List of longest-serving mayors in the United States

Some of the longest-serving mayors in the United States are listed according to their length of service in that office. The office of mayor is the highest ranking local official and responsibilities may vary from ceremonial (see weak mayor) to full-time responsibility for city operations (see strong mayor).

Current serving mayors

A list of mayors still in office and ordered by their length of continuous service in that office. (If there is a break in their service, then this length is measured from their return to the office.)

The longest-serving current mayor of one the 50 largest cities in the United States is Tom Barrett, who has been mayor of Milwaukee since April 15, 2004.

Years Name Municipality Notes
58–59 years Charles E. Long Booneville, Kentucky Entered office in 1959.[1]
49 years, 41 days Leonard Scarcella Stafford, Texas Entered into office on September 4, 1969.
47 years, 287 days H. Ford Gravitt Cumming, Georgia Entered office on January 1, 1971. Served four years on City Council (1967-1970)
47 years, 287 days Robert Blais Lake George, New York Began current term on April 5, 1971.
45–46 years Randall Wise Niceville, Florida Entered office in August, 1972.
42–43 years Margaret Doud Mackinac Island, Michigan Entered office in April 1975.
42-43 years William D. Tate Grapevine, Texas Entered office in 1972[2]
41–42 years Robert Heidenescher Dupont, Ohio Entered office in 1976.
41–42 years Willie Oswalt Lake City, Georgia Entered office in 1976.
41–42 years Harold Rainwater Wilmore, Kentucky Entered office in 1976.
40–41 years Robert Chatfield Prospect, Connecticut Entered office on November 7, 1977.
40–41 years Jim L. Sells Rogersville, Tennessee Entered office in 1977.
38–39 years Noel B. Cummings Hodgkins, Illinois Entered office in 1979.
38–39 years Marvin Johnson Independence, Minnesota Entered office in 1979.
36-37 Years Mary Hawkins Butler Madison, Mississippi Entered office in 1981.
36–37 years Jeffery D. Schielke Batavia, Illinois Entered office in 1981.
36–37 years Gary W. Starr Middleburg Heights, Ohio Entered office in January 1981.[3]
37 years, 101 days Mark Anthony McClure Danville, West Virginia Entered office on July 6, 1981.
35 years, 287 days William "Bill" McIntosh Moultrie, Georgia Entered office in 1983.
34 years, 286 days William W. Dickinson, Jr. Wallingford, Connecticut Entered office in 1984.
32–33 years Louie Davis Waldo, Florida Entered office in 1985.

Current and former mayors

A list of mayors in order of their total length of service in that office. (If there is a break in their service, then this length is measured as the sum of their terms.) John M. Coyne (born 1916 - died 2014) was the mayor of Brooklyn, Ohio from 1948 to 2000, making his term the longest consecutive term of any mayor in the United States until 2008 when Hilmar Moore took over the top spot.

