List of mayors of Birmingham, Alabama
Encyclopedia
This is a list of mayors, or persons holding the equivalent office, of Birmingham, Alabama
.
The office of mayor
was established with the incorporation of Birmingham in 1871. Robert Henley was appointed by Governor, Robert B. Lindsay
to a two-year term. Until 1910, the Mayor presided over an ever-expanding Board of Aldermen who generally campaigned on the same ticket. Progressive reformers lobbied for a change in the form of government that year, resulting in the creation of a five-member Board of Commissioners (later reduced to three members). The President of the Commission, though not formally holding the title, was widely acknowledged as "Mayor" under that system.
In 1963, as part of another progressive effort, this time to unseat Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor
, the form of government was again changed by referendum. Reorganized under Alabama's Mayor Council Act of 1955, the city government consisted of a Mayor and nine at-large City Council representatives. Changing demographics in the city's electorate led to the election of Birmingham's first African-American mayor, Richard Arrington Jr.
, in 1979.
In 1989 a change was made to elect council members by district, with 4-year terms coming at the mid-point of the mayoral term (allowing sitting council members to campaign for the mayoral office without having to resign their seats).
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
The office of mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
was established with the incorporation of Birmingham in 1871. Robert Henley was appointed by Governor, Robert B. Lindsay
Robert B. Lindsay
Robert Burns Lindsay was the 22nd Governor of the U.S. state of Alabama from 1870 to 1872....
to a two-year term. Until 1910, the Mayor presided over an ever-expanding Board of Aldermen who generally campaigned on the same ticket. Progressive reformers lobbied for a change in the form of government that year, resulting in the creation of a five-member Board of Commissioners (later reduced to three members). The President of the Commission, though not formally holding the title, was widely acknowledged as "Mayor" under that system.
In 1963, as part of another progressive effort, this time to unseat Public Safety Commissioner Bull Connor
Bull Connor
Theophilus Eugene "Bull" Connor was the Commissioner of Public Safety for the city of Birmingham, Alabama, during the American Civil Rights Movement...
, the form of government was again changed by referendum. Reorganized under Alabama's Mayor Council Act of 1955, the city government consisted of a Mayor and nine at-large City Council representatives. Changing demographics in the city's electorate led to the election of Birmingham's first African-American mayor, Richard Arrington Jr.
Richard Arrington Jr.
Richard Arrington Jr. was the first African American mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama , serving 20 years, from 1979 to 1999. He replaced David Vann and, upon retiring after five terms in office, installed then-City Council president William A. Bell as interim mayor...
, in 1979.
In 1989 a change was made to elect council members by district, with 4-year terms coming at the mid-point of the mayoral term (allowing sitting council members to campaign for the mayoral office without having to resign their seats).
List
- Robert Henley, (Mayor 1871-1872)
- W. J. McDonald (Acting Mayor after Henley's death 1872)
- Thomas Tate (Interim Mayor 1872)
- James Robert Powell, (Mayor 1873-1875)
- William Harrington Morris, (Mayor 1875-1878)
- Henry M. Caldwell, (Mayor 1878)
- Thomas Jeffers, (Mayor 1878-1882)
- A. O. Lane, (Mayor 1882-1888, 1890–1892)
- B. A. Thompson, (Mayor 1888-1890)
- David J. Fox, (Mayor 1892-1894)
- James A. Van Hoose, (Mayor 1894-1896)
- Frank V. Evans, (Mayor 1896-1899)
- Mel Drennen, (Mayor 1899-1905)
- George B. WardGeorge B. WardGeorge B. Ward was the 13th Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama and the owner of the exotic "Vestavia" estate which gives Vestavia Hills, Alabama its name.-Early life:...
, (Mayor 1905-1908, President of the Commission 1913-1917) - Frank P. O'Brien, (Mayor 1908-1910)
- Culpepper Exum, (Mayor 1910-1913, President of the Commission 1913)
- Nathaniel. A. Barrett, (President of the Commission 1917-1921)
- David E. McClendon, (President of the Commission 1921-1925)
- James M. Jones, Jr., (President of the Commission 1925-1940)
- Cooper Green, (President of the Commission 1940-1953)
- James W. Morgan, (President of the Commission 1953-1961)
- Art HanesArt HanesArthur J. Hanes served as mayor of Birmingham, Alabama between 1961 and 1963, a tumultuous time that saw the city become a focal point in the burgeoning African-American Civil Rights Movement...
, (President of the Commission 1961-1963) - Albert BoutwellAlbert BoutwellAlbert Burton Boutwell was the 19th Lieutenant Governor of Alabama. A Democrat, Boutwell served Governor John Malcolm Patterson of the same political party, from 1959-1963....
, (Mayor 1963-1967) - George G. Siebels, Jr.George G. Siebels, Jr.George G. Seibels, Jr., the first Republican Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama, was born in 1913 in Coronado, California. He was the son of Rear Admiral George G...
, (Mayor 1967-1975) - David VannDavid VannDavid Johnson Vann was mayor of Birmingham, Alabama.Vann was born in Randolph County, Alabama. He graduated from the University of Alabama in 1950, and from the University's law school in 1951. He served as clerk to United States Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black, and was present in the courtroom...
, (Mayor 1975-1979) - Richard Arrington Jr.Richard Arrington Jr.Richard Arrington Jr. was the first African American mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama , serving 20 years, from 1979 to 1999. He replaced David Vann and, upon retiring after five terms in office, installed then-City Council president William A. Bell as interim mayor...
, (Mayor 1979-1999)- William A. BellWilliam A. BellWilliam A. Bell, Sr. became Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama in 2010. Bell previously held the office on an interim basis in 1999.-References:...
, (Interim Mayor 1999)
- William A. Bell
- Bernard KincaidBernard KincaidBernard Kincaid is the former Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama USA, elected in 1999. In 2007 he was defeated in a bid for re-election, pulling only 8% of votes in a race won by Jefferson County Commission President Larry Langford....
, (Mayor 1999-2007) - Larry LangfordLarry LangfordLarry Paul Langford is the former mayor of the city of Birmingham, Alabama. He previously served on the Jefferson County, Alabama, Commission, including four years as the first African American commission president. He also served as mayor of Fairfield, Alabama, and served one term on the...
, (Mayor 2007 - 2009)- Carole SmithermanCarole SmithermanCarole Catlin Smitherman is a Birmingham City Councilor. Smitherman served briefly in 2009 as the 31st Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama....
, (Acting Mayor October–November 2009) - Roderick RoyalRoderick RoyalRoderick V. Royal is the President of the Birmingham City Council.Royal served for two months as the 32nd Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama occupying the office in the absence of former mayor Larry Langford who was removed following a criminal conviction in a federal corruption case...
, (Acting Mayor November 2009-January 2010)
- Carole Smitherman
- William A. BellWilliam A. BellWilliam A. Bell, Sr. became Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama in 2010. Bell previously held the office on an interim basis in 1999.-References:...
, (Mayor January 2010–present)
External links
- City of Birmingham, Alabama official website
- Mayor of Birmingham at Bhamwiki.com