List of mayors of Oshkosh, Wisconsin

This is a list of mayors of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. Oshkosh was originally incorporated as a city in 1853 with a mayor-council form of government. Executive functions were transferred to a city manager in 1956 and the office of mayor was abolished. The office of mayor was re-established in 1979 as a replacement for the city council president, elected by the city council, with additional ceremonial duties. The office of mayor was then modified again in 2004, to allow voters to directly elect the mayor and grant the mayor veto power over the city council. The city manager, however, remains the chief executive of the city.

Elections in Wisconsin

Federal government

Presidential elections
1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
Presidential primaries
Democratic 2000 2004 2008 2016 2020 2024 Republican 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024
U.S. Senate elections
Class 1 1848 1851 1857 1863 1869 1875 1881 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 1925 sp 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1957 sp 1958 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2012 2018 2024 Class 3 1848 1849 1855 1861 1867 1872 1879 1881 sp 1885 1890 1891 1897 1903 1907 sp 1909 1914 1918 sp 1920 1926 1932 1938 1944 1950 1956 1962 1968 1974 1980 1982 1986 1992 1998 2004 2010 2016 2022 2028
U.S. House of Representatives elections
1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1863 2nd sp 1864 1866 1868 1870 2nd sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 5th sp 1887 8th sp 1888 1890 1892 1893 4th sp 1894 7th sp 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 2nd sp 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 6th sp 11th sp 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 6th sp 1931 1st sp 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1941 1st sp 1942 1944 1946 1947 2nd sp 1948 1950 1952 1953 9th sp 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1969 7th sp 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1979 6th sp 1980 1982 1984 4th sp 1986 1988 1990 1992 1993 1st sp 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 7th sp 2022 2024 8th sp 2026

State government

General elections
1995 2000 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026
Gubernatorial elections
1848 1849 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1861 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1875 1877 1879 1881 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2012 (recall) 2014 2018 2022 2026
Lieutenant Gubernatorial elections
1942 1968 2012 (recall)
Secretary of State elections
1978 2014 2018 2022 2026
Attorney General elections
2014 2018 2022
Treasurer elections
2014 2022
Superintendent elections
2013 2017 2021 2025
State Senate elections
1934 1996 2008 2010 2011 (recall) 2012 (recall) 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026
State Assembly elections
2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026
Supreme Court elections
2008 2009 2011 2013 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2023 2025

Ballot measures

2006: Referendum 1

Green Bay

Mayoral elections
1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023

Madison

Mayoral elections
1997 sp 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023

Milwaukee

Mayoral elections
1910 1912 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2022 sp 2024

Kenosha

Mayoral elections
1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024

Original mayor system (1853–1957)

Edward Eastman, 1st mayor of Oshkosh, from a visiting card *circa* 1867

Order	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Notes
1	Edward Eastman	1853	1854
2	Joseph Jackson	1854	1856
3	Thomas A. Follett	1856	1857
4	Joseph Jackson	1857	1858
5	Samuel M. Hay	1858	1860
6	Benjamin S. Henning	1860	1861
7	John Fitzgerald	1861	1862
8	Henry C. Jewell	1862	1863
9	Philetus Sawyer	1863	1865	Elected 1863. Re-elected 1864. Elected U.S. representative 1864. Elected U.S. senator 1881.
10	Carlton Foster	1865	1867
11	Joseph H. Porter	1867	1868
12	Charles W. Davis	1868	1869
13	Joseph H. Porter	1869	1870
14	Joseph Stringham	1870	1871
15	James V. Jones	1871	1872
16	James Jenkins	1872	1873
17	James V. Jones	1873	1875
18	Joseph Stringham	1875	1876
19	Andrew Haben	1876	1878
20	Sanford Beckwith	1878	1879
21	Harvey B. Dale	1879	1880
22	Joseph Stringham	1881	1882
23	George White Pratt	1882	1885
24	Andrew Haben	1885	1886
25	Carlton Foster	1886	1887
26	Harvey B. Dale	1887	1889
27	Ephraim E. Stevens	1889	1890
28	George White Pratt	1890	1891
29	William Dichmann	1891	1893
30	Charles Oellerich	1893	1895
31	Arthur Kellogg	1895	1897
32	Alison B. Ideson	1897	1899
33	James H. Merrill	1899	1901
34	John Mulva	1901	1905
35	John Banderob	1905	1909
36	John C. Voss	1909	1911
37	John Banderob	1911	1912
38	John Mulva	1912	1918
39	A. C. McHenry	1918	1924
40	Henry F. Kitz	1924	1930
41	Taylor G. Brown	1930	1933
42	George F. Oaks	1933	1935
43	Charles A. Wiechering	1935	1939
44	George F. Oaks	1939	1947
45	Ernest R. Siewert	1947	1953
46	John C. Voss	1953	1955
47	Ernest R. Siewert	1955	1957

City manager (1957–present)

In November 1956, Oshkosh voters agreed to a referendum which abolished the office of mayor and entrusted executive functions to a city manager to be hired by the city council. To this day, the Oshkosh city manager is the chief executive in the city, despite the re-creation of the office of mayor.

Order	Manager	Term start	Term end	Notes
1	Hans S. Thorgrimsen	1957	1960
2	Raymond E. Harbaugh	1960	1966
3	Angus Crawford	1966	1970
Acting	Jack Schneiuder	1970	1970
4	Gordon Jaeger	1970	1976
Acting	David Wendtland	1976	1976
5	William D. Frueh	1976	1996	Resigned 1996.
Acting	Gerald Konrad	1996	1996
6	Richard Wollangk	1996	2007	Elected by city council 1996. Resigned 2007.
Acting	John Fitzpatrick	2007	2008
7	Mark Rohloff	2008	present	Elected by city council 2008.

