List of mayors of Rock Island, Illinois


The office of Mayor of Rock Island, Illinois has existed since the Rock Island's incorporation in 1841 with Benjamin Barrett serving as the city's first mayor. Rock Island adopted a Mayor-Council form of government. It held that form of government for the next 110 years when in 1952 the city adopted a new popular form of city government, the council-manager form. Carl F. Bauer was elected as the first mayor under this form in 1953. This form of government still elected a mayor but the mayor is nothing more than a figurehead whereas the true power lay in the hands of the City Council and City Manager.
The Rock Island mayoralty is a ceremonial position that is often used as a stepping stone for higher political office. Most of Rock Island's mayors did not go far past the mayoralty but a few did, mostly running for State Representative, State Senator, and U.S. Congress. Rock Island held partisan elections throughout much of its history. For a brief time from 1911 to 1923, Rock Island's mayor served as a non-partisan mayor; then again in 1923 the City went back to partisan elections. The Republican Party has dominated the mayoralty, the city had more Republican mayors than Democratic mayors. In 1953 when the city adopted the Council-Manager form of government the city once again went to non-partisan elections and it continues to this day.
In 1984 a referendum appeared on the city ballot asking whether voters wanted to adopt partisan elections or continue with non-partisan elections, the referendum was defeated by an overwhelming margin.

Rock Island mayors

Rock Island's mayors since the city's first mayoral election in 1849:
#ImageNameTerm startTerm end Party-
1Benjamin BarrettWhig-
2100pxJoshua HatchWhig-
3Patrick WhitakerDemocratic-
4William FrizzellDemocratic-
5Ben Harper
Whig-
6Benjamin BarrettWhig-
7William BaileyWhig-
8Patrick GreggDemocratic-
9Thomas BulfordDemocratic-
10Calvin TruesdaleRepublican-
11Bailey DavenportDemocratic-
12Calvin TruesdaleRepublican-
13Benjamin H. KimballDemocratic-
14William EgglestonDemocratic-
15Thomas MurdockRepublican-
16James BufordDemocratic-
17Porter SkinnerDemocratic-
18Elijah CarterRepublican-
19Thomas MurdockRepublican-
20Bailey DavenportDemocratic-
21Thomas GaltRepublican-
22Bailey DavenportDemocratic-
23William ButlerRepublican-
24Elisha ReynoldsRepublican-
25Henry CarseRepublican-
26James Z. MottDemocratic-
27Thomas MurdockRepublican-
28Virgil M. BlandingDemocratic-
29William McConochieRepublican-
30Thomas J. Medill, Jr.Democratic-
31B. Frank KnoxRepublican-
32Thomas J. Medill, Jr.Democratic-
33William McConochieRepublican-
34B. Frank KnoxRepublican-
35William McConochieRepublican-
36George W. McCaskrinIndependent Party-
37Harry C. SchafferRepublican-
38George W. McCaskrinIndependent Party-
39Harry M. ShriverRepublican-
40William McConochieRepublican-
41Harry M. ShriverRepublican-
42Walter A. RosenfieldRepublican-
43Chester C. Thompson
Democratic-
44Clarence HodsonRepublican-
45Herman BrownRepublican-
46John GrahamDemocratic-
47Charles JohnsonRepublican-
48John BengstonDemocratic-
49Robert P. GalbraithRepublican-
50Melvin McKayRepublican-
51Carl F. BauerNonpartisan-
52Warren YergerRepublican-
53Morris E. Muhleman
Republican-
54James H. HaymakerNonpartisan-
55Alan A. CampbellNonpartisan
56Martin GalexNonpartisan-
57James R. DavisNonpartisanFirst African-American mayor
58Robert MillettRepublican-
59Mark Schwiebert
Democratic-
60Dennis E. PauleyDemocratic-
61Mike Thoms
Republican-
62Ashley Harris
PresentDemocratic2nd African-American mayor