List of first African-American mayors
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In the 19th century in the American South during Reconstruction, African Americans began to be elected to many local offices, such as sheriff or Justice of the Peace, and some became the first African-American mayors of cities and towns. After this brief period, African Americans found themselves unable to obtain mayoral offices due to racial discrimination. In the 1960s, they again began to be elected or appointed to mayoral positions following the achievements of the civil rights movement and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965. Achievements in African Americans' being elected mayor in majority-European American and other municipalities made their political participation one of daily life in many localities.
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19th century: 1860s • 1880s |
1860s
- 1868
- First African American elected mayor of a U.S. town: Pierre Caliste Landry, Donaldsonville, Louisiana[1]
- 1869
- First African-American mayor of Maryville, Tennessee: W. B. Scott[2]
1880s
- 1888
- First African-American mayor of a predominantly white U.S. town, and of a Western U.S. town: Edward Duplex, Wheatland, California[3]
1960s
- 1964
- First African American mayor of a U.S. city: George D. Carroll, Richmond, California
- 1966
- First African-American mayor of a U.S. city: Robert C. Henry, Springfield, Ohio (appointed by city commission)
- First African- American mayor of a U.S. city: Floyd J. McCree, Flint, Michigan
- 1967
- First Elected (1967) African American mayor of a large U.S. city: Richard G. Hatcher, Gary, Indiana[4]
- First African American mayor of a large U.S. city: Carl Stokes (Cleveland, Ohio)
- First African American appointed mayor of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington (see also: 1975)
- First African American elected mayor of Ypsilanti, Michigan: John Burton [5]
- 1968
- First African American elected Mayor of Montclair, New Jersey: Matthew G. Carter[6]
- First African American mayor of a Kentucky city: Luska Twyman, Glasgow, Kentucky
- First African American elected mayor of a predominantly white southern city: Howard Nathaniel Lee, Chapel Hill, North Carolina[7]
- 1969
- First African American elected mayor of a Mississippi city: Charles Evers, Fayette, Mississippi[8]
1970s
- 1970
- First African American elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey: Kenneth A. Gibson
- First African American elected mayor of East Orange, New Jersey: William Hart
- First African American elected mayor of Dayton, Ohio: James H. McGee
- First African American appointed mayor of Wichita, Kansas: A. Price Woodard[9]
- First African-American elected mayor of Salina, Kansas: Robert C. Caldwell[10]
- 1971
- First African American appointed mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan: Lyman Parks (see also: 1973)
- First African American elected mayor of East St. Louis, Illinois: James Williams
- 1972
- First African-American mayor of Tallahassee, Florida and first African-American mayor of a state capital: James R. Ford
- First African-American mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio: Ted Berry
- 1973
- First African American elected mayor of Detroit, Michigan: Coleman Young
- First African American elected mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina: Clarence Lightner
- First African American elected mayor of a major Southern city: Maynard Jackson, Atlanta, Georgia[11]
- First African American elected mayor of a major Western city: Tom Bradley, Los Angeles, California
- First African American woman mayor: Lelia Foley-Davis, Taft, Oklahoma
- First African American woman mayor of a major satellite city: Doris A. Davis, Compton, California
- First African American elected mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan: Lyman Parks (see also: 1971)
- First African American elected mayor of Manhattan, Kansas: Murt Hanks Jr.
- 1975
- First African American elected mayor, and first elected mayor, of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington (see also: 1967)
- First African American mayor of Santa Monica, California: Nat Trives
- 1977
- First African American mayor of Richmond, Virginia: Henry L. Marsh[12] (Note: elected from within nine City Council members; changed to general election in 2003)
- 1978
- First African American elected mayor of Oakland, California: Lionel Wilson
- First African American elected mayor of New Orleans: Ernest Nathan Morial
- 1979
- First African American elected mayor of Birmingham, Alabama: Richard Arrington, Jr.
1980s
- 1981
- First African American elected mayor of Camden, New Jersey: Randy Primas[13]
- First African American elected mayor of Spokane, Washington: James Everett Chase
- First African American elected mayor of Plainfield, New Jersey, and first African American elected mayor in Central New Jersey: Everett C. Lattimore[14]
- 1982
- First African American appointed mayor of Memphis, Tennessee: J.O. Patterson, Jr.
