| Mayor of Tallahassee | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the City of Tallahassee | |
 Flag of the City of Tallahassee | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Term length | 4 years |
| Inaugural holder | Charles Haire |
| Formation | 1826 |
| Salary | $80,289 |
| Website | [1] |
| Elections in Florida |
|---|
 |
 Government |
The mayor of Tallahassee is head of the executive branch of the government of Tallahassee, Florida.
For part of the city's history the office of mayor was a rotating position chosen among city commissioners.[1] Tallahassee switched to the direct election of its mayors in 1997.
List[edit]
Florida Territory[edit]
| Image | Mayor | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Haire | 1826 | [2] was elected Intendant | |
| David Ochiltree | 1827 | moved to Florida from Fayetteville, North Carolina.[3] He also served as a justice of the peace.[4] Ochiltree died in 1834 at his residence on Rocky Comfort Creek (Florida). He was a colonel and was a member elect of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida for Gadsden County when he died.[5] | |
| John Y. Gary | 1828–1829 | ||
|
Leslie A. Thompson | 1830 | |
| Charles Austin | 1831 | ||
|
|
Leslie A. Thompson (2nd term) |
1832–1833 | |
| Robert J. Hackley | 1834 | Hackley was a pioneer settler sent by his father to an area by Tampa Bay. He was dispossessed of his land for the establishment of Fort Brooke.[6] A case on behalf of his heirs went to the Supreme Court.[citation needed] | |
| William Wilson | 1835 | ||
| John Rea | 1836 | ||
| William P. Gorman | 1837 | ||
| William Hilliard | 1838 | ||
| R. F. Ker | 1839 | ||
|
|
Leslie A. Thompson (3rd term) |
1840 | |
|
Francis W. Eppes | 1841–1844 |
Statehood[edit]
| Image | Mayor | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| James A. Berthelot | 1845 | He also served in the General Assembly[7] and campaigned for another office on a no tax anti bond platform advertised on a poster.[8] He was a mason and part of the Grand Lodge of Florida | |
| Simon Towle | 1846 | He was also a state comptroller. Owned the Towle House in Tallahassee, Florida[9] | |
|
James Kirksey | 1847 | Also delegate to the 1861 Secession Convention of Florida |
| F. H. Flagg | 1848 | ||
| Thomas James Perkins | 1849 | ||
|
David Porter Hogue | 1850–1851 | a lawyer[10] who served as Attorney General in Florida.[11] |
|
David S. Walker | 1852 | went on to serve as the eighth Governor of Florida from 1866 to 1868. |
| Richard Hayward | 1853 | ||
| Thomas Hayward | 1854–1855 | ||
|
|
Francis W. Eppes (2nd term) |
1856–1857 | |
|
|
David Porter Hogue (2nd term) |
1858–1860 |
Civil War era and Reconstruction[edit]
| Image | Mayor | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| P. T. Pearce | 1861–1865 | appointed a trustee of the West Florida Seminary | |
|
|
Francis W. Eppes (3rd term) |
1866 | grandson of Thomas Jefferson |
|
|
David Porter Hogue (3rd term) |
1867–1868 | |
|
Thaddeus Preston Tatum | 1869–1870 | Tatum was a druggist and served in the Battle of Natural Bridge. Lived September 27, 1835 - July 4, 1873 and is buried in the Old City Cemetery.[12] |
| Charles Edgar Dyke | 1871 | a Conservative newspaper editor[13] of the Floridian & Journal | |
| C. H. Edwards | 1872–1874 | ||
| David S. Walker Jr. | 1875 | Son of David S. Walker | |
| Samuel Walker | 1876 |
Post-Reconstruction[edit]
After World War I[edit]
| Image | Mayor | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Jesse Talbot Bernard | 1877 | First Democratic mayor after Reconstruction, which ended the year he was elected. |
