Below is a complete listing of all of the city's former mayors who are now deceased. This listing includes a brief personal biography and a list of some of their major accomplishments or activities during their term as mayor.

Scroll down the page or use the links below to find a specific mayor by name or date of term served.

In 1854 his family moved to Haverhill, Massachusetts, where he finished his limited education. When his father died the young Marcus Towle was given employment in the slaughterhouse at Brighton, Massachusetts, and learned the many practical details of the butchering business, which gave him his initial push in life.

At the age of twenty-four he moved to Detroit, Michigan, and went into the butchering trade with his own business. Immediately following the Civil War, Towle came up with the idea of shipping dressed meat to the East in freight cars. To preserve the meat on the long trip, it was surrounded by chipped ice. G. H. Hammond, another Detroit meat businessman, thought the idea was great and needed to be expanded. Caleb Ives, a Detroit banker, was enticed to financially back the idea.

In 1869, Towle, Hammond and Ives traveled to Chicago to find a suitable location for their slaughter and packing house. The site where the Michigan Central Railroad paralleled the Grand Calumet River a few miles to the southeast of Chicago was chosen. Towle was made the first postmaster of then State Line, Indiana. Due to confusion about the name of the town, it was changed to Hammond. Local legend refers to a coin toss between Hammond and Towle--Hammond won.

The G. H. Hammond Company was a phenomenal success and began Towle’s financial empire. He owned most of the land in the vicinity and invested not only locally but nationally. Towle’s front page obituary in the Lake County Times listed eighteen different enterprises he was involved in. They included: incorporating, financing and building the Chicago Terminal railroad; dredging the Grand Calumet River and building dock in Hammond; joining with James N. Young to build a railroad in Kansas; building the Hammond Corn Syrup works and Hammond Distilling Company; building the Hammond Buggy works; building the Hammond Milling Company; building the Lakeside Nail Mills; building three skating rinks; building the Western Indiana Railroad as well as a railroad in Canada; establishing the first cemetery in Hammond, Oak Hill. Several of these ventures were failures but at the time of his death, his estate was estimated at $100,000. Towle is also credited with having the resources to finance the establishment of East Chicago, Indiana, which became a major steel mill town in northwest Indiana.

Towle was also responsible for bringing many prominent citizens to Hammond. He was a great promoter trying all kinds of ventures by financing or encouraging business to locate in Hammond.

On December 5, 1866, Towle married Irena Dow of Detroit. Irena and Marcus has six children; three daughters died in infancy and three sons, M. M. Towle, Jr., George H. Towle and Fred C. Towle. Irena died in 1905 and Marcus’ health failed rapidly after her death. In 1909, he showed signs of losing his mind, and it was later decided to take him to Longcliffe where he could receive the necessary care and attention that such a patient requires. Months later he lost his mind and did not recognize the members of his own family. At the time of his death, his oldest son was on a vacation in Montana.

William H. Gostlin, a prominent Hammond businessman and long time associate of Towle’s stated: "The death of Towle is a personal loss to me. He was not only the founder but the builder of Hammond. Without Towle Hammond would never have been the city it is. He was the friend of hundreds of people in Hammond who never went to him in need and found his purse closed. The conditions under which he died make his demise all the sadder. It is to be regretted that a man who did so much for Hammond could not have retained his faculties and lived to see the consummation of his dreams."

[Howat’s History of Lake County & The Lake County Times September 8, 10, 1910]

Thomas Hammond came to Hammond with his brother George H. Hammond and his meat packing company. He was an assistant superintendent of the packing house but when his brother sold his interests in the company, Thomas also sold out and turned to real estate and banking. He was elected to three two-year terms as mayor and resigned when he was elected to US Congress. Hammond was the president of the Hammond Land & Improvement Company which convinced the W. B. Conkey Company to locate in Hammond. He was the president of the Commercial Bank for sixteen years and was reputed to be worth at least $250,000.

At his death, Hammond was survived by his wife, Helen nee Potter, two sons, Walter and Frank and two daughters, Mrs W. H. Hill and Mrs G. L. Smith; one brother Fred of Boston and three sisters, Mrs. Leafle Hosmer of West Fistchburg, Massachusetts, Mrs. G. L. Rist of Turner’s Falls, Massachusetts, and Mrs. George Goddard of Montague, Massachusetts.

