The mayor of Ottawa is head of the executive branch of the
Ottawa City Council
The Ottawa City Council (french: Conseil municipal d'Ottawa) is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 24 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each councillor represents war ...
. The current mayor is
Mark Sutcliffe
Mark Sutcliffe (born July 14, 1968) is a Canadian politician who has been the 59th mayor of Ottawa since 2022. Before entering politics, he hosted ''Ottawa Today'' on 1310News radio.
Early life
Mark Sutcliffe was born at the Riverside Hospi ...
.
The following is a list of
mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
s of
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
. Until 1854, Ottawa was known as Bytown. Over the course of
Ottawa's history, the borders of the municipality have greatly expanded through
annexation
Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
s. This most recently occurred in 2001 when a number of neighbouring communities were
amalgamated
Amalgamation is the process of combining or uniting multiple entities into one form.
Amalgamation, amalgam, and other derivatives may refer to:
Mathematics and science
* Amalgam (chemistry), the combination of mercury with another metal
**Pan ama ...
with Ottawa.
Bytown
*1847 –
John Scott
*1848 –
John Bower Lewis
*1849 –
Robert Hervey
Robert Hervey (August 10, 1820 – December 16, 1903) was the third mayor of Bytown in 1849.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847–1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2005) He was a C ...
*1850 –
John Scott
*1851 –
Charles Sparrow
*1852 –
Richard William Scott
Sir Richard William Scott, (February 24, 1825 – April 23, 1913) was a Canadian politician and cabinet minister.
Early life
He was born in Prescott, Ontario, in 1825, a descendant of a family from County Clare. A lawyer by training, Scott ...
*1853 –
Joseph-Balsora Turgeon
*1854 –
Henry J. Friel
Ottawa, pre-amalgamation (1855–2001)
*1855–1857 –
John Bower Lewis
*1858–1859 –
Edward McGillivray
*1860–1862 –
Alexander Workman
*1863 – ? –
Henry J. Friel
*1864–1866 –
Moss Kent Dickinson
Moss Kent Dickinson (June 1, 1822 – July 19, 1897) was a Canadian businessman, mayor of Ottawa from 1864 to 1866, Member of Parliament from 1882 to 1887 and the founder of Manotick.
Background
He was born in Denmark, New York in 1822 t ...
*1867 –
Robert Lyon
*1868–1869 –
Henry J. Friel
*1870–1871 –
John Rochester
*1872–1873 –
Eugène Martineau
*1874–1875 –
John Peter Featherston
*1876 –
G. B. Lyon-Fellowes
*1877 –
William Henry Waller
*1878 –
Chauncey Ward Bangs
*1879–1881 –
Charles Herbert Mackintosh
*1882–1883 –
Pierre St. Jean
Pierre St-Jean (September 23, 1833 – May 6, 1900) was a Canadians, Canadian doctor and politician.
St-Jean was born in Bytown in 1833. During the 1840s, he established a French language literary society there with J.B. Turgeon. He studie ...
, M.D.
*1884 –
Charles Thornton Bate
*1885–1886 –
Francis McDougal
Francis McDougal (April 1826 – March 6, 1910) was a Canadian businessman and mayor of Ottawa from 1885 to 1886.
He was born in Lancaster, Upper Canada in 1826 and came to Bytown in the 1840s. He worked as clerk in a hardware store and o ...
*1887–1888 –
McLeod Stewart
McLeod Stewart (1847–1926) was a Canadian lawyer and politician. Stewart was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from 1887 to 1888.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General ...
*1889–1890 –
Jacob Erratt
Jacob Erratt (November 16, 1847 - April 28, 1928) was mayor of the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from 1889 to 1890.
He was born in West Winchester, Ontario and came to Ottawa in 1869. He owned a furniture store in the city. He served on city ...
*1891 –
Thomas Birkett
Thomas Birkett (February 1, 1844 – December 2, 1920) was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1891 and a member of the House of Commons of Canada representing Ottawa City from 1900 to 1904.
Birkett was born in Bytown (as Ottawa was known t ...
*1892–1893 –
Olivier Durocher
*1894 –
George Cox
*1895–1896 –
William Borthwick
*1897–1898 –
Samuel Bingham
Samuel "Sam" Bingham (184516 June 1905) was the Mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada between 1897 and 1898.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2005)
...
*1899–1900 –
Thomas Payment
*1901 –
William Dowler Morris
William Dowler Morris (August 22, 1857 – April 13, 1931) was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1901.
He was born in County Leitrim, Ireland in 1857 and came to Canada in 1877. He became involved in the oil, coal and real estate businesse ...
*1901 –
James Davidson
*1902–1903 –
Fred Cook
*1904–1906 –
James A. Ellis
*1906 –
Robert A. Hastey
*1907–1908 –
D'Arcy Scott
D'Arcy Scott (8 March 1872 – 1 October 1926), the son of Sir Richard William Scott, was mayor of Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Ridea ...
