List of mayors of Memphis, Tennessee
Encyclopedia
This is a list of mayor
s of Memphis
, Tennessee
.
[1] As a result of a yellow fever
epidemic
in 1879, Memphis lost so much of its population that it was disincorporated
and was not rechartered until 1895. This accounts for the absence of a mayor during the period 1879 – 1893. See the article History of Memphis, Tennessee
for more information.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
s of Memphis
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
.
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| Marcus B. Winchester | 1827–1829 |
| Isaac Rawlings | 1829–1831 |
| Seth Wheatley | 1831–1832 |
| Robert Lawrence | 1832–1833 |
| Isaac Rawlings | 1833–1836 |
| Enoch Banks | 1836–1837 |
| John H. Morgan | 1837–1838 |
| Enoch Banks | 1838–1839 |
| Thomas Dixon | 1839–1841 |
| William Spickernagle | 1841–1842 |
| Edwin Hickman | 1842–1845 |
| Jesse J. Finley | 1845–1846 |
| Edwin Hickman | 1846–1847 |
| Enoch Banks | 1847–1848 |
| Gardner E. Locke | 1848–1849 |
| Edwin Hickman | 1849–1852 |
| A. B. Taylor | 1852–1855 |
| A. H. Douglass | 1855–1856 |
| T. B. Carroll | 1856–1857 |
| R. D. Baugh | 1857–1861 |
| John Park | 1861–1864 |
| Thomas H. Harris | 1864 |
| Channing Richards | 1864–1865 |
| John Park | 1865–1866 |
| William Lofland | 1866–1868 |
| McDavitt | 1868 |
| John W. Leftwich | 1868–1869 |
| J. T. Swayne | 1869 |
| John W. Leftwich | 1869–1870 |
| John Johnson | 1870–1874 |
| John Loague | 1874–1876 |
| John R. Flippin | 1876–1879 |
| (none) [1] | 1879–1895 |
| W. L. Clapp | 1895–1898 |
| J. J. Williams | 1898–1906 |
| James H. Malone | 1906–1910 |
| Edward H. Crump E. H. Crump Edward Hull "Boss" Crump was an American politician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was mayor from 1910 through 1915, and again briefly in 1940; in the intervening years he effectively appointed the mayors.-Career:... | 1910–1915 |
| George C. Love | 1915–1916 |
| Thomas C. Ashcroft | 1916–1917 |
| Harry H. Litty | 1917–1918 |
| Frank L. Monteverde | 1918–1919 |
| Rowlett Paine | 1920–1927 |
| Watkins Overton Watkins Overton Samuel Watkins Overton, Jr. , was an American politician and the longest serving mayor in the history of the City of Memphis.- Early life:... | 1928–1939 |
| Edward H. Crump E. H. Crump Edward Hull "Boss" Crump was an American politician from Memphis, Tennessee. He was mayor from 1910 through 1915, and again briefly in 1940; in the intervening years he effectively appointed the mayors.-Career:... | 1940 |
| Joseph Patrick Boyle | 1940 |
| Walter Chandler Walter Chandler Walter "Clift" Chandler was an American politician from Tennessee.Walter Chandler was born in Memphis in 1887 to parents of Scots/English descent. He attended public schools before going on to earn his law degree at the University of Tennessee... | 1940–1946 |
| Joseph Patrick Boyle | 1946 |
| Sylvanus W. Polk, Sr. | 1946–1947 |
| James J. Pleasants, Jr. | 1947–1949 |
| Watkins Overton Watkins Overton Samuel Watkins Overton, Jr. , was an American politician and the longest serving mayor in the history of the City of Memphis.- Early life:... | 1949–1953 |
| Frank T. Tobey | 1953–1955 |
| Walter Chandler Walter Chandler Walter "Clift" Chandler was an American politician from Tennessee.Walter Chandler was born in Memphis in 1887 to parents of Scots/English descent. He attended public schools before going on to earn his law degree at the University of Tennessee... | 1955 |
| Edmund Orgill | 1956–1959 |
| Henry Loeb Henry Loeb Henry Loeb III was the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee for two separate terms in the 1960s, from 1960 through 1963, and 1968 through 1971. He gained national notoriety in his second term for his role in opposing the demands of striking sanitation workers in February 1968... | 1960–1963 |
| Claude Armour | 1963 |
| William B. Ingram | 1963–1967 |
| Henry Loeb Henry Loeb Henry Loeb III was the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee for two separate terms in the 1960s, from 1960 through 1963, and 1968 through 1971. He gained national notoriety in his second term for his role in opposing the demands of striking sanitation workers in February 1968... | 1968–1971 |
| J. Wyeth Chandler J. Wyeth Chandler Wyeth Chandler served as mayor of Memphis, Tennessee from 1972 to 1982. Chandler succeeded the controversial Henry Loeb, who battled local sanitation workers during a strike that brought Martin Luther King, Jr. to Memphis in April 1968.... | 1972–1982 |
| J.O. Patterson, Jr. J.O. Patterson, Jr. James Oglethorpe "J.O." Patterson, Jr. was a Bishop in the COGIC and a former Mayor of Memphis, Tennessee.-Biography:... | 1982 |
| Wallace Madewell | 1982 |
| Richard C. Hackett Richard Hackett For the North Carolina congressman, see Richard N. Hackett.Richard Cecil "Dick" Hackett was mayor of the city of Memphis, Tennessee from 1982 to 1991. He also served as Shelby County Clerk from 1978 to 1982. At the time that he took office as mayor, he was 33 years old and was the youngest... | 1982–1991 |
| W. W. Herenton W. W. Herenton Willie Wilbert Herenton is an American politician who was formerly mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, and was candidate for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, until his defeat in the Democratic primary against incumbent Steve Cohen. He was the first African American to be elected... | 1992–2009 |
| Myron Lowery Myron Lowery Myron Lowery was the Mayor Pro Tem of Memphis, Tennessee, from July 31, 2009 to October 26, 2009. He is a former television news anchor for WMC-TV 5 in Memphis. Mayor Pro Tem Lowery has served on the Memphis City Council since 1991. He became interim mayor on July 31, 2009, following the... | 2009 (pro tem) |
| A C Wharton A C Wharton A C Wharton, Jr. is a Tennessee Democratic politician who is the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Previously, he served as mayor of Shelby County, the first African-American to serve in that office.-Early life, education, and early career :... | elected 2009 |
[1] As a result of a yellow fever
Yellow fever
Yellow fever is an acute viral hemorrhagic disease. The virus is a 40 to 50 nm enveloped RNA virus with positive sense of the Flaviviridae family....
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
in 1879, Memphis lost so much of its population that it was disincorporated
Municipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
and was not rechartered until 1895. This accounts for the absence of a mayor during the period 1879 – 1893. See the article History of Memphis, Tennessee
History of Memphis, Tennessee
The area around Memphis, Tennessee, was first settled by the Mississippian Culture and then by the Chickasaw Indian tribe. European exploration came years later, with Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto and French explorers led by René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle.The modern city of Memphis was...
for more information.