Robert E. McKisson

Office:	Mayor, Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
Political party:	Republican
Term of office:	1895–1898
Preceded by:	Robert Blee Robert Blee Robert Blee was the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1893 to 1894.-References:* The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission , David D. Van Tassel , and John J...
Succeeded by:	John H. Farley John H. Farley John Harrington Farley , also known as "Honest John" Farley, was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 27th and 34th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1883 to 1884 and from 1899 to 1900....
Date of birth:	January 30, 1863
Date of death:	October 14, 1915
Profession:	Lawyer

Robert Erastus McKisson (January 30, 1863–October 14, 1915) was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 politician of the Republican party and served as the 33rd mayor of Cleveland

Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 from 1895 to 1898.

McKisson first arrived in Cleveland with his family in the early 1870s, and moved to LaGrange, Ohio

LaGrange, Ohio

LaGrange is a village in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,815 at the 2000 census.-Geography:LaGrange is located at ....

 in 1879. In 1887, he began studying law in Cleveland, passed the Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

 bar exam in 1889, and began practing law with John Webster

John Webster

John Webster was an English Jacobean dramatist best known for his tragedies The White Devil and The Duchess of Malfi, which are often regarded as masterpieces of the early 17th-century English stage. He was a contemporary of William Shakespeare.- Biography :Webster's life is obscure, and the dates...

 and Elgin Angell in 1891.

Interested in politics, McKisson was elected to Cleveland City Council

Cleveland City Council

Cleveland City Council is the legislative branch of the government of the City of Cleveland in Ohio. Its members are elected from 19 wards to four-year terms. The number of council members has decreased over the years...

 in 1894 and became an outspoken critic of the mayoral administration of Democrat, Robert Blee

Robert Blee

Robert Blee was the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1893 to 1894.-References:* The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission , David D. Van Tassel , and John J...

. His rhetoric paid off well when he successfully beat Blee in the 1895 mayoral race. In his two-term tenure as mayor, McKisson began construction on a new city water and sewer system. He also widened and straightened the Cuyahoga River

Cuyahoga River

The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...

 to facilitate steamer traffic, and built five new bridges across the river. He created a powerful political machine

Political machine

A political machine is a political organization in which an authoritative boss or small group commands the support of a corps of supporters and businesses , who receive rewards for their efforts...

 loyal to him that challenged political boss Mark Hanna

Mark Hanna

Marcus Alonzo "Mark" Hanna was a United States Senator from Ohio and the friend and political manager of President William McKinley...

 for control of the local Republican party. In 1898, he ran against Hanna for a seat in the Senate

United States Senate

The United States Senate is the upper house of the bicameral legislature of the United States, and together with the United States House of Representatives comprises the United States Congress. The composition and powers of the Senate are established in Article One of the U.S. Constitution. Each...

, but lost in a very close election. In the 1899 election, McKisson was defeated by former Cleveland mayor, John H. Farley

John H. Farley

John Harrington Farley , also known as "Honest John" Farley, was an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 27th and 34th mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1883 to 1884 and from 1899 to 1900....

. He retired from politics and returned to private practice.