| David S. Walker Jr. (2nd term) |
1878–1879 | ||
| Henry Bernreuter | 1880 | born in Columbus, Georgia to German immigrants, he moved as a child with his family to Florida. He was a Confederate veteran who later served as sheriff and police chief.[14][15] | |
| Edward Lewis | 1881 | ||
| Charles C. Pearce | 1884–1885 | ||
| George W. Walker | 1886 | ||
| A. J. Fish | 1887 | ||
|
Robert B. Gorman | 1888–1889 | Son of former mayor, William P. Gorman. Served in the Confederate Army and was postmaster in Tallahassee.[16][17] As mayor, he signed on to a letter from the merchants of Tallahassee to the U.S. Army's Chief of Engineers calling for the St. Marks River to be made navigable to promote trade.[18] In 1889 he reported on negotiations with a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania company for a water works system.[19] |
| Richard B. Carpenter | 1890–1894 | A shopkeeper, he went into bankruptcy and had a legal case for exemption given individuals declaring bankruptcy, even though the firm was established as a separate entity. Decided on appeal in his favor.[20] | |
|
|
Jesse Talbot Bernard (2nd term) |
1895–1896 | a teacher and judge who travelled around Florida to hear cases. Served in the Confederate Army.[21] |
|
R. A. Shine | 1897 | |
|
|
Robert B. Gorman (2nd term) |
1898–1902 | |
| William L. Moor | 1903–1904 | [22] | |
|
John Ward Henderson | 1905 | [23] He also served as a legislator.[24] |
|
Foster Clinton Gilmore | 1906 | |
|
William M. McIntosh Jr. | 1907 | he also served as Chief Clerk of the state's Comptroller Office.[25] |
|
|
Foster Clinton Gilmore (2nd term) |
1908 | |
| Francis B. Winthrop | 1909 | The Florida State Archives have a photo of the family home[26] as well as a photo of Winthrop, age 3.[27] Florida State University has a photo of him in what appears to be a military uniform c. 1918[28] as well as some of his business documents in a collection of his family's papers.[29] His family owned the Barrow Hill Plantation and a house at 610 North Magnolia, which he lived in with his wife for years. | |
| Dexter Marvin Lowry | 1910–1917 |
After World War I[edit]
| Image | Mayor | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| J. R. McDaniel | 1918 | ||
| Guyte P. McCord | 1919–1921 | played on the 1904 Florida State College football team and scored a touchdown in the state championship game against Stetson | |
| A. P. McCaskill | 1922–1923 | ||
| Ben A. Meginniss | 1924–1925 | ||
|
W. Theo Proctor | 1926 | (b.1892, d.1986) |
| Ben A. Meginniss (2nd term) |
1927 | ||
|
|
W. Theo Proctor (2nd term) |
1928–1929 | |
| G. E. Lewis | 1930 | ||
|
Frank D. Moor | 1931 | |
| W. L. Marshall | 1932–1933 | ||
| John L. Fain | 1934 | ||
|
Leonard A. Wesson | 1935 | |
| H. J. Yaeger | 1936 | [30] (H. Jack Yaeger) | |
|
|
Leonard A. Wesson (2nd term) |
1937 | |
| J. R. Jinks | 1938 | ||
|
Samuel A. Wahnish | 1939 | First Jewish mayor |
|
|
Frank D. Moor (2nd term) |
1940 | |
|
Charles Saxon Ausley | 1941 | |
| Jack W. Simmons | 1942 | ||
|
A. R. Richardson | 1943 | |
|
|
Charles Saxon Ausley (2nd term) |
1944 | |
| Ralph E. Proctor | 1945 |
Post-World War II[edit]
| Image | Mayor | Years | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Fred S. Winterle | 1946 | He and his son were involved in the oil distribution business.[31] |
| George I. Martin | 1947 | ||
| Fred N. Lowry | 1948 | Younger brother of former mayor Dexter Marvin Lowry[32] | |
| Robert C. Parker | 1949–1950 | ||
|
William H. Cates | 1951 | |
| B. A. Ragsdale | 1952 | ||
|
William T. Mayo | 1953 | |
|
H. C. Summitt | 1954 | |
|
J. T. Williams | 1955–1956 | Died November 24, 1970[33] |
