Robert E. McKisson

Robert Erastus McKisson (January 30, 1863–October 14, 1915) was an American politician of the Republican party and served as the 33rd mayor of Cleveland, Ohio from 1895 to 1898.

McKisson first arrived in Cleveland with his family in the early 1870s, and moved to LaGrange, Ohio in 1879. In 1887, he began studying law in Cleveland, passed the Ohio bar exam in 1889, and began practing law with John Webster and Elgin Angell in 1891.

Interested in politics, McKisson was elected to Cleveland City Council in 1894 and became an outspoken critic of the mayoral administration of Democrat, Robert Blee. 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 to facilitate steamer traffic, and built five new bridges across the river. He created a powerful political machine loyal to him that challenged political boss Mark Hanna for control of the local Republican party. In 1898, he ran against Hanna for a seat in the Senate, but lost in a very close election. In the 1899 election, McKisson was defeated by former Cleveland mayor, John H. Farley. He retired from politics and returned to private practice.

References

• The Encyclopedia Of Cleveland History by Cleveland Bicentennial Commission (Cleveland, Ohio), David D. Van Tassel (Editor), and John J. Grabowski (Editor) ISBN 0-253-33056-4