List of mayors of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin

This is a list of mayors of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA. Fond du Lac was originally incorporated as a village in 1847 before Wisconsin statehood. Fond du Lac was re-incorporated as a city in 1852.^[1] In 1915, Fond du Lac switched to a city commission form of government with a mayor and two at-large commissioners.^[2] The office of mayor was abolished in 1958 when Fond du Lac adopted the council–manager form of government.^[3]

Fond du Lac City/County Government Center building in 2009

Village presidents (1848–1852)

Order	President	Term start	Term end	Notes
1	Mason C. Darling	1847	1848	Elected March 1, 1847.[1]
2	George McWilliams	1848	1849	[1]
3	John Bannister	1849	1851	No election was held in 1850.[1]
4	Isaac Brown	1851	1852	[1]
5	D. R. Curran	1852	1853	[1]

Mayors with 1-year term (1852–1911)

Mason C. Darling, 1st village president of Fond du Lac, and 1st and 4th mayor.

Edwin H. Galloway, 9th mayor.

Unless otherwise indicated, Wisconsin's mayoral elections have always taken place on the first Tuesday of April, with inauguration following within two weeks.

Order	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Notes
1	Mason C. Darling	1852	1853	Elected April 6, 1852[1][4]
2	George McWilliams	1853	1854	[1][4]
3	Isaac Brown	1854	1855	[1][4]
4	Mason C. Darling	1855	1856	[1][4]
5	D. E. Hoskins	1856	1857	[1][4]
6	Isaac S. Sherwood	1857	1858	[1][4][5]
7	John Bannister	1858	1859	[1][4]
8	John Potter	1859	1860	[1][4]
9	Edwin H. Galloway	1860	1861	[1][4]
10	Jared M. Taylor	1861	1862	[1][4]
11	A. D. Bonesteel	1862	1864	[1][4]
12	Jared M. Taylor	1864	1865	Died October 1865.[1][4]
-	William Hiner	1865	1866	Interim mayor.
13	James Sawyer	1866	1867	[1][4]
14	William Hiner	1867	1868	[1][4][6]
15	C. J. L. Meyer	1868	1869	[1][4]
16	John Nichols	1869	1870	[1][4]
17	T. J. Patchin	1870	1871	[1][4]
18	E. N. Foster	1871	1873	[1][4]
19	Alexander McDonald	1873	1874	[1][4]
20	Harrison H. Dodd	1874	1875	[1][4]
21	George W. Lusk	1875	1877	[1][4]
22	C. A. Galloway	1877	1878	[1][4]
23	Orin Hatch	1878	1879	[1][4]
24	Samuel S. Bowers	1879	1882	[1][4]
25	Thomas F. Mayham	1882	1885	[4]
26	John Hughes	1885	1886	[4]
27	Thomas F. Mayham	1886	1887	[4]
28	Charles R. Harrison	1887	1888	[4]
29	Alexander McDonald	1888	1889	[4]
30	Benjamin F. Sweet	1889	1891	[4]
31	Thomas F. Mayham	1891	1892	Fifth term.[4]
32	Samuel S. Bowers	1892	1893	[4]
33	Thomas F. Mayham	1893	1895	[4]
34	E. E. Atkins	1895	1896	[4]
35	Benjamin F. Sweet	1896	1897	[4]
36	L. A. Ehrhart	1897	1898	[4]
37	Thomas F. Mayham	1898	1899	First eight-term mayor.[4]
38	Frank B. Hoskins	1899	1902	[4]
39	L. A. Bishop	1902	1904	[4]
40	John Hughes	1904	1906	[4]
41	T. L. Doyle	1906	1908	[7]
42	Edward W. Clark	1908	1911	[8][9]

Mayors with 2-year term (1911–1958)

In 1911, Fond du Lac adopted two-year terms for mayors. In 1915, they embraced the city commission form of government with a mayor and two at-large commissioners.^[2]

Order	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Notes
43	Frank J. Wolff	1911	1915	[10][11]
44	Robert Haentze	1915	1916	Elected 1915.[12] Died May 5, 1916.[13][2]
-	Louis P. Peek	1916	1917	Interim mayor
45	John P. Hohensee	1917	1921	[2]
46	Richard D. Haentze	1921	1927	[2][14]
47	George W. Watson	1927	1933	[2]
48	A. J. Rosenthal	1933	1939	[2]
49	Leo J. Promen	1939	1945	[2]
50	Edwin F. Weis	1945	1957	[2][15]
51	Victor P. Capelle	1957	1958	[2][15]

City managers (1958–present)

In 1957, Fond du Lac voters elected to switch to a council–manager form of government, abolishing the office of mayor.^[3]

