Mayor of San Jose

Mayor of the
City of
San Jose

Flag of San Jose, California
Incumbent
Sam Liccardo

since 2015
Term length Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder Josiah Belden
Formation 1850
Website

The Mayor of San Jose is the head of government of the city of San Jose, California, the tenth-largest city in the United States. The mayor presides over the San Jose City Council, which is composed of 11 voting members, including the mayor. While the mayor is the head of the city council, he or she has no veto powers over legislation passed by the Council, as the city uses a council-manager form of government. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms.

There are 65 people who have served as San Jose's mayor. The current mayor is Democrat Sam Liccardo, who took office in January 2015 and was elected with 50.76% of the popular vote.

List

Popularly elected mayors (1967-present)

Since 1967, San Jose has elected its mayors by a popular vote.[1] Due to state laws regarding primary elections, political parties cannot nominate candidates for mayor, although candidates often choose to identify with a party. All registered candidates, regardless of party affiliation, compete in an vote held in June of the election year. If no person gets over 50% of the popular vote, the top two candidates automatically move to a runoff election.

All elected mayors of San Jose have been members of the Democratic Party. The first elected mayor was Ron James and the first female mayor was Janet Gray Hayes.

Josiah Belden, first mayor of San Jose
Sherman Otis Houghton, fourth mayor of San Jose
Norman Y. Mineta, 59th mayor of San Jose
Ron Gonzales, 63rd mayor of San Jose
Chuck Reed, 64th mayor of San Jose
# Mayor Term start Term end   Party
58 James, RonRon James January 9, 1967 January 9, 1971 Democratic
59 Mineta, NormanNorman Mineta January 9, 1971 January 9, 1975 Democratic
60 Hayes, Janet GrayJanet Gray Hayes January 9, 1975 January 9, 1983 Democratic
61 McEnery, TomTom McEnery January 9, 1983 January 9, 1991 Democratic
62 Hammer, SusanSusan Hammer January 9, 1991 January 1, 1999 Democratic
63 Gonzales, RonRon Gonzales January 1, 1999 January 1, 2007 Democratic
64 Reed, ChuckChuck Reed January 1, 2007 January 1, 2015 Democratic
65 Liccardo, SamSam Liccardo January 1, 2015 incumbent Democratic

Council-elected mayors (1850-1967)

Before 1967, mayors of San Jose were nominated and elected by the San Jose City Council.[2]

  1. Josiah Belden 18501851
  2. Thomas White 18511854
  3. O. H. Allen 18541855
  4. Sherman Otis Houghton 18551856
  5. Lawrence Archer 1856
  6. John M. Murphy 1856
  7. George Givens 18561857
  8. Ranson G. Moody 18571858
  9. Peter O. Minor 18581859
  10. Thomas Fallon 18591860
  11. Richard B. Buckner 18601861
  12. Joseph W. Johnson 18611863
  13. John Alonzo Quinby 18631868
  14. Mark Leavenworth 18681870
  15. Adolph Pfister 18701873
  16. Bernard D. Murphy 18731877
  17. George B. McKee 18771878
  18. Lawrence Archer 18781880
  19. Bernard D. Murphy 18801882
  20. Charles J. Martin 18821884
  21. Campbell Thompson Settle 18841886
  22. Charles W. Breyfogle 18861887
  23. Samuel Watson Boring 18871890
  24. Samuel N. Rucker 18901894
  25. Paul P. Austin 18941896
  26. Valentine Koch 18961898
  27. Charles J. Martin 18981902
  28. George D. Worswick 19021906
  29. Henry D. Mathews 19061908
  30. Charles W. Davison 19081910
  31. Thomas Monahan 19101914
  32. Fred R. Husted 19141916
  33. Elmer E. Chase 19161918 1
  34. Charles M. O'Brian 19181920
  35. Albert C. Jayet 19201922
  36. M. E. Arnerich 19221924
  37. Joseph T. Brooks 19241926
  38. Dan W. Gray 19261928
  39. Fred Doerr 19281930
  40. W. L. Biebrach 19301932
  41. A. M. Meyer 19321934
  42. Charles Bishop 19341936
  43. Richard French 19361938
  44. Clyde L. Fischer 19381940
  45. Harry Young 19401944
  46. Earl Campbell 19441945
  47. Ernest E. Renzel 19451946
  48. Albert J. Ruffo 19461948
  49. Fred Watson 19481950
  50. Clark L. Bradley 19501952
  51. Parker Hathaway 19521954
  52. George Starbird 19541956
  53. Robert Doerr 19561958
  54. Louis Solari 19581960
  55. Paul Moore 19601962
  56. Robert Welch 19621964
  57. Joseph L. Pace 19641967

Other offices held

Many mayors of San Jose have either served in other public offices or been influential in the private sector following their tenures. Norman Y. Mineta subsequently became a congressman, U.S. Secretary of Commerce and U.S. Secretary of Transportation. After his terms, Tom McEnery has served on the Board of Directors of the San Jose Sharks and founded the Irish Innovation Center and Silicon Valley Global, two downtown-based groups that fund and house Silicon Valley startups.

The following is a list of statewide or federal public offices held by mayors before or after their term(s).

Mayor Mayoral term Other offices held
Houghton, Sherman OtisSherman Otis Houghton 1855–1856 U.S. Representative (1871-1875)
United States Mint Commissioner (1881)
Mineta, Norman Y.Norman Y. Mineta 1971-1975 U.S. Secretary of Transportation (2001-2006)
U.S. Secretary of Commerce (2000-2001)
U.S. Representative (1975-1995)

See also

References

Notes

1Elmer E. Chase was the first mayor who was not the city's chief executive; the city moved to a council-manager government corresponding to his election. Chase and all following mayors are simply the president of the city council.

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