The Mayor of the City of St. Louis is the chief executive officer of St. Louis

St. Louis, Missouri

St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...

' city government. The mayor

Mayor

In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....

 has a duty to enforce city ordinances

Bylaw

By-law can refer to a law of local or limited application passed under the authority of a higher law specifying what things may be regulated by the by-law...

 and the power to either approve or veto

Veto

A veto, Latin for "I forbid", is the power of an officer of the state to unilaterally stop an official action, especially enactment of a piece of legislation...

 city ordinances passed by the board of alderman

Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis

The Board of Aldermen, is the municipal legislature of the independent City of St. Louis, Missouri.-Composition:It consists of 28 aldermen from each of the city's wards...

.

Forty-five individuals have held the office of mayor of St. Louis, four of whom—William Carr Lane

William Carr Lane

William Carr Lane was a doctor and the first Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1823 to 1829 and 1837 to 1840...

, John Fletcher Darby

John Fletcher Darby

John Fletcher Darby was a U.S. Representative from Missouri and the fourth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Darby was born in Person County, North Carolina. He moved with his father to Missouri in 1818, where he worked on a farm, before moving to Frankfort, Kentucky in 1825...

, John Wimer

John Wimer

John M. Wimer was the seventh person to serve as mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Born in Amherst County, Virginia, he came west in 1828, initially a blacksmith in St. Louis....

, and John How

John How

John How was the fourteenth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1844 to 1846 and 1856 to 1857.- References :* at Find A Grave.-External links:* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....

—served non-consecutive terms. The most terms served by a mayor was by Lane who served 8 full terms plus the unexpired term of Darby. The longest serving mayor was Henry Kiel

Henry Kiel

Henry W. Kiel was the thirty-second Mayor of Saint Louis, serving from 1913 to 1925.Kiel grew up in St. Louis and attended St. Louis Public Schools and the Smith Academy. His family worked in the construction industry, and Kiel learned the bricklayer's trade from his father...

 who took office April 15, 1913 and left office April 21, 1925, a total of 12 years and 9 days over three terms in office. Two others—Raymond Tucker

Raymond Tucker

Raymond Tucker was the thirty-eighth Mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1953 to 1965.- Personal life and early career :...

, and Vincent C. Schoemehl

Vincent C. Schoemehl

Vincent C. Schoemehl, Jr. was the 42nd mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving three terms from 1981 to 1993. At the time of his first election, he was one of the City's youngest mayors. Schoemehl is remembered for his leadership in the areas of historic preservation and urban design...

—also served three terms as mayor, but served seven fewer days. The shortest serving mayor was Arthur Barret

Arthur Barret

Arthur B. Barret was the twenty-second mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, but died from an illness only 11 days after taking office....

 who died 11 days after taking office. The current mayor is Francis G. Slay

Francis G. Slay

Francis G. Slay is the forty-fifth mayor of St. Louis .- Education and early career :...

, who took office April 17, 2001. His third term will expire April 16, 2013.

Duties and Powers

St. Louis was incorporated as a city on December 9, 1822, shortly following the state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Missouri's

Missouri

Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...

 admission to the Union four months prior. In accordance with its new charter, the city changed its governance to a mayor-council

Mayor-council government

The mayor–council government system, sometimes called the mayor–commission government system, is one of the two most common forms of local government for municipalities...

 format and elected its first mayor, William Carr Lane, April 7, 1823.

Elections

The mayor elected for four years during the general municipal election which is held every two years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April. Primary elections are held in March prior to the general municipal election. The mayor is usually sworn during the first session of the Board of Alderman two weeks after the election. The next election for mayor will be in 2013.

Under the original city charter

Municipal charter

A city charter or town charter is a legal document establishing a municipality such as a city or town. The concept developed in Europe during the middle ages....

, the mayor was elected to a one-year term. The mayor served a two-year term after the adoption of a new city charter in 1859. The mayor's office was extended to its present four-year term after passage of the Charter and Scheme in 1876 which separated the City of St. Louis from St. Louis County

St. Louis County, Missouri

St. Louis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Its county seat is Clayton. St. Louis County is part of the St. Louis Metro Area wherein the independent City of St. Louis and its suburbs in St. Louis County, as well as the surrounding counties in both Missouri and Illinois all...

. The mayor is not term limited.

Succession

If the office of mayor becomes vacant through death, resignation, recall, or removal by the board of alderman, the president of the board of alderman becomes mayor until a special mayoral election can be held; if the office is only temporarily vacant due to disability of the mayor, the president only acts out the duties of mayor. Should both offices be vacant, the vice-president of the board of alderman becomes mayor.

Five people have acted as mayor: Wilson Primm following the resignation of John Darby; Ferdinand W. Cronenbold following the resignation of Chauncey Filley; Herman Rechtien following the death of Arthur Barret; George W. Allen following the resignation of David Francis; Aloys P. Kaufmann following the death of William Becker.

