Carter Henry Harrison Sr. was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois, from 1879 until 1887 and from 1893 until his assassination. He previously served two terms in the United States House of Representatives. Harrison was the first cousin twice removed of President William Henry Harrison, whose grandson, Benjamin Harrison, had also been president until just months prior to the assassination. He was also the father of Carter Harrison Jr., who would follow in his father's footsteps, and would serve five terms as the mayor of Chicago himself.
The 1951 Philadelphia municipal election, held on Tuesday, November 6, was the first election under the city's new charter, which had been approved by the voters in April, and the first Democratic victory in the city in more than a half-century. The positions contested were those of mayor and district attorney, and all seventeen city council seats. There was also a referendum on whether to consolidate the city and county governments. Citywide, the Democrats took majorities of over 100,000 votes, breaking a 67-year Republican hold on city government. Joseph S. Clark Jr. and Richardson Dilworth, two of the main movers for the charter reform, were elected mayor and district attorney, respectively. Led by local party chairman James A. Finnegan, the Democrats also took fourteen of seventeen city council seats, and all of the citywide offices on the ballot. A referendum on city-county consolidation passed by a wide margin. The election marked the beginning of Democratic dominance of Philadelphia city politics, which continues today.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1905, Democrat Edward F. Dunne defeated Republican John Maynard Harlan and Socialist John Collins.
In the Chicago mayoral special election of 1893, John Patrick Hopkins was elected mayor. The election was triggered by the assassination of mayor Carter Harrison Sr.. Following Harrison's death, Republican George Bell Swift had been appointed by City Council to serve as acting mayor until the special election could be held. In the election, which was held December 19, Hopkins narrowly defeated Swift by a half-percent margin.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1893, Democrat Carter Harrison Sr. won election, returning him the mayor's office for a (then-record) fifth non-consecutive term as mayor of Chicago. Harrison won a majority of the vote, defeating the Republican nominee, businessman Samuel W. Allerton, by a ten point margin. He also defeated two third-party candidates: United Citizens nominee DeWitt Clinton Cregier and Socialist Labor Party nominee Henry Ehrenpreis, neither of whom received strong support.
In the 1911 Chicago mayoral election, Democrat Carter Harrison Jr. was elected to his fifth non-consecutive term as mayor, tying the then-record set by his father Carter Harrison Sr. for the most Chicago mayoral election victories. Harrison defeated Republican nominee Charles E. Merriam and Socialist nominee William E. Rodriguez.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1907, Republican Fred A. Busse defeated Democratic incumbent Edward F. Dunne.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1915, Republican William Hale Thompson defeated Democrat Robert Sweitzer.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1923, Democrat William E. Dever defeated Republican Arthur C. Lueder and Socialist William A. Cunnea. Elections were held on April 3, the same day as aldermanic runoffs.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1871, Joseph Medill defeated Republican/Democratic nominee Charles C. P. Holden by a landslide 46-point margin.
The Chicago mayoral election of 1891 saw "Reform" candidate Hempstead Washburne narrowly win a four-way race against incumbent Democrat DeWitt Clinton Cregier, former mayor Carter Harrison Sr., and Citizens Party nominee Elmer Washburn. Also running was Socialist Labor candidate Thomas J. Morgan. Due to the four-way split in popular support, Washburne won with merely a 28.83% vote share; less than a quarter-of-a-percent margin of victory over second-place finisher Cregier and only 2.47% ahead of third-place finisher Harrison.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1895, was held on Tuesday April 2 Republican candidate George Bell Swift was elected, winning a majority of the vote and defeating Democratic nominee Frank Wenter by more than a fifteen-point margin.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1897, Democratic nominee Carter Harrison Jr. was elected, winning a majority of the vote and defeating independent Republican John Maynard Harlan, Republican nominee Nathaniel C. Sears, independent Democrat Washington Hesing, as well as several minor candidates. Harrison carried a 26.7 point lead over second-place finisher Harlan, a margin greater than Harlan's vote share itself.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1899, Democrat Carter Harrison Jr. was reelected, winning a plurality of the vote and defeating Republican nominee Zina R. Carter, former Illinois governor John Peter Altgeld, as well as several minor candidates by a double-digit margin.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1901, Democrat Carter Harrison Jr. was reelected to a third term, defeating Republican nominee Elbridge Hanecy by a 9.5% margin of victory.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1903, Democrat Carter Harrison Jr. was reelected to a fourth term, defeating Republican nominee Graeme Stewart.
The Chicago mayoral election of 1887 saw Republican John A. Roche win by a landslide, receiving more than a two-thirds majority of the vote, defeating Socialist Robert S. Nelson by more than 36 points, in a race where the Democratic Party had failed to field a candidate.
The Chicago mayoral election of 1885 saw Democratic incumbent Carter Harrison Sr. win an unprecedented fourth term, receiving a majority of voter and narrowly defeating Republican Sidney Smith by a less than half-percent margin of victory.
In the Chicago mayoral election of 1879, Democrat Carter Harrison Sr. defeated both Republican Abner Wright and socialist Ernst Schmidt in a three-way race. Harrison had a nearly nine point margin of victory.
The Chicago mayoral election of 1883 was held on Tuesday April 3, saw incumbent Carter Harrison Sr. defeat Republican Eugene Cary by a double-digit margin.
