1881 Chicago mayoral election

Summary

The Chicago mayoral election of 1881 was held on April 5, saw the incumbent mayor, Democrat Carter Harrison Sr., defeat Republican Candidate John M. Clark. Harrison won a majority of the vote with a nearly twelve point margin of victory.

1881 Chicago mayoral election
← 1879 April 5, 1881 1883 →
 
Nominee Carter Harrison Sr. John M. Clark
Party Democratic Republican
Popular vote 35,668 27,925
Percentage 55.22% 43.23%

Mayor before election

Carter Harrison Sr.
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Carter Harrison Sr.
Democratic

The election took place on April 5.[1][2] Unlike in the previous mayoral election, the Socialist Labor Party's nominee did not have much of an impact.

Harrison's Republican opponent, John M. Clark was a Chicago alderman that had been elected to the Chicago City Council two years earlier.[3]

Harrison's sizable victory came despite the fact that Republicans had carried the city in the 1880 elections by a similar vote margin.[4]

Results edit

1881 Chicago mayoral election[5]
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Carter H. Harrison, Sr. (incumbent) 35,668 55.22
Republican John M. Clark 27,925 43.23
Independent Timothy O'Mara 764 1.18
Socialist Labor George Schilling 240 0.37
Turnout 64,597

References edit

  1. ^ "Mayor Carter Henry Harrison III Biography".
  2. ^ Currey, Josiah Seymour (1912). Chicago: Its History and Its Builders, a Century of Marvelous Growth. S. J. Clarke publishing Company. p. 335.
  3. ^ Multiple sources:
    • "Centennial List of Mayors, City Clerks, City Attorneys, City Treasurers, and Aldermen, elected by the people of the city of Chicago, from the incorporation of the city on March 4, 1837 to March 4, 1937, arranged in alphabetical order, showing the years during which each official held office". Archived from the original on September 4, 2018. Retrieved December 24, 2018.
    • "Local Politics". Chicago Tribune. April 3, 1881. Retrieved March 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Another Guiteau". Mt. Carmel Republican. November 3, 1893. Retrieved March 27, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1912. Chicago Daily News, Incorporated. 1911. p. 464. Retrieved May 12, 2020.