*1908 –
Napoleon Champagne
*1909–1912 –
Charles Hopewell
Charles Hopewell (September 22, 1861 – May 15, 1931) was mayor of Ottawa from 1909 to 1912.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847–1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2005)
He ...
*1912 –
Edward H. Hinchey
Edward H. Hinchey (March 7, 1872 – July 14, 1936) was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1912.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing House, 2005)
Hinch ...
*1913 –
James A. Ellis
*1914 –
Taylor McVeity
Taylor McVeity (February 20, 1857, Richmond, Ontario – March 21, 1951) was elected mayor of Ottawa in 1914.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publishing Hou ...
*1915–1916 –
Nelson D. Porter
Nelson Davis Porter (November 28, 1863 – February 12, 1961) was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from 1915 to 1916.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ontario: General Store Publis ...
*1917–1920 –
Harold Fisher
*1921–1923 –
Frank H. Plant
Frank Henry Plant (November 17, 1883 – November 7, 1952) was a Canadians, Canadian businessman and politician. Plant served as mayor of Ottawa from 1921 to 1923 and in 1930. He also served on Ottawa Council from 1917 until 1921 and from 19 ...
*1924 –
Henry Watters
*1924 –
Napoléon Champagne
Napoléon Champagne (May 4, 1861 – November 17, 1925) was mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in 1908 and 1924, and a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing Ottawa East from 1911 to 1914.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biogra ...
*1925–1927 –
John P. Balharrie
*1928–1929 –
Arthur Ellis
*1930 –
Frank H. Plant
Frank Henry Plant (November 17, 1883 – November 7, 1952) was a Canadians, Canadian businessman and politician. Plant served as mayor of Ottawa from 1921 to 1923 and in 1930. He also served on Ottawa Council from 1917 until 1921 and from 19 ...
*1931–1933 –
John J. Allen
*1934–1935 –
Patrick Nolan
*1936–1948 –
J.E. Stanley Lewis
J. E. Stanley Lewis (February 29, 1888 – August 18, 1970) was Ottawa's second longest-serving mayor, holding that position from 1936 to 1948.Dave Mullington "Chain of Office: Biographic Sketches of Ottawa's Mayors (1847-1948)" (Renfrew, Ont ...
*1949–1950 –
E.A. Bourque
*1951 –
Grenville Goodwin
*1951–1956 –
Charlotte Whitton
Charlotte Elizabeth Whitton (March 8, 1896 – January 25, 1975) was a Canadian feminist and mayor of Ottawa. She was the first woman mayor of a major city in Canada, serving from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1960 to 1964. Whitton was a Cana ...
*1957–1960 –
George H. Nelms
George H. Nelms (1905 – September 17, 1999) was mayor of Ottawa from 1957 to 1960. He was an optician by profession. Nelms was born in Thame, Oxfordshire, England in 1905 and came to Canada in 1912. He had two sons, Larry and John and two ...
*1961–1964 –
Charlotte Whitton
Charlotte Elizabeth Whitton (March 8, 1896 – January 25, 1975) was a Canadian feminist and mayor of Ottawa. She was the first woman mayor of a major city in Canada, serving from 1951 to 1956 and again from 1960 to 1964. Whitton was a Cana ...
*1965–1969 –
Donald Bartlett Reid
Donald Bartlett "Don" Reid (30 June 1926 – 11 August 2001) was Mayor of Ottawa, Ontario from 1965 to 1969.
Reid was first elected to office in the 1954 municipal election as the alderman for Ward 4. At the time he was the general manag ...
*1970–1972 –
Kenneth H. Fogarty, Q.C.
*1972–1974 –
Pierre Benoit
*1975–1978 –
Lorry Greenberg
Lawrence "Lorry" Greenberg (31 December 1933 – 30 June 1999) was Mayor of Ottawa, Ontario from 1975 to 1978.
He graduated from Lisgar Collegiate in 1952. He was one of the founding members of Minto Developments Inc., but left the compa ...
*1978–1985 –
Marion Dewar
Marion Hilda Dewar, (February 17, 1928 – September 15, 2008) was a prominent member of the New Democratic Party (NDP), mayor of Ottawa from 1978 to 1985 and a member of the House of Commons of Canada from 1987 to 1988.
Early life
Dewar ...
*1985–1991 –
James A. Durrell
*1991 –
Marc Laviolette
Marc Laviolette (born c. 1950s in Ottawa, Ontario) was Mayor of Ottawa for much of 1991. He was declared Mayor on 18 February 1991 after Jim Durrell resigned to become president of the fledgling Ottawa Senators ice hockey team. Laviolette had b ...
*1991–1997 –
Jacquelin Holzman
Jacquelin Holzman (born 1935) is a Canadian politician who served as the 55th mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from 1991 to 1997. Before that, she was an Ottawa city councillor from 1982 to 1991.
Early life and advocacy
Holzman was born in Ott ...
*1997–2000 –
Jim Watson
*2000–2001 –
Allan Higdon
Allan L. Higdon is a former Ottawa City Councillor and acting mayor of Ottawa. He served on council from 1994 through 2000.
