List of mayors of Pittsburgh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This a listing of past (and present) mayors (burgesses and recorders when noted) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
Mayor | Term | Party | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
George Robinson | 1794–?? | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh, Arrested by President George Washington for rebel activity during the Whiskey Rebellion | |
John Park | 1800–1801 | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh | |
Dr. George Stevenson | 1801–1802 | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh | |
Isaac Craig | 1802–1803 | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh | |
James O'Hara | 1803–1804 | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh, formerly 6th Quartermaster General of U.S. Army and Revolutionary War veteran. | |
General Pressley Neville | 1804–1805 | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh, Revolutionary War veteran. | |
General John Wilkins | ??–?? | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh, formerly 7th and last Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army | |
William Steele | 1812–1813 | "Chief Burgess" of Borough of Pittsburgh | |
Ebenezer Denny | 1816–1817 | First "appointed" Mayor after city charter, resigned from office with health concerns, Revolutionary War veteran. | |
John Darragh | 1817–1825 | Appointed by City Council, formerly president of the bank of Pittsburgh. | |
John M. Snowden | 1825–1828 | Appointed by City Council, formerly president of the bank of Pittsburgh and county treasurer. | |
Magnus Miller Murray | 1828–1830 | Appointed by City Council | |
Matthew B. Lowrie | 1830–1831 | Anti-Masonic, Anti-Jackson | Appointed by City Council, brother was a U.S. Senator and son became Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. |
Magnus Miller Murray | 1831–1832 | Appointed by City Council | |
Samuel Pettigrew | 1832–1836 | Appointed by City Council, later won the first mayoral election | |
Dr. Jonas R. McClintock | 1836–1839|Democrat | Elected mayor at the age of 28, became the first man to assume the office from a general election, later lead a Union company in the Civil War. | |
William Little | 1839–1840 | ||
William W. Irwin | 1840–1841 | Whig | Elected to congress and appointed diplomat to Denmark after leaving office. |
James Thomson | 1841–1842 | ||
Alexander Hay | 1842–1845 | After office he was commander in the Mexican War, and Captain in the Civil War. | |
William J. Howard | 1845–1846 | Longtime president of the "Guardians of the Poor" forerunner of the Salvation Army | |
Dr. William Kerr | 1846–1847 | ||
Gabriel Adams | 1847–1849 | After office was appointed state judge | |
John Herron | 1849–1850 | Before office was a captain in the Mexican War, hero of the siege of Veracruz | |
Joseph Barker | 1850–1851 | Anti-Catholic | elected while serving a year in jail after protesting the Catholic Church, he was illiterate but popular during a xenophobic time in the nation. Uniquely he is probably the only mayor in history to meet his death by "train decapitation". |
John B. Guthrie | 1851–1853 | Father of future mayor George Guthrie, served in Mexican War, was the long time Customs Collector for Pittsburgh | |
Robert M. Riddle | 1853–1854 | Formerly Postmaster of Pittsburgh, oversaw Cholera epidemic response | |
Ferdinand E. Volz | 1854–1856 | ||
William Bingham | 1856–1857 | ||
Henry A. Weaver | 1857–1860 | After office served as U.S. Collector of Revenue for Pittsburgh | |
George Wilson | 1860–1862 | Formerly Public School Director | |
Benjamin C. Sawyer | 1862–1864 | After office moved to Colorado then to California making a fortune in mining | |
James Lowry, Jr. | 1864–1866 | ||
William C. McCarthy | 1866–1868 | Formerly a legend as a Pittsburgh Fire Fighter and commander, during administration ended the police practice of assuring "All is Well" on the hour, later served as City Controller. | |
James Blackmore | 1868–1869 | Formerly Chief Clerk of City | |
Jared M. Brush | 1869–1872 | Formerly City Councilor, served as a minister during the Civil War. | |
