West St. Paul Mayors Throughout History

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Since 1889, 30 different people have served as mayor of West St. Paul. Here’s a rundown of all mayors over the years, including years elected and dates of their service.

	Name (birth-death)	Photo	Term	Elected	Notes
1	Philip Crowley (1819-1902)		Feb. 23 1889-Sept. 5, 1891	elected by Council in 1889, 1891	First mayor; Oldest mayor; Resigned
2	James McGrath (1848-?)		Oct. 3, 1891-May 1893	Appointed to fill out Crowley’s term
3	Hartwig Deppe (1835-1904)		June 1893-May 1895	1893
4	Joseph Hermann Sr. (?-?)	(no photo)	June 1895 to May 1897	1895
5	James H. Berry (1856-1935)	(no photo)	June 1897-April 15, 1901	1897, 1899,	Resigned
6	John B. Sperl (1872-?)		April 15, 1901-May 1901	Appointed to fill out Berry’s term
7	James J. Galvin (1867-?)		June 1901-May 1903	1901
8	John B. Sperl (1872-?)		June 1903-May 1905	1903
9	John Licha (1859-1947)		June 1905-May 1907	1905
10	John F. Galvin (1866-1927)		June 1907-Dec. 1910	1907, 1909
11	Joseph Gibis (1866-1928)		Jan. 1911-Dec. 1916	1910, 1912, 1914
12	John B. Sperl (1872-?)		Jan. 1917-Dec. 1918	1916
13	James A. Hurley (1881-1937)	(no photo)	Jan. 1919-Dec. 1920	1918
14	William A. Stassen (1873-1962)		Jan. 1921-Dec.1922	1920
15	Joseph Gibis (1866-1927)		Jan. 1923-Dec. 1926	1922, 1924
16	William A. Stassen (1873-1962)		Jan. 1927-Dec. 1930	1926, 1928
17	Louis C. Gydesen (1896-1970)		Jan. 1931-Dec. 1936	1930, 1932, 1934
18	Rocco Verderosa (1901-1960)		Jan. 1937-Dec. 1940	1936, 1938
19	Edmond C. Meisinger Sr. (1900-1988)		Jan. 1941-Dec. 1942	1940
20	Rocco Verderosa (1906-1960)		Jan. 1943-Dec. 1946	1942, 1944
21	John V. Sperl (1895-1970)		Jan. 1947-Dec. 1956	1946, 1948, 1950, 1952, 1954
22	Anthony Vitelli (1916-1997)		Jan. 1957-Dec. 1958	1956
23	Arnold E. Kempe (1927-2022)		Jan. 1959-Jan. 24, 1963	1958, 1960, 1962	Resigned
24	Edwin J. Chapple (1904-1965)		Jan. 1963-Dec. 1964	Appointed to fill out Kempe’s term
25	Robert J. Callahan (1927-?)		Jan. 1965-Dec. 1966	1964
26	Rollin H. Crawford (1940-)		Jan. 1967-Dec. 1970	1966, 1968
27	James R. Husman (1945-2017)		Jan. 1971-Jan. 10, 1972	1970	Youngest mayor; Resigned
28	Robert J. Callahan (1927-?)		Jan. 13, 1972-Dec. 1972	Appointed to fill out Husman’s term
29	Edmond C. Meisinger Jr. (1936-2020)		Jan. 1973-Dec. 1979	1972, 1975, 1977
30	Kenneth H. Kube (1940-)		Jan. 1980-Dec. 1988	1979, 1981, 1983, 1986
31	Michael P. Bisanz (1955-)		Jan. 1989-Dec. 2000	1988, 1990, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998	Longest serving mayor
32	David Meisinger (1967-)		Jan. 2001-Dec. 2002	2000
33	Kevin J. Finnegan (1952-)		Jan. 2003-Dec. 2004	2002
34	John Zanmiller (1967-)		Jan. 2005-Dec. 2014	2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012
35	David Meisinger (1967-)		Jan. 2015-Dec. 2016	2014
36	Jenny Halverson (1976-)		Jan. 2017-Dec. 2018	2016	First female mayor
37	David Napier (1959-)		Jan. 2019-present	2018, 2020, 2022

West St. Paul Mayoral Factoids

Here are some quick factoids about West St. Paul mayors:

• Number of people who have served as mayor: 30
• First mayor: Philip Crowley (1889)
• First female mayor: Jenny Halverson (2017)
• Oldest mayor: Philip Crowley (1889)
• Youngest mayor: James Husman (1971)
• Longest-serving mayor: Michael Bisanz (six terms, 1989-2000)
• Shortest-serving mayor: James Husman (one year, 1971-1972) (John B. Sperl served a shorter term of eight and a half months, but he went on to serve two more terms)
• Resigned: Four mayors have resigned while in office—James Husman (1972), Arnold Kempe (1963), James Berry (1901), and Philip Crowley (1891).
• Nonconsecutive terms: Six mayors have served nonconsecutive terms—David Meisinger (2001-2002 & 2015-2016), Robert Callahan (1965-1966 & 1972), Rocco Venderosa (1937-1940 & 1943-1946), William Stassen (1921-1922 & 1927-1930), Joseph Gibis (1911-1916 & 1923-1926), and John B. Sperl (1901, 1904-1905, & 1917-1918).
• In the family: Several families have served as mayor, including the father-son combos of Edmund C. Meisinger Sr. and Edmund C. Meisinger Jr.; and John B. Sperl and John V. Sperl.
• Appointed: Only two people have served as mayor without ever being elected mayor—James McGrath and Edwin Chapple. Robert Callahan and John B. Sperl were also appointed to mayor but they were either previously or later elected as mayor.
• Higher office: Only two West St. Paul mayors went on to serve in higher office—Arnold Kempe served as a Minnesota state representative from 1975 to 1978, as well as mayor of Cape Coral, Florida, from 2000 to 2005, and John V. Sperl served as a Dakota County commissioner from 1957 to 1970. (James McGrath also served in the Minnesota state legislature, but that was before his time as mayor.)
• Council first: Eight mayors served without being elected to council first—John Galvin, William Stassen, Edmund C. Meisinger Sr., Arnold Kempe, Robert J. Callahan, Rollin Crawford, Edmund C. Meisinger Jr., and Michael Bisanz.

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(Thanks to the City of West St. Paul and the Dakota County Historical Society for mayor photos. West St. Paul Reader is not endorsed, affiliated with, or sponsored by the City of West St. Paul. Note: Historical dates and info are confirmed to the best of our ability, though in many cases the historical record is nonexistent, spotty, or inconsistent. We always welcome additional info and research.)