List of mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin

This is a list of mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin, also known as the Village of "Southport" until 1850.[1][2]

Village presidents (1841–1850)

The City of Kenosha was incorporated from the area previously known as the Village of Southport in 1850.[3]

Milton Frank, 1st Village President of Southport and 1st Mayor of Kenosha.
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)

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]

Charles Sholes, 3rd Mayor of Kenosha.
Asahel Farr, 6th, 10th, 17th, and 21st Mayor of Kenosha.
Milton H. Pettit, 8th, 11th, 13th, and 16th Mayor of Kenosha.
Zalmon G. Simmons, 26th Mayor of Kenosha.
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)

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)

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

References

  1. ^ "Kenosha, Wisconsin - A Brief History". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Town of Southport No More". Kenosha Democrat. March 11, 1853. Retrieved January 13, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Change in government Endorsed by Voters". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. January 25, 1922. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ 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.
  6. ^ "Custer Takes Post in Ohio". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. November 16, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Name Baker Acting City Manager". Kenosha Evening News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. December 12, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Mayor Form Winner By 1,975 Votes". Kenosha Evening News. April 8, 1957. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ "Borden named interim mayor by City Council". Kenosha News. Kenosha, Wisconsin. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Election fogs Bosman issue". Kenosha News. February 18, 1976. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ a b Backman, Dave (June 3, 1987). "Bilotti takes state revenue job". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ a b DiGiovanni, Joe (March 3, 1992). "council picks wade as acting mayor/". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved September 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ DiGiovanni, Joe (April 8, 1992). "Antaramian in landslide". Kenosha News. p. 1. Retrieved August 30, 2020 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ 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