List of mayors of Columbus, Ohio

Mayor of Columbus
Seal of the City of Columbus
Flag of the City of Columbus
Incumbent Andrew Ginther since January 1, 2016
Style	The Honorable
Term length	Four-year term
Inaugural holder	Jarvis W. Pike
Formation	February 14, 1812
Deputy	President of Columbus City Council
Salary	$172,981 (2013)
Website	mayor.columbus.gov

This is a list of mayors of Columbus, Ohio. There have been 48 individuals that have served as mayor of Columbus, serving 53 distinct mayoralties or consecutive terms in office. The first mayor of Columbus was Jarvis W. Pike. He was appointed by the Burough Council of Columbus in 1816. The first mayor of Columbus to be elected by popular vote was John Brooks in 1834. Five mayors have served non-consecutive terms. Philo H. Olmsted is counted as both the 8th and 12th mayor, Alexander Patton as both the 17th and 19th mayor, James G. Bull as both the 22nd and 24th mayor, George J. Karb as both the 30th and 39th mayor, and Jack Sensenbrenner as both the 46th and 48th mayor. Of the individuals appointed or elected as mayor, five have resigned from office - James Robinson, John Brooks, Warren Jenkins, John G. Miller, and Jim Rhodes. No mayor has died or become permanently disabled while in office. The shortest-serving former mayor is James Robinson, who served only eight months before resigning from office on September 11, 1827. The longest-serving mayor is Michael B. Coleman, who served 16 years and is the only African American to serve as mayor. Andrew Ginther is the current mayor. He took office on January 1, 2016.

City Hall of Columbus, Ohio

Mayors of Columbus

Jim Rhodes, 44th mayor of Columbus, and only former mayor to serve as Governor of Ohio

Michael B. Coleman, 52nd mayor of Columbus, and the first African American to serve as mayor of Ohio's capital