|
|
Fred S. Winterle (2nd term) |
1956 | |
|
John Yaeger Humphress | 1956–1957 | |
|
J. W. Cordell | 1957 | |
| Davis H. Atkinson | 1958 | ||
|
Hugh E. Williams Jr. | 1959 | |
|
George Stanton Taff | 1960 | |
|
|
J. W. Cordell (2nd term) |
1961 | |
| Davis H. Atkinson | 1962 | ||
| Samuel E. Teague Jr. | 1963 | ||
|
|
Hugh E. Williams, Jr. (2nd term) |
1964 | |
|
|
George Stanton Taff (2nd term) |
1965 | |
|
|
William Haywood Cates (2nd Term) |
1966 | Longest-serving city commissioner in history of Tallahassee. In 1971, he was defeated by the first African American elected as commissioner, James R. Ford. His son drowned in a hunting accident. Was a religion professor at Florida State University and helped found religious organizations in Tallahassee.[34] |
| John A. Rudd, Sr. | 1967 | ||
|
Gene Berkowitz | 1968 | [35] He also served as a City Commissioner in Tallahassee[36] His wife was a schoolteacher.[37] As a commissioner he voted to reopen the city's pools in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968.[35] |
|
Spurgeon Camp | 1969 | |
|
Lee A. Everhart | 1970 | founder and president of building company Everhart Construction Company[38] |
|
|
Gene Berkowitz (2nd term) |
1971 | |
|
James R. Ford | 1972 | First African-American mayor |
|
Joan Heggen | 1973 | First female mayor |
|
Russell R. Bevis | 1974 | |
|
Earl Yancey | 1974 | His wife Lucy was the granddaughter of Florida politician Robert Flournoy Hosford. |
|
Johnny Jones | 1975 | |
|
|
James R. Ford (2nd term) |
1976 | |
| Ben W. Thompson | 1977 | ||
| Neal D. Sapp | 1978 | He was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and graduated from Florida State University. He was a software developer and businessman. He died March 26, 2004. | |
| Sheldon E. Hilaman | 1979 | Former school principal.[39] Known as "Shad". Hillaman Golf Course is named for him.[40] | |
| Richard P. Wilson | 1980 | ||
|
Hurley W. Rudd | 1981 | also served as a city commissioner and multiple terms in the Florida legislature[41] |
|
|
James R. Ford (3rd term) |
1982 | |
| Carol Bellamy | 1983 | ||
| Kent Spriggs | 1984 | Civil Rights lawyer who also edited a book about Civil Rights leaders in the deep south. Appeared on C-Span while mayor discussing his duties.[42] | |
|
|
Hurley W. Rudd (2nd term) |
1985 | |
|
Jack L. McLean Jr. | 1986 | Second African-American mayor |
| Betty Harley | 1987 | ||
| Frank Visconti | 1988 | ||
|
Dorothy Inman-Crews | 1989 | First female African-American mayor |
|
Steve Meisberg | 1990 | |
| Debbie Lightsey | 1991 | ||
| Bob Hightower[43] | 1992 | ||
|
|
Dorothy Inman-Crews (2nd term) |
1993 | |
| Penny Herman | 1994 | ||
|
Scott Maddox | 1995 | |
| Ron Weaver (mayor) | 1996 | 4th African American mayor[44][45] | |
|
|
Scott Maddox (2nd term) |
1997–2003 | first directly elected mayor[46] |
|
John Marks | 2003–2014 | |
|
Andrew Gillum | 2014–2018 | Ran for governor in 2018 but lost narrowly to Ron DeSantis[47] |
|
John E. Dailey | 2018–present |
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Mayoral candidate raises the question of a position overhaul".
- ^ "Tallahassee, Leon County". Viva Florida. Tallahassee: Florida League of Cities. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ "d.o. elected intendant in Tallahassee, fla. 1827". Newspapers.com.
- ^ Burgess, Louis Alexander (1 January 1973). Virginia soldiers of 1776: compiled from documents on file in the Virginia Land Office; together with material found in the Archives Department of the Virginia State Library, and other reliable sources. Genealogical Pub. Co. ISBN 9780806305295 – via Google Books.
