List of mayors of Portland, Oregon
Encyclopedia
This is a list of mayors of the city of Portland, Oregon
. Note: under Portland's system of government, members of the City Council (known as Commissioners) have many duties that are typically the domain of a mayor.
The term for mayor of Portland is four years. Mayoral elections are held in May of US presidential election years (years divisible by four), during the Oregon primary election
, with a runoff between the top two vote-getters held in November of the same year should no candidate garner a majority vote in the May election. The mayor-elect takes office the following January.
contains a collection of mounted portraits of all the mayors to date. As of this writing only two Mayors are missing from the Collection; William H. Farrar
(1862–1863) and Hamilton Boyd
(1868–1869).
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
. Note: under Portland's system of government, members of the City Council (known as Commissioners) have many duties that are typically the domain of a mayor.
The term for mayor of Portland is four years. Mayoral elections are held in May of US presidential election years (years divisible by four), during the Oregon primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
, with a runoff between the top two vote-getters held in November of the same year should no candidate garner a majority vote in the May election. The mayor-elect takes office the following January.
- Hugh D. O'BryantHugh O'BryantHugh D. O'Bryant was the first mayor of Portland, Oregon, United States, serving from 1851–1852. He later served as the President of the Oregon Territory’ Council chamber of the legislature, and was a member of Washington Territory’s legislature.-Early life:Hugh O’Bryant was born in 1813 in...
(1851–1852) - Allison C. BonnellAllison C. BonnellAllison C. Bonnell was an American politician and businessman. He was elected as Portland, Oregon's second mayor in 1852, succeeding Hugh O'Bryant. Bonnell then served as the city's recorder in 1853. He owned and operated a lumber mill, using wood. When the mill burnt down in 1856, he moved to...
(1852) - Simon B. MaryeSimon B. MaryeSimon Bolivar Marye was an American politician and lawyer. He served briefly as Portland, Oregon's third mayor in 1852 and 1853, succeeding Allison C. Bonnell.He was an attorney before the Supreme Court of the Territory of Oregon in December 1851...
(1852–1853) - Josiah FailingJosiah FailingJosiah Failing was a businessman and the fourth mayor of Portland, Oregon, United States. Born in New York, he moved to Portland when it was still a small town of a few hundred...
(1853–1854) - William S. LaddWilliam S. LaddWilliam Sargent Ladd was an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He twice served as Portland, Oregon’s mayor in the 1850s. A native of Vermont, he was a prominent figure in the early development of Portland, and co-founded the first bank in the state in 1859...
(1854–1855) - George W. Vaughn (1855–1856)
- James O'Neill (1856–1857)
- William S. LaddWilliam S. LaddWilliam Sargent Ladd was an American politician and businessman in Oregon. He twice served as Portland, Oregon’s mayor in the 1850s. A native of Vermont, he was a prominent figure in the early development of Portland, and co-founded the first bank in the state in 1859...
(1857–1858) - A. M. Starr (1858–1859)
- S. J. McCormick (1859–1860)
- G. Collier Robbins (1860–1861)
- John M. Breck (1861)-1862)
- William H. FarrarWilliam H. FarrarWilliam H. Farrar was an American politician who served as mayor of Portland, Oregon, in 1862. Appointed as Oregon Territorial District Attorney in 1853 by President Franklin Pierce. He served as District Attorney for Oregon from 1853-1859. In 1857 he was a delegate to the Oregon Constitutional...
(1862–1863) - David LoganDavid Logan (Oregon politician)David Logan was an American attorney and politician in the territory of and later state of Oregon. A native of Illinois, he moved to Oregon in 1850 where he served in the Oregon Territorial Legislature and in the Oregon Constitutional Convention...
(1863–1864) - Henry FailingHenry FailingHenry Failing was a banker, and one of the leading businessmen of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He was one of Portland, Oregon's earliest residents, and served as that city's mayor for three two-year terms...
(1864–1865) - T.J. Holmes (1866–1867)
- J. A. Chapman (1867–1868)
- Hamilton BoydHamilton BoydHamilton Boyd was an American politician who served as mayor of Portland, Oregon in 1868-69. He is thought to have come to Portland in 1860, worked as an assistant county clerk, and later worked as an accountant in the Ladd & Tilton bank. He was elected to a two year term as county commissioner...
(1868–1869) - Bernard Goldsmith (1869–1871)
- P. Wasserman (1871–1873)
- Henry FailingHenry FailingHenry Failing was a banker, and one of the leading businessmen of the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He was one of Portland, Oregon's earliest residents, and served as that city's mayor for three two-year terms...
(1873–1875) - J. A. Chapman (1875–1877)
- William Spencer Newbury (1877–1879)
- David P. ThompsonDavid P. ThompsonDavid Preston Thompson was an American businessman and politician in the Pacific Northwest. He was governor of the Idaho Territory from 1875 to 1876. A native of Ohio, he immigrated to the Oregon Territory in 1853...
