List of mayors of Erie, Pennsylvania

This is a list of the people who have served as mayor of the city of Erie, Erie County, in northwestern Pennsylvania.

Erie's city government consists of a mayor and a city council. The mayor's office includes an elected city treasurer and city controller. The mayor also served as the President of the Select Council for the first nine years of Erie's incorporation.[1]

A mayor was limited to only one term of two years until 1890, when the it was lengthened to three years during the second term of Charles S. Clarke.[2] After 1890, mayors were an unlimited number of terms. The most notable example of the unlimited number of terms was Mayor Louis J. Tullio who was in office for eight consecutive terms from 1966 to 1989.

# Name Term Party Notes
47 Joseph E. Sinnott January 2, 2006 – present Democratic Incumbent
46 Richard E. Filippi 2001 – 2005 Democratic
45 Joyce A. Savocchio 1991 – 2000 Democratic
* Patricia Liebel November 12, 1989 – 1990 Democratic Served as Acting mayor[3]
44 Louis J. Tullio 1966 – November 12, 1989 Democratic Unable to complete term[3]
43 Charles B. Williamson 1962 – 1965 Republican [3]
42 Arthur J. Gardner 1955 – 1962 Democratic Appointed mayor after Flatley was removed
from office[4][5]
* George J. Brabender December 14, 1954 – January 5, 1955 Served as Acting Mayor[4]
41 Thomas W. Flatley 1952–1954 Democratic Removed from office[3][6]
40 Clairence K. Pulling 1950 – 1952 Republican [4]
39 Joseph C. Martin 1948 – 1949 Replaced Hickey, who died of a heart attack[4][7]
38 Sherman T. Hickey, Jr. 1948 – August 28, 1948 Democratic Died in office[4][7]
37 Gale H. Ross 1947 – 1948 Appointed for remainder of Barber's
unexpired term[4][8]
36 Charlie R. Barber 1936 – 1947 Republican Appointed State Secretary of Welfare in 1947[3][4][9]
35 James Patrick Rossiter 1932 – 1936 Democratic [4]
34 Joseph Crane Williams 1924 – 1932 [3][10]
33 Miles Brown Kitts 1916 – 1924 Republican [3][11]
32 Bernard J. Veit 1915 Died before taking office[12]
31 William J. Stern 1911–1915 Democratic [13]
30 Bernard Cochran 1910–1910
29 Michael Liebel, Jr. 1908–1911 Democratic [3][14]
* Michael Liebel, Jr. 1906–1907 Democratic Appointed in September 1906 then elected in February 1907 to complete Saltsman's unexpired term
28 Robert J. Saltsman 1905–1906 Democratic Died in office[4][15]
27 William Hardwick 1902–1904 [4]
26 John Depinet 1900–1901 Republican [4]
25 Robert J. Saltsman 1896-04-06–1899 Democratic [16]
24 Walter Scott 1893–1896 [17]
23 Charles S. Clarke 1890–1893 [2]
Term length extended to 3 years in 1890
23 Charles S. Clarke 1889–1889 [2]
22 John C. Brady February 1887–1888 Democratic [18][19]
21 Frank A. Mizener 1886–1886 Appointed for remainder of Adams' unexpired term[4][20]
20 Franklin Farrar Adams 1885–1885 Resigned[21]
19 Philip August Becker 1883–1884 [22][23][24]
18 Joseph McCarter 1881–1882 [25]
17 David T. Jones 1878–1880 [25]
16 Selden Marvin 1877–1877 [25][26]
15 John W. Hammond 1876–1876 [27][28]
14 Henry Rawle 1874–1875 [27]
13 Charles M. Reed, Jr. 1872 – 1873 Republican [27][28][29][30][31]
12 William L. Scott 1871 – 1871 Democratic
11 Orange Noble 1867 – 1870 [32][33]
10 William L. Scott 1866 – 1866 Democratic
9 F. F. Farrar 1865 – 1865 [32][34]
8 Prescott Metcalf 1862 – 1864 Republican [35]
7 Sherburn Smith 1859–1861 [36][37]
6 Wilson Laird 1858–1858 [36]
5 James Hoskinson 1857–1857 [36]
4 Wilson Laird 1855–1856 [36][38]
3 Alfred King 1853–1854 [39][40]
2 Murray Whallon 1852–1852 [36]
1 Thomas G. Colt 1851–1851 First mayor of Erie[1][41]

