The Mayor of Tallahassee is head of the executive branch of the government of

Tallahassee Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. For part of the city's history the office of mayor was a rotating position chosen among city commissioners. Tallahassee switched to the direct election of its mayors in 1997.

List

Florida Territory

* 1826

Charles Haire (Florida politician) Charles Haire may refer to: * Charles Haire (Florida politician), first Intendant (position that preceded the office of mayor) of Tallahassee, Florida, United States ( mayors of Tallahassee) * Charles S. Haire, an architect in Montana, United ...

was elected Intendant * 1827 David Ochiltree, moved to Florida from Fayetteville, North Carolina. He also served as a justice of the peace. 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 The Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, often referred to as the Florida Territorial Council or Florida Territorial Legislative Council, was the legislative body governing the American territory of Florida (Florida Territory) before st ...

for Gadsden County when he died. * 1828-1829 John Y. Gary * 1830 Leslie A. Thompson * 1831 Charles Austin (politician) * 1832-1833 Leslie A. Thompson * 1834 Robert J. Hackley, 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 Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native Seminoles who had been confined ...

. A case on behalf of his heirs went to the Supreme Court. * 1835

William Wilson (Florida politician) William Wilson, or variants, may refer to: Politicians American * Bill Wilson (activist) (born 1953), small government activist * Bill Wilson (Montana politician) (born 1961), Montana state representative * W. Eugene Wilson (William Eugene W ...

* 1836

John Rea (Florida politician) John Rea may refer to: * John Rea (horticulturalist) (died 1681), English garden writer * John Rea (politician) (1755–1829), United States politician * John Rea (Florida politician), an early mayor of Tallahassee, Florida * John Patterson Rea ...

* 1837 William P. Gorman * 1838

William Hilliard (Florida politician) William Hilliard may refer to: * William Hilliard (bishop) (1887–1960), Anglican bishop of Nelson * William Hilliard (English MP) (died 1608), English Member of Parliament * William Hilliard (Florida politician), served as Mayor of Tallahassee ...

* 1839 R. F. Ker * 1840 Leslie A. Thompson * 1841–1844 Francis W. Eppes

Statehood

* 1845 James A. Berthelot, he also served in the General Assembly and campaigned for another office on a no tax anti bond platform advertised on a poster. He was a mason and part of the

Grand Lodge of Florida Grand may refer to: People with the name * Grand (surname) * Grand L. Bush (born 1955), American actor * Grand Mixer DXT, American turntablist * Grand Puba (born 1966), American rapper Places * Grand, Oklahoma * Grand, Vosges, village and co ...

* 1846

Simon Towle Simon may refer to: People * Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon * Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon * Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genu ...

, was also a state comptroller. Owned the

Towle House (Tallahassee, Florida) Towle may refer to: * Towle (surname) * Towle, California, a community in Placer County * Towle Silversmiths, one of the most prestigious silver manufacturers in the United States {{disambiguation, given name ...

* 1847

James Kirksey The James A. Kirksey Plantation was a moderate plantation of located in northwestern Leon County, Florida, United States, established by James A. Kirksey. In 1847 he served as mayor of Tallahassee. He had a large number of slaves. The James Kirk ...

* 1848 F. H. Flagg * 1849

Thomas J. Perkins (Florida politician) Thomas James Perkins (January 7, 1932 – June 7, 2016) was an American businessman and venture capitalist who was one of the founders of the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins. Biography Perkins received a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and ...

* 1850-1851 D. P. Hogue (also David P. Hogue or

David Porter Hogue David Porter Hogue (March 12, 1815 – November 19, 1871), also known as D. P. Hogue, was an American reporter and politician from the state of Florida. Hogue served as the 4th Florida Attorney General from 1848 until 1853. He also served va ...

, a lawyer who served as Attorney General in Florida. * 1852 David S. Walker * 1853 Richard Hayward (Florida politician) * 1854-1855

Thomas Hayward (Florida politician) Thomas Hayward may refer to: * Thomas Hayward (16th-century MP) (died 1534), MP for Ipswich in 1529 * Thomas Hayward (cricketer) (1835–1876), English cricketer * Thomas Hayward (Royal Navy officer) (1767–1798), British sailor who was present du ...

* 1856-1857 Francis W. Eppes * 1858-1860 D. P. Hogue

Civil War era and Reconstruction

* 1861-1865 P. T. Pearce, he was appointed a trustee of the

West Florida Seminary The history of Florida State University dates to the 19th century and is deeply intertwined with the history of education in Florida, education in the state of Florida and in the city of Tallahassee, Florida, Tallahassee. Florida State University, ...

