John A. Roche

John A. Roche (August 12, 1844 – February 10, 1904) was an American politician who served as mayor of Chicago, Illinois from 1887 to 1889. He was the 30th mayor of the city.

John A. Roche
30th Mayor of Chicago
In office
April 18, 1887 – April 15, 1889
Preceded byCarter Harrison, Sr.
Succeeded byDeWitt Clinton Cregier
Personal details
Born(1844-08-12)August 12, 1844
Utica, New York, United States
DiedFebruary 10, 1904(1904-02-10) (aged 59)
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Political partyRepublican
ResidenceChicago, Illinois

Biography

Early years

John A. Roche was born in Utica, New York 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 1869, he moved to Chicago to do business.

In 1887 he was the Republican nominee for mayor. He won against the Socialist candidate, Robert L. Nelson in a race that lacked a Democratic nominee. People admired him for his assertive and straightforward nature and history of business.

He was sworn-in as mayor on April 18, 1887.[1]

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 nominee DeWitt Clinton Cregier.

His tenure as mayor ended on April 15, 1889.[2]

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 at buried in Rosehill Cemetery in Chicago.

Footnotes
  1. "Mayor John A. Roche Inaugural Address, 1887". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
  2. "Mayor DeWitt Clinton Cregier Inaugural Address, 1889". www.chipublib.org. Chicago Public Library. Retrieved 26 May 2020.

Works

Further reading
  • Tiwana, Shaw, & O’Brien, Ellen, & Benedict, Lyle. (2007). Inaugural Addresses of the Mayors of Chicago. Chicago, IL: Chicago Public Library Compilations.
  • Louise Pierce, Bessie. (1953). History of Chicago, volume III: The Rise and Fall of a Modern City. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
  • Hucke, Matt. (1996-2006). Rosehill Cemetery and Mausoleum. Retrieved December 12, 2007.
  • Torp, Kim. (2006). The History of Chicago’s Mayors. Retrieved on December 12, 2007.
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