PoliticalGraveyard.com
The Political Graveyard: A Database of American History
Bridgeport, Connecticut
including West Stratford
Mayors, First Selectmen, Postmasters, Wardens, Collectors of Customs, Collectors of Internal Revenue

Mayors of Bridgeport, 1836-2012 (may be incomplete!)
Isaac Sherman, Jr. 1836-37 Daniel Sterling 1837-38 Alanson Hamlin 1838-39 Charles Bostwick 1839-40 William P. Burrall 1840-41 James C. Loomis 1841-44 Henry K. Harral 1844-47 Sherwood Sterling 1847-49 Henry K. Harral 1849-51 John Brooks, Jr. 1851-52 Henry K. Harral 1852-53 Charles B. Hubbell 1853-54 John Brooks, Jr. 1854-55 Philo C. Calhoun 1855-58 Silas C. Booth 1858-60 Daniel H. Sterling 1860-63 Clapp Spooner 1863-64 Jarratt Morford 1864-65 Stillman S. Clapp 1865-66 Monson Hawley 1866-68 Jarratt Morford 1868-69 Monson Hawley 1869-70 Jarratt Morford 1870-71 Epaphras B. Goodsell 1871-74 Robert T. Clarke 1874-75 Phineas Taylor Barnum 1875-76 Jarratt Morford 1876-78 Robert E. DeForest 1878-79 John L. Wessels 1879-80 Daniel N. Morgan 1880-81 John L. Wessels 1881-82 Carlos Curtis 1882-83 John L. Wessels 1883-84 Daniel N. Morgan 1884-85 Henry H. Pyle 1885-86 Civilion Fones 1886-88 Patrick Coughlin 1888-89 Robert E. DeForest 1889-91 William H. Marigold 1891-93 Walter B. Bostwick 1893-95 Frank E. Clark 1895-97 Thomas P. Taylor 1897-99 Hugh Stirling 1899-1901 Denis Mulvihill 1901-06 Marcus L. Reynolds 1906-08 Henry Lee 1908-09 Edward T. Buckingham 1909-11 Clifford B. Wilson 1911-21 Fred Atwater 1921-23 F. William Behrens 1924-29 Edward T. Buckingham 1930-33 Jasper McLevy 1933-57 John C. Mandanici 1975-81 Nicholas A. Panuzio as of 1975 John M. Fabrizi 2003-07 Bill Finch as of 2011-12

Events and Candidates (may be incomplete!)

