Dedham is a city in Carroll County, Iowa, United States. The population was 224 at the time of the 2020 census.
History
Dedham got its start in the year 1881, following construction of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railway through that territory. It was named for Dedham, Massachusetts.
St. Joseph Parish was founded in 1891 by German and English Catholics. They built the first church in 1892 with a new, larger church coming in 1904.
Government and politics
Dedham operates under a mayor-council government. The Mayor is Robert Sporrer. Along with the mayor is the five person city council. Councilpersons are: Christopher John Hoffman, Mike Heinrichs, Rod Smith, Tony Derner, and Tony Seidl. The City Clerk is Heather Badding. City elections are held every two odd numbered years. The mayor serves a two-year term, while the members of the council serve four-year terms.
{| class="wikitable"
|+ Mayor & City Council
|-
! Name !! Years Serving !! First elected !! Notes
|-
| Robert Sporrer || 2018–Present || 2017 || Eligible for re-election in 2019
|-
| Mike Heinrichs || 2008–Present || 2007 || Eligible for re-election in 2019
|-
| Tony Derner || 2015–Present || 2017 || Eligible for re-election in 2021
|-
| Chris Hoffman || 2018–Present || 2017 || Eligible for re-election in 2021
|-
|Rod Smith || 2016–Present || 2015 || Eligible for re-election in 2019
|-
|Tony Seidl || 2013–? || 2013 || Eligible for re-election in 2021
|}
Past mayors
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No. !! Name !! Years !! Length of term !! Notes
|-
| 1|| Charles Shefford || 1883 || 1 year || Resigned; was a federal officer
|-
| 2 || W.A. Lytton || 1883-1884 || 2 years ||
|-
| 3 || J.A. Edgett || 1884-1885 || 2 years ||
|-
| 4 || N.B. Coder || 1885-1886 || 2 years ||
|-
| 5 || J.A. Edgett || 1886-1887 || 2 years || Second Mayorship
|-
| 6 || John W. Niman || 1887-1888 || 2 years ||
|-
| 7 || J.A. Edgett || 1888-1889 || 2 years || Third Mayorship
|-
| 8 || J.A. Horton || 1889-1890 || 2 years ||
|-
| 9 || A.W. Basom || 1890-1892 || 3 years ||
|-
| 10 || J.A. Edgett || 1893-1897 || 5 years || Fourth Mayorship
|-
| 11 || J.G. Caton || 1897-1898 || 2 years ||
|-
| 12 || J.A. Edgett || 1898-1900 || 2 years || Fifth Mayorship
|-
| 13 || Fred A. Toovey || 1900-1910 || 10 years ||
|-
| 14 || M. Slife || 1910-1911 || 1 year ||
|-
| 15 || Fred A. Toovey || 1911-1922 || 11 years || Second Mayorship
|-
| 16 || Reed McMurray || 1922-1924 || 2 years ||
|-
| 17 || A.J. Ayrhart || 1924-1926 || 2 years ||
|-
| 18 || H.E. Qualheim || 1926-1927 || 1 year ||
|-
| 19 || J.J. Klingseis || 1927-1932 || 5 years ||
|-
| 20 || L.W. Chain || 1932-1934 || 2 years ||
|-
| 21 || Fred A. Toovey || 1934-1936 || 2 years || Third Mayorship
|-
| 22 || F.F. Schreck || 1936-1940 || 4 years ||
|-
| 23 || Ben Roderick || 1940-1942 || 3 years ||
|-
| 24 || Fred A. Toovey || 1943-1945 || 2 years || Fourth Mayorship
|-
| 25 || J.T. Stangl || 1945-1948 || 3 years ||
|-
| 26 || Norbert Koester || 1948-1953 || 5 years || City elections were moved from even numbered years to odd numbered years (1951)
|-
| 27 || Ed Soppe || 1954-1963|| 10 years ||
|-
| 28 || John Werner || 1964-1965 || 2 years ||
|-
| 29 || Merlin Nair || 1966-1969 || 4 years ||
|-
| 30 || Herman Hathcock || 1970-1973 || 4 years ||
|-
| 31 || Merlin Nair || 1974-December 31, 1975 || 2 years || Second Mayorship
|-
| 32 || Clarence J. Rothmeyer || January 1, 1976 – May 1, 1992|| 16 years || Resigned due to health issues
|-
| 33|| Russell W. Axman || May 1, 1992 – December 31, 2017 || 26 years || Longest-serving mayor in Dedham history
|-
| 34|| Robert Sporrer|| January 1, 2018 – September 14, 2021 || 3 Years, 8 Months ||
|-
| 35|| Thomas L. Seidl || January 1, 2022 – ? ||
|}