Listed below are U.S. cities and towns that have elected mayors who were either members of a socialist party (such as the Socialist Party of America) or who declared themselves to be socialists. This probably is not a complete list.
The mayors were mostly elected during the Progressive Era of the early 20th century or shortly thereafter, but a few were elected more recently.
Adamston, West Virginia Albany, Ohio Amsterdam, Ohio Anaconda, Montana Antlers, Oklahoma Arma, Kansas Barberton, Ohio Barnhill, Ohio Barre, Vermont Beatrice, Nebraska Beaver Dam, Wisconsin Bemidji, Minnesota Berkeley, California Bicknell, Indiana Bingham, Utah Boone, Iowa Brainerd, Minnesota Bremerton, Washington Bridgeport, Connecticut Brockton, Massachusetts Buena Vista, Colorado Burlington, Vermont Burlington, Washington Butte, Montana Byesville, Ohio Camas, Washington Canal Dover, Ohio Canton, Illinois Canton, Ohio Cardwell, Missouri Carrolton, Ohio Coshocton, Ohio Cedar City, Utah Clinton, Indiana Coeur d'Alène, Idaho Coalgate, Oklahoma Coquille, Oregon Crookston, Minnesota Curransville, Kansas Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio Daly City, California Davenport, Iowa Davis, Illinois Dawson, Minnesota Des Lacs, North Dakota Des Plaines, Illinois Dorrisville, Illinois East Liverpool, Ohio Edgewater, Colorado Edmonds, Washington Elwood, Indiana Eureka, California Eureka, Utah Fairhope, Alabama Flint,Michigan Fostoria, Ohio Frankfort, Michigan Frontenac, Kansas Gas City, Indiana Gibson, Missouri Girard, Kansas Grafton, Illinois Grand Junction, Colorado Granite City, Illinois Greenville, Michigan Gulfport, Florida Haledon, New Jersey Hamilton, Ohio Harbor Springs, Michigan Hartford, Arkansas Haverhill, Massachusetts Hendricks, West Virginia Hillsboro, Kansas Hilyard, Washington Hopkinton, Iowa Hymera, Indiana Iola, Wisconsin Jackson, Mississippi Jenera, Ohio Jerseyville, Illinois Kalamazoo, Michigan Lackawanna, New York Lafayette, Colorado Lake Worth, Florida La Porte, Minnesota Ledford, Illinois Liberal, Missouri Lincoln, Illinois Lima, Ohio Linden Heights, Ohio Lorain, Ohio Madrid, Iowa Mammoth, Utah Manitowoc, Wisconsin Marinette, Wisconsin Martins Ferry, Ohio Massillon, Ohio Medford, Oregon Miami, West Virginia Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mindenmines, Missouri Mineral City, Ohio Mineral Ridge, Ohio Minneapolis, Minnesota Minot, North Dakota Missoula, Montana Mount Vernon, Ohio Murray, Utah Naugatuck, Connecticut Nederland, Colorado New Boston, Ohio New Castle, Pennsylvania New Knoxville, Ohio Norwalk, Connecticut O'Fallon, Illinois Osnaburg, Ohio Paonia, Colorado Pasadena, California Pasco, Washington Pitcairn, Pennsylvania Piqua, Ohio Racine, Wisconsin Rahway, New Jersey Reading, Pennsylvania Red Cloud, Nebraska Red Lodge, Montana Rockaway, New Jersey Rugby, North Dakota Ridgeley, West Virginia Rockford, Illinois Salem, Ohio Schenectady, New York Sheboygan, Wisconsin Shelby, Ohio Siesston, South Dakota Silverton, Ohio South Connellsville, Pennsylvania St. Hilaire, Minnesota St. John, Oregon St. Marys, Ohio Stockton, Utah Star City, West Virginia Sugar Grove, Ohio Tenstrike, Minnesota Thayer, Illinois Toronto, Ohio Traverse City, Michigan Tukwila, Washington Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania Two Harbors, Minnesota Union, Pennsylvania University Heights, Iowa Venice, Illinois Victor, Colorado Warsaw, Ohio West Allis, Wisconsin Weston, West Virginia Wilson, Michigan Winnfield, Louisiana Winslow, Arkansas Wymore, Nebraska
Frank Zeidler, who served three terms as mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (1948-1960). He was the city's third socialist mayor.
This page is a permanent link to the reply below and its nested replies. See all post replies »
@sarabee1995 What was of interest to me is just how many communities in the US have had socialist mayors. I thought this would be most starkly illustrated by putting them together in one long list.
@Rutterman Oh absolutely. I'm sure the sheer number will come as a surprise to most. For me, though, it drives greater curiosity for the rest of the story.
@sarabee1995 The country's demographics were certainly changing before and during the Progressive Era, with a lot of immigrants arriving from eastern and southern Europe. I think this probably had a lot to do with what was going on politically.