  • 1836: Isaac Sherman, Jr., elected.
  • 1882 Apr 3: Carlos Curtis (Dem), elected.
  • 1884 Apr 7: Daniel N. Morgan (Dem), elected.
  • 1911: Clifford B. Wilson, elected.
  • 1911 Nov 7: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1913: Clifford B. Wilson, elected.
  • 1913 Nov 4: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1915: Clifford B. Wilson, elected.
  • 1915 Nov 2: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1917: Clifford B. Wilson, elected.
  • 1917 Nov 6: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1919: Clifford B. Wilson, elected.
  • 1919 Nov 4: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1921: Clifford B. Wilson (Rep), defeated.
  • 1921 Nov 8: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1923 Nov 6: F. William Behrens (Rep), elected; Fred Atwater (Dem), defeated; Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1925 Nov 3: F. William Behrens (Rep), elected; Thomas M. Cullinan (Dem), defeated; Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1927 Nov 8: F. William Behrens (Rep), elected; Fred Atwater (Dem), defeated; Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1929 Nov 5: Edward T. Buckingham (Dem), elected; F. William Behrens (Rep), defeated; Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated; Edward Mrasco (Communist), defeated.
  • 1931 Nov 3: Edward T. Buckingham (Dem), elected; Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated; William S. Mason (Rep), defeated.
  • 1933 Nov 7: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; James L. Dunn (Dem), defeated; John G. Schwarz, Jr. (Rep), defeated.
  • 1935 Nov 5: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; Clifford B. Wilson (Rep), defeated; Joseph F. Weiler (Dem), defeated.
  • 1937 Nov 2: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; George M. Coughlin (Dem), defeated; Henry Greenstein (Rep), defeated.
  • 1939 Nov 7: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; Stephen F. Boucher (Dem), defeated; Daniel E. Johnson (Rep), defeated; Gerald A. Fitzgerald (Citizens), defeated.
  • 1941 Nov 4: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; Milton McDonald (Dem), defeated; Nelson A. Parker (Rep), defeated.
  • 1943 Nov 2: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; Lloyd R. Wheeler (Dem), defeated; Edward A. Young (Rep), defeated.
  • 1945 Nov 6: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; James P. O'Day (Dem), defeated; Charles F. Dowd (Rep), defeated.
  • 1947 Nov 4: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; James J. Whelan (Dem), defeated; Salvatore J. Fazio (Rep), defeated; Gerald A. Fitzgerald (Citizens), defeated.
  • 1949 Nov 8: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; J. Lawrence O'Toole (Dem), defeated; A. Edward Sandula (Rep), defeated.
  • 1951 Nov 6: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; Robert G. Bruno (Rep), defeated; James J. Cremins (Dem), defeated.
  • 1953 Nov 3: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected; James J. Whelan (Dem), defeated; Robert G. Bruno (Rep), defeated.
  • 1955 Nov 8: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), elected.
  • 1957 Nov 5: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1959 Nov 3: Jasper McLevy (Socialist), defeated.
  • 1979 Sep 11: John C. Mandanici (Dem), nominated; Roger W. Floyd (Dem), defeated in primary.
  • 1979 Nov 6: Leonard S. Paoletta (Rep), defeated; John C. Mandanici (Dem), elected.
  • 1981 Sep 8: John C. Mandanici (Dem), nominated; Charles B. Tisdale (Dem), defeated in primary; Vincent A. Roberti (Dem), defeated in primary; Charles J. Coviello, Jr. (Dem), defeated in primary.
  • 1981 Sep 8: Leonard S. Paoletta (Rep), nominated; John T. Kurtzenacker (Rep), defeated in primary.
  • 1981 Nov 3: Leonard S. Paoletta (Rep), elected; John C. Mandanici (Dem), defeated; John B. Williams, defeated; Ralph J. Cennamo, defeated.
  • 1983 Sep 13: Charles B. Tisdale (Dem), nominated; John J. McNamara (Dem), defeated in primary; Thomas W. Bucci (Dem), defeated in primary; John C. Mandanici (Dem), defeated in primary.
  • 1983 Sep 13: Leonard S. Paoletta (Rep), nominated; William C. Sorrentino (Rep), defeated in primary.
  • 1983 Nov 8: Leonard S. Paoletta (Rep), elected; Charles B. Tisdale (Dem), defeated; John C. Mandanici (Taxpayers), defeated.
  • 1989 Nov 7: Mary C. Moran (Rep), elected; Thomas W. Bucci (Dem), defeated; Dennis Tanase Dean, defeated; Leonard L. Crone, defeated; Lou Klein, defeated; Ralph J. Cennamo, defeated.

    First Selectmen of Bridgeport, 1888-1957 (may be incomplete!)
    Emory F. Strong as of 1888 John J. Haux as of 1896 James A. McGuinness as of 1897 Dominicus Kunkel as of 1898-99 Joseph P. Coughlin as of 1901 Andrew Billings as of 1904 Albert Schaller as of 1906 Elias Tibbals as of 1907 Andrew Peterson as of 1908 Frank Braithwaite as of 1909 Thomas J. Lovely as of 1910 Thomas Langdon as of 1911 Daniel Smith as of 1914 James Turner as of 1915-19 Alfred J. Knapp as of 1920 Michael Issagno as of 1921-24 Howard Moody as of 1926-27 Michael C. Finnell as of 1937 Alice M. Crepeau as of 1947 George F. Dempsey as of 1949 Frances Murphy as of 1950 Francis A. Murphy as of 1954 Christine V. Fagan as of 1955 Pauline A. C. Devlin as of 1956 Peter J. Iassogna as of 1957

