The 1839 Chicago mayoral election saw Whig nominee

Benjamin Wright Raymond Benjamin Wright Raymond (June 15, 1801April 6, 1883) was an American politician who twice served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1839–1840, 1842–1843) for the Whig Party (United States), Whig Party. Early life Raymond was born in Rome, New Y ...

defeat Democratic nominee

James Curtiss James Curtiss (also Curtis; March 29, 1806 – November 2, 1859) was an American politician who twice served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1847–1848 and 1850–1851) for the Democratic Party. Early life Born on March 29, 1806, in Wethe ...

by a

landslide Landslides, also known as landslips, rockslips or rockslides, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, mudflows, shallow or deep-seated slope failures and debris flows. Landslides ...

25 point margin. The election was held on March 5.

Campaign

With the nation enduring a difficult economic recession, many citizens believed that successful merchant Benjamin Raymond would be a wise choice for the city's next mayor. However, Raymond was initially not amenable to the prospect of serving as mayor. When former mayor

William B. Ogden William Butler Ogden (June 15, 1805 – August 3, 1877) was an American politician and railroad executive who served as the first Mayor of Chicago. He was referred to as "the Astor of Chicago." He was, at one time, the city's richest citizen ...

attempted to persuade him at his dry goods store to run for mayor, Raymond initially, "leaped over the counter and knocked Mr. Ogden prostrate with a bolt of factory-cloth." However, Raymond was nonetheless eventually persuaded to run for mayor.10 things you might not know about Chicago mayoral elections
Mark Jacob and Stephan Benzkofer March 10, 2015

Results

References

{{Mayors of Chicago, state=collapsed Mayoral elections in Chicago

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

1830s in Chicago March 1839