Thomas Hoyne

Thomas Hoyne (February 11, 1817 – July 27, 1883) was elected Mayor of Chicago 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.

His Honor the Mayor Thomas Hoyne
Mayor of Chicago (disputed)
In office March 1876 (not allowed to take office)
Preceded by	Harvey Doolittle Colvin
Succeeded by	Harvey Doolittle Colvin
United States Marshal for the Northern District of Illinois[1]
In office 1860–1861
Preceded by	Charles U. Pine
Succeeded by	Joseph Russell Jones
United States District Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois[2]
In office 1855–1857
Preceded by	position established
Succeeded by	A.M. Herrington
United States District Attorney for Illinois
In office 1853–1855
Succeeded by	position abolished
Cook County Probate Justice of the Peace[3]
In office 1845–1848
Succeeded by	position abolished
City Clerk of Chicago[4]
In office 1840–1842
Preceded by	William H. Brackett
Succeeded by	James Curtiss
Personal details
Born	February 11, 1817 New York City, US
Died	July 27, 1883(1883-07-27) (aged 66) Carlton, New York, US
Resting place	Rosehill Cemetery
Political party	Independent
Spouse	Leonora Maria Temple ​ ​ (m. 1840)​ [5]
Children	7,[6] including Frank G. Hoyne
Residence(s)	Chicago, Illinois, US
Signature

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.^[7] In 1853, he was appointed United States District Attorney for Illinois. 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 to acquire a lens for a telescope for the University of Chicago. In Boston, he met with Alvan Clark and purchased an 18½-inch lens and mounting for the Dearborn Observatory, 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.^[8]

Following the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, Hoyne presided at the meeting that established a free library in Chicago and sat on its board of directors, eventually writing the first history of the Chicago library system.^[9] He served as president of the board.^[10]

Mayoral race

Main article: April 1876 Chicago mayoral election

In 1875, the city of Chicago adopted the Cities and Villages Act of 1872, which called for municipal elections to be held in April, instead of November. Harvey Doolittle Colvin, 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.

In April 1876, neither the Republicans nor the Democrats nominated anyone for mayor, with both parties believing that no election for that office needed to be held until the following year. Hoyne ran as an independent, being listed on tickets. Hoyne received 33,064 of the 40,000 votes cast for mayor. He and his supporters argued that he had been elected mayor.^[11] Colvin refused to relinquish the office, insisting that his term had not expired. Colvin's continued claim to the mayoralty was supported by the city comptroller. Although Hoyne presided over council meetings and gave an inaugural address, the Cook County Circuit Court declared his claim to the mayoralty null and void. After this decision, Colvin continued to serve as mayor until the courts called for a special election on July 12, 1876.

Death and legacy

Hoyne's grave at Rosehill Cemetery

Hoyne was killed in a July 27, 1883 railroad collision on the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg railroad near Carlton Station. He was buried at Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.^[12]

He is the namesake of Hoyne Elementary School in Chicago.^[13] Hoyne Avenue in Chicago is also named in his honor.^[14]

Personal life

On September 17, 1840 he wed Leonora Temple.^[15]

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.^[2] He also served on the Chicago Board of Education, serving two consecutive terms as its president.^[2]