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MPL Digital Library

Milwaukee Mayors

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Milwaukee Mayors

The collection is an adaptation of a volume of images and information collected by library staff to form the Biographical Sketches of the Mayors of the City of Milwaukee.


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More Information

The Milwaukee Mayors digital collection is an adaptation of a volume of images and information collected by Library staff to form the Biographical Sketches of the Mayors of the City of Milwaukee. Created more than 40 years ago, it has been updated with images of recent mayors.

From the preface of that volume:

As the chief officer of many municipalities, the mayor represents and personifies the many varied and complicated activities of local government. Each of the individuals who has held office has represented his times and administration and each has contributed, in some measure, to the complex story of the city’s social, cultural, commercial and industrial development.

The information contained in the sketches was abstracted primarily from obituaries published in local newspapers. Other information was obtained from published memorials, histories of Milwaukee and Wisconsin, and through personal or family sources.

This volume was compiled by members of the Local History staff of the Milwaukee Public Library under the direction of Paul G. Sotirin. Art work and bindery were done by the Art and Bindery departments of the Library.

In addition to the images and information from Biographical Sketches, other photos were selected from the Historic Portrait Collection (a part of the Historic Photo Archives) in the Humanities Department. In the case of some mayors, there were far too many photos to be digitized for this collection, so a variety was selected in an attempt to represent various activities or periods of life for the mayors.

If you have questions about Milwaukee Mayors, or would like to view photographs from the Historic Portrait Collection that were not included in this digital collection, please contact the Frank P. Zeidler Humanities Department at the Central Library. While materials may not be removed from the Humanities Department, reproductions may be available. Contact Humanities at (414) 286-3061 if you have questions.

Special Thanks

A special thanks to Kathy McLeister and Jen Putnam for their assistance on this project.


Order Information

Copies of the images in this collection may be purchased. Orders must be placed online, using your Special Collections account. The images are delivered electronically. The cost is $20 for the first 1-5 images in the same order (each additional image above 5 costs $4 per image) for 300dpi TIFs or 600dpi TIFs, plus tax for Wisconsin residents. If you have any questions, please contact mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.

Important Copyright Information

By providing or allowing reproduction of materials from the collections, the Milwaukee Public Library does NOT grant permission to publish or exhibit. Reproductions are provided for personal research purposes only. They may not be copied or distributed. Written permission to publish must be obtained from copyright or literary rights owner and from the library for any publication or commercial use of copies. The researcher is responsible for compliance with the US Copyright Code (title 12 USC) and privacy rights outlined in Title 45 CFR 46. For information on permission to publish, please contact the Photo Librarian at mplarchives@milwaukee.gov.