List of first African-American mayors

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.

Contents

19th century: 1860s1880s
20th century: 1960s1970s1980s1990s
21st century: 2000s2010s
References

1860s

First African American elected mayor of a U.S. town: Pierre Caliste Landry, Donaldsonville, Louisiana[1]
First African-American mayor of Maryville, Tennessee: W. B. Scott[2]

1880s

First African-American mayor of a predominantly white U.S. town, and of a Western U.S. town: Edward Duplex, Wheatland, California[3]

1960s

First African American mayor of a U.S. city: George D. Carroll, Richmond, California
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
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 Montclair, New Jersey: Matthew G. Carter[4]
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[5]
First African American elected mayor of a Mississippi city: Charles Evers, Fayette, Mississippi[6]

1970s

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[7]
First African-American elected mayor of Salina, Kansas: Robert C. Caldwell[8]
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
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
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[9]
First African American elected mayor of a major Western city: Tom Bradley, Los Angeles, California
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 1973 Mayor Murt Hanks Jr. Of Manhattan, Ks
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
First African American mayor of Richmond, Virginia: Henry L. Marsh[10] (Note: elected from within nine City Council members; changed to general election in 2003)
First African American elected mayor of Oakland, California: Lionel Wilson
First African American elected mayor of New Orleans: Ernest Nathan Morial
First African American elected mayor of Birmingham, Alabama: Richard Arrington, Jr.

1980s

First African American elected Mayor of Camden, New Jersey: Randy Primas[11]
First African American elected mayor of Spokane, Washington: James Everett Chase
First African American appointed mayor of Memphis, Tennessee: J.O. Patterson, Jr.
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
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
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 Baltimore, Maryland: Kurt Schmoke
First African American elected mayor of Hempstead, New York: James A. Garner
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[12]
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

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 [13]
First African American elected Mayor of Seattle, Washington: Norm Rice [14]
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 Kelly
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.
First African American and first woman elected mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota: Sharon Sayles Belton
First African American elected mayor of Dallas, Texas: Ron Kirk
First African American elected mayor of Jeanerette, Louisiana: James "T.K." Alexander Sr.(mayor)
First African American elected mayor of San Francisco, California: Willie Brown
First African American elected mayor of Monroe, Louisiana: Abe E. Pierce, III
First African American elected mayor of Jackson, Mississippi: Harvey Johnson, Jr.
First African American elected mayor of Houston, Texas: Lee P. Brown
First and current African American mayor of Pineville, Louisiana: Clarence R. Fields (became interim mayor late in 1999 and was elected to a partial term in 2000 and reelected to full terms in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014

2000s

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 elected Mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi: Johnny DuPree[15]
First African-American woman mayor of major Southern city, and first woman to be elected mayor of Atlanta, Georgia: Shirley Franklin[16]
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.[17]
First African American elected Mayor of Tchula, Mississippi who was a woman and a Republican: Yvonne Brown[18]
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. (politician)
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
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.[19]
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
First African American elected mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana: Cedric Glover
First African American elected mayor of Anderson, South Carolina: Terence Roberts
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[20]
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[21]
First African-American elected Mayor of Damascus, Georgia : Vivian Pounder
First African American elected mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi: James Young
First African American elected mayor of Freeport, New York: Andrew Hardwick[22]
First African American and first woman elected mayor of Saratoga Springs, Utah, and first African-American woman elected mayor in Utah: Mia Love[23]
First African American and First African American Female Elected Mayor of Brentwood, MD Xzavier Montgomery-Wright http://ww2.gazette.net/stories/02182010/collnew181053_32549.php

