His Honor, the Mayor, Thomas Hoyne, Esquire (February 11, 1817July 27, 1883) was elected

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 ...

in 1876, but his election was later declared null and void by a Circuit Court. Prior to 1876, Hoyne had led a political career in which he had occupied numerous state and municipal offices.

Life and career

Hoyne moved to Chicago in 1837, where he turned his back on the mercantile life he had been leading and studied law, being admitted to the bar in 1839. He was elected Chicago city clerk in 1840. In 1853, he was appointed United States District Attorney for

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 ...

. Six years later, he became a US Marshal for the northern district of Illinois. In 1863, Hoyne traveled to New York and then to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to acquire a lens for a telescope for the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, U of C, or UChi) is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois. Its main campus is located in Chicago's Hyde Park neighborhood. The University of Chicago is consistently ranked among the b ...

. In Boston, he met with

Alvan Clark Alvan Clark (March 8, 1804 – August 19, 1887), born in Ashfield, Massachusetts, the descendant of a Cape Cod whaling family of English ancestry, was an American astronomer and telescope maker. Biography He started as a portrait painter and engra ...

and purchased an 18½-inch lens and mounting for the

Dearborn Observatory The Dearborn Observatory is an astronomical observatory located on the Evanston, Illinois, Evanston campus of Northwestern University. The observatory was originally constructed in 1888, through an agreement between the university and the Chicago ...

, at the time, the largest refracting telescope ever built. By 1866, he became one of the founding members of the Chicago Astronomical Society and served as the organization's secretary. Following the

Great Chicago Fire The Great Chicago Fire was a conflagration that burned in the American city of Chicago during October 8–10, 1871. The fire killed approximately 300 people, destroyed roughly of the city including over 17,000 structures, and left more than 10 ...

of 1871, Hoyne presided at the meeting that established a free library in Chicago and sat upon its board of directors, eventually writing the first history of the Chicago library system. In 1875, the city of Chicago adopted the

Cities and Villages Act of 1872 The Cities and Villages Act of 1872 was an act of the Illinois General Assembly governing the operation of incorporated municipalities. The act was an immediate source of political controversy. The legacy of the Act is that Illinois municipal el ...

, which called for municipal elections to be held in April, instead of November.

Harvey Doolittle Colvin Harvey Doolittle Colvin (December 18, 1815 – April 16, 1892) was an American politician. Colvin is best remembered for his stint as mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1873 to 1875 as a member of the People's Party, a pro-liquor factional off ...

, the current mayor, was informed by his attorneys that his term should be considered extended to the new elections. While the charter did not explicitly extend his term, it also failed to include the office of mayor in a call for special elections to fill the period from November to May.

Mayoral race

In April 1876 there was an election and neither the Republicans nor the Democrats nominated anyone for mayor. Running as an independent, Hoyne received 33,064 of the 40,000 votes cast for mayor and was declared the Mayor of Chicago. Colvin, however, refused to relinquish the office and was supported by the city comptroller. Although Hoyne presided over council meetings and gave an inaugural address, the Circuit Court declared his election null and void. Colvin continued to serve until the courts called for a special election on July 12, 1876.

Death and legacy

Hoyne was killed in a July 27, 1883 railroad collision on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg railroad near Carlton StationChicago's Mayors: A Collection of Biographies Of All Chicago’s Mayors by Elaine C. Shigley (page 41)
/ref> Hoyne was buried in Carlton Station. Hoyne Avenue in Chicago is named in his honor.

Personal life

On September 17, 1840 he wed Leonora Temple. Hoyne's younger brother Philip Augustus Hoyne served as Clerk of the Recorder's Court of Chicago and (from 1853 until 1858) United States Commissioner for the District of Illinois. He also served on the City's Board of Education, serving two consecutive terms as its president.

References

External links

bio sketch
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyne, Thomas 1817 births 1883 deaths Politicians from New York City Illinois lawyers Mayors of Chicago 19th-century American politicians 19th-century American lawyers