    Postmasters at Bridgeport, 1801-1992 (may be incomplete!)
    Amos B. Fairman 1801 Charles Bostwich 1801-06 Benjamin Bostwich 1806-08 Charles Bostwich 1808-10 Jesse Sterling 1810-29 Stephen Lounsberry, Jr. 1829-37 Smith Tweedy 1837-41 Isaac Sherman, Jr. 1841-45 Philo F. Barnum 1845-49 George Wade 1849-53 Epaphras B. Goodsell 1853-61 Friend W. Smith, Jr. 1861-69 George F. Tracey 1869-72 James E. Dunham 1872-75 Julius W. Knowlton 1875-86 Edwin F. Meeker 1886-89 Julius W. Knowlton 1889-92 Aurelius Steward 1893-97 William H. Marigold 1897-1914 Peter M. Davey 1937-38 Peter M. Davey 1938-43 Russell F. Neary 1943-44 Russell F. Neary 1944-66 Paul E. Donovan 1966-68 William L. Keller 1968 William L. Keller 1968-92

    West Stratford

    Wardens of West Stratford, 1888 (may be incomplete!)
    James Bounds as of 1888

    Bridgeport

    Collectors of Customs at Bridgeport, 1854-1951 (may be incomplete!)
    William S. Pomeroy as of 1854 Julius S. Hanover 1869-81 Walter Goddard as of 1888 George B. Edmonds as of 1891 Fred Enos 1909-13 James L. McGovern 1915-21 Harvey P. Bissell 1923-29 Elwyn T. Clark 1930-33 Fannie D. Welch 1934-46 Hugh I. Morris as of 1947 Nora M. Harris as of 1951

    U.S. Collectors of Internal Revenue at Bridgeport, 1863-83 (may be incomplete!)
    David F. Hollister 1863-83

    • "Enjoy the hospitable entertainment of a political graveyard."
    Henry L. Clinton, Apollo Hall, New York City, February 3, 1872    		 The Political Graveyard

    The Political Graveyard is a web site about U.S. political history and cemeteries. Founded in 1996, it is the Internet's most comprehensive free source for American political biography, listing 338,260 politicians, living and dead.
     
      The coverage of this site includes (1) the President, Vice President, members of Congress, elected state and territorial officeholders in all fifty states, the District of Columbia, and U.S. territories; and the chief elected official, typically the mayor, of qualifying municipalities; (2) candidates at election, including primaries, for any of the above; (3) all federal judges and all state appellate judges; (4) certain federal officials, including the federal cabinet, diplomatic chiefs of mission, consuls, U.S. district attorneys, collectors of customs and internal revenue, members of major federal commissions; and political appointee (pre-1969) postmasters of qualifying communities; (5) state and national political party officials, including delegates, alternate delegates, and other participants in national party nominating conventions; (6) Americans who served as "honorary" consuls for other nations before 1950. Note: municipalities or communities "qualify", for Political Graveyard purposes, if they have at least half a million person-years of history, inclusive of predecessor, successor, and merged entities.  
      The listings are incomplete; development of the database is a continually ongoing project.  
      Information on this page — and on all other pages of this site — is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. Users are advised to check with other sources before relying on any information here.  
      The official URL for this page is: https://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/CT/ofc/bridgeport.html .  
      Links to this or any other Political Graveyard page are welcome, but specific page addresses may sometimes change as the site develops.  
      If you are searching for a specific named individual, try the alphabetical index of politicians.  
    Copyright notices: (1) Facts are not subject to copyright; see Feist v. Rural Telephone. (2) Politician portraits displayed on this site are 70-pixel-wide monochrome thumbnail images, which I believe to constitute fair use under applicable copyright law. Where possible, each image is linked to its online source. However, requests from owners of copyrighted images to delete them from this site are honored. (3) Original material, programming, selection and arrangement are © 1996-2025 Lawrence Kestenbaum. (4) This work is also licensed for free non-commercial re-use, with attribution, under a Creative Commons License.
    What is a "political graveyard"? See Political Dictionary; Urban Dictionary.
    Site information: The Political Graveyard is created and maintained by Lawrence Kestenbaum, who is solely responsible for its structure and content. — The mailing address is The Political Graveyard, P.O. Box 2563, Ann Arbor MI 48106. — This site is hosted by HDLmi.com. — The Political Graveyard opened on July 1, 1996; the last full revision was done on February 17, 2025.