List_of_mayors_of_Detroit

List of mayors of Detroit

List of mayors of Detroit

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This is a list of mayors of Detroit, Michigan. See History of Detroit, for more information about the history of the incorporation of the city.

Quick Facts Mayor of the City of Detroit, Residence ...

The current mayor is Mike Duggan,[1] who was sworn into office on January 1, 2014.

History of Detroit's executive authority

During the earliest part of its history, Detroit was a military outpost, and executive authority was wielded by first French, then British military commandants. Soon after the Detroit area was taken over by American forces, civil authority became more prominent, and executive authority was placed in the hands of a series of appointed officials, elected boards, and elected officials. This included a brief stint in 1806–1809 with a largely ceremonial mayor.

Detroit's current strong mayor system dates from the city's 1824 charter. From 1824 to 1857, mayors were elected to terms of one year; from 1858 to 1953 the term was increased to two years, and after 1953 mayoral terms were four years.[2]

Early French and British leadership

During the early part of Detroit's existence, local authority was vested in French and British military commandants. French commandants included:[3]

Seventeen British commandants led Detroit between 1760 and 1796.[4]

Early American leadership

When Detroit was turned over to the Americans in 1796, Colonel Jean François Hamtramck was named commander of Detroit, a position he held until his death in 1803.[5]

The first local rule of Detroit was established in 1802, when Detroit was incorporated as a town.[6] The original incorporation provided for a board of trustees to govern the town, the chairman of which was the highest governmental position.[7] The first chairman of the Board, appointed on February 9, 1802, was James Henry. Henry was elected to the position later in the year. Subsequent elections were held in May of each year, with the chairmen of the Board of Trustees being:[6]

  • James Henry (1802–1803)
  • James May (1803–1804)
  • Solomon Sibley (1804–1805)
  • Joseph Wilkinson (elected 1805)

1806 charter

In 1805, a massive fire destroyed the town and effectively eliminated the government. Governor William Hull and Judge Augustus Woodward dissolved the original incorporation, replacing it in 1806 with a government headed by an appointed mayor.[6] However, the position was largely honorary, and the two men who held it (Solomon Sibley and Elijah Brush) each quickly resigned upon realizing the lack of power in the office.[7] The legislation creating this mayoral position was repealed in 1809,[7] after which de facto political power still resided with Hull and Woodward, and Detroit was without either a mayor or board of trustees until after the War of 1812.[6]

Second Board of Trustees

After the war, a legislative act in 1815 ended the interregnum and returned political control to the citizens of Detroit through a Board of Trustees, elected yearly. In October of that year, Solomon Sibley was elected as the first chair.[7] The chairs elected yearly to this Board included:[6]

  • Solomon Sibley (1815–1816)
  • George McDougall (1816–1817)
  • Abraham Edwards (1817–1818)
  • John R. Williams (1818–1819)
  • James McCloskey (1819–1820)
  • James Abbott (1820–1821)
  • Andrew G. Whitney (1821–1822)
  • James Abbott (second term, 1823–1824)
  • Andrew G. Whitney (second term, 1822–1823)

1824 charter

In 1824, John R. Williams drew up a new city charter that provided for the first time for a directly elected mayor, with significantly increased executive powers.[7] Following approval by the state legislature, Williams became the City of Detroit's first elected mayor.

1918 charter and nonpartisan elections

In June 1918 Detroit's first home-rule city charter came into effect, following passage by city voters in a referendum. The new charter mandated that all Detroit public offices be non-partisan, and that elections to those positions would be held on a non-partisan basis, with no party designations on the ballot. These provisions have been continued through all subsequent city charter revisions.

Since 1918, all mayoral elections in Detroit have been held on a non-partisan basis, and mayors have officially served unaffiliated with any political party. Thus, the party affiliations given in the chart below for mayors elected after 1918 are not official and are based on the inferences of editors based on available historic information.

Official residence

Since 1966, the official residence of the Mayor of Detroit has been the Manoogian Mansion, located on Dwight Street in the Berry Subdivision Historic District, facing the Detroit River on the city's east side. The mansion was donated to the city by industrialist Alex Manoogian, founder of the Masco Corporation.