Contents

Burgesses

From 1805 until 1850, the Borough of Erie was headed by a burgess. The title of mayor has been used since the City of Erie was incorporated on April 14, 1851.

Name Starting Year Ending Year Date of Birth Date of Death
B. B. Vincent 1850 1850 August 4, 1803 July, 21 1876
Alexander W. Brewster 1849 1849 1795 May 26, 1851
Charles W. Kelso 1848 1848
William Kelley 1846 1847
Charles W. Kelso 1845 1845
Thomas H. Sill 1843 1844 October 11, 1783 February 7, 1856
Thomas Stewart 1842 1842
Rufus S. Reed 1841 1841 October 11, 1775 June 1, 1846
Myron Goodwin 1840 1840
William Kelley 1839 1839
James L. White 1838 1838
J. B. Laughead 1836 1837
Joseph M. Sterrett 1834 1835
Thomas H. Sill 1833 1833 October 11, 1783 February 7, 1856
Tabor Beebe (acted for Forster) 1832 1832
Thomas Forster (elected but did not serve) 1832 1832 May 16, 1762 1836
George A. Eliot 1831 1831
William Johns 1830 1830
Thomas H. Sill 1829 1829 October 11, 1783 February 17, 1856
Tabor Beebe 1828 1828
John C. Wallace 1825 1827 February 14, 1771 December 8, 1827
John Morris 1822 1824
Judah Colt 1820 1821
George Moore 1818 1819
Thomas H. Sill 1816 1817 October 11, 1783 February 7, 1856
George Moore 1814 1815
Judah Colt 1813 1813
Samuel Hays 1812 1812
John C. Wallace 1810 1811 February 14, 1771 December 8, 1827
George Buehler 1808 1809
Thomas Wilson 1807 1807 1772 October 4, 1824
John C. Wallace May 5, 1806 1806 February 14, 1771 December 8, 1827

Notes

A mayor was inaugurated on the first Monday of April 1896.[42] Mayors were inaugurated on the first Monday of January 1916 and January 1924, with elections having been held the previous November.[10][43]

At least two mayors died in office: Robert J. Saltsman (1906) and Sherman Hickey, Jr. (1948). One mayor-elect, Bernard Veit, died soon after his election in November 1915, before he could be inaugurated.

Thomas W. Flatley was removed from office in 1954 in a gambling and bribery scandal. George J. Brabender served as Acting Mayor for less than a month, from December 14, 1954 until January 5, 1955, to fill Flatley's unexpired term.[4]

Franklin F. Adams resigned in 1885. Frank A. Mizener completed his unexpired term.[4]

Bernard Cochran served as Acting Mayor from March to May 1910, covering the absence of Michael Liebel, Jr.[4]

The Abraham Lincoln funeral train stopped in Erie with Mayor F. F. Farrar aboard.[44] Mr. Lincoln made a pre-inaugural rail trip through nearby Girard, Pennsylvania on his way to Washington, D.C. from Illinois.

