1881 Chicago mayoral election

1881 Chicago mayoral election

←  1879 April 5, 1881 1883  →

Nominee Carter Harrison III John M. Clark Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 35,668 27,925 Percentage 55.22% 43.23%

Mayor before election Carter Harrison III Democratic Elected mayor Carter Harrison III Democratic

The Chicago mayoral election of 1881 was held on April 5, saw the incumbent mayor, Democrat Carter Harrison III, defeat Republican Candidate John M. Clark. Harrison won a majority of the vote with a nearly twelve point margin of victory.

The election took place on April 5. ^{[1] [2]} Unlike in the previous mayoral election, the Socialist Labor Party's nominee did not have much of an impact.

Harrison's Republican opponent, John M. Clark was a Chicago alderman that had been elected to the Chicago City Council two years earlier. ^[3]

Harrison's sizable victory came despite the fact that Republicans had carried the city in the 1880 elections by a similar vote margin. ^[4]

Democratic nomination of Harrison

The Democratic Party re-nominated incumbent mayor Carter Harrison III

Republican nomination of Clark

At its March 22 convention, the Republican Party nominated John M. Clark. Clark was an incumbent member of the Chicago Common Council (city council). The convention's nomination saw four names placed into consideration. None of the four men had actively sought the nomination for themself. Clark was nominated largely because convention delegates believed he was the most likely of the four men to accept their nomination. Of the considered candidates, he had strong support among the city party rank-and-file as well as its wealthy business elite. Clark was understood to be an ally of business interests. ^[5]

Other candidates

Timothy O'Mara ran as an independent candidate, and George Schilling ran as the nominee of the Socialist Labor Party.

Results

1881 Chicago mayoral election ^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carter H. Harrison III (incumbent)	35,668	55.22
	Republican	John M. Clark	27,925	43.23
	Independent	Timothy O'Mara	764	1.18
	Socialist Labor	George Schilling	240	0.37
Turnout			64,597

References

1. "Mayor Carter Henry Harrison III Biography".
2. Currey, Josiah Seymour (1912). Chicago: Its History and Its Builders, a Century of Marvelous Growth. S. J. Clarke publishing Company. p.  335.
3. Multiple sources:
   • "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.
   • "Local Politics". Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1881. Retrieved March 22, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Another Guiteau" . Mt. Carmel Republican. November 3, 1893. Retrieved March 27, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
5. "The Republican City Ticket" . Chicago Tribune. March 23, 1881. Retrieved November 19, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1912. Chicago Daily News, Incorporated. 1911. p. 464. Retrieved May 12, 2020.