- ^ Floridian and Advocate (Tallahassee, Florida), Dec. 27, 1834, p. 3: Obituary
- ^ Burnett, Gene M. (1 June 1996). Florida's Past: People and Events That Shaped the State. Pineapple Press Inc. ISBN 9781561641178 – via Google Books.
- ^ "A Journal of the Proceedings of the House of Representatives of the ... General Assembly of the State of Florida, at Its ... Session". 7 December 2018. p. 3.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Campaign Poster for James A. Berthelot, James M. Gilchrist, and James H. Gibson". Florida Memory.
- ^ "Towle House - Florida Historical Markers". Waymarking.com.
- ^ Court, Florida Supreme (10 December 2018). "Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Supreme Court of Florida" – via Google Books.
- ^ Court, Florida Supreme (10 December 2018). "Florida Reports" – via Google Books.
- ^ "Portrait of Thaddeus Preston Tatum - Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
- ^ "Notes on Reconstruction in Tallahassee and Leon County, 1866-1876". The Florida Historical Society Quarterly. 5 (3): 153–158. 1927. JSTOR 30150750.
- ^ "Henry Bernreuter, Memorial article by friend". The Weekly True Democrat.
- ^ "BERNREUTER, Henry". Florida Memory.
- ^ "R B Gorman obit 17 April 1918 - Newspapers.com". Tallahassee Democrat. 17 April 1918. p. 1.
- ^ House, Florida Legislature (8 December 1881). "Journal ..." pp. 2–27.
- ^ "Report of the Chief of Engineers U.S. Army". U.S. Government Printing Office. 8 December 1889 – via Google Books.
- ^ "The Engineering Record, Building Record and Sanitary Engineer". McGraw Publishing Company. 8 December 1889.
- ^ "Mayor r b carpenter bankrupt - Newspapers.com". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ Phillips, Rebecca; Bernard, Jesse Talbot (1939). "A Diary of Jesse Talbot Bernard". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 18 (2): 115–126. JSTOR 30145327.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Tallahassee Junior Museum officials". Florida Memory. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
- ^ History of Florida, Past and Present: Historical and Biographical. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. 1923.
- ^ "Search Results". Florida Memory.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Portrait of William M. McIntosh Jr. standing by the Capitol - Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Winthrop family home at 610 N. Monroe St. in Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Francis B. Winthrop at age three". Florida Memory.
- ^ "Francis B. Winthrop - fsu.digital.flvc.org". fsu.digital.flvc.org.
- ^ "Winthrop Family Papers, 1592-1970 - FSU Special Collections & Archives". fsuarchon.fcla.edu.
- ^ Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.). "Mayors and Postmasters of Tallahassee, Florida". Political Graveyard. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Fred S. Winterle and son's Gulf oil distribution trucks". Florida Memory.
- ^ Ensley, Gerald (May 17, 2014). "Northeast streets named for banking family". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ "Ex-Mayor Williams is Dead here at 64". Tallahassee Democrat. November 25, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Cates Ave. named for former city commissioner". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ a b "Letter: Was it Wade or Berkowitz who reopened city pools?". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "New City Commissioner Gene Berkowitz with his wife in Tallahassee". Florida Memory.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Gene Berkowitz reading to class in Tallahassee". Florida Memory.
- ^ Butcher, Lee (10 December 1976). Florida's power structure: who's part of it and why. Trend Pub. ISBN 9780882510699 – via Google Books.
- ^ "S.E. Hilamen is Chairman of '64 March". Tallahassee Democrat. January 17, 1964 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Men on the course at the Winewood Golf Club in Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
- ^ 2006 obituary in the Tallahassee Democrat
- ^ "Kent Spriggs - C-SPAN.org". C-span.org.
- ^ "Robert S. Hightower". hightowerlaw.com. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ Varian, Bill (March 4, 1996). "Bethel". Tallahassee Democrat.
- ^ "Ron Weaver Steps Out Of Shadows To Become Mr. Mayor". Tallahassee Democrat. March 3, 1996. pp. 1B, 4B – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "City Officials". City of Tallahassee. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997 – via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
- ^ ""I Cried Everyday": Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to Discuss Controversial Incident on "Tamron Hall"". 10 September 2020.