Head of the Chicago Fire Department | |
---|---|
Incumbent since 2021Annette Nance Holt | |
Inaugural holder | Hirman Hugunin (as "Chief Engineer") |
Formation | 1835 (as "Chief Engineer") |
The following is a list of heads of the Chicago Fire Department in Chicago, Illinois United States. This includes heads of the original iteration of Chicago's fire department, a volunteer force which preceded the establishment of the current, professional, fire department in 1858.
Currently the executive of the Chicago Fire Department is referred to as the "fire commissioner". [1] Before this, the head of the department was known as the "chief engineer".
The current head, holding the position of "fire commissioner", is Annette Nance Holt, appointed by Mayor Lori Lightfoot in 2021. [1]
Currently, the head of the Chicago Fire Department is appointed by the mayor of Chicago, and confirmed by the Chicago City Council.
Originally, the leader of the Chicago Fire Department was known as chief engineer. This position was created by an ordinance passed by the then-village of Chicago's board of trustees in November 1835. In December 1835, Chicago's board of trustees appointed its president Hirman Hugunin to be the inaugural occupant of this position. [2] [3] In 1837, when Chicago was incorporated as a city, its charter had the position be one which was elected annually by the city's voters. If an election saw no candidates, thus failing to produce an occupant of the office, the Chicago Common Council (as the Chicago City Council was known as the time) would appoint one. [3] This position originally oversaw a volunteer fire department, until the modern iteration of the Chicago Fire Department was established by city ordinance on August 2, 1858. [3]
In 1927, the title of chief engineer was replaced with the new title of fire commissioner. [3]
![]() |
Name | Tenure start | Tenure end | Mayor(s) served under | Notes | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Albert Goodrich | 1927 | 1931 | William Hale Thompson Anton Cermak | [3] [5] | |
Edward A. Maloney (acting) | 1931 | August 15, 1931 | Anton Cermak | [6] | |
Daniel J. Carmody (acting) | August 15, 1931 | September 1931 | Anton Cermak | Died in office | [6] [7] |
Michael J. Corrigan | 1937 | March 16, 1955 | Edward Joseph Kelly Martin H. Kennelly | [3] [8] | |
Anthony J. Mullaney | April 16, 1955 | 1957 | Edward Joseph Kelly Richard J. Daley | [9] [3] [10] | |
Robert J. Quinn | March 1957 | 1978 | Richard J. Daley Michael Bilandic | [3] | |
Richard Albrecht | 1978 | August 1980 | Michael Bilandic Jane Byrne | [3] | |
Charles Pierce (acting) | August 1980 | September 1980 | Jane Byrne | [3] | |
William R. Blair | September 1980 | August 1983 | Jane Byrne Harold Washington | [3] | |
Louis T. Galante | August 1983 | May 10, 1989 | Harold Washington David Orr (acting) Eugene Sawyer Richard M. Daley | [3] | |
Raymond E. Orozco | May 10, 1989 | November 1996 | Richard M. Daley | [3] [11] | |
Edward P. Altman | 1996 | October 15, 1999 | Richard M. Daley | [12] | |
James Joyce | December 15, 1999 | April 30, 2004 | Richard M. Daley | [3] [13] | |
Cortez Trotter | 2004 | 2006 | Richard M. Daley | [14] [15] | |
Raymond E. Orozco Jr. | May 2006 | June 2010 | Richard M. Daley | ||
Robert Hoff | June 2010 | February 16, 2012 | Richard M. Daley Rahm Emanuel | [16] | |
Jose Santiago | April 18, 2012 | August 31, 2018 | Rahm Emanuel | [17] [18] [19] | |
Richard C. Ford II | September 1, 2018 | April 2021 | Rahm Emanuel Lori Lightfoot | Served as acting commissioner from September 1, 2018 until being confirmed by the Chicago City Council to permanently hold the position on November 14, 2018 | [18] [20] [21] |
Annette Nance Holt | 2021 | incumbent | Lori Lightfoot Brandon Johnson | Initially performed as acting fire commissioner. Was confirmed as permanent fire commissioner by the Chicago City Council on June 23, 2021 | [22] [23] [24] |
^A Hirman Hugunin and George E Snow's tenures predate the incorporation of Chicago as a city. While no mayor was serving at the time they were High Constable, John H. Kinzie was Town President
Jane Margaret Byrne was an American politician who served as the 50th mayor of Chicago from April 16, 1979, until April 29, 1983. Prior to her tenure as mayor, Byrne served as Chicago's commissioner of consumer sales from 1969 until 1977, the only female in the mayoral cabinet.
The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and recommendations to the Chicago City Council, is active in the enforcement of the city's ordinances, submits the city's annual budget and appoints city officers, department commissioners or directors, and members of city boards and commissions.
The Chicago Police Department (CPD) is the primary law enforcement agency of the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the Chicago City Council. It is the second-largest municipal police department in the United States, behind the New York City Police Department. As of 2022 CPD had 11,710 sworn officers on duty, and in 2020 had more than 948 other employees. Tracing its roots to 1835, the Chicago Police Department is one of the oldest modern police departments in the world.
