List of mayors of Raleigh, North Carolina
Encyclopedia
This is a list of Mayors of Raleigh since the creation of the office in 1857. The Mayor is the head of a council-manager system of government for Raleigh
, North Carolina
. The office was created in 1857, when a new charter was established for the city to replace the original 1795 charter.
). The first person to hold the office was John Haywood
. He was elected by the city board of commissioners (who were themselves appointed by the North Carolina General Assembly
). Starting in 1803, intendants were elected annually by all land-owning free men, including free African-Americans.
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
. The office was created in 1857, when a new charter was established for the city to replace the original 1795 charter.
List of mayors
- William Dallas Haywood (first time), 1857-58
- William H. Harrison (first time), 1858-67
- William Dallas Haywood (second time), 1867-68
- William H. Harrison (second time), 1868-72
- Wesley Whitaker, 1872-74
- Joseph W. HoldenJoseph W. HoldenJoseph W. Holden was a North Carolina politician in the nineteenth century. He was the son of William Woods Holden.During the American Civil War, Holden served in the Confederate States Army and was captured by Union forces at Roanoke Island...
, 1874-75 - John C. Gorman, 1875
- Joseph Henry Separk, 1875
- Basil C. Manly, 1875-82
- W. H. Dodd, 1882-87
- Alfred A. Thompson, 1887-91
- Thomas BadgerThomas BadgerThomas Badger was an artist in Boston, Massachusetts in the 19th-century. He specialized in portraits.-Biography:Thomas Badger trained with John Ritto Penniman.Portrait subjects included:* John Abbot* William Allen, of Bowdoin College...
, 1891-95 - William M. Russ, 1895-98
- A. M. Powell, 1898-1905
- James I. Johnson (first time), 1905-09
- J. S. Wynne, 1909-11
- James I. Johnson (second time), 1911-19
- T. B. Eldridge, 1919-23
- E. E. Culbreth, 1923-31
- George A. Iseley, 1931-39
- Graham H. Andrews, 1939-47
- P. D. Snipes, 1947-51
- J. E. Briggs, 1951-53
- Fred B. Wheeler, 1953-57
- William G. EnloeWilliam G. EnloeWilliam Gillmore Enloe was the Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1957-1963. Enloe was a member of the Democratic Party. William G. Enloe High School, the first integrated public high school in Raleigh, was named after him. He was mayor when the school opened in 1962.As mayor, Enloe dealt with...
, 1957-63 - James W. Reid, 1963-65
- Travis H. TomlinsonTravis H. TomlinsonTravis "Tommy Tomlinson" was mayor of Raleigh from 1965-1969.Mr. Tomlinson was married to Margaret Waddell Tomlinson and had two sons Travis H. Tomlinson Jr and William Parker Tomlinson.Entrepreneurship...
, 1965-69 - Seby B. JonesSeby B. JonesSeby B. Jones was a businessman who served as mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina for one term . He was born on a farm in Franklin County....
, 1969-71 - Thomas W. Bradshaw, 1971-73
- Clarence LightnerClarence LightnerClarence Everett Lightner was the first popularly elected Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina and the first African American elected mayor of a metropolitan Southern city...
, 1973-75 - Jyles J. Coggins, 1975-77
- Isabella CannonIsabella CannonIsabella Walton Cannon was the first female mayor of a capital city in the United States. At the age of 73, she defeated the incumbent Mayor of Raleigh, Jyles Coggins, during the election of 1977. Known as “the little old lady in tennis shoes,” she served one term as mayor of Raleigh until 1979...
, 1977-79 - G. Smedes York, 1979-83
- Avery C. UpchurchAvery C. UpchurchAvery C. Upchurch was Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1983 to 1993. His term in office was the longest of any mayor of Raleigh in the 20th century and corresponded to a period of rapid growth of the city....
, 1983-93 - Tom FetzerTom FetzerThomas Harrison Fetzer served three two-year terms as Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from December 1993 to December 1999...
, 1993-99 - Paul CoblePaul CoblePaul Y. Coble served one term as Mayor of Raleigh from December 1999 to December 2001. In November 2006, Coble was elected to the Wake County Board of Commissioners and became Chairman of the board in December 2010. In 2011, Coble announced that he would run for the U.S...
, 1999-2001 - Charles MeekerCharles MeekerCharles Carpenter Meeker is the Democratic mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. He was first elected in 2001 over Republican Paul Coble, and reelected for a fifth two-year term in 2009. A fifth term tied Meeker with Avery C. Upchurch as Raleigh's longest-serving mayor...
, 2001-present
Intendants of Police
Under Raleigh's original 1795 charter, the equivalent of a mayor was called the "Intendant of Police" (a title borrowed from FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
). The first person to hold the office was John Haywood
John Haywood
John Haywood was an American politician, who was the longest-serving North Carolina State Treasurer .-Career:Haywood began public service in 1781 as clerk of the State Senate, and held this office for five years, after which...
. He was elected by the city board of commissioners (who were themselves appointed by the North Carolina General Assembly
North Carolina General Assembly
The North Carolina General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of North Carolina. The General Assembly drafts and legislates the state laws of North Carolina, also known as the General Statutes...
). Starting in 1803, intendants were elected annually by all land-owning free men, including free African-Americans.
- John HaywoodJohn HaywoodJohn Haywood was an American politician, who was the longest-serving North Carolina State Treasurer .-Career:Haywood began public service in 1781 as clerk of the State Senate, and held this office for five years, after which...
(1795-c. 1803) - William WhiteWilliam White (Secretary of State)William White is legit:For other people of the same name, see William White.William White was the second North Carolina Secretary of State, serving from 1798 until 1811....
(1803-1806) - William Hill (1806-1807)
- Dr. Calvin JonesCalvin Jones (physician)Calvin Jones was a North Carolina physician and was among the group of founders of the North Carolina Medical Society. He served from 1802 to 1832 as a trustee of the University of North Carolina...
(1807-?) - John Marshall
- Jonathan S. Robeteau
- Sterling Yancey
- Joseph Gales, Sr.Joseph Gales, Sr.Joseph Gales was a journalist, newspaper publisher and political figure. He was the father of the younger Joseph Gales.-Life in Britain:...
(1819-1833; 1840-1841) - Weston R. Gales
- William C. Carrington
- Thomas LoringThomas LoringThomas Loring was an early settler of Hingham and Hull, Massachusetts. He was present at some of the key moments in the earliest history of Hingham, Massachusetts...