Years Name Municipality Notes
63 years, 73 days Hilmar Moore Richmond, Texas Served from September 22, 1949 to December 4, 2012.
61 years, 111 days John H. Land Apopka, Florida Served from January 1, 1971 to April 22, 2014. Also served from January 1, 1950 to January 1, 1968.
58 years, 233 days Robert Linn Beaver, Pennsylvania Served from January 2, 1946 to August 22, 2004.
58–59 years Charles E. Long Booneville, Kentucky Entered office in 1959.
56 years Paul Jurko Yankee Lake, Ohio Elected into office in November 1931 at the age of 21. Served until his death on March 1, 1988.
54 years Robert L. Butler Marion, Illinois Entered office in May 1963. Served until his resignation on January 31, 2018.
52 years, 0 days John M. Coyne Brooklyn, Ohio Served from 1948 until January 2000.[4][Notes 1]
54 years, 267 days Bruce Arnold Valparaiso, Florida Entered office on January 21, 1964, Died in office February 23, 2017.
51 years Donald Stephens Rosemont, Illinois First Mayor of Rosemont. Served from village's incorporation in 1956 to 2007.
50 years Leonard T. Connors Surf City, New Jersey Entered office in 1966, served until January 5, 2016.
48 years, 352 days Frank E. Rodgers Harrison, New Jersey Served from September 4, 1946 to August 22, 1995.
47 years, 115 days Nicholas B. Blase Niles, Illinois Served from May 2, 1961 to his resignation on August 25, 2008.[5]
49 years, 41 days Leonard Scarcella Stafford, Texas Entered into office on September 4, 1969.
47 years, 287 days H. Ford Gravitt Cumming, Georgia Entered office on January 1, 1971. Served four years on City Council (1967-1970)
47 years, 287 days Robert Blais Lake George, New York Began current term on April 5, 1971.
43–44 years Richard A. Mola Elmwood Park, New Jersey Entered office in 1972, served until his death in 2016.[6]
43 years, 0 days Paul W. Cassidy Parma Heights, Ohio Served in office between January 1958 through January 2001.[7]
42–43 years Margaret Doud Mackinac Island, Michigan Entered office in April 1975.
41 years, 146 days Erastus Corning II Albany, New York Served from January 2, 1942 to May 28, 1983.
40 years, 27 days Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Charleston, South Carolina Served from December 15, 1975 to January 11, 2016.[8]
40 years Louis Bay 2nd Hawthorne, New Jersey Entered into office in 1947, served until 1987.
41–42 years Harold Rainwater Wilmore, Kentucky Entered into office in 1976.
40–41 years Jim L. Sells Rogersville, Tennessee Entered office in 1977.
36-37 Years Mary Hawkins Butler Madison, Mississippi Entered office in 1981.
36–37 years Gary W. Starr Middleburg Heights, Ohio Entered office in 1981.
37 years, 167 days Edward J. Zabrocki Tinley Park, Illinois Entered into office on May 1, 1981.
36 years Orville L. Hubbard Dearborn, Michigan Entered office in 1942. Served until 1978.
30 years, 33 days Frank Hague Jersey City, New Jersey Entered office in 1917. Served until 1947.
29 years, 201 days Dr. LeRoy G. Suire Erath, Louisiana Entered office in 1961. Served until 1990.
27 years, 364 days Stephen R. Reed Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Entered office in 1982. Served until 2010.
34 years, 286 days William W. Dickinson, Jr. Wallingford, Connecticut Entered office in 1984.

References

  1. ↑ Tribute To Mayor Charles Long, Booneville, Kentucky Archived 2014-01-12 at Archive.is
  2. ↑ "Mayor - William D. Tate | Grapevine, TX - Official Website". www.grapevinetexas.gov. Retrieved 2018-05-07.
  3. ↑ http://www.cleveland.com/middleburg-heights/index.ssf/2013/12/gary_starr_will_start_his_33rd.html
  4. ↑ Iallonardo, Tony (November 15, 1999). "U.S. Has New "Longest-Serving Mayor". United States Conference of Mayors. Archived from the original on 2009-04-13. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  5. ↑ Schneider, Andrew (2012). Nick Blase: The Prince of Niles, Illinois. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 9781609495497.
  6. ↑ http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/northjersey/obituary.aspx?pid=182066731
  7. ↑ http://www.cleveland.com/obituaries/index.ssf/2013/07/mayor_paul_w_cassidy_led_parma.html
  8. ↑ Seabrook, Andrea (January 19, 2008), Charleston Mayor Reflects on 30 Years in Office, NPR, retrieved April 29, 2015

Notes

  1. ↑ The date of inauguration for Mayor John Coyne is not clear. It is clear that his successor, Kenneth Patton, took office in January 2000. References appear to confuse the 1999 election defeat with the day he left office. Most references state that he served 52 years, some from 1947-1999, a few from 1948 to 1999, and others from 1948 to 2000.
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