Political parties

  Party affiliation not known   Democratic   Whig   Republican

№	Mayor		Took office	Left office	Party	Term	Previous office
1	(No extant image)	Jarvis W. Pike (1795–1854)	1816	1817		1 (1816)	Member of Columbus Burough Council (1816–1827)
						2 (1817)
2		John Kerr (1778–1823)	1818	1820		3 (1818)	Member of Columbus Burough Council (1816–1823)
						4 (1819)
3	(No extant image)	Eli C. King	1820	1822		5 (1820)	Justice of the Peace for Montgomery Township (1816–1820)
						6 (1821)
						7 (1822)
4	(No extant image)	John Laughrey (1784– )	1823	1823		8 (1823)
5		William T. Martin (1788–1866)	1824	1826		9 (1824)	Recorder of Columbus (1823, 1834-1838)
						10 (1825)
						11 (1826)
6	(No extant image)	James Robinson	1827	September 11, 1827		12 (1827)	Member of Columbus Burough Council (1823–1827)
7		William Long (1781–1851)	1827	1833			Recorder of Columbus (1824–1827)
						13 (1828)
						14 (1829)
						15 (1830)
						16 (1831)
						17 (1832)
8		Philo H. Olmsted (1793–1870)	1833	1833		18 (1833)	Ohio Representative from Franklin County (1831–1832, 1833-1834)
9		John Brooks (1785–1869)	April 21, 1834	April 21, 1835		19 (1834)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Whig Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 10		John Bailhache (1787–1857)	1835	1835	Whig		Ross County Common Pleas Court Judge (1825)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Whig Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 11		Warren Jenkins	1836	September 4, 1837	Whig	20 (1836)	Justice of the Peace for Montgomery Township (1835-1837)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Whig Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 12		Philo H. Olmsted (1793–1870)	1838	1839	Whig	21 (1838)	Ohio Representative from Franklin County (1831–1832, 1833-1834)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Whig Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 13		John G. Miller (1795–1871)	1840	May 4, 1841	Whig	22 (1840)
14	(No extant image)	Thomas Wood (1782–1861)	May 1841	1841			Justice of the Peace for Montgomery Township (1828-1843)
15	(No extant image)	Abram I. McDowell (1793–1844)	1842	1842		23 (1842)	Clerk for the Court of Common Pleas (1815-1836)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Whig Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 16	(No extant image)	Smithson E. Wright (1807–1881)	1843	1844	Whig	24 (1843)
17	(No extant image)	Alexander Patton (1791–1858)	1845	1845		25 (1845)	Justice of the Peace for Montgomery Township (1843-1849)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Whig Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 18	(No extant image)	Augustus S. Decker (1813–1872)	1846	1846	Whig
19	(No extant image)	Alexander Patton (1791–1858)	1847	1849		26 (1847)	Justice of the Peace for Montgomery Township (1843-1849)
						27 (1849)
rowspan="5" style="background: Template:Whig Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 20		Lorenzo English (1819–1888)	1850	1861	Whig	28 (1851)	No previous experience in public office
29 (1853)
30 (1855)
31 (1857)
32 (1859)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 21		Wray Thomas (1810–)	1861	1864	Democratic	33 (1861)	Ohio Representative from Delaware and Franklin County (1831–1832, 1833-1834)
34 (1863)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 22		James G. Bull (1838–1927)	1865	1868	Democratic	35 (1865)	No previous experience in public office
36 (1867)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 23		George W. Meeker (1833–1890)	1869	1870	Democratic	37 (1869)	Justice of the Peace for Montgomery Township (1863–1869)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 24		James G. Bull (1838–1927)	1871	1874	Democratic	38 (1871)	Mayor of Columbus (1865-1868)
39 (1873)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 25		John H. Heitmann (1841–1894)	1875	1878	Democratic	40 (1875)	Ohio Representative from Franklin County (1874-1876)
41 (1877)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 26		Gilbert G. Collins (1830–1885)	1879	1880	Republican	42 (1879)	City Attorney of Columbus (1873–1875)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 27		George S. Peters (1846–1928)	1881	1882	Democratic	43 (1881)	No previous experience in public office
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 28		Charles C. Walcutt (1838–1898)	1883	1886	Republican	44 (1883)	Member of Columbus Board of Education (1873-1894)
45 (1885)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 29		Philip H. Bruck (1845–1920)	1887	1890	Democratic	46 (1887)	No previous experience in public office
47 (1889)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 30		George J. Karb (1858–1937)	1891	1894	Democratic	48 (1891)	Columbus Police Commissioner (1889–1890)
49 (1893)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 31		Cotton H. Allen (1834–1900)	1895	1896	Democratic	50 (1895)	No previous experience in public office
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 32		Samuel L. Black (1859–1929)	1897	April 15, 1899	Democratic	51 (1897)	No previous experience in public office
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 33		Samuel J. Swartz (1859–1905)	1899	1900	Republican	52 (1899)	Police Court Judge of Columbus (1897–1898)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 34		John N. Hinkle (1854–1905)	1901	May 4, 1903	Democratic	53 (1901)	No previous experience in public office
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 35		Robert H. Jeffrey (1873–1961)	May 4, 1903	January 1, 1906	Republican	54 (1903)	No previous experience in public office
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 36		De Witt C. Badger (1858–1926)	January 1, 1906	1907	Democratic	55 (1905)	U.S. Representative from Ohio (1903–1905)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 37		Charles A. Bond (1873–1943)	1908	1909	Republican	56 (1907)	No previous experience in public office
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 38		George S. Marshall (1869–1956)	1910	January 1, 1912	Republican	57 (1909)	Asst City Attorney of Columbus (1899–1909)
rowspan="3" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 39		George J. Karb (1858–1937)	January 1, 1912	January 1, 1920	Democratic	58 (1911)	Franklin County Sheriff (1903–1909)
59 (1913)
60 (1915)
rowspan="3" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 40		James J. Thomas (1868–1947)	January 1, 1920	January 1, 1932	Republican	61 (1919)	Member of Columbus City Council (1898-1901)
62 (1923)
63 (1927)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 41		Henry W. Worley (1877–1938)	January 1, 1932	1935	Democratic	64 (1931)	Member of Columbus City Council (1922–1932)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 42		Myron B. Gessaman (1894–1975)	1936	1939	Republican	65 (1935)	Member of the Ohio House of Representatives (1934–1935)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 43		Floyd F. Green (1900–1952)	1940	1943	Republican	66 (1939)	Member of Columbus City Council (1927–1931)
rowspan="3" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 44		Jim Rhodes (1909–2001)	1944	1952	Republican	67 (1943)	City Auditor of Columbus (1939–1943)
68 (1947)
69 (1951)
	rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 45		Robert T. Oestreicher (1894–1955)	1953	1953	Republican	President of Columbus City Council
	rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 46		Jack Sensenbrenner (1902–1991)	January 1, 1954	January 1, 1960	Democratic	No previous experience in public office
70 (1955)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 47		Ralston Westlake (1907–1978)	January 1, 1960	January 1, 1964	Republican	71 (1959)	Member of Columbus City Council (1956-1959)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 48		Jack Sensenbrenner (1902–1991)	January 1, 1964	January 1, 1972	Democratic	72 (1963)	Mayor of Columbus (1954-1960)
73 (1967)
rowspan="3" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 49		Tom Moody (1929–2008)	January 1, 1972	January 1, 1984	Republican	74 (1971)	Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge (1968–1971)
75 (1975)
76 (1979)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 50		Buck Rinehart (1946–2015)	January 1, 1984	January 1, 1992	Republican	77 (1983)	Franklin County Treasurer of Ohio (1976-1984)
78 (1987)
rowspan="2" style="background: Template:Republican Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 51		Greg Lashutka (born 1944)	January 1, 1992	January 1, 2000	Republican	79 (1991)	City Attorney of Columbus (1978-1985)
80 (1995)
rowspan="4" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;" | 52		Michael B. Coleman (born 1954)	January 1, 2000	January 1, 2016	Democratic	81 (1999)	President of Columbus City Council (1997–1999)
82 (2003)
83 (2007)
84 (2011)
rowspan="1" style="background: Template:Democratic Party (United States)/meta/color;"| 53		Andrew Ginther (born 1975)	January 1, 2016	Incumbent	Democratic	85 (2015)	President of Columbus City Council (2011-2015)