- 1983
- First African American elected Mayor of Chicago: Harold Washington
- First African American elected mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina: Harvey Gantt
- First African American elected Mayor of Flint: James Sharp
- 1984
- First African American elected Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey: James L. Usry
- First African American elected Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wilson Goode
- First African American elected mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia: James W. Holley, III
- First African American elected mayor of Hurtsboro, Alabama: Mary Kate Stovall
- 1985
- First African American elected mayor of Mount Vernon, New York, and first African American elected mayor in New York state: Ronald Blackwood[15]
- 1987
- First African American woman elected mayor of a major city Hartford, Connecticut: Carrie Saxon Perry
- First African American appointed mayor of Baltimore, Maryland: Clarence H. Burns
- First African American elected mayor of Tacoma, Washington: Harold Moss[16]
- 1988
- First African American elected mayor of Baltimore, Maryland: Kurt Schmoke
- First African American elected mayor of Hempstead, New York: James A. Garner
- 1989
- First African American elected mayor of New York, New York: David Dinkins
- First African American elected mayor of New Haven, Connecticut: John C. Daniels
- First African American elected mayor of Richmond, California: George Livingston[17]
- First African American elected mayor of Rockford, Illinois: Charles Box
- First African American elected mayor of Seattle, Washington: Norm Rice
- First African American succeeds to the office of mayor of Minden, Louisiana, via recall of his predecessor: Robert T. Tobin
1990s
- 1990
- First African American elected Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey: Douglas Palmer
- First African American elected mayor of New Bern, North Carolina: Leander R. "Lee" Morgan[18]
- First African American elected Mayor of Seattle, Washington: Norm Rice[19]
- 1991
- First African American elected mayor of Memphis, Tennessee: W. W. Herenton
- First African American elected mayor of Denver, Colorado: Wellington Webb
- First African American elected mayor of Kansas City, Missouri: Emanuel Cleaver
- First African American woman elected mayor of Washington, D.C.: Sharon Pratt Kellye U
- 1992
- First African American elected mayor of Teague, Texas: Ernest Busby
- First African American male elected mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts: Kenneth Reeves
- 1993
- First African American elected mayor of St. Louis, Missouri: Freeman Bosley, Jr.
- First African American elected mayor of Rochester, New York: William A. Johnson, Jr.
- 1994
- First African American and first woman elected mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota: Sharon Sayles Belton
- 1995
- First African American elected mayor of Dallas, Texas: Ron Kirk
- First African American elected mayor of Jeanerette, Louisiana: James "T.K." Alexander Sr.
- First African American elected mayor of Savannah, Georgia: Floyd Adams, Jr.
- 1996
- First African American elected mayor of San Francisco, California: Willie Brown
- First African American elected mayor of Monroe, Louisiana: Abe E. Pierce, III
- 1997
- First African American elected mayor of Jackson, Mississippi: Harvey Johnson, Jr.
- First African American elected mayor of Houston, Texas: Lee P. Brown
- 1998
- First African American female elected mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts: E. Denise Simmons
- 1999
- First African American mayor of Pineville, Louisiana: Clarence R. Fields (became interim mayor in 1999; was elected to a partial term in 2000 and reelected to full terms in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014)
- First African American mayor of Creedmoor, North Carolina: Darryl Moss
2000s
- 2000
- First African American elected mayor of Columbus, Ohio: Michael B. Coleman
- First African American elected mayor of Selma, Alabama: James Perkins, Jr.
- First African-American mayor of Lake Charles, Louisiana: Rodney Geyen
First African-American Mayor of Oceanside, California December 2000 Terry Johnson.
- 2001
- First African American elected mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi: Johnny DuPree[20]
- First African-American woman mayor of a major Southern city, and first woman to be elected mayor of Atlanta, Georgia: Shirley Franklin[21]
- First African American and first woman elected mayor of Southfield, Michigan: Brenda L. Lawrence
- First African American elected mayor of Heidelberg, Mississippi: Juan Barnett
- First African American elected mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina: Marshall Pitts Jr.[22]
- First African American female Republican elected mayor of Tchula, Mississippi: Yvonne Brown[23]
- 2002
- First African-American woman elected mayor of Dayton, Ohio: Rhine McLin
- First African American elected mayor of Toledo, Ohio: Jack Ford
- First African American elected mayor of Kingsland, Georgia: Kenneth E. Smith, Sr.
