List of mayors of Bolton
This is a list of the Mayors of Bolton in the north west of England. The office of mayor is a ceremonial, non-political post. As the borough's First Citizen, the mayor serves as the civic representative at a wide range of functions and events throughout the local authority.
The Mayors of Bolton have represented three types of local government districts. The Mayors of the Municipal Borough of Bolton 1838-1889, the Mayors of the County Borough of Bolton 1889-1974, and the present Mayors of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton since 1974.[1][2]
There was also a Transitional Mayor / Chairman between 1973-1974 who saw over the dissolution of the County Borough of Bolton and the foundation of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton.[3]
Mayors of Bolton
Municipal Borough Mayors
| No. | Mayor | Party | Tenure | Terms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Charles James Darbishire | Liberal | 1838–1839 | 1 | b.1797 – d.1874. The first Mayor of the Municipal Borough of Bolton. |
| 2 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Robert Heywood | Liberal | 1839–1840 | 1 | b.1786 – d.1868. Father of John Heywood, Mayor of Bolton 1903-05 |
| 3 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Arrowsmith | Liberal | 1840–1841 | 1 | b.1791 – d.1870. Father of Peter Rothwell Arrowsmith, Mayor of Bolton 1853-55. |
| 4 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Cullen | Liberal | 1841–1842 | 1 | b.1782 – d.1859. |
| 5 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Robert Walsh | Liberal | 1842–1843 | 1 | b.1791 – d.1873. |
| 6 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Gregson | Liberal | 1843–1844 | 1 | b.1795 – d.1865. |
| 7 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Slater | Liberal | 1844–1845 | 1 | b.1798 – d.1861. |
| 8 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Stephen Blair | Conservative | 1845–1846 | 1 | b.1804 – d.1870. Conservative MP for Bolton 1848-52. |
| 9 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Scowcroft | Conservative | 1846–1847 | 1 | b.1788 – d.1865. |
| 10 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Ridgeway Bridson | Conservative | 1847–1848 | 1 | b.1795 – d.1863. |
| 11 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Lever Rushton | Conservative | 1848–1850 | 2 | b.1811 – d.1883. |
| 12 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Lt Col. William Gray | Conservative | 1850–1852 | 2 | b.1814 – d.1895. Conservative MP for Bolton 1857-1874. |
| 13 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Stones | Conservative | 1852–1853 | 1 | b.c.1804 – d.1859. |
| 14 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Rothwell Arrowsmith | Liberal | 1853–1855 | 2 | b.1816 – d.1890. Son of James Arrowsmith, Mayor of Bolton 1840-41. |
| 15 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Knowles | Liberal | 1855–1857 | 2 | b.1813 – d.1886. |
| 16 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Makant | Liberal | 1857–1859 | 2 | b.1807 – d.1880. |
| 17 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Orton | Liberal | 1859–1860 | 1 | b.1804 – d.1870. |
| 18 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Harwood | Liberal | 1860–1861 | 1 | b.1802 – d.1875. Brother of Richard Harwood, Mayor of Bolton 1863-64. |
| 19 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Rawthorne Wolfenden | Liberal | 1861–1863 | 2 | b.1811 – d.1886. Brother of Charles Wolfenden, Mayor of Bolton 1875-77. |
| 20 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Richard Harwood | Liberal | 1863–1864 | 1 | b.1802 – d.1875. Brother of John Harwood, Mayor of Bolton 1860–61, and father of George Harwood, Liberal MP for Bolton 1895-1912. |
| 21 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Richard Stockdale | Liberal | 1864–1866 | 2 | b.1809 – d.1886. |
| 22 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Dr Fergus Ferguson | Liberal | 1866–1867 | 1 | b.1805 – d.1887. |
| 23 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Barlow | Liberal | 1867–1869 | 2 | b.1821 – d.1887. |
| 24 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Walmsley | Conservative | 1869–1871 | 2 | b.1812 – d.1890. |
| 25 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Walter Cannon | Conservative | 1871–1873 | 2 | b.1822 – d.1903. Brother in law of Richard Stockdale, Mayor of Bolton 1864-66. |