Living former mayors

As of November 2024, there are two living former mayors. The oldest former mayor is Greg Lashutka (1992–2000) born 1944. The most recent death of a former mayor was that of Buck Rinehart (1984-1991) on February 18, 2015, aged 68.

Name	Mayoral term	Date of birth
Greg Lashutka	1992–2000	(1944-03-28) March 28, 1944
Michael B. Coleman	2000–2015	(1954-11-18) November 18, 1954

See also

• Green Lawn Cemetery – Numerous former mayors of Ohio's capital city are interred at this notable cemetery. It is located in the southern section of Columbus, Ohio.
• Timeline of Columbus, Ohio

Bibliography

Books

• The Biographical Encyclopœdia of Ohio of the Nineteenth Century. Cincinnati and Philadelphia: Galaxy Publishing Company. 1876.
• A Centennial Biographical History of the City of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio. County and regional histories of the "Old Northwest.": Ohio. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. 1901.
• Egger, Charles, ed. (1975). Columbus Mayors (PDF). Columbus, Ohio. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Fitzpatrick, Stephen A.; Ulysses, Ulysses S. (1897). History of Columbus Celebration, Franklinton Centennial. New Franklin Printing Company.
• Ide, George A. (1908). History of Union County, Iowa: From the Earliest Historic Times to 1908: Also Biographical Sketches of Some Prominent Citizens of the County. Unigraphic.
• Lee, Alfred Emory (1892). History of the City of Columbus, Capital of Ohio. Vol. Volume 2. Munsell & Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Lentz, Ed (2003). Columbus: The Story of a City. Making of America series. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738524290.
• Lentz, Ed (2011). Historic Columbus: A Bicentennial History. San Antonio, Texas: Historical Publishing Network. ISBN 9781935377597.
• Mercer, James Kazerta; Rife, Edward K. (1903). Representative Men of Ohio, 1900-1903. J.K. Mercer.
• Reid, Whitelaw (1895). Ohio in the War: Her Statesmen Her Generals and Soldiers. Vol. Volume 1. Gale Cengage Learning. ISBN 9781432814762. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Taylor, William Alexander (1909). Centennial History of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio. Vol. Volume 1. S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Taylor, William Alexander (1909). Centennial history of Columbus and Franklin County, Ohio. Vol. Volume 2. S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)

Newspapers

• "Defeat In Columbus; Republicans Elect Many Mayors". Rochester Journal. Rochester, New York. Associated Press. November 6, 1935. p. 3. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
• Carmen, Barbara (December 31, 1991). "Lashutka Welcomed As 46th Mayor". The Columbus Dispatch. p. 1A.
• Tim Doulin; Barbara Carmen (October 31, 2008). "Former Mayor Tom Moody Dies at 78". Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
• "Moody Is Victor; Mayor's Aides Halt Recount". The Portsmouth Times. Portsmouth, Ohio. November 27, 1971. p. 11. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
• Powers, Scott (December 29, 1991). "Lashutka, Rinehart to Dedicate Hall of Mayors". The Columbus Dispatch. Columbus, Ohio. p. 01B.
• Reindl, Kristi (December 2, 1999). "Mayor Will Speak at Fall Graduation". The Lantern. Columbus, Ohio. Retrieved 4 November 2013.
• "Republican Wins; Councilman Fails in Bid to Be First Black Mayor". Columbus, Ohio. Associated Press. November 6, 1991. Retrieved 4 November 2013.