Born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Higdon immigrated to Canada with his family in 1957 and settled in Kingston, Ontario. ...
Amalgamation
When the city of Ottawa amalgamated in 2001, these were the mayors of the municipalities that amalgamated:
*Chair of the
Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and the interaction of humanity and t ...
:
Bob Chiarelli
Robert Chiarelli (born September 24, 1941) is a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who served from 1987 to 1997 and again from 2010 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Ottawa West and Ottawa W ...
*
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
:
Allan Higdon
Allan L. Higdon is a former Ottawa City Councillor and acting mayor of Ottawa. He served on council from 1994 through 2000.
Born in Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Higdon immigrated to Canada with his family in 1957 and settled in Kingston, Ontario. ...
(acting)
*
Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...
: Claudette Cain
*
Kanata:
Merle Nicholds
*
Nepean
Nepean may refer to:
Places Australia
*Nepean Bay, a bay in South Australia,
**Nepean Bay Conservation Park, a protected area in South Australia,
**Nepean Bay, South Australia, a locality
*Nepean Highway, Victoria
*Nepean Island (Norfolk Island) ...
:
Mary Pitt
*
Vanier:
Guy Cousineau Guy Cousineau (born June 4, 1937) was the last mayor of the city of Vanier before it was amalgamated with Ottawa in 2001.
He was born in Eastview, which was later renamed Vanier, in 1937, the son of Trefflé Cousineau and Augustine Charette. His ...
*
Cumberland
Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...
:
Gerry Lalonde (acting)
*
Goulbourn
Goulbourn Township, Ontario, was formed in 1818, roughly 20 km southwest of downtown Ottawa, with the first major settlement occurring in Richmond. Other communities in the township include Stittsville, Munster, and Ashton. Stittsville i ...
:
Janet Stavinga
Janet Stavinga she was an Ottawa City Councillor. She represented the Goulbourn ward covering what was once the independent Goulbourn Township, Ontario, Goulbourn Township. Career Local councillor and mayor
She was first a Goulbourn councillor an ...
*
Osgoode:
Doug Thompson
Douglas Thompson was a councillor in the city of Ottawa for the Osgoode Ward. Thompson was also the former mayor of Osgoode Township prior to the amalgamation with the new City of Ottawa. Prior to being mayor of Osgoode, Thompson was a municipal ...
*
Rideau:
Glenn Brooks
*
West Carleton:
Dwight Eastman Dwight Eastman was the last mayor of West Carleton Township before it was amalgamated into the new City of Ottawa.
Eastman served as mayor of West Carleton from 1995 until 2001. He was elected in the 2000 Ottawa election as city councillor repre ...
*
Rockcliffe Park
Rockcliffe Park ( French: ''Parc Rockcliffe'') is a neighbourhood in Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward, close to the centre of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Established in 1864, organized as a Police village in 1908, and an independent village from 1926, and ul ...
:
Patrick J. Murray
Since amalgamation (2001–present)
*
Bob Chiarelli
Robert Chiarelli (born September 24, 1941) is a Canadian politician. He was a Liberal member in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who served from 1987 to 1997 and again from 2010 to 2018 who represented the ridings of Ottawa West and Ottawa W ...
, 2001–2006
*
Larry O'Brien
Lawrence Francis O'Brien Jr. (July 7, 1917September 28, 1990) was an American politician and basketball commissioner. He was one of the United States Democratic Party's leading electoral strategists for more than two decades. He served as Postm ...
, 2006–2010
[ ]
*
Michel Bellemare
Michel Bellemare (born July 10, 1967) is a Canadian politician and lawyer.
Bellemare was a member of the City Council in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada from 1994 to 2010. He served as the acting as mayor of Ottawa, while mayor Larry O'Brien faced cha ...
, 2 May – 8 July 2009
(acting)
*
Doug Thompson
Douglas Thompson was a councillor in the city of Ottawa for the Osgoode Ward. Thompson was also the former mayor of Osgoode Township prior to the amalgamation with the new City of Ottawa. Prior to being mayor of Osgoode, Thompson was a municipal ...
, 8 July – 6 August 2009
(acting)
*
Jim Watson, 2010–2022
*
Mark Sutcliffe
Mark Sutcliffe (born July 14, 1968) is a Canadian politician who has been the 59th mayor of Ottawa since 2022. Before entering politics, he hosted ''Ottawa Today'' on 1310News radio.
Early life
Mark Sutcliffe was born at the Riverside Hospi ...
, 2022
''Note:'' Bellemare and Thompson served as acting mayor during O'Brien's leave of absence, due to criminal charges before the court.
Notes
See also
*
List of Ottawa municipal elections
This is a list of elections held in Ottawa, Ontario. Direct elections for mayor have been held continuously since 1873.
City of Ottawa mayoral election results since 1887 1887
#McLeod Stewart, 2,169
#W. E. Brown, 1,790
1888
#McLeod Stewart, 1,9 ...
*
Mayors of Osgoode Township
{{Ottawa
*
1847 establishments in Canada
Ottawa
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
Mayors
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities ...