Historical Info of City by Karen ChestermanCITY GOVERNMENT HISTORY
by Karen Chesterman, Deputy City Clerk
Basis of many City History Talks by Karen
(Lots of information from research by Gordie Kilgore)
TOWN SITE OF DUBUQUE LAID OUT IN 1833
Dubuque was incorporated in 1837 and operated by a six member board of
Trustees in 1837, 1838, 1839 and 1840.
FIRST MAYOR & Aldermen were elected to serve in 1841.
That form of government continued to 1853 when there were 11 aldermen.
1854 - 14 Aldermen, after that seemed to vary from 10-12 aldermen, then dropping
to seven aldermen in the 19 hundreds.
O.E. Carr was first City Manager taking Office April 26, 1920.
1900'S only 39,000 - Unhappiness with Dirt Streets and deteriorating condition of
City buildings...so Special Meeting on Dec. 23, 1919 - Petitions to change form of
Government.... So it went through: Five Councilmen at Large, with Council
elected to elect the Mayor each year. The Election Day of 1-26-1920: Vote:
2,376 in favor of change and only 1,581 against. New Council/Manager System
became effective on 4-12,1920....making Dubuque one of the earlier Cities to have
a City Manager. Since then always had a City Manager.
1934 - Election petitioned to abolish the City Manager form of Government -
Turned back by voters.
1981 - After Council Member Jim Brady was passed over for Mayor by his fellow
Council Members, a Petition was circulated to elect the Mayor and four Alderman
fromWards and have two Council Members at Large while retaining the City
Manager form. The largest Municipal election vote in history approved that
change. Jim Brady was elected Mayor and has held that position since .
1993 - the vote was interesting because if Jim Brady does not run (or get elected)
for Mayor it will be the first time in over a decade we will have a new Mayor. Also
this fall we will have elections for the At Large seat held by Dan Nicholson, the
first Ward seat held by Katie Krieg, and the third Ward Seat held by Donald Deich,
Sr.
Jim Brady did not get re-elected. Terrance M. Duggan got elected in his first try
for Mayor and his 4-year term expires Dec. 31, 1997.
CITY MANAGERS OF DUBUQUE
1. O. E. Carr, April 16, 1920 to June 1, 1925 5 Years
2. O. E. Douglas, July 20, 1925 to March 1, 1928 3 Years
3. O. A. Kratz, March 15, 1928 to June 2, 1930 2 Years
4. Roger M. Evans, August 4, 1930 to July 15, 1937 7 Years
5. A.A. Rhomberg, July 15, 1937 to March 31, 1951 14 Years
6. L.J. Schiltz, April 16, 1951 to February 22, 1960 9 Years
7. Leo Frommelt, Temporary, Feb. 22, 1960 to July 18, 1960 5 Months
8. Gilbert Chavenelle, July 18, 1960 to 19 Years
9. W. Kenneth Gearhart, August 1, 1979 to June 30, 1992 12 Years
10. Stephani Johnson, Acting City Manager from July 1, 1992- 6 Months
December 31, 11992
11. Michael C. Van Milligen, January 1, 1993to Present.
DUBUQUE MAYORS AND COUNCIL MEMBERS
1841 - Caleb H. Booth, Mayor; Aldermen: Jesse P. Farley, E. Langworthy, H.
Simplot, Charles Miller, W.W. Coriell, Timothy Fanning.
1842 - Samuel D. Dixon, Mayor; Aldermen: John Thompson, James Fanning,
Joseph T. Fales, Jesse P. Farley, Joseph Ogilby, A. Cline.
1843 - James Fanning, Mayor; Aldermen: Timothy Fanning, David Slater, P.C.
Morhiser, John H. Thedinga, F. K. O'Ferrall, Joseph Ogilby.
1844- F. K. O'Ferrall, Mayor; Aldermen: John Blake, Elisha Dwelle, JOhn G.
Shields, Robert Rogers, Timothy Fanning, JOhn H. Thedinga.
1845 - F. K. O'Ferrall, Mayor; Aldermen: Elisha Dwelle, Robert Rogers, Timothy
FAnning, John H. Thedinga, John Blake, John G. Shields.
1846 - F. K. O'Ferrall, Mayor; Aldermen: Hugh Treanor, Michael McNamara, Wm.
H. Robbins, M. Mobley, Amos Matthews, Lewis L. Wood.
1847 - P. A. Lorimier, Mayor; Aldermen: Michael McNamara, Wm. H. Robbins,
Amos Matthews, Morgan Curran, W. J. Gilliam, Lewis L. Wood;
1848 - George L. NIghtingale, Mayor; Aldermen: Hugh Treanor, Wm. H. Robbins,
John Gunn, Patrick Finn, H.S. Hetherington, Lewis L. Wood.
1849 - Warner Lewis, Mayor; Aldermen (Why 7???) W. D. Waples, J.J. E. Norman,
Thoams Hardie, Philip Powers, F. V. Goodrich, John Gunn, John G. Shields.
1850 - J. H. Emerson, Mayor; Aldermen: L.D. Randall, JohnD. Bush, Ed
Langworthy, DAvid Decker, Robert Rogers, H.V. Gildea.
1851 - P.A. Lorimier, Mayor; Aldermen: L. Molony, Joseph Ogilby, John D. Bush,
Caleb H. Booth, Jesse P. Farley, Lewis L. Wood.
1852 - Jesse P. Farley, Mayor; Aldermen: M. McNamara, James Burt, Christopher
Pelan, Wm. D. Waples, Henry L. Stout, George McHenry.
1853 - Jesse P. Farley, Mayor; Aldermen - Now 11!! James Burt, Thomas
McCraney, Ben M. Samuels, M. McNamara, Edward O'Hare, M. Mobley, Henry L.
