This is a list of mayors of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA.[1] 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.
| Order | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1853 | 1854 | |||
| 2 | Joseph Jackson | 1854 | 1856 | ||
| 3 | Thomas A. Follett | 1856 | 1857 | ||
| 4 | Joseph Jackson | 1857 | 1858 | ||
| 5 | 1858 | 1860 | |||
| 6 | Benjamin S. Henning | 1860 | 1861 | ||
| 7 | 1861 | 1862 | |||
| 8 | Henry C. Jewell | 1862 | 1863 | ||
| 9 | 1863 | 1865 | Elected 1863. Re-elected 1864. Elected U.S. representative 1864. Elected U.S. senator 1881. | ||
| 10 | 1865 | 1867 | |||
| 11 | Joseph H. Porter | 1867 | 1868 | ||
| 12 | 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 | 1876 | 1878 | |||
| 20 | Sanford Beckwith | 1878 | 1879 | ||
| 21 | Harvey B. Dale | 1879 | 1880 | ||
| 22 | Joseph Stringham | 1881 | 1882 | ||
| 23 | 1882 | 1885 | |||
| 24 | 1885 | 1886 | |||
| 25 | 1886 | 1887 | |||
| 26 | Harvey B. Dale | 1887 | 1889 | ||
| 27 | 1889 | 1890 | |||
| 28 | 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 | 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 |
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.[2] To this day, the Oshkosh city manager is the chief executive in the city, despite the re-creation of the office of mayor.[3]
| 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.[4] | |
| Acting | Gerald Konrad | 1996 | 1996 | ||
| 6 | Richard Wollangk | 1996 | 2007 | Elected by city council 1996.[5] Resigned 2007. | |
| Acting | John Fitzpatrick | 2007 | 2008 | [6] | |
| 7 | Mark Rohloff | 2008 | present | Elected by city council 2008.[7] [8] |
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.[9]
| Order | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48 | Kenneth Schiefelbein | 1979 | 1980 | [10] [11] | |
| 49 | Donald Kutchera | 1980 | 1982 | ||
| 50 | Robert Pung | 1982 | 1984 | Defeated Kutchera in April 1982 city council vote (4 - 3)[12] | |
| 51 | Kathleen Propp | 1984 | 1986 | First woman as mayor, elected by council 1984.[13] Re-elected by council 1985. | |
| 52 | Floyd Chapin | 1986 | 1988 | Elected by council 1986.[14] Re-elected by council 1987. | |
| 53 | James Mather | 1988 | 1990 | Elected by council 1988.[15] Re-elected by council 1989. | |
| 54 | Thomas Binner | 1990 | 1992 | Elected by council 1990.[16] Re-elected by council 1991. | |
| 55 | Robert Jungwirth | 1992 | 1993 | Elected by council 1992.[17] Gambling scandal. | |
| 56 | Richard Wollangk | 1993 | 1996 | Defeated Jungwirth in April 1993 city council vote (5 - 2)[18] | |
| 57 | William Castle | 1996 | 1998 | Elected by council 1996.[19] Re-elected by council 1997. | |
| 58 | Melanie Bloechl | 1998 | 2000 | Elected by council 1998.[20] Re-elected by council 1999. | |
| 59 | Jon Dell'Antonia | 2000 | 2002 | Elected by council 2000.[21] Re-elected by council 2001. | |
| 60 | Stephen Hintz | 2002 | 2004 | Elected by council 2002.[22] Re-elected by council 2003. | |
| 61 | Mark Harris | 2004 | 2005 | Elected by council 2004.[23] Elected county executive 2005. |
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.[24]
| Order | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | William Castle | 2005 | 2007 | Elected 2005.[25] | |
| 63 | Frank Tower | 2007 | 2009 | Elected 2007.[26] | |
| 64 | Paul J. Esslinger | 2009 | 2011 | Defeated Tower in 2007 election.[27] | |
| 65 | Burk Tower | 2011 | 2015 | Elected 2011.[28] Re-elected 2013. | |
| 66 | Steve Cummings | 2015 | 2019 | Elected 2015.[29] | |
| 67 | 2019 | 2023 | [30] [31] | ||
| 68 | Matt Mugerauer | 2023 | present | Elected 2023.[32] [33] |