[The Hammond Times September 21, 1909]

Patrick Reilley served throughout the Civil War as a drummer boy with the United States Marines. After the Civil War he re-enlisted with the Navy and was stationed with Admiral Farraguet on a round the world tour of the Monitor Miantoma. Upon discharge he moved to Boston, Massachusetts, where he engaged in the manufacture of butterine. G. H. Hammond Company hired him to be Superintendent of the Hammond Butterine Works about 1884.

Reilley also served four terms as alderman of the city and when the Honorable Thomas Hammond was elected to congress he was chosen by the city council to fill out Mr Hammond’s unexpired term as mayor. On the expiration of his term he was re-elected and served four years as mayor. Mr. Reilley was also head of Reilley Plumbing Company and a local agent for McLeans Tipoli Rock Filter in 1904. Reilley also served eight years as probation officer of the Hammond schools.

Mr. Reilley was married to Mary A. McSweeney, father of 13, six of whom were living at his death.

[Famous 1904 edition of the Hammond Daily News, page 26, Hammond Times, February 18, 1924, page 1 and Feb 20, 1924.]

Mott was educated in the public school system. He was seventeen when he arrived in Hammond in 1874 with mother, brother and sister, and was employed as a weigh clerk at the G. H. Hammond Company slaughterhouse. Starting in an entry level job, Fred was promoted through the company to the position of bookkeeper and foreman of the beef department.

In 1884 he married Emma Hohman, a daughter of the first settlers and landowners of Hammond. In 1887 he left the slaughterhouse and engaged in the real estate business in which he was quite successful. His real estate firm added five subdivisions to the city. His family home was described as "palatial" in several references. It was the first to be erected in South Hohman avenue and at one time marked the southern boundary of the city. In 1896 he was elected Mayor of Hammond and served four years. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Emma, four sons and eight grandchildren.

[Famous 1904 edition of the Hammond Daily News, page 13, The Lake County Times, December 9. 1935]

Armanis Knotts was quite young when his family moved to Medaryville, Pulaski County, Indiana. Although he did not attend school regularly because he was required to work on the family farm. At age 17, he entered the primary grades of Medaryville schools. After 13 months of intensive work, passed an examination and was qualified to teach summer school. He continued to teach and became the principal of Medaryville schools. In 1879 he entered Valparaiso College and graduated in business, engineering, along with scientific and classic departments. In 1883 he took charge of the Normal school and business college at Lodoga, Indiana. In 1885 he entered the law school at Valparaiso, while still at this school, he was elected County Surveyor of Porter County in 1886, an office which he held for 18 months before he resigned to come to Hammond in 1888.

The Republicans of Lake and Jasper counties elected him joint representative in 1900 and while in the legislature he introduced a harbor bill, which if allowed to pass would have given Hammond a harbor on Lake Michigan (1904) long before our current harbor was built. While in the legislature, Mr. Knotts secured the passage of the Superior Court bill, which put the Superior Court on the same footing as the Circuit Court and authorized the building of a Superior Court House in Hammond. Also while mayor of the city of Hammond, he appointed the industrial committee, which has been so active and successful in locating new industries to our city.

A. F. Knotts and his brother, Thomas, were involved extensively in the development of the city of Gary. They were the Gary Land Company, selling land to U.S. Steel and plotting the first sections of Gary. Thomas Knotts became the first mayor of Gary.

In the early 1920's, Armanis moved to Florida and purchased 4,000 acres on the west coast and began the town of Yankeetown in Levy County. While in Florida, he championed a proposal to build a cross-state ship canal. He lobbied for this project on several occasions in Washington. He became extremely involved in the Republican Party in Florida and was named state chairman in 1928. He attended the GOP national convention in Kansas City and led the Florida delegation.

At the time of his death, Armanis Knotts was survived by three daughters, Mrs. B. C. Bower and Mrs Emily Hewlett of Hammond, and Mrs. Joe Reinke of St Paul, Minnesota; six grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

[Famous 1904 edition of the Hammond Daily News, pages 22-23, Howat, pages 8-14; Miami Herald, October 5, 1937]

In May 1879 at age nine Lawrence Becker arrived with his family in Tolleston (now part of Gary), Indiana. August of 1879 the family moved to Hammond and in May of 1883 the family moved once again but to Montana. Lawrence entered Valparaiso Normal college in 1892, graduated from the law school in 1896 and opened a law office in Hammond. Elected Mayor of Hammond in 1904, re-elected in 1905 and in 1909. Resigned in March 1911 to accept the appointment of judge of the Lake County Superior courtroom, No. 2 by Governor Thomas Marshall.

