List of mayors of Philadelphia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current Mayor of Philadelphia is Michael Nutter.
The first mayor of Philadelphia, Humphrey Morrey, was appointed by city founder William Penn. Edward Shippen was appointed by Penn as first mayor under the charter of 1701, then was elected to a second term by the City Council. Subsequent mayors, who held office for one year, were elected by the city council from among their number.
No compensation was paid to the earliest office-holders, and candidates often objected strongly to being selected, sometimes choosing even to pay a fine rather than serve. In 1704 Alderman Griffith Jones was elected but declined to serve, for which he was fined twenty pounds. In 1706, Alderman Thomas Story was fined twenty pounds for refusing office. In 1745, Alderman Abraham Taylor was fined thirty pounds for refusing the mayoralty; Council then elected Joseph Turner, who also refused and was likewise fined.[1] Others who refused election included Richard Hill (1717), Isaac Norris (1722), John Mifflin and Alexander Stedman, while William Coxe pleaded illness (1758), Samuel Mifflin (1761), William Coxe and Daniel Benezet (1762), John Barclay and George Roberts (1792), and Robert Wharton (1811).[2]
In 1747, at the request of retiring Mayor William Attwood, Council resolved to institute an annual salary of 100 pounds for the office.[1] Nevertheless, that same year, Anthony Morris secretly fled to Bucks County to avoid being notified of his election to the mayoralty. When after three days he could not be located, a new election had to be arranged, and Attwood was re-elected to a second term.
From 1845, mayors were elected by popular vote. The length of the term of office was extended to two years in 1854, to three years in 1861, and to four years in 1885. A two-consecutive-term limit was instituted in 1951.
[edit] List of mayors of Philadelphia
| Mayor | Term | Political party |
|---|---|---|
| Humphrey Morrey | 1691-1701 | (appointed by William Penn) |
| Edward Shippen | 1701-1703 | (appointed by Penn to a one-year term, elected by Council to another) |
| Anthony Morris | 1703-1704 | |
| Griffith Jones | 1704-1705 | |
| Joseph Willcox | 1705-1706 | |
| Nathan Stanbury | 1706-1707 | |
| Thomas Masters | 1707-1709 | (two one-year terms) |
| Richard Hill | 1709-1710 | |
| William Carter | 1710-1711 | |
| Samuel Preston | 1711-1712 | |
| Jonathan Dickinson | 1712-1713 | |
| George Roch | 1713-1714 | |
| Richard Hill | 1714-1717 | (three one-year terms) |
| Jonathan Dickinson | 1717-1719 | (two one-year terms) |
| William Fishbourn | 1719-1722 | (three one-year terms) |
| James Logan | 1722-1723 | |
| Clement Plumsted | 1723-1724 | |
| Isaac Norris | 1724-1725 | |
| William Hudson | 1725-1726 | |
| Charles Read | 1726-1727 | |
| Thomas Lawrence (I) | 1727-1729 | (two one-year terms) |
| Thomas Griffitts | 1729-1731 | (two one-year terms) |
| Samuel Hasell | 1731-1733 | (two one-year terms) |
| Thomas Griffitts | 1733-1734 | |
| Thomas Lawrence (I) | 1734-1735 | |
| William Allen | 1735-1736 | |
| Clement Plumsted | 1736-1737 | |
| Thomas Griffitts | 1737-1738 | |
| Anthony Morris | 1738-1739 | |
| Edward Roberts | 1739-1740 | |
| Samuel Hasell | 1740-1741 | |
| Clement Plumsted | 1741-1742 | |
| William Till | 1742-1743 | |
| Benjamin Shoemaker | 1743-1744 | |
| Edward Shippen (II) | 1744-1745 | |
| James Hamilton | 1745-1746 | |
| William Attwood | 1746-1748 | (two one-year terms) |
| Charles Willing | 1748-1749 | |
| Thomas Lawrence (I) | 1749-1750 | |
| William Plumsted | 1750-1751 | |
| Robert Strettell | 1751-1752 | |
| Benjamin Shoemaker | 1752-1753 | |
| Thomas Lawrence (I) | 1753-1754 | |
| Charles Willing | 1754 | (Replaced Thomas Lawrence (I), deceased) |
| William Plumsted | 1754-1756 | (Replaced Charles Willing, deceased) (two one-year terms) |
| Attwood Shute | 1756-1758 | (two one-year terms) |
| Thomas Lawrence (II) | 1758-1759 | |