Stout, John D. Bush Anton Heeb, Matthias Ham, John King, Fred Weigel, Edward
O'Hare, Fred E. Bissell.
1855 - John G. Shields, Mayor; Aldermen: Patrick Quigley, M. McNamara, Morgan
Curran, George Connell, Fred Weigel, G. L. Nightingale, Ben M. Samuels,
Christopher Pelan, Edward Spottswood, John King, Matthias Ham.
1856 - David S. Wilson, Mayor;
ELECTIONS DUBUQUE HAS KNOWN
1922
Following the change to City Manager election some Council Members took
office in 1922 and others in 1923. New Names on Council were harlan Melchoir and
Louis Brede. James Alderson was Mayor.
1924 Precincts were rearranged. 15 Precincts encorporating 22,709 people were
established. The 15 precincts were spread over the 5 Wards of the Ctiy.
1926 The new names elcted were Peter Grutz, D.D. Mullen, William Singrin, Earl
Yount, W. H. Meuser and John MaClay.
1928 March 26, Chamber of Commerce asked for Daylite Saving Time, approved by a
vote of the Council and in summer of 1928, Dubuque on Daylite.
1928 New
FIRST MAYOR
General Caleb Booth - Dubuque's First Elected Mayor in 1841, was born in
Pennsylvania on Christmas Eve, 1814.
He brought the firstSTEAM ENGINE to Dubuque, and started the first Saw
Mill. He had power even before he became Mayor as in 1838 he formed the
Booth & Carter Mining Co. striking one of the largest lodes ever in Dubuque with
7 million pounds of lead taken out of the earth in 1843. In 1839 he was elected to
the Territorial Legislatur and in 1841 became the first elected Mayor here in
Dubuque.
in 1851 Caleb Booth became a buyer and seller of Land Warrants and in
1856 it was back to his first love, Railroads. He invested heavily in the Dubuque
and Pacific RR stock and was elected treasurer of the company.
Booth Street was named in his honor;
A state Atlas says of Booth: "No Man in Dubuque or in Iowa Made and lost
more Money than General Booth, he was involved in Lumber, was a merchant,
pork packer, miller, banker, land dealer, miner, railroad man, a surveyor and a
shot manufacturer.
FIRST CITY CODE BOOKS
INTERESTING:
Streets & Sidewalks would be built and paid for with a tax of 50 cents per
each $100 valuation. Then volunteerism: City Law stated once the sidewalks
and streets built every male of 21 years and under 60 years of age shall labor on
said streets at least two days in each and every year...or be required to pay $1 per
day for those not worked.
Enforced "volunteerism" went even further: Each property owner must
sweep his property to the middle of the street or remove the snow from the
property line to the middle of the street!!
(One reason to have smaller properties).
ANOTHER EARLY RULE: It was illegal to bathe in any slough or pond, in
the nude, from an hour before sunrise to an hour after sunset....a big $50 fine!!!
Anyway, you could still SKINNY DIP after dark.
ALSO: Horse drawn dray...people had to pay 25 cents to go anywhere in
town, and 50 cents if the horse had to go uphill!!
In 1904 the Speed limit was 6 miles per hour.
CITY CEMETARY
Cholera Epidemic broke out in the summer of 1933, the dead were buried
outside the City....would you believe "outside of the City was the area now known
as "Jackson Park".
In 1851 City condemned that area for use as a burial ground, and in 1867
the bodies were moved to Linwood .
In 1872 a white fence was placed around the former cemetery and turned
into a park...Jackson Park, though the land maps show that area as "Cemetery
Addition".
I believe that the first Catholic Cemetary was behind the Cathedral
Church....and later those graves were disinterred and I believe taken out to Key
West.
POPULATION OF CITY
1880 - 23,000 PEOPLE;
1895 - 42,000
1900'S only 39,000 - Unhappiness with Dirt Streets and deteriorating condition of
City buildings...so Special Meeting on
Dec. 23, 1919 - Petitions to change form of Government....
Election Day of 1-26-1920: Vote: 2,376 in favor of change and only 1,581.
New Council/Manager System became effective on 4-12,1920....making Dubuque
one of the earlier Cities to have a City Manager. Since then alsways had a City
Manager.
EARLY DRINK
In 1833 George Zollicofer produced the first wine from locally grown
grapes.....destined (perhaps) to replace the most awful tasting Whiskey.
Must have been pretty good....the first Women's Temperance Union was
formed the next year....1834.
NAME CHANGES:
1834 - James Langworthy headed a committee to discuss a petition of sorts.
Meeting was held in a small log church that had been constructed in what is now
Washington Park. The Petition called for a new name along the river....
The proposal was to change the name of Dubuque to Washington, Iowa. But as
you can easily ascertain, the name did not catch on ...the committee voted to
keep the name of Dubuque for this new settlement.
INVENTIONS
In 1856 a forgotten man by the name of John L. Harvey came up with an invention
that is utilized millions of times a day the world over...and that is the Paperclip.
Another individual by the name of A.Y. McDonald also patented the Monkey
Wrench and that individual is still remembered in the business that bears his
name and is still thriving: A. Y. McDonald Mfg. Co.
Early Government
Dictionary states that "To Govern is to exercise control over..." among other
things.
Early accounts stated that men who worked hard until they accumulated some
money, then some would go on a drinking spree or were cleaned out at gambling
(keno).
An early settler, John King, is listed as drawing up the first set of
Community Rules...a guide to law and order of the Day. Each miner coming into
the community was asked to sign the document. Indications were that once
signed those rules were an inflexible set of guidelines and violations brought a
taste of the Cat-O-Nine or a coat of tar and feathers and an invitation to move
elsewhere.