# Mayor Quimby

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Fictional character from The Simpsons franchise

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Fictional character

Mayor Quimby The Simpsons character First appearance "Bart Gets an 'F'" October 11, 1990 Created by David M. Stern Based on Kennedy family, particularly Ted Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy The Edge (namesake) Designed by Matt Groening Voiced by Dan Castellaneta In-universe information Full name Joseph Fitzgerald O'Malley Fitzpatrick Culverstone O'Donnell Edward Martin Marshall William Washington Quimby Jr.[1][2] nicknamed "Diamond Joe",[3] Gender Male Occupation Mayor of Springfield Family Rose Quimby (mother) Joe Quimby Sr. (father) Clovis Quimby (brother) Spouse Martha Quimby Children Shirley (daughter) Joe Quimby III (son) 2 unnamed sons 1 unnamed daughter Relatives Freddy Quimby (nephew) Robert F. Quimby (unspecified)

**Mayor Quimby**, nicknamed "**Diamond Joe**", is a recurring character from the [animated sitcom television series](/source/Animated_cartoon) *[The Simpsons](/source/The_Simpsons)*. He is voiced by [Dan Castellaneta](/source/Dan_Castellaneta), and first appeared in the episode "[Bart Gets an 'F'](/source/Bart_Gets_an_%22F%22)". Quimby is the corrupt [mayor](/source/Mayor) of [Springfield](/source/Springfield_(The_Simpsons)), and is a [composite](/source/Composite_character) [parody](/source/Parody) of U.S. Senator [Ted Kennedy](/source/Ted_Kennedy) and certain other members of the [Kennedy family](/source/Kennedy_family) who have entered politics.

## Concept and creation

Joe Quimby is a parody of [Massachusetts](/source/Massachusetts) [Senator](/source/United_States_Senate) [Ted Kennedy](/source/Ted_Kennedy) and the [Kennedy family](/source/Kennedy_family).[4] Like the Kennedys, Quimby [is of Irish descent](/source/Irish_Americans), "speaks with a [Boston accent](/source/Boston_accent), throws money at political problems, and vacations in a coastal resort called the '[Quimby Compound](/source/Kennedy_Compound)'".[4] Dan Castellaneta voices Quimby with a [Boston elite accent](/source/Northeastern_elite_accent), resulting in a voice reminiscent of that of President [John F. Kennedy](/source/John_F._Kennedy).[5] His nickname is a reference to [Diamond Jim Brady](/source/Diamond_Jim_Brady).

## Appearances

Quimby has long served as the [mayor](/source/Mayor) of the city of [Springfield](/source/Springfield_(The_Simpsons)). He appears as a slick, opportunistic politician whose chief priorities seem to be keeping himself in office and various other forms of corruption, including [embezzling](/source/Embezzlement) tax money, taking [bribes](/source/Bribery) from [Fat Tony](/source/Fat_Tony_(The_Simpsons)), and giving monthly [kickbacks](/source/Political_corruption#Kickbacks) to Police [Chief Wiggum](/source/Chief_Wiggum).[6] The seal on the wall of his office reads "Corruptus in Extremis",[7] which means "extremely corrupt". He is a [Democrat](/source/Democratic_Party_(United_States)).

Like Kennedy, Quimby is known as a [womanizer](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/womanizer),[8][9] and occasionally amuses himself with [pornographic](/source/Pornography) [playing cards](/source/Playing_card) during town meetings. Quimby was once the subject of 27 separate [paternity suits](/source/Paternity_(law)). One of the women he impregnated is [Cookie Kwan](/source/List_of_recurring_The_Simpsons_characters#Cookie_Kwan), whose baby is remarkably similar to Quimby in both looks and mannerisms.[10] Quimby also is frequently noticed in bed with the same or similar blonde woman/women, at least one of whom was [Miss Springfield](/source/Miss_Springfield).[11] He also once accidentally courted his own niece, which is one of the few things Quimby has ever shown shame over.

Despite being the mayor for such a long time, Quimby does not know or care much about his city, often privately (or even publicly) showing his outright contempt for Springfield's citizens.[12] He frequently takes overseas vacations, which take him out of town for extended periods of time, leading to the headline "Mayor Visits City" in the *Springfield Shopper*. He once referred to Springfield as "Springfeld" at a public meeting. However, he makes frequent, albeit short, public appearances for local festivities, events, business openings, etc.

If bending the law will suit Quimby's purposes, he will likely do so. He once arranged [Marge Simpson](/source/Marge_Simpson)'s release after she was arrested for blocking traffic on a bridge after suffering a [nervous breakdown](/source/Mental_breakdown), claiming that if she went to jail, Quimby could kiss the "chick vote" goodbye.[13] He also resorted to bribing witnesses when assault charges were brought against his nephew, leading [Bart Simpson](/source/Bart_Simpson) to observe that "the system works: just ask [Claus von Bülow](/source/Claus_von_B%C3%BClow)".[14]

His [catchphrase](/source/Catchphrase) is "Vote Quimby", which he always finds an opportunity to say, even in situations where it would be disadvantageous to identify himself, like inadvertently being caught by Homer in a motel room with his [mistress](/source/Mistress_(lover)).

