List of mayors of Kansas City, Missouri

Number of mayors of Kansas City by party affiliation[A]
Party Mayors
Democratic 35
Republican 20
Independent 2
Whig 1

The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri is the highest official in the Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Government.

Since the 1920s the city has had a council-manager government in which a city manager runs most of the day-to-day operations of the city. Unlike most cities of its size, by charter Kansas City has a "weak-mayor" system, in which most of the power is formally vested in the city council. However, the mayor is very influential in drafting and guiding public policy. He presides over all city council meetings that he attends, and has a casting vote on the council. Due to these combined factors the mayor, in fact, holds a significant amount of de facto power in the city government.

Since 1946 Mayors of Kansas City are elected by the voters of Kansas City to four-year terms, and are limited to two terms under the city's charter. Mayors initially served one-year terms until 1890 when they began serving two-year terms. Technically, according to the City Charter, city elections are non-partisan, meaning that the mayor and city council run without nominal political affiliation.

The mayor of Kansas City occupies an office on the 29th floor of the Kansas City City Hall, the building's highest floor.

Eleven of Kansas City's mayors are interred in Elmwood Cemetery (Kansas City, Missouri).

The current mayor of Kansas City is Sly James, who was elected to office on March 22, 2011.

Mayors

The Mayor of Kansas City has his office on the 29th floor of the Kansas City City Hall which is the highest occupiable floor in the building
James A. Reed, George M. Shelley, Darius A. Brown, Leander J. Talbot, Thomas T. Crittenden, Jr., Frank Cromwell, George H. Edwards, Jr., and Samuel B. Strother at the 1923 funeral of Webster Davis
#NameTook officeLeft officePartyTerms[B]
1 William S. Gregory 1853 1854 Whig 1
2 Johnston Lykins 1854 1855 Democratic 1
3 John Johnson 1855 1855 Democratic ½[C]
4 Milton J. Payne 1855 1860 Democratic 4½
5 George M.B. Maughs 1860 1861 Democratic 1
6 Robert T. Van Horn 1861 1862 Republican 1
4 Milton J. Payne 1862 1863 Democratic 1
7 William Bonnifield 1863 1863 Democratic ½
6 Robert T. Van Horn 1863 1865 Republican 1½
8 Patrick Shannon 1865 1866 Democratic 1
9 Alexander L. Harris 1866 1867 Democratic 1
10 Edward H. Allen 1867 1868 Republican 1
9 Alexander L. Harris 1868 1869 Democratic 1
11 Francis R. Long 1869 1870 Republican 1
12 Elijah M. McGee 1870 1871 Democratic 1
13 William Warner 1871 1872 Republican 1
14 Robert H. Hunt 1872 1873 Republican 1
15 Edward Lowe Martin 1873 1874 Democratic 1
16 Smith D. Woods 1874 1875 Democratic 1
17 Turner A. Gill 1875 1877 Democratic 2
18 James W. L. Slavens 1877 1878 Republican 1
19 George M. Shelley 1878 1880 Democratic 2
20 Charles A. Chace 1880 1881 Republican 1
21 Daniel A. Frink 1881 1882 Republican 1
22 Thomas B. Bullene 1882 1883 Republican 1
23 James Gibson 1883 1884 Democratic 1
24 Leander J. Talbott 1884 1885 Democratic 1
25 John W. Moore 1885 1886 Democratic 1
26 Henry C. Kumpf 1886 1889 Republican 3
27 Joseph J. Davenport 1889 1890 Republican 1
28 Benjamin Holmes 1890 1892 Democratic 1[D]
29 William S. Cowherd 1892 1894 Democratic 1
30 Webster Davis 1894 1896 Republican 1
31 James M. Jones 1896 1900 Republican 2
32 James A. Reed 1900 1904 Democratic 2
33 Jay H. Neff 1904 1906 Republican 1
34 Henry M. Beardsley 1906 1908 Republican 2
35 Thomas T. Crittenden Jr. 1908 1910 Democratic 1
36 Darius A. Brown 1910 1912 Republican 1
37 Henry L. Jost 1912 1916 Democratic 2
38 George H. Edwards 1916 1918 Republican 1
39 James Cowgill 1918 1921 Democratic 1½[E]
40 Sam B. Strother 1921 1922 Democratic ½
41 Frank H. Cromwell 1922 1924 Democratic 1
42 Albert I. Beach 1924 1930 Republican 3
43 Bryce B. Smith 1930 January 5, 1940 Democratic 4½[F]
44 Charles S. Keith 1940 1940 Democratic ½
45 John B. Gage 1940 1946 Democratic 3
46 William E. Kemp 1946 1955 Democratic 3[G]
47 H. Roe Bartle 1955 1963 Democratic 2
48 Ilus W. Davis 1963 1971 Democratic 2
49 Charles B. Wheeler, Jr. 1971 1979 Democratic 2
50 Richard L. Berkley 1979 1991 Republican 3
51 Emanuel Cleaver 1991 1999 Democratic 2
52 Kay Barnes 1999 2007 Democratic 2
53 Mark Funkhouser 2007 2011 Independent 1
54 Sly James 2011 -- Independent 2

Notes

  • A. ^ 45 people have served as mayor, three twice; the table includes these non-consecutive terms as well.
  • B. ^ The fractional terms of some mayors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple mayors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
  • C. ^ Johnson resigned after only 35 days in office.
  • D. ^ Per the new city charter, Holmes was the first mayor to serve a two-year term.
  • E. ^ Died in office.
  • F. ^ Smith resigned from office.[1]
  • G. ^ Kemp served one two-year term, one three-year term, and one four-year term.

Living former mayors

As of May 2011, five former mayors were alive, the oldest being Charles B. Wheeler, Jr. (1971–1979, born 1926). The most recent death of a former mayor was that of Ilus W. Davis (1963–1971), on September 4, 1996.

Name Mayoral term Date of birth
Charles B. Wheeler, Jr. 1971–1979 August 10, 1926
Richard L. Berkley 1979–1991 June 29, 1931
Emanuel Cleaver 1991–1999 October 26, 1944
Kay Barnes 1999–2007 March 30, 1938
Mark Funkhouser 2007–2011 October 4, 1949

See also

References

General
Charters
Specific
  1. ↑ Larsen, Lawrence Harold; Hulston, Nancy J. (1997). Pendergast!. University of Missouri Press. p. 170. ISBN 978-0-8262-1145-3. OCLC 37432817. Retrieved 2008-09-05.
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