(1879–1881) - J. A. Chapman (1882–1885)
- John Gates (1885–1888)
- Van B. DeLashmutt (1888–1891)
- William S. Mason (1891–1894)
- George P. Frank (1894–1896)
- Sylvester PennoyerSylvester PennoyerSylvester Pennoyer was an American educator, attorney, and politician in Oregon. He was born in New York, attended Harvard Law School, and moved to Oregon at age 25. A Democrat, he served two terms as the eighth Governor of Oregon from 1886 to 1895. He joined the Populist cause in the early 1890s...
(1896–1898) - William S. Mason (1898–1899)
- W. A. Storey (1899–1900)
- Henry S. Rowe (1900–1902)
- George Henry WilliamsGeorge Henry WilliamsGeorge Henry Williams was an American judge and politician. He served as Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, was the 32nd Attorney General of the United States, and served one term in the United States Senate...
(1902–1905) - Harry LaneHarry LaneHarry Lane was an American physician and politician in the state of Oregon. A native of the state, he worked as the head of the state insane asylum before entering local politics and served as mayor of Portland...
(1905–1909) - Joseph SimonJoseph SimonJoseph Simon was a German-born politician and attorney in the U.S. state of Oregon. He was born in Bechtheim, Germany, and his family immigrated to the United States when he was one year old, settling in Portland, Oregon. A Republican, Simon served on the city council before election to the Oregon...
(1909–1911) - A. G. Rushlight (1911–1913)
- Harry Russell Albee (1913–1917)
- George Luis Baker (1917–1933)
- Joseph K. Carson, Jr.Joseph K. Carson, Jr.Joseph K. Carson, Jr. was a mayor of Portland, Oregon from 1933 to 1941 as well as an attorney and unsuccessful candidate for governor.-Early life:...
(1933–1941) - Earl RileyEarl RileyEarl Riley was an Oregon politician and businessman, and mayor of Portland, Oregon 1941-1949.He was born Robert Earl Riley on February 18, 1890 in Portland, Oregon to Harriett Miranda and Lester N. Riley...
(1941–1949) - Dorothy McCullough LeeDorothy McCullough LeeDorothy McCullough Lee was an American politician and attorney in the state of Oregon. She was the first female mayor of Portland, Oregon.-Early life:...
(1949–1953) - Fred L. PetersonFred L. PetersonFred L. Peterson was an American politician and businessman in the state of Oregon. A native of Minnesota, he grew up in Portland, Oregon, where he served as mayor from 1953 to 1956.-Early life:...
(1953–1956) - Terry Doyle Schrunk (1957–1973)
- Neil GoldschmidtNeil GoldschmidtNeil Edward Goldschmidt is an American businessman and former Democratic politician from Oregon who held local, state, and federal offices over three decades. After serving as the governor of Oregon, Goldschmidt is widely considered the most influential figure in the state's politics, both as an...
(1973–1979) - Connie McCreadyConnie McCreadyConstance "Connie" McCready born Constance Averill is a journalist and politician from Portland, Oregon, in the United States...
(1979–1981) - Francis J. Ivancie (1981–1985)
- J. E. "Bud" Clark (1985–1993)
- Vera KatzVera KatzVera Katz is a Democratic politician in the state of Oregon. She was the first woman to serve as Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives and was the 45th mayor of Portland, Oregon's most populous city. Growing up in New York City, she moved to Portland in 1962 and was elected to the Oregon...
(1993–2005) - Tom PotterTom PotterTom Potter is the former Mayor of the city of Portland, Oregon in the United States. He was elected in 2004, and left office in January 2009. He was succeeded by City Commissioner Sam Adams. Prior to Potter's service as mayor, he was Portland's police chief....
(January 3, 2005 – December 31, 2008) - Sam Adams (January 1, 2009–present)
Portland Mayors' Portraits
The City of Portland Mayor's office, in City HallPortland City Hall (Oregon)
Portland City Hall is the headquarters of city government of Portland, Oregon, United States. The four-story Italian Renaissance-style building houses the offices of the City Council, which consists of the mayor and four commissioners, and several other offices. City Hall is also home to the City...
contains a collection of mounted portraits of all the mayors to date. As of this writing only two Mayors are missing from the Collection; William H. Farrar
William H. Farrar
William H. Farrar was an American politician who served as mayor of Portland, Oregon, in 1862. Appointed as Oregon Territorial District Attorney in 1853 by President Franklin Pierce. He served as District Attorney for Oregon from 1853-1859. In 1857 he was a delegate to the Oregon Constitutional...
(1862–1863) and Hamilton Boyd
Hamilton Boyd
Hamilton Boyd was an American politician who served as mayor of Portland, Oregon in 1868-69. He is thought to have come to Portland in 1860, worked as an assistant county clerk, and later worked as an accountant in the Ladd & Tilton bank. He was elected to a two year term as county commissioner...
(1868–1869).