- 2003
- First African-American elected mayor of Palm Springs, California: Ron Oden
- First African American elected by citizens as mayor of Tallahassee, Florida: John Marks
- First African-American elected mayor, and first elected mayor, of San Ramon, California: H. Abram Wilson
- 2004
- First African American elected mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Kip Holden
- First African American mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Marvin Pratt
- First African American elected mayor of Pine Bluff, Arkansas: Carl A. Redus, Jr.[24]
- 2005
- First African American elected mayor of Buffalo, New York: Byron Brown
- First African American elected mayor of Mobile, Alabama: Sam Jones
- First African American elected mayor of Asheville, North Carolina: Terry Bellamy
- First African American elected mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio: Mark Mallory
- First African American elected mayor of Youngstown, Ohio: Jay Williams
- 2006
- First African American elected mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana: Cedric Glover
- First African American elected mayor of Anderson, South Carolina: Terence Roberts
- First African American elected mayor of Killeen, Texas: Timothy Hancock [25]
- 2007
- First African American woman and first woman elected mayor of Sharpsburg, Kentucky: Dorothy C. Clemons
- First African American woman and first woman elected mayor of Baltimore, Maryland: Sheila Dixon
- First African American elected mayor of Greensboro, North Carolina: Yvonne Johnson
- First African American elected mayor of Wichita, Kansas: Carl Brewer
- First African American elected mayor of South Harrison Township, New Jersey: Charles Tyson[26]
- 2008
- First African American elected mayor of Blue Springs, Missouri: Carson Ross
- First African American elected mayor of Lancaster, Texas: Marcus Knight
- First African American elected mayor of Mansfield, Ohio: Donald Culliver
- First African American elected mayor of Sacramento, California: Kevin Johnson
- First African American mayor of Festus, Missouri: Earl Cook[27]
- First African-American elected mayor of Damascus, Georgia: Vivian Pounder
- 2009
- First African American elected mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi: James Young
- First African American elected mayor of Freeport, New York: Andrew Hardwick[28]
- First African American and first woman elected mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, and first African-American woman elected mayor in Utah: Mia Love[29]
- First African American woman elected mayor of Brentwood, Maryland: Xzavier Montgomery-Wright[30]
2010s
- 2010
- First African-American woman elected mayor of Fontana, California: Acquanetta Warren[31]
- First African American elected mayor of Columbia, South Carolina: Stephen K. Benjamin
- 2011
- First African American elected mayor of Jacksonville, Florida: Alvin Brown[32]
- First African-American mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee: Daniel Brown
- 2012
- First African-American mayor of Ithaca, New York: Svante Myrick
- First African-American mayor of Antioch, California: Wade Harper[33]
- First African-American mayor of Garland, North Carolina: Winifred Hill Murphy
- First African-American and first female mayor of Orrville, Alabama: Louvenia Diane Lumpkin
- First African American mayor of Phenix City, Alabama: Eddie Lowe
- First African-American woman elected mayor of Gary, Indiana: Karen Freeman-Wilson
- 2013
- First African-American mayor of Plano, Texas: Harry LaRosiliere
- 2014
- First African-American mayor of Brunswick, Georgia: Cornell Harvey
- First African-American female mayor of San Antonio, Texas: Ivy Taylor[34]
- First African-American mayor of Purcellville, Virginia: Kwasi Fraser
- First African-American woman elected mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana: Ollie Tyler
- First African-American mayor of Adairsville, Georgia: Kenneth J. Carson Sr.
- First African-American female Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, as well as the first African-American female mayor of any municipality in Bergen County, New Jersey: Lizette Parker[35]
- 2015
- First African American and first African-American woman elected mayor of Pearsall, Texas: Mary Moore[36]
- First African American and first African-American woman elected mayor of Conway, South Carolina: Barbara Blain-Bellamy[37]
- First African American elected mayor of Camilla, Georgia: Rufus L Davis II[38]
- 2016
- First African-American and first African-American female mayor of Midland City, Alabama: Jo Ann Bennett Grimsley[39]
- 2017
First African-American mayor of Aurora, Illinois: Richard C. Irvin
See also
- List of African-American firsts
- List of African-American U.S. state firsts
- List of African-American United States Cabinet Secretaries
- Timeline of the African-American Civil Rights Movement
References
- ↑ Ron Stodghill, "Driving Back Into Louisiana’s History", The New York Times, May 25, 2008, accessed July 7, 2008
- ↑ City of Maryville: "Maryville Historic Timeline"
- ↑ "African American History American West Timeline", BlackPast.org, accessed August 3, 2008
- ↑ Hatcher, Richard G. (1933- ) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed. (n.d.). Retrieved June 24, 2016, from http://www.blackpast.org/aah/hatcher-richard-g-1933
- ↑ Robinson, Veronica (September 4, 2009). “John Burton, One of the First African American Mayors in Michigan”. Ann Arbor District Library. ypsigleanings.aadl.org. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ↑ Orel, Gwen (March 22, 2012). "Matthew G. Carter, Montclair's first African American mayor, dies at 98". Montclair Times. NorthJersey.com. Retrieved March 31, 2012.
