was frequently endorsed by the Municipal Voters League in his runs for reelection. Dever became one of the most influential aldermen during the first mayoralty of Carter Harrison Jr. Dever got heavy buzz as a potential Democratic mayoral candidate in 1905, but did not run. Dever became a key ally of pro-municipal ownership mayor Edward Fitzsimmons Dunne, who was elected in 1905. While affiliated with the Dunne wing of the Democratic Party as an alderman, Dever was on good terms with the Harrison and Sullivan wings. In 1906, Dever faced an atypically challenging race for reelection. In retaliation for his vote in support of raising saloon license fees, saloons in his ward raised beer prices and told patrons that the new "Dever tax" was to blame. Active campaigning on his part and strong support from Mayor Dunne secured Dever reelection with a comfortable margin. In 1906, Dever ran in the inaugural election of the Municipal Court of Chicago. To provide for staggered future elections, the race saw separate elections divided by the duration of terms, with separate elections being held for sets of two-year, four-year, and six-year seats. Dever ran in the race for the six-year seats. Low turnout in these judicial races coupled with the spoiler effect of William Randolph Hearst (who was engaged in a brief feud with Dunne Democrats) running his own Independence League slate hurt Democratic chances. Dever received 94,380 votes, the most of any Democratic candidate for the Municipal Court. However, he placed 20,000 votes behind the last Republican in the six-year field. He had received more votes than Ferdinand L. Barnett, a Republican candidate to a two-year seat who had received only around 90,000 votes, Ferdinand Lee Barnett, who had been prematurely reported to have been a winner, but ultimately lost his race by several hundred votes. This led some to contend that Dever should be seated to a two-year seat seat in his place, arguing that holding separate elections for the different durations had been unconstitutional. Dever rejected the effort to seat him in place of Barnett, feeling that it was fueled by prejudice against Barnett (an African American), and therefore refused to challenge Barnett's appointment to the court. In 1907, Dever ran to fill the vacancy on the Superior Court of Cook County left after Judge Joseph E. Gary's death in office. This election was to a partial term of four years.