List of mayors of Springfield, Missouri
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (March 2020) |
| Mayor of The City of Springfield | |
|---|---|
Incumbent since Ken McClure
| |
| Style | His/Her Honor |
| Residence | Private residence |
| Term length | Two years |
| Inaugural holder | A. Maurice |
| Formation | 19th century |
The mayor of Springfield is the highest ranking elected official in the city of Springfield, Missouri. Mayoral elections in Springfield are nonpartisan, and though the candidate may personally affiliate with a party, they do not appear on the ticket as a particular party's candidate.[1] Since 1953 all mayoral elections have been voted on by the public, before then having been appointed by the city council. From 1861 to 1865, Springfield was ruled under martial law by Union and Confederate leaders during the American Civil War.[2]
List of Mayors
[edit]| Name | Term Duration | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A. Maurice | 1847-1849 | no party | |
| Joseph Burden | 1849-1851 | Democratic | |
| Warren Graves | 1852-1856 | no party | |
| H.S. Chenoweth | 1856-1857 | no party | |
| J.S. Kimbrough | 1857-1858 | no party | |
| Sempronius H. Boyd | 1858-1860 | Republican | |
| J.W. Mack | 1860-1861 | no party | |
| Benjamin Kite | 1865-1866 | Republican | |
| James H. Creighton | 1866-1867 | Republican | |
| R.B. Owen | 1867-1868 | no party | |
| J.B. Dexter | 1868-1869 | no party | |
| W.E. Gilmore | 1869-1870 | Republican | |
| L.H. Murray | 1871-1872 | Democratic | |
| Jonathan Faribanks | 1872-1873 | Republican | |
| John McGregor | 1873-1873 | Democratic | |
| John Lisenby | 1874-1875 | Republican | |
| Joseph J. Weaver | 1875-1876 | no party | |
| W.A. Hall | 1876-1877 | Democratic | |
| Homer F. Fellows | 1877-1879 | Whig | |
| Joseph McAdoo | 1879-1880 | Republican | |
| Marzavan J Rountree | 1880-1881 | Democratic | |
| James Abbott | 1881-1882 | Republican | |
| George Sale Day | 1882-1883 | no party | |
| John McGregor | 1883-1884 | Democratic | |
| Ralph Walker | 1884-1886 | Democratic | |
| J.S. Atkinson | 1887-1888 | Republican | |
| Ralph Walker | 1888-1890 | Democratic | |
| E.D. Parce | 1890-1894 | no party | |
| Jeremiah Fenton | 1894-1896 | Republican | |
| V.S. Barlett | 1896-1898 | no party | |
| W.A. Hall | 1898-1900 | Democratic | |
| Ralph Walker | 1900-1902 | Democratic | |
| J.E.Mallette | 1902-1904 | Republican | |
| Ben E. Meyer | 1904-1906 | Democratic | |
| James Bain | 1906-1908 | Democratic | |
| Louis P. Ernst | 1908-1910 | Republican | |
| Robert E. Lee | 1910-1912 | Democratic | |
| George Culler | 1912-1914 | Republican | |
| T.K. Bowman | 1914-1916 | Democratic | |
| J.J. Gideon | 1916-1920 | Republican | |
| W.E. Freeman | 1920-1928 | Democratic | |
| T.H. Gideon | 1928-1932 | Republican | |
| Harry D. Durst | 1932-1940 | Democratic | |
| Harry Ben Carr | 1940-1948 | Democratic | |
| Otis L. Barbarick | 1948-1951 | Republican | |
| J. Oliver Gideon | 1952-1952 | no party | |
| Nathan Karchmer | 1952-1952 | no party | |
| W.I. English | 1952-1955 | no party | |
| Warren Turner | 1955-1957 | no party | |
| Joe Ben Wann | 1957-1959 | no party | |
| David C. Scott | 1959-1962 | no party | |
| E.I. Anderson | 1962-1967 | no party | |
| Carl Stillwell | 1967-1972 | no party | |
| Jim Payne | 1972-1978 | no party | |
| Paul Redfearn | 1978-1981 | no party | |
| Harry C. Strawn | 1981-1983 | no party | |
| George Scruggs | 1983-1987 | no party | |
| Thomas J. Carlson | 1988-1993 | no party | |
| N.L. McCartney | 1993-1995 | no party | |
| Leland Gannaway | 1995-1998 | no party | |
| Thomas Carlson | 1999-1999 | no party | |
| Leland Gannaway | 1999-2001 | no party | |
| Thomas Carlson | 2001-2009 | Independent | |
| Jim O'Neal | 2009-2012 | Independent | |
| Bob Stephens | 2012-2017 | Libertarian | |
| Ken McClure | 2017–2023 | Independent |
Mayors of Note
[edit]- Sempronius H. Boyd served as mayor of Springfield from 1858 to 1860, he became a member of the United States House of Representatives representing Missouri's 4th congressional district and was later Minister of the United States to Siam.[3]
- Homer F. Fellows served as the city's only Whig mayor, later becoming an Abolitionist, then becoming a Republican.[4]
- Bob Stephens served as the city's only Libertarian mayor, though elections are non-partisan.
- Elected as a Republican, W. E. Gilmore ran for congress as a Liberal Republican in 1870.[5]
- Nathan Karchmer was the first and so far only Jewish mayor of Springfield.[6]
- Thomas Carlson, having served seven terms, is the longest serving mayor in the city's history.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ Holman, Gregory J. "The deadline to run for Springfield City Council was Tuesday. Here are the candidates". Springfield News-Leader. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
- ^ "Springfield Mayors". thelibrary.org. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
- ^ "Sempronius Hamilton Boyd - People - Department History - Office of the Historian". history.state.gov. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
- ^ "Past and Present of Greene County, Missouri". thelibrary.org. Retrieved 2020-03-21.
- ^ "Index to Politicians". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2022-10-23.
- ^ Ioannides, Mara W. Cohen; Gholson, M. Rachel (2013). Jews of Springfield in the Ozarks. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-0-7385-9094-3.
- ^ "Former Mayor Carlson named 2014 Springfieldian". Springfield Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-03-21.