His accomplishments as Mayor: aided in bringing the Standard Steel Car Company to Hammond, installation of concrete sidewalks replacing brick ones, one of the principal organizers of the Hammond Public Library, increased the credit rating of the city. For 8 years, Becker was chairman of the legislative committee of the Municipal League of Indiana and during that time he drafted most of the statues enacted concerning municipal corporations, including the "Thornton Act" for city improvements, which provided for competitive bids on four types of standard materials for street pavements. Formerly, only one type of material was specified.

Becker also drafted the provisions in the cities and towns laws of 1905 which provided for the erection, purchase or leasing by cities of water works, electric light and gas plants. Under the provision of this act, the city of Hammond acquired its supplemental water plant. The law enabled cities and towns generally throughout Indiana to own and operate their own utilities, including water, electric and gas plants. In 1914, he was the Democratic candidate for re-election as judge of Lake superior court No. 2 but was defeated along with the entire Democratic ticket. On March 3, 1915, he was appointed solicitor of the U.S. Treasury and served in that capacity until August of 1922 when he was transferred to the department of Internal Revenue. In 1934, Becker was elected judge of the East Chicago Superior Court and served until December 1946, having been defeated in the primary election by John G. Baran of East Chicago.

Becker died in St. Catherine’s Hospital, East Chicago, Indiana, after several years of failing health and a serious kidney operation. Survived by his wife, Agnes; one son, Eaton of Wilsall, Montana; two daughters, Miss Inez Becker of Washington, D.C., and Mrs David Armstrong of Portland, Maine (March 1947).

[The Hammond Times, March 13, 1947 page 1]

John Smalley was born on a farm near Upper Sandusky, Ohio and finished high school in Upper Sandusky. Both parents died when he was a young man. His first employment was as clerk in the office of the treasurer of Wyandotte County, Ohio. He then spent two years at Nashville, Tennessee as bookkeeper for a lumber firm. At the age of 23, he began work in a railroad office and continued in railroad work until he was appointed to the office of City Comptroller of Hammond by Mayor Becker in May 1906. Mr. Smalley was with the Pennsylvania railroad for a number of years and received one promotion after another.

In 1892 he came to Hammond to become agent for the Erie railroad. From the duties of local agent he was promoted in 1902 to larger duties as supervising inspector of the joint rates inspection bureau with headquarters in Chicago. He continued to make his home in Hammond. After succeeding to the office of mayor in May 1911, Smalley was re-elected on the democratic ticket in November 1913. Following his retirement from office, he became interested in real estate promotions and at the time of his death was secretary and treasurer of the firm of Hargis & Moore.

Smalley was survived by his second wife, Bertha nee Hansen, and a son, Bryant; three brothers, William of Cincinnati, OH, Abram of Keyser, WV, and Isaac of Panama.

[The Hammond Times, December 15, 1920]

Brown was drafted for the mayoralty race from the small restaurant business which he operated. Prominent individuals rallied to his support in 1917 as the citizens’ ticket candidate; Republicans failed to file a ticket in Hammond that year. He defeated Democrat incumbent John Smalley. Brown and his administration proved so popular that he was re-elected for a second term in the campaign of 1921, when as a Republican candidate he defeated Ed Simon, democrat. He returned to political life again in 1929 and sought the Republican nomination for mayor, but was defeated by Charles O. Schonert.

As mayor during World War I, it was under his administration that Liberty Hall was built in one day. He was a leader in the local war council recruiting and Liberty Bond drives. During Brown’s administration; Hessville was annexed to Hammond; he completed the motorization of the fire department and rehabilitation of the water works, tripling its capacity; completion of Hammond’s deep sewer project, intercepting sewers and the pumping station; Hohman, Calumet and Conkey were repaved; jitneys eliminated and Shore Line Buses increased; introduced to the civil city the use of serial bonds.

Dan Brown was poor at speaking, but he was good at getting things done. Lawyers and other prominent individuals with a flair for oratory "pinch hit" for him. After becoming mayor, he took correspondence courses in law. During the depression, he brought surplus army food to the city and sold it without profit. Carloads of food were disposed of at the city hall or nearby storerooms.

At his death he was survived by his wife, Grace; one son, Robert; one sister, Mrs L. VanBlaricom of El Monte, CA; and one brother, Charles B. Brown of Pacific Grove, CA.

[Hammond Times, April 26, 1936]

Adrian attended public schools at LaPorte and Knox, Indiana, graduated from DePauw University at Greencastle, Indiana in 1901 and completed his law course in the Indiana Law School in 1912. He was admitted to the bar that year and for two years practiced at Crawfordsville and in 1914 he moved to Hammond, where his law officers were in the First Trust Building. His law firm was called Tinkham & Galvin. In 1931, he was chairman of the Citizens Committee of Hammond for railroad track elevation. [Something of a "lost cause" in Hammond.]

