John A. Roche (August 12, 1844 – February 10, 1904) was an American politician from

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

who served as

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and r ...

from 1887 to 1889. He was the 30th mayor of the city.

Biography

Early years

John A. Roche was born in

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

on August 12, 1844. He served as an apprentice to his brother for three years. He stayed in business for a long time, and had but a high school education. He was a firm believer in education and mentions this in his inaugural address.

Move to Chicago

In 1867, he moved to Chicago to do business. He married Emma H. Howard in 1871. He represented Cook County in the

Illinois House of Representatives The Illinois House of Representatives is the lower house of the Illinois General Assembly. The body was created by the first Illinois Constitution adopted in 1818. The House under the current constitution as amended in 1980 consists of 118 re ...

for one term in 1876. In 1887, he was the Republican nominee for mayor. He won against the Socialist candidate, Robert L. Nelson in a race that lacked a

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nominee. People admired him for his assertive and straightforward nature and history of business. He was sworn in as mayor on April 18, 1887. As a mayor, he was prominent for the drainage and water supply commission and being appointed to suppress gambling in saloons as well as closing disreputable ones. In 1889, he lost his bid for reelection, being defeated by Democratic Party nominee

DeWitt Clinton Cregier DeWitt Clinton Cregier (June 1, 1829 - November 9, 1898) served as Mayor of Chicago, Illinois (1889–1891) for the Democratic Party. Early career Cregier worked as an engineer with the City of Chicago, and was awarded, in 1875, and in 1876, ...

. His tenure as mayor ended on April 15, 1889.

Retirement

After retiring, he focused his attention once again on business, and became manager and vice president of the Crane Elevator Company. In 1893 he was elected president of the Lake Street Elevated Railroad Company. He then died on February 10, 1904, one hour after a meeting, from uremic poisoning. He was buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.

Works

"Mayor John A. Roche Inaugural Address, April 18, 1887"
Chicago Public Library.

Biography

Early years

Move to Chicago

Retirement

Works

Footnotes

Further reading