List of Mayors and Gallery

#	Mayor	Took office	Left office		Party
1	William Carr Lane William Carr Lane William Carr Lane was a doctor and the first Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1823 to 1829 and 1837 to 1840...				Independent Independent (politician) In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...	6
2	Daniel Page Daniel Page Daniel D. Page was the second mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, United States.Daniel Page was born in Parsonsfield, Maine in 1790. At the age of fifteen, he moved to Portland, Maine where he learned to be a baker, later setting up his own shop in Boston, Massachusetts. In Boston, he met and married...				Independent	4½
3	John W. Johnson John W. Johnson John W. Johnson was the third mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1833 to 1835. He was elected mayor on November 9, 1833.- External links :* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Whig Whig Party (United States) The Whig Party was a political party of the United States during the era of Jacksonian democracy. Considered integral to the Second Party System and operating from the early 1830s to the mid-1850s, the party was formed in opposition to the policies of President Andrew Jackson and his Democratic...	1½
4	John Fletcher Darby John Fletcher Darby John Fletcher Darby was a U.S. Representative from Missouri and the fourth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Darby was born in Person County, North Carolina. He moved with his father to Missouri in 1818, where he worked on a farm, before moving to Frankfort, Kentucky in 1825...				Whig	2½
—	Wilson Primm				Whig	—
1	William Carr Lane				Whig	2½
4	John Fletcher Darby				Whig	1
5	John D. Daggett John D. Daggett John D. Dagget was the fifth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1841 to 1842.- External links :* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Whig	1
6	George Maguire George Maguire (politician) George Maguire was born in Omagh, Ireland, 1796, died 1882. George Maguire was the first foreign-born mayor and first Democrat to be elected mayor of St. Louis, Missouri .-External links:...				Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...	1
7	John Wimer John Wimer John M. Wimer was the seventh person to serve as mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Born in Amherst County, Virginia, he came west in 1828, initially a blacksmith in St. Louis....				Democratic/Workingmen's	1
8	Bernard Pratte Bernard Pratte Bernard Pratte was the eighth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving between 1844 and 1846.- External links :* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Whig	2
9	Peter G. Camden Peter G. Camden Peter G. Camden was the ninth mayor of Saint Louis, Missouri serving from 1846 - 1847. He was a member of the American Party.-References:...				Know Nothing Know Nothing The Know Nothing was a movement by the nativist American political faction of the 1840s and 1850s. It was empowered by popular fears that the country was being overwhelmed by German and Irish Catholic immigrants, who were often regarded as hostile to Anglo-Saxon Protestant values and controlled by...	1
10	Bryan Mullanphy Bryan Mullanphy Bryan Mullanphy was the tenth Mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1847 to 1848....				Democratic	1
11	John Krum John Krum John M. Krum was the eleventh mayor of St. Louis, Missouri and the first mayor of Alton, Illinois.In 1860 he was the chairman of the Credentials Committee at the Democratic National Convention held in Charleston, S.C. and Baltimore, Md.....				Democratic	1
12	James G. Barry James G. Barry James G. Barry was an Irish-born mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.He served as a Democrat from 1849 to 1850.-External links:*...				Democratic	1
13	Luther Martin Kennett Luther Martin Kennett Luther Martin Kennett was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.Born in Falmouth, Kentucky, Kennett attended private schools.Deputy county clerk of Pendleton County in 1822 and 1823 and of Campbell County, Kentucky, in 1824....				Whig	3
14	John How John How John How was the fourteenth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1844 to 1846 and 1856 to 1857.- References :* at Find A Grave.-External links:* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Democratic	2
15	Washington King Washington King Washington King was the fifteenth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1855 to 1856.- External links :* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Know Nothing	1
14	John How				Democratic	1
7	John Wimer				Emancipation	1
16	Oliver Filley Oliver Filley Oliver D. Filley was the sixteenth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1858 to 1861.-External links:* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...	2
17	Daniel G. Taylor Daniel G. Taylor Daniel G. Taylor was the seventeenth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1861 to 1863.-External links:* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Union Anti-Black Republican	1
18	Chauncey Filley Chauncey Filley Chauncey I. Filley was the eighteenth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri. He resigned from office due to illness after serving only one year of his two-year term.-External links:...				Republican	½
—	Ferdinand W. Cronenbold					—
19	James Thomas James S. Thomas (Mayor) James S. Thomas was the 19th mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Thomas served as mayor from 1864 to 1869. He was a Republican.- External links :**...				Republican	2½
20	Nathan Cole Nathan Cole Nathan Cole was a nineteenth century politician, merchant and businessman from Missouri.Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Cole attended common schools as a child and later took a partial course at Shurtleff College. He engaged in mercantile pursuits in St...				Republican	1
21	Joseph Brown Joseph Brown (Missouri politician) Joseph Brown was mayor of Alton, Illinois, serving from 1856 to 1857, and the twenty-first mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1871 to 1875.-External links:* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website...				War Democrat War Democrats War Democrats in American politics of the 1860s were adherents of the Democratic Party who rejected the Copperheads/Peace Democrats who controlled the party...	2
22	Arthur Barret Arthur Barret Arthur B. Barret was the twenty-second mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, but died from an illness only 11 days after taking office....				Democratic	⅓
—	Herman Rechtien					—
23	James H. Britton James H. Britton James H. Britton was the twenty-third mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Britton was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia on July 11, 1817. In 1840, Britton moved to Troy, Missouri where he opened a general store. He first became involved in Missouri politics when he became Secretary of the Senate of...				Democratic	⅓
24	Henry Overstolz Henry Overstolz Henry C. Overstolz was the twenty-fourth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1876 to 1881.Overstolz was born in Munster, Germany and moved to St. Louis in 1846, where he entered the merchandising business. He quickly involved himself in the city's government and, in 1847, was elected to...				Independent	1⅓
25	William L. Ewing William L. Ewing William L. Ewing was the twenty-fifth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1881 to 1885.- External links :* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Republican	1
26	David R. Francis David R. Francis David Rowland Francis was an American politician. He served in various positions including Mayor of Saint Louis, the 27th Governor of Missouri, and United States Secretary of the Interior. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Russia between 1916 and 1917, during the Russian Revolution of 1917...				Democratic	1
—	George W. Allen				Democratic	—
27	Edward A. Noonan Edward A. Noonan Edward A. Noonan was the twenty-seventh mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, USA, serving from 1889 to 1893.-External links:* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Democratic	1
28	Cyrus Walbridge Cyrus Walbridge Cyrus Packard Walbridge was the twenty-eighth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1893 to 1897.-External links:* at the St. Louis Public Library: St. Louis Mayors website....				Republican	1
29	Henry Ziegenhein				Republican	1
30	Rolla Wells Rolla Wells Rolla Wells , also called "Rollo", was an American politician. He served two terms as Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, was named an officer of the Democratic National Committee in the 1912 Wilson campaign, and served as Governor of the St. Louis branch of the Federal Reserve Bank.- Biography :Born in...				Democratic	2
31	Frederick Kreismann Frederick Kreismann Frederick H. Kreismann was an American politician who served as mayor of St. Louis, Missouri from 1909 to 1913. He was a Republican.-Education and background:...				Republican	1
32	Henry Kiel Henry Kiel Henry W. Kiel was the thirty-second Mayor of Saint Louis, serving from 1913 to 1925.Kiel grew up in St. Louis and attended St. Louis Public Schools and the Smith Academy. His family worked in the construction industry, and Kiel learned the bricklayer's trade from his father...				Republican	3
33	Victor J. Miller Victor J. Miller Victor J. Miller was the thirty-third Mayor of Saint Louis, serving from 1925 to 1933....				Republican	2
34	Bernard F. Dickmann Bernard F. Dickmann Bernard Francis Dickmann was the thirty-fourth mayor of St. Louis .-Biography:...				Democratic	2
35	William D. Becker William D. Becker William Dee Becker was the thirty-fifth Mayor of St. Louis, from 1941 to 1943....				Republican	½
36	Aloys P. Kaufmann Aloys P. Kaufmann Aloys P. Kaufmann was the thirty-sixth Mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1943 to 1949....				Republican	1½
37	Joseph Darst Joseph Darst Joseph M. Darst was the thirty-seventh Mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1949 to 1953....				Democratic	1
38	Raymond Tucker Raymond Tucker Raymond Tucker was the thirty-eighth Mayor of St. Louis, serving from 1953 to 1965.- Personal life and early career :...				Democratic	3
39	Alfonso Cervantes				Democratic	2
40	John Poelker John Poelker John Henry Poelker was mayor of St. Louis from 1973 to 1977. He was a Democrat.John H. Poelker served 10 years as comptroller prior to his one term as Mayor. He began his political career in 1953 when he became the city's youngest assessor...				Democratic	1
41	James F. Conway				Democratic	1
42	Vincent C. Schoemehl Vincent C. Schoemehl Vincent C. Schoemehl, Jr. was the 42nd mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving three terms from 1981 to 1993. At the time of his first election, he was one of the City's youngest mayors. Schoemehl is remembered for his leadership in the areas of historic preservation and urban design...				Democratic	3
43	Freeman Bosley, Jr. Freeman Bosley, Jr. Freeman R. Bosley Jr. was the forty-third mayor of St. Louis , and the city's first African-American mayor.-Early life and education:...				Democratic	1
44	Clarence Harmon Clarence Harmon Clarence Harmon was the forty-fourth mayor of St. Louis , and the city's second African-American mayor.Prior to serving as Mayor, Harmon had served as St. Louis Police Department police chief. He defeated incumbent Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr. in the Democratic Primary in 1997 and went on to win...				Democratic	1
45	Francis G. Slay Francis G. Slay Francis G. Slay is the forty-fifth mayor of St. Louis .- Education and early career :...		Incumbent		Democratic	3

