1885 Chicago mayoral election

The Chicago mayoral election of 1885 saw Democratic incumbent Carter Harrison Sr. win an unprecedented fourth term, receiving a majority of voter and narrowly defeating Republican Sidney Smith by a less than half-percent margin of victory.

April 7, 1885


Nominee	Carter Harrison Sr.	Sidney Smith
Party	Democratic	Republican
Popular vote	43,352	42,977
Percentage	50.09%	49.66%

Mayor before election

Carter Harrison Sr.
Democratic

Elected Mayor

Carter Harrison Sr.
Democratic

Elections in Illinois

Federal government

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Chicago

Mayoral elections
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2019

Cicero

Municipal elections
1924

Cook County

County elections
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Peoria

Municipal elections
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The election was held on April 7.[1][2]

Campaign

Republicans exploited controversies which had tarnished the image of Harrison's administration. Unsubstantiated allegations of voter fraud and patronage had been key controversies throughout his mayoralty.[3] In February 1885, a month before the election, a grand jury found Michael Cassius McDonald's right-hand man Joseph Mackin and others with connections to Harrison guilty of election fraud in the 1984 elections. Despite the fact that no personal wrongdoing on Harrison's part was involved in these charges, the charges against Mackin and others compounded with the preexisting rumors relating to Harrison to foster a public sentiment that challenged Harrison's popularity.[3][4]

Citizens groups led by the city's elite forged a strong campaign effort against Harrison, taking advantage of the voter fraud charges against those connected to Harrison.[4]

Harrison lost the support of many liberal German voters that had previously voted for him.[3]

Results

**1885 Chicago mayoral election**[5]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Carter H. Harrison, Sr. (incumbent)	43,352	50.09
	Republican	Sidney Smith	42,977	49.66
	Prohibition	William Bush	221	0.26
Turnout			86,550

Less than 50% of the city's German population voted for Harrison.[3]

References

https://www.chipublib.org/mayor-carter-henry-harrison-iii-biography/
Currey, Josiah Seymour (1912). Chicago: Its History and Its Builders, a Century of Marvelous Growth. S. J. Clarke publishing Company. p. 335.
Labor and Urban Politics: Class Conflict and the Origins of Modern Liberalism in Chicago, 1864-97 Front Cover Richard Schneirov University of Illinois Press, 1998 (pages 166-67)
Miller, Donald L. (2014). City of the Century: The Epic of Chicago and the Making of America. Rosetta Books. p. 731. ISBN 978-0-7953-3985-1. Retrieved 23 May 2020.
The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Year Book for 1912. Chicago Daily News, Incorporated. 1911. p. 464. Retrieved 12 May 2020.

Elections in Illinois
By year	1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1998 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Presidential	1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 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 (Dem primary, Rep primary) 2012 2016 (Dem primary) 2020 (Dem primary)
U.S. Senate	1885 1962 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020
U.S. House	2000 (1st) 2006 2008 2010 (17th) 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
Special	2nd Congressional, 1995 14th Congressional, 2008 5th Congressional, 2009 2nd Congressional, 2013 18th Congressional, 2015 Comptroller, 2016
Gubernatorial	1818 1822 1826 1830 1834 1838 1842 1846 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1904 1908 1912 1916 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018
State Senate	2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
State House	2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
State judicial	1948 1960 1962 2014 2016 2018 2020
Chicago mayoral	1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 (Mar) 1844 (Apr) 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1865 1867 1869 1871 1873 1876 (Apr) 1876 (Jul) 1877 1879 1881 1883 1885 1887 1889 1891 1893 (Apr) 1893 (Dec) 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1977 1979 1983 1987 1989 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
Chicago City Council	1923 1925 1927 1929 1931 1933 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019
Cicero municipal	1924
Cook County	1946 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
Peoria municipal	1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015

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