This is a list of city managers and mayors of Janesville, Wisconsin, USA. Janesville was originally incorporated as a city in 1853, utilizing the mayor-council form of government. In 1923, Janesville adopted the council-manager form of government, and has retained that form of government ever since.
The first mayor of Janesville was A. Hyatt Smith, a pioneer lawyer who was Wisconsin's second . The first city manager was Henry Traxler, a civil engineer who had previously served as the city manager of Clarinda, Iowa;[1] Traxler was also the longest-serving city manager, serving nearly 28 years.[2] The current city manager is Kevin Lahner, since 2023; he previously served as city administrator of Waukesha, Wisconsin.
| Order | Mayor | Term start | Term end | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1853 | 1854 | |||
| 2 | J. Bodwell Doe | 1854 | 1855 | ||
| 3 | Edward L. Dimock | 1855 | 1856 | ||
| 4 | John J. R. Pease | 1856 | 1857 | ||
| 5 | 1857 | 1858 | First mayor to serve two terms. | ||
| 6 | 1858 | 1859 | |||
| 7 | Sanford Amos Hudson | 1859 | 1860 | ||
| 8 | Robert Byron Treat | 1860 | 1861 | ||
| 9 | J. Bodwell Doe | 1861 | 1863 | First mayor to serve three terms. | |
| 10 | Robert Byron Treat | 1863 | 1864 | ||
| 11 | John Mitchell | 1864 | 1866 | ||
| 12 | 1866 | 1868 | |||
| 13 | Alfred Augustus Jackson | 1868 | 1869 | ||
| 14 | R. A. Loveland | 1869 | 1870 | ||
| 15 | J. Bodwell Doe | 1870 | 1871 | First mayor to serve four terms. | |
| 16 | Anson Rogers | 1871 | 1872 | ||
| 17 | 1872 | 1874 | |||
| 18 | 1874 | 1875 | |||
| 19 | James W. St. John | 1875 | 1877 | ||
| 20 | 1877 | 1879 | |||
| 21 | Samuel C. Cobb | 1879 | 1881 | ||
| 22 | A. P. Lovejoy | 1881 | 1883 | ||
| 23 | James W. St. John | 1883 | 1884 | ||
| 24 | Alexander Richardson | 1884 | 1885 | ||
| 25 | 1885 | 1889 | Resigned May 1887 then withdrew resignation.[3] [4] | ||
| 26 | James W. St. John | 1889 | 1892 | ||
| 27 | Oscar D. Rowe | 1892 | 1893 | ||
| 28 | John Thoroughgood | 1893 | 1895 | ||
| 29 | Frank S. Baines | 1895 | 1897 | ||
| 30 | John Thoroughgood | 1897 | 1899 | ||
| 31 | Victor Pease Richardson | 1899 | 1903 | ||
| 32 | 1903 | 1904 | Died April 28, 1904. | ||
| 33 | James F. Hutchinson | 1904 | 1907 | Won May 1904 special election. | |
| 34 | Stewart B. Heddles | 1907 | 1909 | ||
| 35 | Wilbur F. Carle | 1909 | 1911 | ||
| 36 | John C. Nichols | 1911 | 1912 | ||
| 37 | James A. Fathers | 1912 | 1918 | First mayor to serve six terms. | |
| 38 | 1918 | 1919 | |||
| 39 | Thomas E. Welsh | 1919 | 1923 | Last mayor. |
Janesville voted in a 1922 city referendum to change their form of government to adopt the council-manager form of government, abolishing the office of mayor.[5]
| Order | Manager | Term start | Term end | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Henry Traxler | 1923 | 1951 | Selected by city council August 1923. Resigned May 1, 1951. Longest-serving city manager. | |
| - | Joseph Lustig | 1951 | 1951 | Interim manager. | |
| 2 | Warren C. Hyde | 1951 | 1955 | Selected by city council July 1951.[6] Resigned May 1, 1955. | |
| - | Joseph Lustig | 1955 | 1955 | Interim manager. | |
| 3 | 1955 | 1957 | Selected by city council August 1955.[7] Resigned January 1, 1957. | ||
| 4 | Joseph Lustig | 1957 | 1967 | Interim manager until selected by city council April 1957.[8] Retired March 1, 1967. | |
| 5 | Karl A. Samek | 1967 | 1970 | Interim manager until selected by city council September 1967.[9] Asked to be replaced then continued as assistant city manager after 1970. | |
| 6 | Robert O. Bailey | 1970 | 1975 | Selected by city council December 1970.[10] Resigned October 1975. | |
| - | Karl A. Samek | 1975 | 1976 | Interim manager. | |
| 7 | Philip Deaton | 1976 | 1986 | Selected by city council January 1976.[11] Resigned October 1986. | |
| - | Jerold P. Franke | 1986 | 1987 | Interim manager. | |
| 8 | Steven E.Sheiffer | 1987 | 2008 | Selected by city council March 1987.[12] Resigned September 2008. | |
| - | Jacob J. Winzenz | 2008 | 2008 | Interim manager. | |
| 9 | Eric Levitt | 2008 | 2013 | Selected by city council October 2008.[13] Resigned May 2013. | |
| - | Jacob J. Winzenz | 2013 | 2013 | Interim manager. | |
| 10 | Mark Freitag | 2013 | 2022 | Selected by city council December 2013.[14] | |
| - | David J. Moore | 2022 | 2023 | Interim manager. | |
| 11 | Kevin Lahner | 2023 | present | Selected by city council March 2023.[15] |