Synopsis "Mayors of Sheboygan, Wi"
Since 1961, Mayors of Sheboygan have been elected to four-year terms and considered full-time mayors. Prior to 1961, Mayors were considered part-time mayors because the men had other jobs, while also serving as mayor. Starting in 1853, the men who ran for mayor were nominated by local political parties which many times made things interesting. There were times when the man nominated for mayor did not want the job. There were times when the political parties would have to meet again to nominate someone else. One of these meetings was even held the night before the election. In 1875, James Bell was nominated by the Democrats to run for mayor. However, on Election Day, he was passing out handbills asking people NOT to vote for him. Other times, the Democrats and Republicans would nominate the same man. From 1853 to 1886, mayors were elected to one-year terms. From 1887 to 1959, terms were two-years. The only exception to this was in 1892, when a special election was held for the final year of James Bell's two-year term. Bell died in December 1891, serving only eight months of his two-year term. Sometime after 1910 a change was made, and elections for mayor and all city officials became non-partisan, meaning they could not run as a member of a political party or be nominated by a political party.In the 163-year history of Sheboygan, little has been done to honor the forty-six men who served as mayor. This book is an effort to pay tribute to them and accurately, yet simply, document their political tenure. The vignettes that follow are in alphabetical order for ease of organization.
