society and served as the organization's secretary.[8]

Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Hoyne presided at the meeting that established a free library in Chicago and sat on its board of directors, eventually writing the first history of the Chicago library system.[9] He served as president of the board.[10]

Mayoral race

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Main article: April 1876 Chicago mayoral election

In 1875, the city of Chicago adopted the Cities and Villages Act of 1872, which called for municipal elections to be held in April, instead of November. Harvey Doolittle Colvin, the current mayor, was informed by his attorneys that his term should be considered extended to the new elections. While the charter did not explicitly extend his term, it also failed to include the office of mayor in a call for special elections to fill the period from November to May.

In April 1876, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats nominated anyone for mayor. Running as an independent, Hoyne received 33,064 of the 40,000 votes cast for mayor and was declared the Mayor of Chicago.[11]

Colvin, however, refused to relinquish the office and was supported by the city comptroller. Although Hoyne presided over council meetings and gave an inaugural address, the Circuit Court declared his election null and void. Colvin continued to serve until the courts called for a special election on July 12, 1876.

Death and legacy

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Hoyne's grave at Rosehill Cemetery

Hoyne was killed in a July 27, 1883 railroad collision on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg railroad near Carlton Station. He was buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.[12]

He is the namesake of Hoyne Elementary School in Chicago.[13] Hoyne Avenue in Chicago is also named in his honor.[14]

Personal life

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On September 17, 1840 he wed Leonora Temple.[15]

Hoyne's younger brother Philip Augustus Hoyne served as Clerk of the Recorder's Court of Chicago and (from 1853 until 1858) United States Commissioner for the District of Illinois.[2] He also served on the Chicago Board of Education, serving two consecutive terms as its president.[2]

References

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  1. ^ "Northern District of Illinois History". United States Marshals Service. Archived from the original on March 20, 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c History of Chicago: From 1857 until the fire of 1871 By Alfred Theodore Andreas
  3. ^ Transactions of the Illinois State Historical Society
  4. ^ Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office.
  5. ^ In Memoriam: Sketch of the Life and Character of Thomas Hoyne, LL.D. Chicago: Barnard and Gunthorp. 1883. pp. 43.
  6. ^ In Memoriam: Sketch of the Life and Character of Thomas Hoyne, LL.D. Chicago: Barnard and Gunthorp. 1883. pp. 80.
  7. ^ Carter, Orrin N. "The Early Courts of Chicago and Cook County". Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society, vol. 7, no. 2, 1914, pp. 7–38. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40194027.
  8. ^ "Astronomical Society: Annual Report of the Executive Branch". Chicago Tribune. January 10, 1866. p. 3. Retrieved November 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "A Free Public Library". Chicago Tribune. January 9, 1872. p. 2. Retrieved November 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Gunderson, Erica (August 26, 2016). "The Null and Void cocktail, inspired by Thomas Hoyne". WTTW.
  11. ^ Longwood, Theodore (November 1885), "Thomas Hoyne", Magazine of Western History, pp. 288–295
  12. ^ "Representative Men of Chicago Pay Tribute to the Memory of Thomas Hoyne". Chicago Daily Tribune. Chicago. August 1, 1883. p. 3. Retrieved June 12, 2023 – via Newspapers.com. The remains were interred at Rosehill Cemetery, the procession of carriages being a magnificent one.
  13. ^ FitzPatrick, Lauren (December 30, 2020). "Who is your Chicago public school named for?". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  14. ^ "Mayor-Elect Thomas Hoyne Biography". Chicago Public Library. www.chipublib.org. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  15. ^ "Mayor-Elect Thomas Hoyne Biography".
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