| 26 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Jeremiah Marsden | Conservative | 1873–1875 | 2 | b.1820 – d.1877. |
| 27 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Charles Wolfenden | Conservative | 1875–1877 | 2 | b.1826 – d.1884. Brother of James Rawthorne Wolfenden, Mayor of Bolton 1861-1863 |
| 28 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Greenhalgh | Conservative | 1877–1878 | 1 | b.1822 – d.1881. |
| 29 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Crook Marsden | Conservative | 1878–1879 | 1 | b.1838 – d.1913. |
| 30 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Henry Marriott Richardson | Conservative | 1879–1880 | 1 | b.c.1816 – d.1893. |
| 31 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Joseph Musgrave | Conservative | 1880–1881 | 1 | b.1812 – d.1891. |
| 32 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Glaister | Conservative | 1881–1882 | 1 | b.1829 – d.1891. Grandfather of Thomas Glaister, Mayor of Bolton 1949-48. |
| 33 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Ebenezer Green Harwood | Conservative | 1882–1884 | 2 | b.1833 – d.1902. |
| 34 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Fletcher | Conservative | 1884–1887 | 3 | b.1832 – d.1914. |
| 35 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Moscrop | Conservative | 1887–1888 | 1 | b.1811 – d.1889. |
| 36 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Barrett | Conservative | 1888–1889 | 1 | b.1842 – d.1908. |
County Borough Mayors
| No. | Mayor | Party | Tenure | Terms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Barrett | Conservative | 1889–1890 | 1 | b.1842 – d.1908. The first Mayor of the County Borough of Bolton. |
| 2 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Matthew Fielding | Conservative | 1890–1891 | 1 | b.1848 – d.1915. |
| 3 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Nicholson | Conservative | 1891–1894 | 3 | b.1825 – d.1915. |
| 4 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Lt Col. Sir Benjamin Alfred Dobson | Conservative | 1894–1898 | 4 | b.1847 – d.1898. Knighted on the 21 July 1897. Died in office. |
| 5 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Nicholson | Conservative | 1898–1899 | 2 | b.1825 – d.1915. Acted as caretaker mayor in 1898, and re-elected the same year. |
| 6 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Edwin Scowcroft | Conservative | 1899–1901 | 2 | b.1845 – d.1901. Died in office. |
| 7 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Nicholson | Conservative | 1901 | 1 | b.1825 – d.1915. Acted again as caretaker mayor in 1901. |
| 8 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Miles | Conservative | 1901–1903 | 2 | b.1841 – d.1917. |
| 9 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Heywood | Conservative | 1903–1905 | 2 | b.1849 – d.1910. Son of Robert Heywood, Mayor of Bolton 1839-40. |
| 10 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Colonel George Hesketh | Conservative | 1905–1906 | 1 | b.1853 – d.1930. Appointed High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1918. |
| 11 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Barlow Tong | Conservative | 1906–1908 | 2 | b.1850 – d.1917. Uncle of Walter Wharton Tong, Mayor of Bolton 1940-41. |
| 12 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Henry Brown | Conservative | 1908–1909 | 1 | b.1850 – d.1931. |
| 13 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Joseph Tyas Cooper | Liberal | 1909–1911 | 2 | b.1852 – d.1929. |
| 14 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Young | Conservative | 1911–1913 | 2 | b.1861 – d.1917. |
| 15 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Turner Brooks | Conservative | 1913–1914 | 1 | b.1836 – d.1918. |
| 16 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Seddon | Conservative | 1914–1916 | 2 | b.1856 – d.1923. |
| 17 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sir Knowles Edge | Liberal | 1916–1918 | 2 | b.1854 – d.1931. Knighted on the 12 August 1919. Father of Sir William Edge, Liberal MP for Bolton 1916-23. |
| 18 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Lord Leverhulme | Liberal | 1918–1919 | 1 | b.1851 – d.1925. Created Baron Leverhulme on the 21 Jun 1917, and Viscount Leverhulme on the 27 Nov 1922.[4] |