Other high offices held

This is a table of governorships, congressional and other federal offices, and ranking diplomatic positions in foreign countries held by St. Louis mayors. All representatives and senators mentioned represented Missouri.

Mayor	Mayoral term	Other offices held	Sources
William Carr Lane William Carr Lane William Carr Lane was a doctor and the first Mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving from 1823 to 1829 and 1837 to 1840...	1823–1829 1837–1840	Missouri State Representative (1826-1828, 1830-1834) Governor of New Mexico Territory (1852–1853)
John Fletcher Darby John Fletcher Darby John Fletcher Darby was a U.S. Representative from Missouri and the fourth mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Darby was born in Person County, North Carolina. He moved with his father to Missouri in 1818, where he worked on a farm, before moving to Frankfort, Kentucky in 1825...	1835–1837 1840–1841	Missouri State Senator (1838–1840) U.S. Representative United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...  (1851–1853)
Luther Martin Kennett Luther Martin Kennett Luther Martin Kennett was a U.S. Representative from Missouri.Born in Falmouth, Kentucky, Kennett attended private schools.Deputy county clerk of Pendleton County in 1822 and 1823 and of Campbell County, Kentucky, in 1824....	1850–1853	U.S. Representative (1855–1857)
Nathan Cole Nathan Cole Nathan Cole was a nineteenth century politician, merchant and businessman from Missouri.Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Cole attended common schools as a child and later took a partial course at Shurtleff College. He engaged in mercantile pursuits in St...	1869–1871	U.S. Representative (1877–1879)
Joseph Brown Joseph Brown Joseph Brown may refer to:*Joseph Brown , artist, wood carver*Joseph Brown , actor and theater professor known as Victor Millan*Joseph Brown , Australian artist and collector...	1871–1875	Missouri State Senator (1868–1871)
James H. Britton James H. Britton James H. Britton was the twenty-third mayor of St. Louis, Missouri.Britton was born in Shenandoah County, Virginia on July 11, 1817. In 1840, Britton moved to Troy, Missouri where he opened a general store. He first became involved in Missouri politics when he became Secretary of the Senate of...	1875–1876	Missouri State Representative (1852–1856)
David R. Francis David R. Francis David Rowland Francis was an American politician. He served in various positions including Mayor of Saint Louis, the 27th Governor of Missouri, and United States Secretary of the Interior. He was the U.S. Ambassador to Russia between 1916 and 1917, during the Russian Revolution of 1917...	1885–1889	Governor of Missouri* (1889–1893) U.S. Secretary of the Interior United States Secretary of the Interior The United States Secretary of the Interior is the head of the United States Department of the Interior.The US Department of the Interior should not be confused with the concept of Ministries of the Interior as used in other countries...  (1896–1897) Ambassador to Russia (1916–1917)
Henry Ziegenhein	1897–1901	Missouri State Representative (1876–1878);
James F. Conway	1977–1981	Missouri State Representative (1966–1974) Missouri State Senator† (1974–1977)

Living former mayors

, four former mayors were alive, the oldest being James F. Conway  (1977–1981, born 1933). The most recent death of a former mayor was that of John H. Poelker (1973–1977), on February 9, 1990.

Name	Mayoral term	Date of birth
James F. Conway	1977–1981	June 22, 1933
Vincent C. Schoemehl Vincent C. Schoemehl Vincent C. Schoemehl, Jr. was the 42nd mayor of St. Louis, Missouri, serving three terms from 1981 to 1993. At the time of his first election, he was one of the City's youngest mayors. Schoemehl is remembered for his leadership in the areas of historic preservation and urban design...	1981–1993	October 30, 1946
Freeman Bosley, Jr. Freeman Bosley, Jr. Freeman R. Bosley Jr. was the forty-third mayor of St. Louis , and the city's first African-American mayor.-Early life and education:...	1993–1997	July 20, 1954
Clarence Harmon Clarence Harmon Clarence Harmon was the forty-fourth mayor of St. Louis , and the city's second African-American mayor.Prior to serving as Mayor, Harmon had served as St. Louis Police Department police chief. He defeated incumbent Mayor Freeman Bosley, Jr. in the Democratic Primary in 1997 and went on to win...	1997–2001	1939