Thomas Mouat won the mayor's seat on February 18, 1911, in the first City election held in Hardin, defeating C.C. Hutton, 43 votes to 10.
Mouat's campaign platform called for municipal ownership of the town's water and lighting systems, and he stated that he wasn't "tied to any man or set of men," nor had he made any promises to anyone that he would have to live up to if elected.
He was succeeded by W.J. Scott in 1913.
Then in the election of 1915, A.L. Mitchell became Hardin's third mayor.
Mitchell was apparently a popular city executive, because he served until the spring of 1922. He then was succeeded by Hardin's fourth mayor, H.M. Strand.
The seven-year span of Mitchell's administration saw the construction of the City Hall building where today's City Council still holds it's meetings.
Mitchell's lengthy stay in office remained a record until Lawrence Koebbe took over the reins of city government in late 1963 and served until late 1971.
Strand served a long while himself, lasting until his death in 1927.
At that time Wilbur S. Fish, the council president, became Hardin's fifth mayor on October 4, 1927.
Fish served the shortest amount of time of any mayor.
In April of 1928, John Putnam was elected the town's sixth mayor.
J.E. McCarthy was elected Hardin's seventh mayor in 1930
The city's eighth executive, Matt Calderwood, in 1934.
Calderwood served only until 1936.
Hardin dentist W.A. Ransier was elected the town's ninth mayor.
Ransier died in 1940.
His wife, Miriam Ransier, became Hardin's 10th mayor and first woman mayor, when the City Council elected her to fill out his term.
About a year later, Carl Rankin was elected the town's 11th mayor.
Rankin was a popular mayor and served until 1947.
A.M. Crilly was elected the town's 12th chief executive in 1947.
Jens Kalberg was elected to the city's top spot in 1949, and held the post as Hardin's 13th mayor until 1955.
That year, Carl Rankin was once again elected Hardin's mayor. Rankin, who had helped survey the town in 1908, was the first mayor to hold the office in non-consecutive terms.
In 1957, Ronald Iverson was elected Hardin's 15th mayor and held the job until 1959.
Joe Lammers was elected to the position of Hardin's 16th mayor.
Lammers served nearly two terms, and in 1962 resigned and moved out of the city.
A.B. Cook, as Council President, succeeded to the chair as Hardin's 17th mayor. He was elected in the spring of 1963. But Cook's term of office wasn't long, because he died in September of the same year.
Lawrence Koebbe was initially appointed to the post in which he served longer than any other man in the city's history until Ron Adams. Koebbe was appointed Hardin's 18th mayor just days after Cook's death.
Koebbe was elected in 1965, and re-elected in 1967, 1969, and 1971.
In 1971, Koebbe didn't even run for the office. Liz Brennan and Glen Gustafson competed for the job, but Koebbe beat both candidates soundly by garnering an incredible 303 write-in votes. Gustafson got 178, and Brennan tallied 73.
Koebbe resigned in late 1971.
Daryl Ohmstede became Hardin's 19th mayor.
In 1973, Sam Meeke became the 20th mayor of Hardin, becoming the first mayor who was elected to a four-year term under the state law passed in 1971.
But Meeke didn't serve the full four years, resigning in 1976 because of poor health.
Leona Hodgson became Hardin's 21st mayor, and only the city's second woman mayor, when she was elected by the Council to fill out Meeke's term.
In 1977, Jeff Roberts was elected the city's 22nd mayor, defeating Hodgson.
Roberts could have made history by becoming the first Hardin mayor to complete a full four-year term. But he resigned in July 1981, and the city had no mayor for several months. Council President James Svaren assumed the mayor's duties from July 1981 - late 1981 but never did take up the office as Mayor.
Hardin's 23rd mayor, Henry Hochhalter, was elected to the post late in 1981 and began serving at the beginning of 1982.
Joseph Koebbe, Hardin's 24th mayor was elected January 1, 1990 and served until July 31, 1994.
The 25th mayor, Ron Adams, has served since August 1, 1994 until the election of 2009, when he decided not to run again for Mayor.
The 26th Mayor and first woman to be elected to the office of Mayor. Resigned April 5, 2011.
When Mayor Hammond resigned in 2011, Joseph Koebbe returned for another term. Joe retired in 2013.