| John Stamper | 1759-1760 | |
| Benjamin Shoemaker | 1760-1761 | |
| Jacob Duché, Sr. | 1761-1762 | |
| Henry Harrison | 1762-1763 | |
| Thomas Willing | 1763-1764 | |
| Thomas Lawrence (II) | 1764-1765 | |
| John Lawrence | 1765-1767 | (two one-year terms) |
| Isaac Jones | 1767-1769 | (two one-year terms) |
| Samuel Shoemaker | 1769-1771 | (two one-year terms) |
| John Gibson | 1771-1773 | (two one-year terms) |
| William Fisher | 1773-1774 | |
| Samuel Rhoads | 1774-1775 | |
| Samuel Powel | 1775-1776 | |
| (vacant) | 1776-1789 | |
| Samuel Powel | 1789-1790 | |
| Samuel Miles | 1790-1791 | |
| John Barclay | 1791-1792 | |
| Matthew Clarkson | 1792-1796 | |
| Hilary Baker | 1796-1798 | |
| Robert Wharton | 1798-1800 | |
| John Inskeep | 1800-1801 | |
| Matthew Lawler | 1801-1805 | |
| John Inskeep | 1805-1806 | |
| Robert Wharton | 1806-1807 | |
| John Barker | 1807-1810 | |
| Robert Wharton | 1810-1811 | |
| Michael Keppele | 1811-1812 | |
| John Barker | 1812-1813 | |
| John Geyer | 1813-1814 | |
| Robert Wharton | 1814-1819 | |
| James Nelson Barker | 1819-1820 | |
| Robert Wharton | 1820-1824 | |
| Joseph Watson | 1824-1828 | |
| George Mifflin Dallas | 1828-1829 | |
| Benjamin Wood Richards | 1829 | |
| William Milnor | 1829-1830 | |
| Benjamin Wood Richards | 1830-1831 | |
| John Swift | 1832-1838 | |
| Isaac Roach | 1838-1839 | |
| John Swift | 1839-1841 | |
| John Morin Scott | 1841-1844 | Whig |
| Peter McCall | 1844-1845 | |
| John Swift | 1845-1849 | Whig (1st popularly elected) |
| Joel Jones | 1849-1850 | |
| Charles Gilpin | 1850-1854 | Whig |
| Robert Thomas Conrad | 1854-1856 | Whig |
| Richard Vaux | 1856-1858 | Democratic |
| Alexander Henry | 1858-1866 | People's; Republican |
| Morton McMichael | 1866-1869 | Republican |
| Daniel Fox | 1869-1872 | Democratic |
| William Strumberg Stokley | 1872-1881 | Republican |
| Samuel George King | 1881-1884 | |
| William Burns Smith | 1884-1887 | Republican |
| Edwin Henry Fitler | 1887-1891 | Republican |
| Edwin Sydney Stuart | 1891-1895 | Republican |
| Charles Franklin Warwick | 1895-1899 | Republican |
| Samuel Howell Ashbridge | 1899-1903 | Republican |
| John Weaver | 1903-1907 | Republican |
| John E. Reyburn | 1907-1911 | Republican |
| Rudolph Blankenburg | 1911-1916 | Republican elected on Democratic ticket |
| Thomas B. Smith | 1916-1920 | Republican |
| J. Hampton Moore | 1920-1924 | Republican |
| W. Freeland Kendrick | 1924-1928 | Republican |
| Harry Arista Mackey | 1928-1931 | Republican |
| J. Hampton Moore | 1932-1936 | Republican |
| Samuel Davis Wilson | 1936-1939 | Republican |
| George Connell | 1939-1940 | Acting mayor for the balance of Wilson's term after Wilson's death. |
| Robert Eneas Lamberton | January 1, 1940-August 22, 1941 | Republican |
| Bernard Samuel | August 22, 1941-January 7, 1952 | Republican |
| Joseph S. Clark Jr. | January 7, 1952-January 2, 1956 | Democratic |
| Richardson Dilworth | January 2, 1956-February 12, 1962 | Democratic (elected to two four-year terms, resigned) |
| James Hugh Joseph Tate | February 12, 1962-January 3, 1972 | Democratic (succeeded Dilworth, resigned; elected to two four-year terms) |
| Frank L. Rizzo | January 3, 1972-January 7, 1980 | Democratic (two four-year terms) |
| William J. Green III | January 7, 1980-January 2, 1984 | Democratic |
| W. Wilson Goode | January 2, 1984-January 6, 1992 | Democratic (two four-year terms) |
| Edward G. Rendell | January 6, 1992-December 21, 1999 | Democratic (elected to two four-year terms, resigned) |
| John F. Street | December 21, 1999-January 7, 2008 | Democratic (succeeded Rendell, resigned; elected to two four-year terms) |
| Michael Nutter | January 7, 2008-present | Democratic (incumbent) |
[edit] References
- ^ a b John Thomas Scharf, Thompson Westcott, History of Philadelphia, 1609-1884, Lippincott, Phila., 1884.
- ^ Committee of Seventy's Historical List of Philadelphia Mayors
|
|||||||
|
|||||||