Ralph W. Tilloston, twice the Socialist candidate for mayor of Erie, was convicted in United States District Court on March 20, 1919 of violation of the Espionage Act.[45]

Mario S. Bagnoni (April 2, 1922 – August 5, 2005) was named honorary Mayor of Erie for a day in June 2005. He served eight terms (32 years) on the Erie City Council and was five times elected president of the council. The Mario S. Bagnoni Council Chambers, located in Erie City Hall, were posthumously named in his honor in September 2005.[46] He made two attempts to become Erie mayor. He retired in 1971 as deputy chief of detectives for the Erie Police Department, which he had served since it was the Erie Bureau of Police in 1949. He is interred at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in Fairview, Pennsylvania.[47]

References

  1. ^ a b Bates 1884 1, p. 535
  2. ^ a b c Miller 1909 2, p. 31
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mayors of Erie". The Political Graveyard. http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/PA/ofc/erie.html. 
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Carney, John G. (1960). Highlights of Erie Politics. pp. 184. 
  5. ^ Lima News (Lima, OH). February 6, 1955. 
  6. ^ Bedford Gazette (Bedford, PA). October 21, 1954. 
  7. ^ a b Warren Times-Mirror (Warren, PA). September 2, 1948. 
  8. ^ Charleroi Mail (Charleroi, PA). February 23, 1955. 
  9. ^ Pottstown Mercury (Pottstown, PA). December 22, 1948. 
  10. ^ a b Bates 1884 2, p. 828
  11. ^ Newark Advocate (Newark, OH). April 1, 1916. 
  12. ^ Bates 1884 2, 847
  13. ^ Bates 1884 1, p. 523, 528–529
  14. ^ Miller 1909 1, p. 251
  15. ^ Altoona Mirror (Altoona, PA). September 11, 1906. 
  16. ^ North Adams Transcript (North Adams, MA). April 7, 1896. 
  17. ^ Miller 1909 1, p. 797
  18. ^ Walling, Emory A (1928). Memoirs of Erie County, Pennsylvania, Bench and Bar. Erie Printing Co.. 
  19. ^ Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 6. pp. 598. 
  20. ^ Bates 1884 1, p. 365
  21. ^ Miller 1909 2, p. 9 – 12
  22. ^ Bates 1884 1, p. 542
  23. ^ "About Us". Erie Insurance Group. http://www.erieinsurance.com/AboutUs/4pillars.htm. 
  24. ^ Miller 1909 2, p. 57
  25. ^ a b c Bates 1884 1, p. 541
  26. ^ Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 6. pp. 558. 
  27. ^ a b c Bates 1884 1, p. 540
  28. ^ a b Miller 1909 1, p. 782
  29. ^ Edwardsville Intelligencer (Edwardsville, IL). March 28, 1872. 
  30. ^ Bates 1884 2, p. 921
  31. ^ Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 6. pp. 544. 
  32. ^ a b Bates 1884 1, p. 539
  33. ^ Blairsvill Press (Blairsville, PA). May 8, 1869. 
  34. ^ Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 6. pp. 636. 
  35. ^ Bates 1884 1, p. 536 – 539
  36. ^ a b c d e Bates 1884 1, p. 536
  37. ^ Nelson's Biographical Dictionary and Reference Book of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 6. pp. 401, 522. 
  38. ^ Miller 1909 1, p. 383
  39. ^ S.J.M. Eaton. (1868). Biographical History of Northeastern Ohio. Lewis Publishing Co.. pp. 274–275. ISBN 0524021147. OCLC 25263433. 
  40. ^ Pennsylvania State Archives, Alfred King Collection
  41. ^ Miller 1909 1, p. 616, 624
  42. ^ North Adams (Massachusetts) Transcript, April 7, 1896
  43. ^ Bates, Samuel P (1884). History of Erie County, Pennsylvania. 1. Chicago: Warner, Beer's and Company. pp. 529. 
  44. ^ Syracuse Daily Courier and Union (Syracuse, NY). April 29, 1865. 
  45. ^ Erie Socialist Is Convicted of Espionage Today, Warren (Pennsylvania) Evening Times, March 20, 1919
  46. ^ Erie City Council Agenda, September 7, 2005
  47. ^ Find-a-Grave, anonymous obituary

Bibliography