Further reading

• Andromeda, Sandy (1996). Death and Devastation Strikes Columbus, Ohio: A Story of the Great Flood of 1913. North Liberty Publications.
• Barrett, Richard E. (1994). "Made in Columbus" Automobiles. Columbus, Ohio: Columbus Historical Society.
• Barrett, Richard E. (2005). Columbus, 1860-1910. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738539621.
• Barrett, Richard E. (2006). Columbus, 1910-1970. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738540573.
• Betti, Tom; Uhas Sauer, Doreen Uhas (2013). On This Day in Columbus, Ohio History. History Press. ISBN 9781609496685.
• Cole, Charles Chester (2001). A Fragile Capital: Identity and the Early Years of Columbus, Ohio. Columbus, Ohio: Ohio State University Press. ISBN 9780814208533.
• Columbus Police Benevolent Association (1908). History of the Police Department of Columbus, Ohio. Columbus, Ohio.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
• Franklin County at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century. Ohio: Sheppard & Company Book and Job Printers. 1901.
• The Genealogy, History & Travel Division. "Selected Bibliography of Columbus History" (PDF). Columbus Metropolitan Library. Retrieved 21 October 2013.
• Henderson, Andrew (2002). Forgotten Columbus. Images of America. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439613429.
• Hooper, Osman Castle (1920). History of the City of Columbus, Ohio: From the Founding of Franklinton in 1797, Through the World War Period, to the Year 1920. Columbus, Ohio: Higginson Book Company.
• Hunter, Bob (2012). A Historical Guidebook to Old Columbus: Finding the Past in the Present in Ohio's Capital City. Ohio University Press. ISBN 9780821444368.
• Ireland, Will. Columbus Men Worth While: Presented in Cartoon.
• Lee, Alfred Emory (1892). History of the City of Columbus, Capital of Ohio. Vol. Volume 1. Munsell & Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Martin, William T. (1858). History of Franklin County: A Collection of Reminiscences of the Early Settlement of the County; with Biographical Sketches and a Complete History of the County to the Present Time. Follett, Forster & Company.
• Moore, Opha (1930). History of Franklin County Ohio. Topeka-Indianapolis: Historical Publishing Company.
• Powell, Thomas Edward (1913). The Democratic Party of the State of Ohio: A Comprehensive History of Democracy in Ohio from 1803 to 1912, Including Democratic Legislation in the State, the Campaigns of a Century, History of Democratic Conventions, the Reverses and Successes of the Party, Etc. Vol. Volume 1. Ohio Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Powell, Thomas Edward (1913). The Democratic Party of the State of Ohio: A Comprehensive History of Democracy in Ohio from 1803 to 1912, Including Democratic Legislation in the State, the Campaigns of a Century, History of Democratic Conventions, the Reverses and Successes of the Party, Etc. Vol. Volume 2. Ohio Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Reed, George Irving; Randall, Emilius Oviatt; Greve, Charles Theodore (1897). Bench and Bar of Ohio: A Compendium of History and Biography. Vol. Volume 1. Chicago: The Century Publishing and Engraving Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Reed, George Irving; Randall, Emilius Oviatt; Greve, Charles Theodore (1897). Bench and Bar of Ohio: A Compendium of History and Biography. Vol. Volume 2. Chicago: The Century Publishing and Engraving Company. {{cite book}}: |volume= has extra text (help)
• Samuelson, Robert E. (1976). Architecture: Columbus. Columbus, Ohio: Foundation of the Columbus Chapter of the American Institute of Architects.
• Souvenir: Eighth Biennial Convention of the Grand International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, Columbus, Ohio. Grand International Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers. F.J. Heer. 1908.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
• Studer, Jacob Henry (1873). Columbus, Ohio: Its History, Resources, and Progress. J.H. Studer.
• Taylor, William Alexander; Ohio General Assembly, Senate (1891). Hundred-Year Book and Official Register of the State Of Ohio: From 1789 to 1891 Inclusive. The Westbote Company and State Printers.
• Who's Who in Columbus, With Blue Book Appendix: A Biographical Compendium of the Notable Men and Women of the Capital City With an Appendix Giving Names and Addresses of Prominent Residents. Nemar Publishing Company. 1915.
• Winter, Chester C. (2009). A Concise History of Columbus, Ohio and Franklin County. Xlibris. ISBN 9781436333818.

External links

• Official website
• A Look Back: Columbus Mayors – A slide show of 37 images of Columbus mayors. Includes a list of all mayors with their respective terms in office. Provided by The Columbus Dispatch, a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio.
• Mayors of Columbus,Ohio 1816-2013 at Political Graveyard
• A Quarter Century of Mayoral Memories A panel discussion with three mayors of Columbus, Buck Rinehart (1984-1992), Greg Lashutka (1992–2000), and Michael B. Coleman (2000-Present). The discussion was hosted by The Columbus Metropolitan Club. Published September 10, 2012 on YouTube; 53 minutes.