Editing Decatur, Illinois (section)

===Mayors===
Those who served as president of the town of Decatur were: Richard Oglesby (1836), Joseph Williams (1837), Henry Snyder (1838), Kirby Benedict (1839), Joseph King (1840), Thomas P. Rodgers (1841), David Crone (1846–47), J.H. Elliott (1848), Joseph Kauffman (1849), Joseph King (1850), William S. Crissey (1851), W.J. Stamper (1852), William Prather (1853–54), and Thomas H. Wingate (1854–55).<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>

During the winter of 1855–56, a special incorporation charter of Decatur as a city was obtained providing for an [[alderman]]ic form of government.<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
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* John P. Post (1856)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* William A. Barnes (1857)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* James Shoaff (1858)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Alexander T. Hill (1859)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Sheridan Wait (1860)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn84031492/1879-07-27/ed-1/seq-3/ |via=Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (Lib. of Congress) |title=Obituary, Major Sheridan Wait |page=3 |last=Staff |newspaper=Chicago Daily Tribune |quote=In early life he was of the Democratic persuasion, and just before the War was elected major of Decatur on the Union ticket. |date=July 27, 1879 |volume=XXXIX }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn82014511/1860-03-15/ed-1/seq-1/ |last=Staff |title=Spring Elections (Decatur, Ill.) |date=March 15, 1860 |page=1 |newspaper=The Press and Tribune |location=Chicago, Illinois |via=Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers (Lib. of Congress) |quote=S. Wait, Democratic candidate for Mayor in Decatur, was elected by 132 majority, on Monday of last week; |volume=XIII |issue=220 }}</ref>
* [[Edward O. Smith]] (1861)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Thomas O. Smith (1862)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Jasper J. Peddecord (1863–1864)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Franklin Priest (1865–66; 1870, 1874, 1878)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* John K. Warren (1867)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Isaac C. Pugh (1868)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* William L. Hammer (1869)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* E.M. Misner (1871)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* D.S. Shellabarger (1872)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Martin Forstmeyer (1873)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* R.H. Merriweather (1875)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* William B. Chambers (1876–1877; 1883–1884; 1891–1892)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Lysander L. Haworth (1879)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Henry W. Waggoner (1880–1882)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Michael F. Kanan (1885–1890)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* David C. Moffitt (1893–1894)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* D.H. Conklin (1895–1896)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* B.Z. Taylor (1897–1898)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* George A. Stadler (1899–1900)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Charles F. Shilling (1901–1904)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* George L. Lehman (1905–1906),<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* E.S. McDonald (1907–1908)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* [[Charles M. Borchers]] (1909–1911; 1919–1923)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* [[Dan Dinneen]] (1911–1919)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Elmer R. Elder (1923–1927)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Orpheus W. Smith (1927–1935)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Harry E. Barber (1935)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Charles E. Lee (1936–1943)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* James A. Hedrick (1943–51)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Dr. Robert E. Willis (1951–1955)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/37205772/24000_ballot_davis_holmes_join_coincil/ |via=Newspapers.com |title=24,000 Ballot; Davis, Holmes Join Council |last=Martin |first=J. Neely |date=April 18, 1951 |newspaper=The Decatur Review |page=28 |volume=74 |issue=92 }}</ref>
* Clarence A. Sablotny (1955–59)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Jack W. Loftus, acting (1959)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Robert A. Grohne (1959–1963)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Ellis B. Arnold (May 1, 1963, to April 30, 1967)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* [[James H. Rupp]] (1966–1977)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Elmer W. Walton (1977–1983)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Gary K. Anderson (1983–1992)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Erik Brechnitz (1992–1995)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Terry M. Howley (1995–2003)<ref name="Irwin, Dayle Cochran pg. 9"/>
* Paul Osborne (2003–2008) (resigned)
* Mike Carrigan (2008–2009) (appointed)
* Mike McElroy (2009–2015)
* Julie Moore Wolfe (2015–present) (appointed 2015, elected 2017)
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