2010s

First African-American and first African-American woman elected mayor of Fontana, California: Acquanetta Warren [24]
First African American elected mayor of Columbia, South Carolina: Stephen K. Benjamin
First African American elected mayor of Jacksonville, Florida: Alvin Brown[25]
First African-American Mayor of Ithaca, New York: Svante Myrick
First African-American Mayor of Antioch, California: Wade Harper[26]
First African-American Mayor of Garland, North Carolina: Winifred Hill Murphy
First African American and first woman mayor of Orrville, Alabama: Louvenia Diane Lumpkin
First African-American Mayor of Brunswick, Georgia: Cornell Harvey
First African-American and first African-American woman mayor of San Antonio, TX: Ivy Taylor[27]
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 woman of any municipality in Bergen County, New Jersey: Lizette Parker[28]
First African-American and first African-American woman elected mayor of Pearsall, Texas: Mary Moore [29]
First African-American and first African-American woman elected mayor of Conway, South Carolina: Barbara Blain-Bellamy [30]
First African-American male elected mayor of Camilla, Georgia: Rufus L Davis II [31]

See also

References

  1. Ron Stodghill, "Driving Back Into Louisiana’s History", The New York Times, 25 May 2008, accessed 7 Jul 2008
  2. City of Maryville: "Maryville Historic Timeline"
  3. "African American History American West Timeline", BlackPast.org, accessed 3 Aug 2008
  4. Orel, Gwen (2012-03-22). "Matthew G. Carter, Montclair's first African American mayor, dies at 98". Montclair Times (NorthJersey.com). Retrieved 2012-03-31.
  5. Howard N. Lee, North Carolina Utilities Commission, accessed 25 May 2008
  6. Neil R. McMillen, Dark Journey: Black Mississippians in the Age of Jim Crow, Chicago: University of Illinois, 1990, p.26
  7. " Previous Wichita Mayors 1950-1989" City of Wichita
  8. "Robert C. Caldwell" at the University of Kansas Libraries Kenneth Spencer Research Library
  9. Kestenbaum, Lawrence. "Mayors of Atlanta, Georgia". The Political Graveyard. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
  10. "Explorations in Black Leadership". University of Virginia Institute for Public History. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
  11. O'Brien, Reity (2012-03-04). "Melvin R. "Randy" Primas Jr., Camden's first African American mayor, dies at 62". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2012-03-11.
  12. Jones, Carolyn (2012-01-11). "George Livingston, Richmond's 1st black elected mayor". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2012-01-20.
  13. Jet - Google Books. Books.google.com. 1990-02-19. Retrieved 2012-10-25.
  14. McLaughlin, Lacey "Democrats: The Mayor or the Businessman?" Jackson Free Press July 13, 2011 Retrieved August 21, 2011
  15. Fecht, Josh; Stevens, Andrew (2007-11-14). "Shirley Franklin: Mayor of Atlanta". City Mayors. Retrieved 2008-01-27.
  16. Williams, Mike (2001-12-06). "Two alumni win mayoral elections". Campus Echo. Retrieved 2014-06-13.
  17. Donald Adderton (July 15, 2002). "At the RNC with Party Chair Ed Gillespie". Press Register. Retrieved Sep 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 -- ...
  18. ArkansasMatters.com: "Arkansas Mayoral Runoff Election Results", November 26, 2008
  19. "Former South Harrison mayor who endured death threats steps down from council", Associated Press via NJ.com, November 10, 2009
  20. Rubin, Ann (January 21, 2009). "Festus swears-in first African-American mayor". KSDK News.
  21. 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 2009-11-04.
  22. "Meet Mia Love, Utah’s First African-American Mayor". News One. November 6, 2009.
  23. "Acquanetta Warren Becomes Fontana's First Black Mayor". Black Voice News. November 4, 2010.
  24. "Alvin Brown makes history, becoming city's first African-American mayor", The Florida Times-Union, May 18, 2011
  25. , "Contra Costa Times", December 26, 2012
  26. "Taylor makes History", "San Antonio Express News", July 22nd, 2014
  27. Green, Jeff (2014-07-01). "Death of Teaneck Mayor Lizette Parker sends shock waves through Teaneck". Bergen Record (NorthJersey.com). Retrieved 2016-04-25.
  28. "PEARSALL CITY COUNCIL". Frio-Nueces Current. May 28, 2015.
  29. "Barbara Blain-Bellamy elected new Mayor of Conway". WorldNow and WMBF. November 3, 2015.
  30. "2015 Southwest Georgia Election Results". WFXL FOX 31 News. November 3, 2015.

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