Quimby was elected Mayor of Springfield in 1986 (three years before the show's debut) and has been re-elected several times since, despite openly admitting to fraud and wrongdoing. In the season 4 episode "[Krusty Gets Kancelled](/source/Krusty_Gets_Kancelled)" he admits to using taxpayer dollars to fund the [murder](/source/Murder) of his enemies, but thanks to a clever use of a popular Gabbo catchphrase ("I'm a bad wittle boy"), he is re-elected in a landslide.[15]

[Dan Castellaneta](/source/Dan_Castellaneta), the voice of Quimby.

Quimby's political stranglehold on Springfield has earned him the hatred of Springfield's small but vocal [Republican](/source/Republican_Party_(United_States)) elite, themselves portrayed as mostly dark, ghoulish figures who meet in a castle. When the Republicans nominate [Sideshow Bob](/source/Sideshow_Bob) as their mayoral candidate, Bob rigs the election, briefly deposing Quimby. He is re-instated when Bob is found guilty of fraud and imprisoned.[16] Later, when Quimby briefly flees the city in the mistaken belief that his corruption is about to be exposed, he is deemed to have "abandoned office" and is replaced by a short-lived "council of learned citizens" headed by [Lisa Simpson](/source/Lisa_Simpson), [Professor Frink](/source/Professor_Frink), [Comic Book Guy](/source/Comic_Book_Guy), [Lindsey Naegle](/source/Lindsey_Naegle), [Dr. Hibbert](/source/Dr._Hibbert), and [Principal Skinner](/source/Principal_Skinner), the members of the Springfield chapter of [Mensa International](/source/Mensa_International), in accordance with the town charter.[17] He also survives a [recall election](/source/Recall_election), with no candidate in the race against him, garnering the five percent necessary to force a recall.[11]

According to the Season 37 episode "[Sashes to Sashes](/source/Sashes_to_Sashes)", Quimby's father Joe Quimby, Sr. came to the U.S. from [Ireland](/source/Ireland) in 1921, and Mayor Quimby married Marge's aunt Beatrice Bouvier but the marriage ended quickly.[18]

## Reception

Literary critic [Paul Cantor](/source/Paul_Cantor) has cited Mayor Quimby as an example of Springfield's [atomistic politics](/source/Atomism_(social)), noting "Mayor Quimby is a demagogue, but at least he is Springfield's own demagogue. When he buys votes, he buys them directly from the citizens of Springfield."[19] During the *[USA Today](/source/USA_Today)* contest to choose which Springfield would host the release of *[The Simpsons Movie](/source/The_Simpsons_Movie)*, [Ted Kennedy](/source/Ted_Kennedy) himself appears in a video in which he invited "Diamond Joe" Quimby and the film to premiere in [Springfield, Massachusetts](/source/Springfield%2C_Massachusetts), and even mocked his own oft-mocked pronunciation of the word "Chowder" (as "Chow-Dah"); however, [Springfield, Vermont](/source/Springfield%2C_Vermont) was chosen instead.[4] On May 17, 2013, following reporting on a new scandal, Justin Peters, crime reporter for [*Slate* magazine](/source/Slate_(magazine)), compared the highly corrupt gaffe-plagued [Mayor of Toronto](/source/Mayor_of_Toronto) [Rob Ford](/source/Rob_Ford) to Quimby. Peters prepared a list of 20 outrageous statements, and asked readers to guess which ones were uttered by the fictional Quimby, and which were uttered by the real-life Ford.[12]

## See also

- [Politics in *The Simpsons*](/source/Politics_in_The_Simpsons)