First incorporation

Two mayors served under the 1806 charter.[7]

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Reincorporation

The following mayors served under the stronger executive mayoral system begun in the 1824 charter:[9]

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Non-partisan elections

A new city charter went into effect in 1918, which required that all city offices be non-partisan. The following mayors were elected in non-partisan elections with no party designations on the ballot, and served on a non-partisan basis with no official party affiliation:[68] This provision has been repeated in the subsequent city charters of 1974, 1997, and 2012:[69] So, the party affiliations shown below are based on information from each mayor's personal and/or political history and do not represent any official status.

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See also


References

  1. "In Detroit, the end of blight is in sight; What happens when a city accustomed to bad government elects a good one". Economist.com. September 16, 2017. Retrieved September 19, 2017.
  2. Clarke Historical Library; Historical Society of Michigan (1986), The Michigan historical review, vol. 12–13, Central Michigan University, p. 14
  3. "People of Detroit: British Commandants of Fort Detroit". Detroit History. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  4. "Hamtramck, Colonel John". Encyclopedia of Detroit. Retrieved April 7, 2021.
  5. "Mayors of the City of Detroit". Detroit Public Library. 2006. Archived from the original on September 28, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2010. Note: Term dates come from this DPL citation, save for Mayors Cockrel and Bing, and the second term of Mayor Chapin.
  6. Clarke Historical Library; Historical Society of Michigan (1986), The Michigan historical review, Volumes 12–13, Central Michigan University, p. 14
  7. "John R. Williams, 1818–1829". State of Michigan Department of Military and Veteran's Affairs. Retrieved September 8, 2010.
  8. Silas Farmer (1889), THE HISTORY OF DETROIT AND MICHIGAN, pp. 1031–1050
  9. Carlisle, Fred, ed. (1890), Chronography of Notable Events in the History of the Northwest Territory and Wayne County, Detroit: O.S. Gulley, Bornman, pp. 236–237, OCLC 13694600
  10. "Major John Biddle". Elmwood Cemetery. Retrieved September 10, 2010.
  11. Stephen D. Bingham (1888), Early history of Michigan: with biographies of state officers, members of Congress, judges and legislators, Thorp & Godfrey, state printers, pp. 643–644
  12. James V. Cambell, "Biographical Sketch of Charles C. Trowbridge," read June 3, 1883, published in Pioneer Collections: Report of the Pioneer Society of the State of Michigan, 1907, pp. 478–491
  13. Charles Trowbridge House Archived 2007-10-11 at the Wayback Machine from the city of Detroit
  14. Ross, Robert B.; Catlin, George B (1898). Landmarks of Detroit: A History of the City. Evening News Association. p. dcccxxv.
  15. Stephen D. Bingham (1888), Early history of Michigan: with biographies of state officers, members of Congress, judges and legislators, Thorp & Godfrey, state printers, pp. 356–357
  16. Ross, Robert B.; Catlin, George B (1898). Landmarks of Detroit: A History of the City. Evening News Association. p. dcccxxiv.
  17. Most references imply that both Porter and Bates served as mayor only in 1838; however, the DPL states an end date of March 14, 1839. Ross states that mayoral elections were held on the "first Monday in April," and thus Bates's short term in 1839 could be thought of as filling out Porter's "1838" term.
  18. William Stocking; Gordon K. Miller (1922), Clarence Monroe Burton (ed.), The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701–1922, Volume 2, The S. J. Clarke publishing company, p. 1173
  19. Robert B. Ross (1907), The early bench and bar of Detroit from 1805 to the end of 1850; "Winder's memories", Richard P. Joy and Clarence M. Burton, pp. 205–206
  20. Arthur M. Woodford (1974), Detroit and its banks: the story of Detroit Bank & Trust, Wayne State University Press, p. 74, ISBN 0-8143-1521-6
  21. Lloyd Anton Frerer (2001), Bronson Howard, dean of American dramatists, Edwin Mellen Press, pp. 13–16, ISBN 0-7734-7667-9
