1846 Chicago mayoral election

1846 Chicago mayoral election

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Nominee John P. Chapin Charles Follansbee Philo Carpenter Party Whig Democratic Liberty Popular vote 1,104 667 229 Percentage 55.20% 33.35% 11.45%

Mayor before election Augustus Garrett Democratic Elected mayor John Putnam Chapin Whig

In the Chicago mayoral election of 1846, Whig nominee John P. Chapin defeated Democratic nominee Charles Follansbee and Liberty nominee Philo Carpenter by a landslide 22 point margin.

Campaign

Charles Follansbee was a former Chicago alderman representing Chicago's 1st ward. ^[1] His campaign failed to gain the support of Irish Democrats, who were a key Democratic constituency. This was largely due to Follansbee's support for the "Native American Act", which proposed a long 21 year residency requirement for immigrants to become naturalized citizens. ^[2] This alienated many Irish immigrant voters who found this stance exclusionary and against their interests.

John P. Chapin ^[3] , the Whig nominee and eventual victor, was also a former alderman from the 1st ward ^[1] and a well known Chicago merchant and founding member of the Chicago Board of Trade. His background as a business man and more moderate stance likely help him garner broad support across voter groups.

The Liberty Party candidate was Philo Carpenter, who also ran but received fewer votes relative to Chapin and Follansbee. ^[4]

General election

1846 Chicago mayoral election ^{[5] [6]}

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Whig	John P. Chapin	1,104	55.20
	Democratic	Charles Follansbee	667	33.35
	Liberty	Philo Carpenter	229	11.45
Turnout			2,000

References

1. "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". Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
2. "Politics and Politicians of Chicago: Cook County, and Illinois. Memorial Volume, 1787-1887. A Complete Record of Municipal, County, State and National Politics from the Earliest Period to the Present Time. And an Account of the Haymarket Massacre of May 4, 1886, and the Anarchist Trials". 1886.
3. "Mayor John Putnam Chapin Biography" . Retrieved September 26, 2025.
4. "Chicago Mayors, 1837-2007". www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
5. "Chicago Mayors, 1837-2007". www.encyclopedia.chicagohistory.org. Retrieved January 2, 2021.
6. "RaceID=486025". Our Campaigns. Retrieved January 12, 2019.