DeWitt Clinton Cregier (June 1, 1829 - November 9, 1898) served as Mayor of Chicago,

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

(1889–1891) for the

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Early career

Cregier worked as an engineer with the City of Chicago, and was awarded, in 1875, and in 1876, , both for fire hydrants. The latter was a combination

drinking fountain A drinking fountain, also called a water fountain or water bubbler, is a fountain designed to provide drinking water. It consists of a basin with either continuously running water or a tap. The drinker bends down to the stream of water and s ...

, fire hydrant, and watering basin for animals. The Cregier hydrant is widely seen in old photographs of Chicago. Cregier was also

Master Mason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, presided as Worshipful Master of Blaney Lodge No. 271, A.F. & A.M. of Illinois for eight years, and served as Grand Master of Illinois in 1870–1871. D.C. Cregier Lodge No. 81 in Wheeling, Illinois, is named after him. He was a fifth great-grandson of Martin Cregier, first

Burgomaster Burgomaster (alternatively spelled burgermeister, literally "master of the town, master of the borough, master of the fortress, master of the citizens") is the English form of various terms in or derived from Germanic languages for the chie ...

of New Amsterdam. Cregier served as the chief engineer of the Chicago water system, and subsequently as Chicago's Commissioner of Public Works during the first mayoralty of Carter Harrison Sr. Cregier came into conflict with Harrison when Cregier's own ambition to someday become mayor became apparent.

Political career

In the 1887 Chicago mayoral election, the city's

tried nominating him, but he declined their nomination. Ultimately, no Democrat would run in the election. Cregier won the

1889 Chicago mayoral election In the Mayoral elections in Chicago, Chicago mayoral election of 1889, Democrat DeWitt Clinton Cregier defeated incumbent Republican John A. Roche, winning a majority of the vote and a margin of victory in excess of ten percent. The election wa ...

as the Democratic Party nominee, defeating incumbent

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mayor John A. Roche. Cregier was sworn in as mayor on April 15, 1889. As mayor, Cregier, alongside former

Illinois Central Railroad The Illinois Central Railroad , sometimes called the Main Line of Mid-America, was a railroad in the Central United States, with its primary routes connecting Chicago, Illinois, with New Orleans, Louisiana, and Mobile, Alabama. A line also c ...

president

Edward Turner Jeffery Edward Turner Jeffery (April 6, 1843 – September 24, 1927) was an American railroad executive. Biography Edward Turner Jeffery was born in Liverpool on April 6, 1843. His father was a chief engineer in the Royal Navy. His 1922 entry ...

and businessman

Thomas Barbour Bryan Thomas Barbour Bryan (December 22, 1828 – January 26, 1906) was an American businessman, lawyer, and politician. Born in Virginia, a member of the prestigious Barbour family on his mother's side, Bryan largely made a name for himself in Chi ...

, delivered the presentation for Chicago's successful bid to the fifteen member United States Senate committee that decided what location would be awarded the

World's Columbian Exposition The World's Columbian Exposition (also known as the Chicago World's Fair) was a world's fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. The centerpiece of the Fair, hel ...

. Cregier lost his bid for reelection in the

1891 Chicago mayoral election The Mayoral elections in Chicago, Chicago mayoral election of 1891 saw "Reform" candidate Hempstead Washburne narrowly win a four-way race against incumbent Democrat DeWitt Clinton Cregier, former mayor Carter Harrison Sr., and Citizens Party can ...

. He had first seen Carter Harrison Sr. challenge him for the Democratic nomination. Cregier was able to win renomination over Harrison, as the local Democratic political machines had supported Cregier as they found him to be even more accommodating to them than Harrison had been. However, he lost the election in a four-way race, featuring Carter Harrison Sr. as an

independent Democrat In U.S. politics, an independent Democrat is an individual who loosely identifies with the ideals of the Democratic Party but chooses not to be a formal member of the party (chooses to be an independent) or is denied the Democratic nomination ...

Hempstead Washburne Hempstead Washburne (November 11, 1851April 13, 1918) was a Republican attorney and politician from Illinois who served as Mayor of Chicago from 1891 to 1893. He was the son of United States Secretary of State Elihu B. Washburne. Biography ...

as the Republican nominee, and Elmer Washburn as the "Citizens" nominee. Cregier placed second, losing to Republican nominee Hempstead Washburne. Cregier's tenure as mayor ended on April 27, 1891. In the 1893 Chicago mayoral election, Cregier ran as the nominee of the new "Citizens Party", but received little support. He died at his home in Chicago on November 9, 1898, and was buried at

Rosehill Cemetery Rosehill Cemetery (founded 1859) is an American garden cemetery on the North Side of Chicago, Illinois, and at , is the largest cemetery in the City of Chicago. According to legend, the name "Rosehill" resulted from a City Clerk's error – the a ...

Legacy

In October 2011, a biography of Cregier entitled: ''The New York Orphan Who Built Chicago'' subtitled: ''The Story of DeWitt Clinton Cregier A 19th-Century American Engineering Genius'' was published, written Gloria Cregier Emma, one of Cregier's last surviving two grandchildren.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cregier, DeWitt 1829 births 1898 deaths Burials at Rosehill Cemetery Mayors of Chicago 19th-century American politicians