 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2020) |
This is a list of mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin , also known as the Village of "Southport" until 1850. [1] [2]
| | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2020) |
This is a list of mayors of Kenosha, Wisconsin , also known as the Village of "Southport" until 1850. [1] [2]
The City of Kenosha was incorporated from the area previously known as the Village of Southport in 1850. [3]
| 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 |
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]
| 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 |
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] |
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 |
Kenosha County is located in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The population was 169,151 as of the 2020 census, making it the eighth most populous county in Wisconsin. The county shares the same name as its county seat, the city of Kenosha, the fourth largest city in Wisconsin. Kenosha County is part of the Chicago metropolitan area, the fourth most-populous metropolitan area in North America. Kenosha County is situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan.
Kenosha is a city in and the seat of Kenosha County, Wisconsin, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 99,986, which made it the fourth-most populous city in Wisconsin. Situated on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, Kenosha is a satellite city located roughly 40 miles (64 km) south of Milwaukee and 66 miles (106 km) north of Chicago and has significant cultural and economic connections to both cities. Interstate 94 runs along Kenosha's western border.
Racine is a city in and the county seat of Racine County, Wisconsin, United States. It is located on the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Root River, situated 22 miles (35 km) south of Milwaukee and 60 miles (97 km) north of Chicago. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 77,816, making it the fifth-most populous city in Wisconsin. It is the principal city of the Racine metropolitan statistical area. The Racine metropolitan area is, in turn, counted as part of the greater Milwaukee combined statistical area.
Robert W. Wirch is an American Democratic politician from Kenosha County, Wisconsin. He is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing Wisconsin's 22nd Senate district since 1997. He previously served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 1993 to 1997, and served on the Kenosha County Board of Supervisors before that.
Peter William Barca is an American Democratic politician from Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was the 14th secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (2019–2024) in the administration of Governor Tony Evers. He is a candidate for U.S. House of Representatives in Wisconsin's 1st congressional district in 2024; he previously represented the district during the 103rd Congress (1993–1995).
Henry Carl Schadeberg was an American protestant minister and Republican politician from southeast Wisconsin. He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for four terms, representing Wisconsin's 1st congressional district from 1961 to 1965, and from 1967 to 1971. Schadeberg was an unabashed conservative and a strident anti-communist.
The Kenosha News is a daily newspaper published in Kenosha, Wisconsin, United States. The morning paper serves southeastern Wisconsin and northeastern Illinois. It was the original and flagship property of United Communications Corporation.
John Martin Antaramian is an American businessman and Democratic politician from Kenosha, Wisconsin. He is the current mayor of Kenosha, serving since 2016, but has announced he will leave office in 2024. He has served a total of 24 years as mayor, having previously served from 1992 to 2008. He also represented Kenosha for 10 years in the Wisconsin State Assembly, from 1983 to 1993.
Frederick Solon Lovell was an American lawyer and politician. He was the 11th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly, was a delegate to both Wisconsin constitutional conventions, and was a Union Army officer in the American Civil War.
Victor Mauro Willard was an American farmer and Wisconsin pioneer. He served as a delegate to Wisconsin's first constitutional convention and was a member of the Wisconsin State Senate in 1849 and 1850, representing Racine County.
George Bennett (1810–1888) was an American merchant and pioneer of Kenosha, Wisconsin. He was a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly in 1859 and of the Wisconsin State Senate from 1860 to 1861.
Michael Frank was a German American pioneer, newspaper editor, and politician. He was the first Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and is regarded as the father of Wisconsin public schools.
Charles Herrick was an American farmer and banker who represented Racine County in the Wisconsin State Senate during the 1874 session. He was elected as a Liberal Republican.
Samuel Hale, Jr., was an American businessman, politician, and pioneer settler of Kenosha, Wisconsin. He served two non-consecutive terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, and held various other local offices.
Eugene Joseph Dorff was an American politician from Wisconsin. A member of the Democratic Party, he represented Kenosha in the Wisconsin State Assembly for twelve years and served as interim mayor of Kenosha for nearly a year, following the resignation of mayor John D. Bilotti.
Charles H. Pfennig was an American businessman and politician. A Republican, he was the 36th and 41st Mayor of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and represented Kenosha for two years in the Wisconsin State Assembly.
Henry Johnson was an American farmer, Republican politician, and Wisconsin pioneer. He was instrumental in the founding of the Wisconsin State Agricultural Society, and served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing eastern Kenosha County. Earlier in his life, he was a member of the New York State Legislature.
William Bullen was an American merchant and Wisconsin pioneer. He was one of the first American settlers in what is now Kenosha, Wisconsin, and represented Racine County in the Wisconsin Territory's legislative assembly.
John Bullen V, commonly known as John Bullen Jr., was an American merchant, farmer, pioneer of Wisconsin and Minnesota. He was the founder of Kenosha, Wisconsin, and the namesake of Bullen Middle School in Kenosha. Later in life, he moved to Minnesota and served in the Minnesota House of Representatives.