- ↑ Howard N. Lee, North Carolina Utilities Commission, accessed May 25, 2008
- ↑ Neil R. McMillen, Dark Journey: Black Mississippians in the Age of Jim Crow, Chicago: University of Illinois, 1990, p.26
- ↑ " Previous Wichita Mayors 1950-1989" City of Wichita
- ↑ "Robert C. Caldwell" at the University of Kansas Libraries Kenneth Spencer Research Library
- ↑ Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Mayors of Atlanta, Georgia". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved March 7, 2008.
- ↑ "Explorations in Black Leadership". University of Virginia Institute for Public History. Retrieved June 14, 2010.
- ↑ O'Brien, Reity (March 4, 2012). "Melvin R. "Randy" Primas Jr., Camden's first African American mayor, dies at 62". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
- ↑ "Plainfield, N.J., Elects Its First Black Mayor". Jet. December 10, 1981. Retrieved September 20, 2016.
- ↑ Taliaferro, Lanning (February 25, 2017). "Ronald Blackwood: First Black Mayor Elected in New York". Mount Vernon Patch. Retrieved February 27, 2017.
- ↑ Campbell, Cory. “Moss, Harold (1929- )”. Blackpast.org. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ↑ Jones, Carolyn (January 11, 2012). "George Livingston, Richmond's 1st black elected mayor". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ↑ "Society World". Jet. February 19, 1990. p. 38. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑
- ↑ McLaughlin, Lacey "Democrats: The Mayor or the Businessman?" Jackson Free Press July 13, 2011 Retrieved August 21, 2011
- ↑ Fecht, Josh; Stevens, Andrew (November 14, 2007). "Shirley Franklin: Mayor of Atlanta". City Mayors. Retrieved January 27, 2008.
- ↑ Williams, Mike (December 6, 2001). "Two alumni win mayoral elections". Campus Echo. Retrieved June 13, 2014.
- ↑ Donald Adderton (July 15, 2002). "At the RNC with Party Chair Ed Gillespie". Press Register. Retrieved September 23, 2014.
...Brown is proud of being the first African-American female Republican to be elected mayor -- not only in Mississippi, but also the United States -- ...
- ↑ ArkansasMatters.com: "Arkansas Mayoral Runoff Election Results", November 26, 2008
- ↑ Miller, Dave (May 13, 2012). “City owes Hancock thanks for his service”. Killeen Daily Herald. Retrieved June 9, 2017.
- ↑ "Former South Harrison mayor who endured death threats steps down from council", Associated Press via NJ.com, November 10, 2009
- ↑ Rubin, Ann (January 21, 2009). "Festus swears-in first African-American mayor". KSDK News.
- ↑ Rivera, Laura (April 6, 2009). "300 watch as Andrew Hardwick sworn in as Freeport mayor". Newsday. Archived from the original on June 5, 2011. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
- ↑ "Meet Mia Love, Utah’s First African-American Mayor". News One. November 6, 2009.
- ↑ Izadi, Elahe (February 18, 2010). "History maker". The Gazette. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
- ↑ "Acquanetta Warren Becomes Fontana's First Black Mayor". Black Voice News. November 4, 2010.
- ↑ "Alvin Brown makes history, becoming city's first African-American mayor", The Florida Times-Union, May 18, 2011
- ↑ , "Contra Costa Times", December 26, 2012
- ↑ "Taylor makes History", "San Antonio Express News", July 22, 2014
- ↑ Green, Jeff (July 1, 2014). "Death of Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker sends shock waves through Teaneck". Bergen Record (NorthJersey.com). Retrieved April 25, 2016.
- ↑ "PEARSALL CITY COUNCIL". Frio-Nueces Current. May 28, 2015.
- ↑ "Barbara Blain-Bellamy elected new Mayor of Conway". WorldNow and WMBF. November 3, 2015.
- ↑ "2015 Southwest Georgia Election Results". WFXL FOX 31 News. November 3, 2015.
- ↑