While mayor, Tinkham was instrumental in bringing the Lever Brothers plant to Hammond. Adrian married Grace Remley on January 1, 1901, in Crawfordsville, Indiana. At his death he was survived by his wife and two sons, Joseph E. and Robert.

[Indiana, Vol. IV, page 201, The Hammond Times November 6,1942]

Charles O. Schonert completed high school at Gings Station, Rush County, Indiana. Graduated from Purdue University in 1910 with a degree in Civil Engineering, hired by the engineering department of the Pennsylvania Railroad, in Chicago, IL. In 1911 joined the city engineering department of Hammond. Early in 1917, Charles volunteered in the United States Army, Twenty-third Engineers and was involved in American Expeditionary Forces in Verdun and Argonne. Honorably discharged in July 1919.

Schonert returned to Hammond and in 1926 was advanced to superintendent of the water works system. Elected in November 1929 on the Republican ticket as Mayor of Hammond. His accomplishments as mayor: a new $500,000 city hall [designed by Louis Skidmore and placed in Maywood park, much to the chagrin of A. Murray Turner, father of Hammond Parks], furtheration of plans to straighten the Grand Calumet River, track elevation and elimination of grade crossing-these last two were never completed; completion of the lake front water filtration plant, installation of water meters; establishment of a sanitary district that included the towns of Munster and Highland.

After his defeat by Frank Martin for Mayor in 1935 he retired from public life for three years but was then appointed to the Hammond Water Board. In 1941 he was appointed superintendent of school buildings and grounds, and was in charge of all service employees. He resigned that post in January 1962 but remained on the city water board. Married Florence Leidecker on February 14, 1920 in Hammond.

[Indiana, Vol. IV, pages 196-197 and The Hammond Times, Aug 12, 1963.]

Frank Martin was born in Toledo, Ohio, later his family moved to Chicago where Martin attended public schools. When he was 15 years of age he left his studies to accept employment in the car shops of Toledo. Mr. Martin settled in Hammond in 1907 and was first employed by the Fitzhugh Luther Company. Later, he transferred to the Standard Steel Car Company., where he remained our years, after which he became a department manager for the store of Edward C. Minas Company.

Entering the real estate business in 1914, he became a salesman for the firm known as Hastings-Wood and Company, which subsequently became Woods-Martin and Company. With Mr. Martin as a partner. The firm was dissolved in 1924 and at that time, Mr Martin established his own concern known as the Frank R. Martin Company, of which he was president and maintained an office in the old Hammond Trust and Savings Bank. His operations in the subdivision field embraced the marketing of a possible 1,000 acres and one of his outstanding achievements as was his part in the purchase and planning of the Woodmar district, which was named for him and his partner, by combining a part of each of their names.

Mr. Martin was a prominent Democrat for several years and once served as the only Democrat in the City Council in a Republican dominated ward of the City. He was named city chairman of the Democratic party in 1921. Mr Martin, who had been elected township assessor at one time, lost a primary bid for U.S. Representative to Congress from Lake County by about 300 votes in 1936. A recount was held but Mr. Martin lost to Congressman William T. Schulte. He was county treasurer until 1946, when Mr. Martin moved to Florida to become Democratic Party campaign manager of Pinellas County, Florida.

At the time of his death, Martin was survived by his wife, Ethel; three sons, Frank M. Martin, Jr, Charles Martin, Robert Martin; one daughter Mrs Ruth Elster; and one sister; seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

[The Hammond Times September 18 & 20, 1959]

Smith was born in Chandler Township, Huron County, Michigan, where he attended grammar and high school. He graduated from Ferris Institute, Big Rapids, Michigan with a degree in accounting and business management. At age 27, Smith was filling the post of chief clerk for the Sinclair Refining Company in Kansas City, MO. He joined the armed forces in World War I and served 11 months in France and Germany. In 1919 Smith returned to work for Sinclair and was sent to Chicago as assistant to the division manager in the sales department, remaining there until 1923, when he went to Hammond and engaged in the real estate business. He continued in the real estate business for the next 12 years, with special work in assessing all city property during 1932 and 1933. In 1933-34 he was in charge of liquidating the real estate of the closed First Trust and Savings Bank of Hammond. Then in 1935 Smith became city comptroller, serving in that post until he became Mayor.

