Mayor of Derry

The Mayor of Derry, legally the Mayor of Londonderry is an honorary position bestowed upon a Citizen of Derry in Northern Ireland, who is in practice a member of Derry City Council, chosen by his or her peers on the Council to serve a one year term. The Mayor is Chairman of the Council as well as the City's first citizen. The current Mayor is Maurice Devenney of the Democratic Unionist Party, while Kevin Campbell of Sinn Féin is the incumbent Deputy Mayor, both of whom were elected in May 2011.

The post has a long history. A provost was appointed in the initial city charter of 1604. In 1613, this post was replaced with that of mayor, with John Rowley being the first to serve.^[1] The City charter of 1665 which provided:

During much of its history, it has been held by Unionists (largely due to the practice of gerrymandering)^[3], but in recent years, the majority of mayors have been nationalists, reflecting the make-up of the city's current population.

From 1921 until 1969, the Mayor was automatically entitled to a seat in the Senate of Northern Ireland.

List of Mayors of Derry (1908-Present)

20th Century

21st Century

References

• Members of the Northern Ireland Assembly, 1921 - 72