James Blackmore | 1872–1875 | Formerly Chief Clerk of City | |
William C. McCarthy | 1875–1878 | Formerly a legend as a Pittsburgh Fire Fighter and commander, during administration ended the police practice of assuring "All is Well" on the hour, later served as City Controller. | |
Robert Liddell | 1878–1881 | Before and after office was a Brewer and Liquor dealer. | |
Robert W. Lyon | 1881–1884 | Earned two purple hearts in the Civil War, Oil businessman before being elected, worked in a steel mill after leaving office. | |
Andrew Fulton | 1884–1887 | Formerly City Councilor, after office became a rancher in Colorado. | |
William McCallin | 1887–1890 | Formerly County Coroner and County Sherriff | |
Henry I. Gourley | 1890–1893 | Formerly teacher and city councilor, became City Clerk after office. | |
Bernard J. McKenna | 1893–1896 | Formerly firefighter and city councilor. | |
Henry P. Ford | 1896–1899 | Businessman in the saw blade industry. | |
William J. Diehl | 1899–1901 | Republican | Impeached on corruption, formerly Deputy Sheriff and employee of city treasury. |
Adam M. Brown | 1901 | Appointed as "Recorder", formerly Army Major and California 49er during the gold rush, President of the Allegheny County Bar Association, died in office. | |
Joseph O. Brown | 1901–1903 | Appointed as "Recorder", formerly county clerk and city director of public safety, died in office | |
William B. Hayes | 1903–1906 | Appointed as "Recorder", he was a coal company owner. | |
George W. Guthrie | 1906–1909 | Son of former mayor John Guthrie, served as U.S. Ambassador to Japan after office. | |
William A. Magee | 1909–1914 | Republican | |
Joseph G. Armstrong | 1914–1918 | nicknamed "Joe the builder" for his extensive public works projects, formerly city councilor and county coroner. | |
Edward V. Babcock | 1918–1922 | Republican | formerly city councilor, as mayor dealt with the flu pandemic and suffragettes, later would be county councilor and personally bought 4,000 acres for county parklands. |
William A. Magee | 1922–1926 | Republican | |
Charles H. Kline | 1926–1933 | Republican | 1932 convicted by jury on 49 counts of corruption later overturned by judge, resigned 1933 |
John S. Herron | 1933–1934 | Democrat | |
William N. McNair | 1934–1936 | Democrat | arrested 1935 for failing to return unjust fine, resigned 1936 |
Cornelius D. Scully | 1936–1946 | Democrat | 1943 violated war-time gas rationing and had his drivers license suspended for three months, formerly president of city council. |
David L. Lawrence | 1946–1959 | Democrat | Named one of the all-time 50 greatest American mayors, resigned after elected Governor, 1951 Grand Jury recommended indictment over light and coal contracts, second Grand Jury cleared him, officer in Army during World War I, from 1931 to 1966 was Secretary of the Commonwealth, U.S. Collector of Revenue, state party chair and mayor then governor all while being a "king maker" for U.S. Presidents Truman and Kennedy. |
Thomas Gallagher | 1959 | Democrat | Formerly state assembly and city council president, after office once again city councilor. |
Joseph M. Barr | 1959–1970 | Democrat | Formerly long-time and powerful state senator. |
Peter F. Flaherty | 1970–1977 | Independent/Democrat | resigned for appointment as Deputy U.S. Attorney General, formerly city councilor, after office ran close races for U.S. Senate twice and governor losing all. |
Richard S. Caliguiri | 1977–1988 | Independent/Democrat | died in office from amyloidosis |
Sophie Masloff | 1988–1994 | Democrat | Formerly city council president and city councilor starting at city hall as secretary in 1929 at the age of 18. |
Tom Murphy | 1994–2006 | Democrat | After investigations by District Attorney and the U.S. Attorney forced to sign non-indictment agreement stemming from Firefighter union contract affecting 2001 Election. |
Bob O'Connor | 2006 | Democrat | died in office from cancer |
Luke Ravenstahl | 2006–present | Democrat |
[edit] Source
- Office of Prothonotary; Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
- Historic Pittsburgh Collection