Hybrid mayor-council president (1979–2005)

In 1979, the Oshkosh city council voted to re-establish the office of "mayor". The new mayoral office replaced the office of city council president with slightly expanded powers to make appointments to city boards and commissions, and to serve as the ceremonial leader of the city. The mayor was not directly elected, but was chosen by a vote of the city council each April at the start of the city council session for a one-year term. All city councilmembers were at that time elected at-large.

Order	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Notes
48	Kenneth Schiefelbein	1979	1980
49	Donald Kutchera	1980	1982
50	Robert Pung	1982	1984	Defeated Kutchera in April 1982 city council vote (4–3)
51	Kathleen Propp	1984	1986	First woman as mayor, elected by council 1984. Re-elected by council 1985.
52	Floyd Chapin	1986	1988	Elected by council 1986. Re-elected by council 1987.
53	James Mather	1988	1990	Elected by council 1988. Re-elected by council 1989.
54	Thomas Binner	1990	1992	Elected by council 1990. Re-elected by council 1991.
55	Robert Jungwirth	1992	1993	Elected by council 1992. Gambling scandal.
56	Richard Wollangk	1993	1996	Defeated Jungwirth in April 1993 city council vote (5–2) Re-elected by council 1994. Re-elected by council 1995.
57	William Castle	1996	1998	Elected by council 1996. Re-elected by council 1997.
58	Melanie Bloechl	1998	2000	Elected by council 1998. Re-elected by council 1999.
59	Jon Dell'Antonia	2000	2002	Elected by council 2000. Re-elected by council 2001.
60	Stephen Hintz	2002	2004	Elected by council 2002. Re-elected by council 2003.
61	Mark Harris	2004	2005	Elected by council 2004. Elected county executive 2005.

Mayors (2005–present)

In November 2004, Oshkosh voters agreed to a referendum which restored the mayor as a directly elected officer with veto power over the city council. Mayors are elected to two-year terms.

Order	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Notes
62	William Castle	2005	2007	Elected 2005.
63	Frank Tower	2007	2009	Elected 2007.
64	Paul J. Esslinger	2009	2011	Defeated Tower in 2007 election.
65	Burk Tower	2011	2015	Elected 2011. Re-elected 2013.
66	Steve Cummings	2015	2019	Elected 2015.
67	Lori Palmeri	2019	2023	First woman popularly elected as mayor. Defeated Cummings in 2019 election. Re-elected 2021. Elected state representative 2022.
68	Matt Mugerauer	2023	present	Elected 2023.

References

^ Harney, Richard J. (1880). History of Winnebago County, Wisconsin, and early history of the Northwest. p. 183. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
^ "Form of Government". City of Oshkosh. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
^ Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.), "Mayors and Postmasters of Oshkosh, Wisconsin", Political Graveyard, retrieved 2024-07-06
"Oshkosh Voters Okay Shift to Council-Manager Setup". Oshkosh Northwestern. November 7, 1956. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Oshkosh United Way selects campaign heads". Oshkosh Northwestern. June 24, 1997. p. 27. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Wollangk named". Oshkosh Northwestern. November 27, 1996. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Rieckman, Stew (December 2, 2007). "Observations indicate acting city manager in control". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 14. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Oshkosh city manager named". Wisconsin State Journal. June 8, 2008. p. 24. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"City Manager". City of Oshkosh. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
"Oshkosh to be first with council, manager, mayor". The Post-Crescent. January 14, 1979. p. 29. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Schiefelbein mas mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 18, 1979. p. 6. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Schiefelbein will not run for re-election as mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 15, 1980. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Council picks Pung as new mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 20, 1982. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Honor passed on". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 18, 1984. p. 8. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Mayor's job is passed on". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 17, 1986. p. 10. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Council elects Mather mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 19, 1988. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Binner elected mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 18, 1990. p. 9. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Jungwirth elected mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 22, 1992. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Jungwirth out; Wollangk new mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 21, 1993. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Haas, Steve (April 17, 1996). "Castle elected mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Trebon, Mitch (April 22, 1998). "Bloechl takes mayor's gavel". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Hummel, Alex (April 19, 2000). "Oshkosh has new mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 9. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Ebert, Karl (April 17, 2002). "Hintz elected Oshkosh mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Congratulations to new local leaders". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 22, 2004. p. 4. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Hummel, Alex (March 27, 2005). "Esslinger: Led effort to elect Oshkosh mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 7. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Bollier, Jeff (April 20, 2005). "Former mayor moves to executive office". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 15. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Warner, Bethany K. (April 4, 2007). "First-time candidate narrowly elected as new Oshkosh mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 22. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Bollier, Jeff (April 8, 2009). "Third time the charm for Esslinger". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Deep divide between Oshkosh mayoral candidates", thenorthwestern.com, 2017-03-24
Bollier, Jeff (April 6, 2011). "Tower wins city mayor seat". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 4. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Woldt, Jennifer K. (April 8, 2015). "Cummings elected new Oshkosh mayor". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. A1. Retrieved July 6, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
Shuda, Nathaniel (April 2, 2019). "Lori Palmeri defeats incumbent Steve Cummings in Oshkosh mayoral race". Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
Groth, Alex (April 7, 2021). "Voters reelect Oshkosh Mayor Lori Palmeri to second term; three new city council members elected". Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved July 6, 2024.
Keasey, Bremen (April 4, 2023). "Matt Mugerauer wins Oshkosh mayor race, council sees shakeup after 2023 spring elections". Oshkosh Northwestern. Retrieved April 4, 2023.
"City Council Directory". City of Oshkosh. Retrieved July 6, 2024.

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