List of mayors of Louisville, Kentucky
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The history of Louisville, Kentucky as a city is considered to have started on February 13, 1828, the date of the first city charter. From the time of its first organization as a village, on February 7, 1781, until its incorporation as a city, it was governed by a board of trustees. At the time when its growth and commercial importance demanded the change of its government, it was chartered by the State Legislature into a city of five wards and placed under the government of a mayor and city council, the latter being composed of ten members, two from each ward.
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[edit] History of the office
The first election under the Act of Incorporation took place on the first Monday in March 1828. All free white males who had lived in the city for at least six months prior to the election could vote, although mayors were not elected directly initially. The two top vote-getters were referred to the Governor, who selected the mayor from the two, with senate approval. The early mayor was relatively weak, acting mostly as a Justice of the Peace, serving a one-year term, and lacking a vote on the City Council except to break ties.
A change to the charter in 1838 allowed for direct election of a mayor, extended the term to three years, and prevented incumbents from running for re-election. The term was reduced to two years from 1851 to 1870, then returned to three, and was finally set at four years by the Kentucky Legislature in 1894. In the early 20th century, corruption and political machines were rampant, causing mayors of both parties to be removed from office by courts. All legislative power was given to the Board of Aldermen in 1929. Mayoral term limits were set at three in 1986.
On January 6, 2003, the city of Louisville and Jefferson County governments merged to form one Metro Government, and the office of Mayor of Louisville Metro was created.
[edit] Incorporated city
[edit] Louisville Metro
| Mayor | Term Began | Term Ended | Political Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jerry E. Abramson | January 5, 2003 | Present | Democrat |
[edit] Notes
- ^ Died in office in August 1858.
- ^ Served as mayor Served as mayor pro tempore. Left office on April 1859.
- ^ Impeached by Board of Aldermen for failure to approve an infrastructure bill tainted by bribery
- ^ Resigned on February 14, 1867 after the Kentucky Court of Appeals restored Tomppert.
- ^ Served as mayor pro tempore.
- ^ Left office on January 14, 1896.
- ^ Removed from office in June 1907 as election was found to be fraudulent.
- ^ Appointed interim mayor
- ^ Removed from office in June 1927 as election was found to be fraudulent.
- ^ Died in office on February 16, 1948.
[edit] References
- Memorial History of Louisville, 1896, Volume 1, page 77 by J. Stoddard Johnson.
- UofL Libraries
[edit] See also
- Cave Hill Cemetery — many of Louisville's mayors are interred there
- History of Louisville, Kentucky