  22. Miami University (Oxford, Ohio) (1980), The Old Northwest, vol. 6, Miami University, p. 164
  23. Samuel Alanson Lane (1892), Fifty years and over of Akron and Summit County, Beacon Job Department, pp. 598–601
  24. The Democratic National Committee, 1830–1876, University of Wisconsin—Madison, 1919, p. 63
  25. F. A. Barnard (1878), American biographical history of eminent and self-made men: Michigan volume, Part 1, Western biographical publishing co., p. 71
  26. Stephen D. Bingham (1888), Early history of Michigan: with biographies of state officers, members of Congress, judges and legislators, Thorp & Godfrey, state printers, pp. 410–411
  27. Clarence Monroe Burton; William Stocking; Gordon K. Miller (1922), The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701–1922; Volume 3, The S. J. Clarke publishing company, pp. 981–982
  28. F. A. Barnard (1878), American biographical history of eminent and self-made men: Michigan volume, Part 1, Western biographical publishing co., pp. 9–10
  29. Carlisle, Fred, ed. (1890), Chronography of Notable Events in the History of the Northwest Territory and Wayne County, Detroit: O.S. Gulley, Bornman, p. 416
  30. "Mr. Hill's Lieutenants" (PDF). New York Times. March 3, 1892.
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  32. "DIED AT YONKERS". Detroit Free Press. Jul 21, 1904.
  33. David Lee Poremba (1998), Detroit, 1860–1899, Arcadia Publishing, p. 59, ISBN 0-7385-3373-4
  34. William Francis Morse (1908), The collection and disposal of municipal waste, The Municipal Journal and Engineer, p. 373
  35. Western Publishing and Engraving Co. (1900), CYCLOPEDIA OF MICHIGAN: HISTORICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL, COMPRISING A SYNOPSIS OF GENERAL HISTORY OF THE STATE, ABD BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF MEN, Western Publishing and Engraving Co., pp. 144–146
  36. Catlin, George B. (2005) [1900]. "Chapters CI through CVII". The story of Detroit. Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Library. pp. 585–630. Retrieved 2006-06-15.
  37. "Michigan Governor Hazen Stuart Pingree". National Governors Association. Retrieved October 30, 2010.
  38. Detroit (Mich.) City Clerk (1894), Municipal manual of the city of Detroit, p. 9
  39. Clarence Monroe Burton; William Stocking; Gordon K. Miller (1922), The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701–1922; Volume 3, The S. J. Clarke publishing company, pp. 636–637
  40. "In Detroit, Couzens is Big Winner". The Border Cities Star. Nov 8, 1933.
  41. "Oscar B. Marx dies; ex-Detroit mayor". Ludington Daily News. Nov 23, 1923.
  42. Clarence Monroe Burton; William Stocking; Gordon K. Miller (1922), The city of Detroit, Michigan, 1701–1922; Volume 3, The S. J. Clarke publishing company, p. 608
  43. Charles K. Hyde (2005), The Dodge brothers: the men, the motor cars, and the legacy, Wayne State University Press, p. 150, ISBN 0-8143-3246-3
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  48. "In Detroit". TIME magazine. January 23, 1928. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009.
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  50. "Index to Politicians: Lockyear to Lofvegren". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved November 6, 2010.
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  56. Philip Parker Mason (1987), Title The Ambassador Bridge: a monument to progress, Wayne State University Press, pp. 75–76, ISBN 0-8143-1840-1
  57. "KELLY, WHEALAN PLEDGE HELP TO RECOVERY DRIVE". Chicago Tribune. Sep 9, 1933.
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  61. "Bowles Loses But Wins Over Recall Crowd". Sarasota Herald. Sep 10, 1930.
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  65. "Couzens To Make Mayoralty Drive". Miami News. Aug 6, 1933.
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  67. "CIO Candidate is Defeated in Detroit Vote". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Nov 3, 1937.
  68. Edward Jeffries; Dominic J. Capeci (1996), Detroit and the "Good War": the World War II letters of Mayor Edward Jeffries and friends, University Press of Kentucky, p. 6, ISBN 0-8131-1974-X
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