| 19 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Robert Parkinson | Conservative | 1919–1921 | 2 | b.1862 – d.1936. |
| 20 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Russell | Conservative | 1921–1922 | 1 | b.1859 – d.1937. Conservative MP for Bolton 1922-23. |
| 21 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alfred Potts | Labour | 1922–1923 | 1 | b.1867 – d.unknown. |
| 22 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edmund Aspinall | Conservative | 1923–1924 | 1 | b.1858 – d.1940. |
| 23 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Fletcher Steele | Liberal | 1924–1925 | 1 | b.1867 – d.1941. |
| 24 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Percy Knott | Conservative | 1925–1926 | 1 | b.1865 – d.unknown. |
| 25 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Sir Thomas Evans Flitcroft | Liberal | 1926–1928 | 2 | b.1861 – d.1938. Knighted in the King's Birthday Honours list 1913. |
| 26 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Frank Cheadle | Labour | 1928–1929 | 1 | b.1885 – d.1940. |
| 27 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Robert Edwards Roberts | Conservative | 1929–1930 | 1 | b.1876 – d.1944. |
| 28 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Henry Warburton | Liberal | 1930–1931 | 1 | b.1865 – d.1936. Nephew of Thomas Warburton, founder of Warburtons the bakers. |
| 29 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | George Sykes | Conservative | 1931–1932 | 1 | b.c.1874 – d.1958. |
| 30 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Samuel Lomax | Labour | 1932–1933 | 1 | b.1871 – d.unknown. |
| 31 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Dr Ernest Monks | Conservative | 1933–1934 | 1 | b.1871 – d.1941. Father of Dr John Richard Monks, Mayor of Bolton 1970-71. |
| 32 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Percy Taylor | Liberal | 1934–1935 | 1 | b.1868 – d.1945. Appointed High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1926. |
| 33 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Benjamin Kirkman | Labour | 1935–1936 | 1 | b.c.1864 – d.1953. |
| 34 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Alfred Russell | Conservative | 1936–1937 | 1 | b.1873 – d.1948. |
| 35 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Halstead | Labour | 1937–1938 | 1 | |
| 36 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Entwistle | Conservative | 1938–1939 | 1 | |
| 37 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Charles Harold Beswick | Liberal | 1939–1940 | 1 | b.1874 – d.unknown. |
| 38 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Walter Wharton Tong | Conservative | 1940–1941 | 1 | b.1890 – d.unknown. Nephew of Thomas Barlow Tong, Mayor of Bolton 1906-08. Knighted on the 11 February 1955. |
| 39 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alfred Booth | Labour | 1941–1942 | 1 | b.1893 – d.1965. Labour MP for Bolton East 1950-1951. |
| 40 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Bleakley | Conservative | 1942–1943 | 1 | b.1893 – d.unknown. |
| 41 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Fred Bentley | Liberal | 1943–1944 | 1 | |
| 42 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Walter Bradley | Conservative | 1944–1945 | 1 | |
| 43 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Robert Demaine | Labour | 1945–1946 | 1 | b.1874 – d.unknown. |
| 44 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Dr Horace Wilfred Taylor | Conservative | 1946–1947 | 1 | |
| 45 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Henry Hampson | Labour | 1947–1949 | 2 | |
| 46 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Glaister | Conservative | 1949–1950 | 1 | b.1886 – d.unknown. Grandson of Thomas Glaister, Mayor of Bolton 1881-82, and brother-in-law of William Wharton Tong, Mayor of Bolton 1940-41. |
| 47 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Helen Wright | Labour | 1950–1951 | 1 | b.1892 – d.1970. The first female Mayor of Bolton. |
| 48 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Parry Dunning | Conservative | 1951–1952 | 1 | b.1893 – d.1973. |
| 49 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Vickers | Labour | 1952–1953 | 1 | b.1895 – d.1972. Awarded an OBE in 1966. |