The Chicago Fire Department (CFD) provides firefighting services along with emergency medical response services, hazardous materials mitigation services, and technical rescue response services in the city of Chicago, Illinois, United States, under the jurisdiction of the mayor of Chicago. The Chicago Fire Department is the second-largest municipal fire department in the United States after the New York City Fire Department (FDNY). It is also one of the oldest major organized fire departments in the nation. It has numerous general purpose and specialized vehicles and equipment to accomplish its missions.
Michael Anthony Bilandic was an American Democratic politician, judge, and attorney who served as the 49th mayor of Chicago from 1976 to 1979, after the death of his predecessor, Richard J. Daley. Bilandic practiced law in Chicago for several years, having graduated from the DePaul University College of Law. Bilandic served as an alderman in Chicago City Council, representing the eleventh ward on the south-west side from June 1969 until he began his tenure as mayor in December 1976. After his mayoralty, Bilandic served on the Illinois Appellate Court from 1984 until being elected to the Illinois Supreme Court in 1990. He served on the state supreme court until 2000, and was the court’s chief Justice from 1994 to 1997.
The New York City fire commissioner is the civilian administrator of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), and is appointed by the Mayor of the City of New York. Prior to 1865, the New York City Fire Department was staffed by volunteers. On March 30, 1865 the New York State legislature passed a law organizing the Metropolitan Fire Department as a paid firefighting force that took control of all the powers and authority of the volunteer department, as well as all the assets such as the fire trucks, equipment, and buildings. The law also created a commission to oversee the department, and for its administration and functioning. After a lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of the law was dismissed by the New York Court of Appeals, it immediately started to operate.
Chicago Fire is an American television drama series broadcast by NBC. The series was created by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt and the series is the first installment of the Chicago franchise. It stars Jesse Spencer, Taylor Kinney, Monica Raymund, Lauren German, Charlie Barnett, David Eigenberg, Teri Reeves, Eamonn Walker, Yuri Sardarov, Christian Stolte, Joe Miñoso, Kara Killmer, Dora Madison Burge, Steven R. McQueen, Miranda Rae Mayo, Annie Ilonzeh, Alberto Rosende, Daniel Kyri, Adriyan Rae, Hanako Greensmith, Jake Lockett, Jocelyn Hudon and Dermot Mulroney, it premiered on October 10, 2012. As of January 29, 2025, the series has aired 263 episodes. In April 2023, the series was renewed for a twelfth season, which premiered on January 17, 2024. In March 2024, the series was renewed for a thirteenth season, which premiered on September 25, 2024.
The Chicago mayoral election of 1989 saw Democratic nominee Richard M. Daley win election to the remainder of an unexpired mayoral term with a 14% margin of victory. This marked a return for the Daley family to the office of mayor. Daley was elected over Alderman Timothy Evans, the nominee of the newly formed Harold Washington Party, and the Republican nominee Ed Vrdolyak.
The Chicago Department of Transportation is an executive department of the City of Chicago responsible for the safety, environmental sustainability, maintenance, and aesthetics of the surface transportation networks and public ways within the city. This includes the planning, design, construction, and management of streets, sidewalks, bridges, and alleys.
The Vulcan Society, founded in 1940, is a fraternal organization of black firefighters in New York City.
Lori Elaine Lightfoot is an American politician and attorney who was the 56th mayor of Chicago from 2019 until 2023. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as a partner at Mayer Brown and held various government positions in Chicago. She served as president of the Chicago Police Board and chair of the Chicago Police Accountability Task Force. In 2019, Lightfoot defeated Toni Preckwinkle in a runoff election for Chicago mayor. She ran again in 2023 but failed to qualify for the runoff, becoming the city's first incumbent mayor to not be reelected since Jane Byrne in 1983.
Elmer Washburn was an American politician. He was the 3rd Chief of the United States Secret Service from 1874 through 1876. Before serving as chief of the United States Secret Service, Washburn had headed the Chicago Police Department from 1872 through 1873. He would later run unsuccessfully for mayor of Chicago in 1891.
The Chicago Board of Education is led by a president.
Samuel W. Nolan was an American police officer for the Chicago Police Department who served as the interim superintendent of the department briefly from September 1, 1979 until January 11, 1980. Nolan was the first African American to serve in any capacity as head of the Chicago Police Department.
Robert Shaw was an American politician. He served as a City of Chicago Alderman in the 9th ward for four terms, first in 1979 through 1983 and again from 1987 until 1998. Shaw also served as commissioner on the Cook County Board of Review from 1998 until 2004.
Herman Niels Bundesen was a German-American medical professional, politician, and author. He served two tenures as the chief health official of the city of Chicago, holding this role for more than 34 years in total. He also was elected Cook County coroner. In 1936, he ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic Party nomination for governor of Illinois.
John Edward Traeger was an American politician who served as Cook County Sheriff, Cook County Coroner, and Chicago City Treasurer. He also served as Chicago city comptroller, Chicago city collector, Lake, Illinois city collector, and as a member of the Cook County Jury Commission.