[Portals](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Contents/Portals):
- [The Simpsons](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:The_Simpsons)
- [Animation](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Animation)
- [Television](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Television)
- [Comedy](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portal:Comedy)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Curran, Kevin; Kramer, Lance (2008-09-28). "[Sex, Pies and Idiot Scrapes](/source/Sex%2C_Pies_and_Idiot_Scrapes)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 20. Episode 1. Event occurs at 0:49. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGroening2010958_2-0)** [Groening 2010](#CITEREFGroening2010), p. 958.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-FOOTNOTEGroening2010272_3-0)** [Groening 2010](#CITEREFGroening2010), p. 272.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-brown20070702_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-brown20070702_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-brown20070702_4-2) Brown, John Robbie (July 2, 2007). ["Kennedy backs city's 'Simpsons Movie' campaign"](https://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/07/02/kennedy_backs_citys_simpsons_movie_campaign/). *[The Boston Globe](/source/The_Boston_Globe)*. [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171114040522/http://archive.boston.com/news/globe/living/articles/2007/07/02/kennedy_backs_citys_simpsons_movie_campaign/) from the original on November 14, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** Groening, Matt (2005). Commentary for the episode "[Sideshow Bob Roberts](/source/Sideshow_Bob_Roberts)", in *The Simpsons: The Complete Sixth Season* [DVD]. Twentieth Century Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Reardon, Jim; Swartzwelder, John (1994-01-06). "[Homer the Vigilante](/source/Homer_the_Vigilante)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 5. Episode 11. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bill Oakley; Josh Weinstein; Reardon, Jim (1993-05-06). "[Marge in Chains](/source/Marge_in_Chains)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 4. Episode 21. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Ghaly, Sera Jane (2022-12-12). ["High Culture: 10 Of The Best Cannabis Moments On The Simpsons"](https://herb.co/news/culture/10-best-cannabis-moments-simpsons/). *[Herb](/source/Herb_(company))*.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** Sachleben, Mark; Yenerall, Kevan M (2004). *Seeing the Bigger Picture Understanding Politics Through Film & Television*. Switzerland: [Lang](/source/Peter_Lang_(publisher)). p. 161. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780820462486](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780820462486).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Nastuk, Matthew; Long, Tim (2004-12-05). "[She Used to Be My Girl](/source/She_Used_to_Be_My_Girl)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 16. Episode 4. Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Stephanie1_11-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Stephanie1_11-1) Kruse, Nancy; Gillis, Stephanie (2005-11-20). "[See Homer Run](/source/See_Homer_Run)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 17. Episode 6. Fox.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Slate2013-05-17_12-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Slate2013-05-17_12-1) Peters, Justin (November 6, 2013). ["Who Said It: Toronto Mayor Rob Ford or Simpsons Mayor Diamond Joe Quimby"](http://www.slate.com/blogs/crime/2013/05/17/rob_ford_crack_cocaine_simpsons_mayor_diamond_joe_quimby_or_toronto_mayor.html?wpisrc=most_viral). *[Slate](/source/Slate_(magazine))*. Retrieved November 13, 2017. In fact, the public servant Ford most closely resembles is the fictional mayor from The Simpsons, Diamond Joe Quimby. Both men are heavyset. Both are often at odds with constituents, colleagues, and the press. And both are prone to saying outrageous things in public.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Kirkland, Mark; Stern, David M. (1992-02-06). "[Homer Alone](/source/Homer_Alone)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 3. Episode 15. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-14)** Lynch, Jeffrey; Swartzwelder, John (1994-05-05). "[The Boy Who Knew Too Much](/source/The_Boy_Who_Knew_Too_Much_(The_Simpsons))". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 5. Episode 20. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-15)** Silverman, David; Swartzwelder, John (1993-05-13). "[Krusty Gets Kancelled](/source/Krusty_Gets_Kancelled)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 4. Episode 22. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-16)** Kirkland, Mark; Oakley, Bill; Weinstein, Josh (1994-10-09). "[Sideshow Bob Roberts](/source/Sideshow_Bob_Roberts)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 6. Episode 5. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Michels, Pete; Selman, Matt (1999-05-09). "[They Saved Lisa's Brain](/source/They_Saved_Lisa's_Brain)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 10. Episode 22. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** Polcino, Mike Frank; Koh, Ryan (2025-11-16). "[Sashes to Sashes](/source/Sashes_to_Sashes)". [*The Simpsons*](/source/The_Simpsons). Season 37. Episode 7. Fox.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** Cantor, Paul A. (Dec 1999). "The Simpsons: Atomistic Politics and the Nuclear Family". *Political Theory*. **27** (6): 734–749. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1177/0090591799027006002](https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0090591799027006002). [JSTOR](/source/JSTOR_(identifier)) [192244](https://www.jstor.org/stable/192244). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [143998133](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:143998133).

**Bibliography**

- [Groening, Matt](/source/Matt_Groening) (2010-10-28). [Richmond, Ray](/source/Ray_Richmond); [Gimple, Scott M.](/source/Scott_M._Gimple); McCann, Jessie L.; Seghers, Christine; Bates, James W. (eds.). [*Simpsons World: The Ultimate Episode Guide: Seasons 1–20*](/source/Simpsons_World%3A_The_Ultimate_Episode_Guide%3A_Seasons_1%E2%80%9320) (1st ed.). [HarperCollins](/source/HarperCollins). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780061711282](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780061711282).

## External links

Wikiquote has quotations related to ***[Mayor Quimby](https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Special:Search/Mayor_Quimby)***.

- [Profile of Mayor Quimby](http://www.simpsonsworld.com/character/mayor_quimby) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20171114093148/http://www.simpsonsworld.com/character/mayor_quimby) 2017-11-14 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) from SimpsonsWorld.com

- [Mayor Quimbi](https://web.archive.org/web/20160306170712/http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0003006/) on [IMDb](/source/IMDb)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mayor Quimby](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Quimby) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mayor_Quimby?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.