| 50 | James Parkes, MBE | Independent | 1953–1954 | 1 | b.1893 – d.1980. The only Independent Mayor of Bolton. Awarded an MBE in 1949. | |
| 51 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Flanagan | Labour | 1954–1955 | 1 | b.1887 – d.1964. |
| 52 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Stanley Entwistle | Conservative | 1955–1956 | 1 | died 1978. |
| 53 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Lowe | Labour | 1956–1957 | 1 | b.1904 – d.1986. |
| 54 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Frank Young | Conservative | 1957–1958 | 1 | b.1904 – d.1977. |
| 55 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Elizabeth Ann Ashmore | Labour | 1958–1959 | 1 | b.1895 – d.1972. |
| 56 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Edwin Taylor | Conservative | 1959–1960 | 1 | b.1905 – d.1973. Conservative MP for Bolton East 1960-64. |
| 57 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Gradwell | Labour | 1960–1961 | 1 | b.1882 – d.unknown. |
| 58 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Harold Bateson | Conservative | 1961–1962 | 1 | b.1897 – d.unknown. |
| 59 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Arthur Childs | Labour | 1962–1963 | 1 | b.1899 – d.unknown. |
| 60 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Connor | Liberal | 1963–1964 | 1 | |
| 61 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Harry Wood | Conservative | 1964–1965 | 1 | |
| 62 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Charles Henry Lucas | Labour | 1965–1966 | 1 | Awarded a CBE in 1970. |
| 63 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Nora Vickers | Conservative | 1966–1967 | 1 | |
| 64 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Clarence Leat | Labour | 1967–1968 | 1 | b.1892 – d.1973. |
| 65 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Ethel Maisie Ryley | Conservative | 1968–1969 | 1 | |
| 66 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Herbert Glynn | Labour | 1969–1970 | 1 | b.1908 – d.1995.[5] |
| 67 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Dr John Richard Monks, GM | Conservative | 1970–1971 | 1 | b.1911 – d.1985. Son of Dr Ernest Monks, Mayor of Bolton 1933-34. |
| 68 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Arnold Townend | Labour | 1971–1972 | 1 | |
| 69 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alan Ellis Clarke | Labour | 1972–1973 | 1 | b.1931. Triplet brother of Donald Stewart Clarke, Mayor of Bolton 1977-78. |
| 70 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Henry Devenish | Labour | 1973–1974 | 1 | |
Transitional Mayor
| No. | Mayor | Party | Tenure | Terms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Collins Hanscomb | Conservative | 1973–1974 | 1 | Transitional Mayor / Chairman between the dissolution of the County Borough and the foundation of the Metropolitan Borough.[3] |
Metropolitan Borough Mayors
References
- ^ Links in a Chain - Bolton 1838-2008. URL accessed 11 May 2008.
- ^ Famous Boltonians. URL accessed 11 May 2008.
- ^ a b Links in a Chain - John Collins Hanscomb. URL accessed 11 May 2008.
- ^ Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages [self-published source] [better source needed]. URL accessed 15 May 2008.
- ^ Former Mayor dies, 87. The Bolton Evening News, first published 29 November 1995.
- ^ 'He lived life to the full'. The Bolton Evening News, first published 17 March 2005.
- ^ 'First Citizen' dies. The Bolton Evening News, first published 13 September 2001.
- ^ Former mayor dies. The Bolton Evening News, first published 2 March 1999.
- ^ Award 'a major boost to ethnic minorities'. The Bolton Evening News, first published 30 December 1995.
- ^ Ex-mayor dies after heart attack. The Bolton Evening News, first published 4 December 2001.
- ^ Tributes to former Mayor of Bolton. The Bolton News, first published 5 May 2008.
- ^ Former mayor retires from politics. The Bolton News, first published 12 April 2007.
- ^ History as Lib-Dem takes over as Mayor. The Bolton News, first published 17 May 2007.
- ^ Bolton's new Mayor all set for a Marathon year. The Bolton News, first published 15 May 2008.
- ^ New Mayor pays tribute to the people of Bolton. The Bolton News, first published 13 May 2009.
External links
- Mayor - general information. Bolton Council.