As comptroller he stabilized city finances, liquidated old debts, and put the city on it's current budget basis, established a city purchasing department and otherwise improved the city’s financial system. In 1942 he became Mayor following the resignation of Mayor Frank R. Martin and filled the post so well that the electorate of Hammond elected him to the full four year term beginning January 1, 1943. He entered the Mayor’s office just after the United States had been forced into the global war, and his first act was to further the completion of the civilian defense program. He followed this with an adjustment of pay for city employees and a program of supervision of all departments to assure efficiency and economy of operation; and then started on a program for preparing plans for the post war period. This included the development of a public works reserve for a program of improvements to be initiated with the coming of peace. Following his term as Mayor, Smith held the position of director of the Citizens Federal Savings and Loan Association. He retired in 1974 and moved to Atlanta, Georgia.

[The Police Reporter, no date & Hammond Times May 13, 1978]

Anderson was born in Valparaiso, Indiana and was a graduate of Hammond High School, Class of 1925. Anderson was employed by the Harbison-Walker Refractories Company from 1925 to 1936 and left the company as production manager. In 1936 he opened as a real estate office in Hammond and kept that business until 1948. Anderson was elected to The Hammond City Council in 1942 and served there until 1947. During his terms of office, Anderson took credit for numerous civic improvements to Hammond. To list a few: the widening of Hohman Avenue in the heart of the city; changing traffic patterns by converting streets to one-way; getting Hammond Technical Vocational High School moved into new facilities; modernizing all city departments; building of public swimming pools in the city; creation of Edison Park; and instigating off street parking for the downtown area.

Besides having been Mayor of Hammond, Anderson was as former Republican District and City Chairman; former President of the Indiana Conference of Mayors; former Administrative Assistant to Governor Harold Handley. He also served as State campaign manger for Vice-President Richard M. Nixon in 1960 preferential primary election and managed Nixon’s successful November campaign in Indiana when Nixon carried Indiana by 239,000 votes.

In Hammond, he had served as charter member and Chairman of the Building committee of the Meadow Lane Baptist Church and as Sunday School teacher for over 50 years. He retired as a local realtor. At the time of his death, he was survived by his wife, Madeline; one daughter, four grandchildren; one brother and one sister. He was preceded in death by his son, Randolph.

[The Hammond Times, September 30, 1985 and Anderson File-Calumet Room]

Dowling was born in Morocco, Indiana, where he attended grade school and graduated from high school. He came to Hammond in 1919 when he was 19 and got a job with the old Cudahy Packing Company. Two months later he became an apprentice machinist with the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad and was employed by the railroad until 1936. His first taste of political life was under Democratic Mayors Frank R. Martin and G. Bertram Smith, as superintendent of the city water department form 1936 to 1948. Dowling entered politics in 1932 when he ran unsuccessfully as a Democrat for a seat on the Hammond City Council. In 1948 he was named North Township Park Superintendent and he was in charge of Wicker Park until 1950. Dowling first sought the Hammond mayor’s seat in 1951 when he ran in the Democratic primary and was beaten by Mike Kampo, former city party chairman. Kampo then lost in the general election to Anderson. Dowling won a place on Lake County Commissioner’s Board and served as a board member in 1953, 1954 and 1955. He was president during one of the years. He was the first mayor in Hammond to win three consecutive terms. He lost his bid for a fourth term to Mayor Joseph E. Klen.

Included among some of the accomplishments of Dowling during his 12 years as mayor of Hammond were the completion of the Columbia Avenue overpass, a street widening program which included improvements in the sanitary sewers and in the water department. Land for Dowling Park in the Hessville area was purchased during Dowling’s administration. Later, the park was named in honor of Mayor Dowling. Among the storms in Dowling’s administration as mayor was the appointment of his son, James, as police chief in 1966.

[The Hammond Times February 20, 1974]

Klen was born in Whiting, Indiana, and graduated from Whiting High School. He began his political career in 1934 when he was elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. During the next four decades he would also be elected Lake County commissioner and recorder and would be appointed Hammond City Controller. Served two terms as Mayor. Klen is credited with the building of the Calumet Avenue railroad overpass, responsible for Hammond receiving $14 million for other railroad relocation projects. The city’s redevelopment office, which has been responsible for urban renewal projects, was also begun under Klen. He was indicted, tried and acquitted on charges of bribery involving a natural gas pipeline and income tax fraud.

Survived by his wife of 52 years, Margaret, one son David, one daughter Judith Skertic, seven grandchildren and one brother John Klen.