List of mayors of Racine, Wisconsin


This is a list of mayors of Racine, Wisconsin, USA. Racine was originally incorporated as a village in 1841 before Wisconsin statehood. In the first term of the Wisconsin Legislature, Racine was re-incorporated as a city. Racine has always since then utilized a mayor-council form of government. Mayors were initially elected every year; a two-year mayoral term was adopted in 1891, and a four-year term was implemented in 1991.
The first mayor of Racine was Reuben M. Norton, a pioneer businessman. The current mayor is Cory Mason, who previously represented Racine in the Wisconsin State Assembly. Racine's longest-serving mayor was Stephen F. Olsen, serving from 1973 to 1987. The most notable mayor was likely Walter Samuel Goodland, who went on to become governor of Wisconsin. The most locally famous mayor was likely Jerome Case, who also established the Case Corporation which was a major employer in the city and whose name is still present on many local institutions, including Jerome I. Case High School.

Village presidents (1841–1848)

The village of Racine was incorporated by an act of the Wisconsin Territory government signed into law on February 13, 1841. An election was held on April 6, 1841, to elect the first village government.
OrderPresidentTerm startTerm endNotes
XElias Smith18411841Elected but resigned at the time his term was scheduled to begin, April 12.
1Charles S. Wright18411842Elected at May 5 special election.
2Bushnell B. Gary18421843
3Matthew B. Mead18431844
4Warren Cole18441845
5John A. Carswell18451846
6Clark W. Spafard18461847
7C. W. White18471848
8Eli R. Cooley18481848

Mayors with 1-year term (1848–1891)

Wisconsin achieved statehood in May 1848, and the 1st Wisconsin Legislature met in June. At that session, they approved an act to re-incorporate Racine as a city, which was signed by Governor Nelson Dewey on August 8, 1848. The first city election was held in October of that year. Unless otherwise indicated, Wisconsin's mayoral elections have always taken place on the first Tuesday of April, with inauguration following within two weeks.
File:Jerome Increase Case.jpg|thumb|right|Jerome Case, the 8th, 10th, and 12th mayor of Racine and founder of the Case Corporation

OrderMayorTerm startTerm endNotes
1Reuben M. Norton18481849Elected in October 1848.
2Henry Bryan18491850
3Eli R. Cooley18501851
4William H. Waterman18511852
5William T. Richmond18521853
6David McDonald18531855First two-term mayor.
7George Wustum18551856
8Jerome I. Case18561857
9John W. Cary18571858
10Jerome I. Case18581859
11William W. Vaughan18591860
12Jerome I. Case18601861First three-term mayor.
13George C. Northrop18611862
14Alvin Raymond18621863
15George C. Northrop18631864
16Thomas Falvey18641865
17John W. Hart18651866
18George A. Thompson18661869First mayor to serve three consecutive terms.
19Massena B. Erskine18691872
20Reuben G. Doud18721874
21Robert Hall Baker18741875
22Reuben G. Doud18751876
23John G. Meachem18761879
24Ernest J. Hueffner18791880
25Massena B. Erskine18801881
26William P. Packard18811883
27Titus G. Fish18831884
28Martin Mathias Secor18841885
29Joseph Miller18851886
30Daniel A. Olin18861888
31Martin Mathias Secor18881889
32Frank L. Mitchell18891890
33Adolph Weber18901891

Mayors with 2-year term (1891–1991)

OrderMayorTerm startTerm endNotes
34Jackson I. Case18911895
35David G. Janes18951897
36Fred Graham18971899
37Michael Higgins Jr.18991903
38Peter B. Nelson19031907Elected 1903, 1905.
39Alex J. Horlick19071911Elected 1907, 1909.
40Walter Samuel Goodland19111915Elected 1911, 1913.
41T. William Thiesen19151919Elected 1915, 1917.
42William H. Armstrong19191921Elected 1919.
43A. J. Lunt19211923Elected 1921.
44William H. Armstrong19231931Elected 1923, 1925, 1927, 1929.
First five-term mayor.
45William J. Swoboda19311937Elected 1931, 1933, 1935.
46Roy A. Spencer19371939Elected 1937.
47T. G. Morris19391943Elected 1939, 1941.
48Francis H. Wendt19431949Elected 1943, 1945, 1947.
49John E. Gothner19491955Elected 1949, 1951, 1953.
50Jack H. Humble19551963Elected 1955, 1957, 1959, 1961.
51William H. Beyer19631969Elected 1963, 1965, 1967.
52Kenneth L. Huck19691973Elected 1969, 1971.
53Stephen F. Olsen19731987Elected 1973, 1975, 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985.
First mayor to serve seven terms.
Racine's longest-serving mayor.
54N. Owen Davies19871995Elected 1987, 1989.

Mayors with 4-year term (1991–present)

In 1989, Racine's city council voted to double the mayoral term from two years to four years.
OrderMayorTerm startTerm endNotes
54N. Owen Davies19871995Re-elected 1991.
55James M. Smith19952003Elected 1995, 1999.
56Gary E. Becker20032007Elected 2003, 2007.
Indicted and resigned in January 2009.
-Tom Friedel20092009Interim mayor elected by city council January 30, 2009.
57John Dickert20092017Elected in May 5, 2009, special election.
Re-elected 2011, 2015.
Resigned July 2017.
-Dennis Wiser20172017Acting mayor due to succession ordinance.
58Cory Mason2017presentElected in October 17, 2017, special election.
Re-elected 2019, 2023.