- Links in a Chain. Covering the mayors of Bolton, along with the chairmen and mayors of Farnworth, Kearsley, Little Lever, Horwich, Westhoughton, Turton, and Blackrod.
| No. | Mayor | Party | Tenure | Terms | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Doris Berry | Conservative | 1974–1975 | 1 | b.1912 – d.1992. The first Mayor of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton. |
| 2 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Arthur Foster | Labour | 1975–1976 | 1 | |
| 3 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Rigby | Conservative | 1976–1977 | 1 | |
| 4 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Donald Stewart Clarke | Labour | 1977–1978 | 1 | b.1931 – d.2005. Triplet brother of Alan Ellis Clarke, Mayor of Bolton 1972-73.[6] |
| 5 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Adam Hibbert | Conservative | 1978–1979 | 1 | |
| 6 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Elizabeth Olwen Hamer | Labour | 1979–1980 | 1 | b.1928 – d.1995. |
| 7 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | James Smith | Conservative | 1980–1981 | 1 | |
| 8 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Joseph Wild | Labour | 1981–1982 | 1 | |
| 9 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Collins Hanscomb, CBE | Conservative | 1982–1983 | 1 | Transitional Mayor/Chairman 1973-74. Awarded a CBE on the 1 January 1980. |
| 10 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alan Samuel Brigg | Labour | 1983–1984 | 1 | b.1911 – d.1988. |
| 11 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Barbara Annette Hurst | Conservative | 1984–1985 | 1 | b.1919 – d.2001. Awarded an MBE in 1993.[7] |
| 12 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Hardman | Labour | 1985–1986 | 1 | b.1939 – d.1999.[8] |
| 13 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Arthur Poulsom | Conservative | 1986–1987 | 1 | |
| 14 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | William Arthur Robinson | Labour | 1987–1988 | 1 | b.12/03/1923 d 26/02/1990 |
| 15 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Brian Melvyn Allanson | Conservative | 1988–1989 | 1 | |
| 16 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Kenneth MacIvor | Labour | 1989–1990 | 1 | b.1925 – d.2004. |
| 17 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Geoffrey Smith | Labour | 1990–1991 | 1 | b.1945. |
| 18 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Gerald Riley | Conservative | 1991–1992 | 1 | |
| 19 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Ernest Crook | Labour | 1992–1993 | 1 | |
| 20 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Campbell Jocelyn H Benjamin, OBE | Labour | 1993–1994 | 1 | b.1914 – d.2004. The first black Mayor of Bolton. Awarded an OBE in 1996.[9] |
| 21 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Thomas Anderton | Labour | 1994–1995 | 1 | |
| 22 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Frank Alan Rushton | Conservative | 1995–1996 | 1 | |
| 23 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Eric Johnson | Labour | 1996–1997 | 1 | Also was Mayor of Blackrod 1988-89 and 1993-94. |
| 24 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Gareth Birch | Labour | 1997–1998 | 1 | b.1948 – d.2001.[10] |
| 25 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Peter Louis Finch | Labour | 1998–1999 | 1 | b.1937. Also was Mayor of Westhoughton 1986-87. |
| 26 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Monaghan | Labour | 1999–2000 | 1 | b.1936 – d.2008.[11] Also was Mayor of Blackrod 1992-93 and 1997-98. |
| 27 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Alan Wilkinson | Conservative | 2000–2001 | 1 | |
| 28 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Kevan James Helsby, MBE | Labour | 2001–2002 | 1 | b.1950. Received an MBE in the Millennium honours list. Also was Mayor of Horwich 1987-88 and 2004-05.[12] |
| 29 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Walsh, OBE | Conservative | 2002–2003 | 1 | Awarded an OBE in 1994. |
| 30 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Clifford Morris | Labour | 2003–2004 | 1 | |
| 31 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Prentice Howarth | Labour | 2004–2005 | 1 | |
| 32 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Frank Richard White | Labour | 2005–2006 | 1 | b.1940. Labour MP for Bury and Radcliffe 1979-1983. |
| 33 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Walter Hall | Conservative | 2006–2007 | 1 | b.1935. |
| 34 | style="background-color: Template:Liberal Democrats (UK)/meta/color" | | Barbara Olwyn Ronson | Liberal Democrat | 2007–2008 | 1 | b.1942. Also was Mayor of Horwich 1996-97.[13] |
| 35 | style="background-color: Template:Labour Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Anthony Connell | Labour | 2008–2009 | 1 | b.1941.[14] |
| 36 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | Norman Critchley | Conservative | 2009–2010 | 1 | |
| 37 | style="background-color: Template:Conservative Party (UK)/meta/color" | | John Byrne | Conservative | 2010–Date | 1 | |