Order	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Notes
1	Robert H. McManus	1958	1965	Elected by city council August 15, 1958.[16] Resigned November 19, 1965.[17]
-	Elmer Bray	1965	1966	Acting manager.
2	Henry B. Buslee	1966	1967	Elected by city council February 1966. Took office March 1, 1966.[18] Resigned September 1967.[19]
3	Myron J. Medin Jr.	1967	1983	Elected by city council September 1967.[19] Resigned September 1983.[20]
4	Dan Thompson	1983	1989	Acting manager from September 1983. Elected by city council December 1983.[20] Resigned March 10, 1989.[21]
-	Bill Roemer	1989	1989	Acting manager.
5	Jack Howley	1989	1994	Elected by city council June 1989.[22] Took office August 14, 1989. Asked to resign by city council September 1994.[23]
-	Tom W. Ahrens	1994	1995	Acting manager.
6	Stephen T. Nenonen	1995	2003	Elected by city council March 1995. Took office June 1995.[24] Retired December 2003.
7	Tom W. Ahrens	2003	2005	Acting manager until January 2005.[25] Resigned April 27, 2005.[26]
-	Wayne Rollin	2005	2005	Acting manager.[26]
8	Tom Herre	2005	2012	Elected by city council July 13, 2005. Took office August 2005.[27] Retired August 2012.
9	Joseph P. Moore	2012	Current	Elected by city council June 2012. Took office September 2012.[28][29]

City council presidents

• Rick Gudex, ca.2012^[30]
• Tiffany Brault, ca.2024^[31]

See also

• Fond du Lac history

References

1. "City of Fond du Lac". The History of Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin. Western Historical Company. 1880. pp. 565–662. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
2. "Commission Government (1915-1958)". Fond du Lac Reporter. August 22, 1970. p. 70. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. "City Governments, Good and Bad". Racine Journal Times. April 5, 1957. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
4. A.T. Glaze (1905), Incidents and anecdotes of early days and history of business in the city and county of Fond du Lac from early times to the present, Fond du Lac, Wis.: P.B. Haber Print. Co. – via HathiTrust
5. Brigham and Co.'s Fond du Lac city directory and business advertiser for 1857-58 – via University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries
6. Fond du Lac County gazetteer, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin: Commonwealth Power Press Printing Establishment, 1868 – via University of Wisconsin-Madison Libraries
7. "Not Chosen for His Looks". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 7, 1906. p. 13. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Nearby Mayors Elected". Stevens Point Journal. April 9, 1908. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "E. W. Clark Dies Thursday in Fond du Lac". The Sheboygan Press. August 4, 1917. Retrieved September 2, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Fond du Lac". Portage Daily Democrat. April 5, 1911. p. 3. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. Maurice McKenna, ed. (1912), Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, past and present, Chicago: S.J. Clarke – via Internet Archive
12. "Results at Fond du Lac". Oshkosh Northwestern. April 7, 1915. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Mayor Haentze Dead". Oshkosh Northwestern. May 5, 1916. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. Wisconsin state gazetteer and business directory, 1921-1922, R.L. Polk & Co., 1921 – via Hathi Trust
15. Register of the Fond du Lac (Wis.). Mayor: Mayor's Subject and Correspondence File, 1925-1958, Wisconsin Historical Society, retrieved 2024-07-07
16. "Fond du Lac Gets City Manager". The Daily Telegram. August 16, 1958. p. 15. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "McManus Says Farewell; Lauds City Hall Employees". Fond du Lac Reporter. November 19, 1965. p. 3. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
18. "Council Members Name Buslee as City Manager". Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter. February 11, 1966. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
19. "Fond du Lac hires new city manager". Kenosha News. September 25, 1967. p. 12. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
20. McIlree, Anne (August 19, 1984). "Thompson faces varies challenges". Oshkosh Northwestern. p. 17. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
21. Keane, Kevin (February 28, 1989). "Looking for a new manager". Fond du Lac Reporter. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
22. Keane, Kevin (June 22, 1989). "Council hires city manager". Fond du Lac Reporter. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
23. "News conference on Howley: Still too little known about resignation". Fond du Lac Reporter. September 11, 1994. p. 7. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
24. "Welcome, new FdL manager". Fond du Lac Reporter. March 5, 1995. p. 7. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
25. Riley, Sarah (January 19, 2005). "Vision, experience in Fond du Lac paved way for Ahrens selection". Fond du Lac Reporter. p. 8. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
26. {[cite news|url= https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-reporter-fdl-manager/159085737/ |title= Should new city manager be someone local? |newspaper= Fond du Lac Reporter |date= May 3, 2005 |first= Patty |last= Brandl |page=1 |accessdate= November 14, 2024 |via= Newspapers.com }}
27. Brandl, Patty (September 1, 2005). "New city manager on the job". Fond du Lac Reporter. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
28. "City manager contract". Fond du Lac Reporter. June 25, 2012. p. 1. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
29. "City Manager - Joseph P. Moore". City of Fond du Lac. Retrieved November 14, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
30. "City Council", ci.fond-du-lac.wi.us, City of Fond du Lac, archived from the original on 2012-02-19
31. "City Council". fdl.wi.gov. City of Fond du Lac. Retrieved 2024-07-07.