* 1866 Francis W. Eppes, grandson of

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 1801 to 1809. He was previously the natio ...

, returned to office * 1867-1868 D. P. Hogue * 1869-1870 Thaddeus Preston 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. * 1871 Charles Edgar Dyke, a Conservative newspaper editor of the '' Floridian & Journal'' * 1872-1874 C. H. Edwards * 1875 David S. Walker, Jr. * 1876 Samuel Walker

Post-Reconstruction

* 1877 Jesse Bernard (also known as J. T. Bernard and Jesse Talbot Bernard), first Democratic mayor after Reconstruction, which ended the year he was elected. * 1878-1879

David S. Walker, Jr. David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

* 1880 Henry Bernreuter, born in

Columbus, Georgia Columbus is a consolidated city-county located on the west-central border of the U.S. state of Georgia. Columbus lies on the Chattahoochee River directly across from Phenix City, Alabama. It is the county seat of Muscogee County, with which it ...

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. * 1881 Edward Lewis (Florida politician) * 1882 John W. Nash * 1883 Edward Lewis (Florida politician) * 1884-1885 Charles C. Pearce * 1886 George W. Walker (Tallahassee, FL mayor) * 1887 A. J. Fish * 1888-1889 R. B. Gorman, served in the Confederate Army and was postmaster in Tallahassee. 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. In 1889 he reported on negotiations with a

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

company for a water works system. * 1890-1894 Richard B. Carpenter, a shopkeeper. Later 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. * 1895-1896 Jesse Talbot Bernard, a teacher and judge who travelled around Florida to hear cases. Served in the Confederate Army. He kept a diary. * 1897 R. A. Shine * 1898-1902 R. B. Gorman, return to office of mayor Samuel_A

* 1903-1904 William L. Moor * 1905 John Ward Henderson, he also served as a legislator. *1906 F. C. Gilmore *1907 W. M. McIntosh, Jr., he also served as Chief Clerk of the state's Comptroller Office. *1908 F. C. Gilmore *1909 Francis B. Winthrop, the Florida State Archives have a photo of the family home as well as a photo of Winthrop, age 3. Florida State University has a photo of him in what appears to be a military uniform ca. 1918 as well as some of his business documents in a collection of his family's papers. His family owned the

Barrow Hill Plantation Barrow Hill Plantation was a large forced-labor farm of located in central Leon County, Florida, United States. It was established by John S. Winthrop, who by 1860 enslaved 71 people to work his land, which was primarily dedicated to growing c ...

and a house at 610 North Magnolia, which he lived in with his wife for years. *1910-1917 D. M. Lowry

After World War I

*1918 J. R. McDaniel *1919-1921 Guyte P. McCord, played on the 1904 Florida State College football team and scored a touchdown in the state championship game against Stetson. *1922-1923 A. P. McCaskill *1924-1925 B. A. Meginniss *1926 W. Theo Proctor *1927 B.A. Meginniss *1928-1929 W. Theo Proctor *1930 G. E. Lewis *1931 Frank D. Moor *1932-1933 W. L. Marshall *1934 J. L. Fain *1935 Leonard A. Wesson *1936 H. J. Yaeger (H. Jack Yaeger) *1937 L. A. Wesson (Leonard A. Wesson, lived at 503 McDaniel) *1938 J. R. Jinks *1939 S. A. Wahnish *1940 F. C. Moor *1941 Charles S. Ausley *1942 Jack W. Simmons *1943 A. R. Richardson *1944 Charles S. Ausley *1945 Ralph E. Proctor

Post-World War II

*1946 Fred S. Winterle, he and his son were involved in the oil distribution business. *1947 George I. Martin *1948 Fred N. Lowry *1949-1950 Robert C. Parker disambig needed *1951 William H. Cates *1952 B. A. Ragsdale *1953 William T. Mayo *1954 H. G. Esterwood *1954 H. C. Summitt *1955-1956 J. T. Williams disambig needed *1956 Fred S. Winterle, a return to office *1956-1957 John Y. Humphress *1957 J. W. Cordell *1958 Davis H. Atkinson *1959 Hugh E. Williams, Jr. *1960 George S. Taft disambig needed *1961 J. W. Cordell *1962 Davis H. Atkinson *1963 S. E. Teague, Jr. (Samuel) *1964 Hugh E. Williams, Jr. *1965 George S. Taft *1966 William Haywood Cates, Sr., longest-serving city commissioner in history of Tallahassee. Eventually lost to the first African American elected as commissioner. His son drowned in a hunting accident. Was a religion professor at Florida State University and helped found religious organizations in Tallahassee. *1967 John A. Rudd, Sr. *1968 Gene Berkowitz He also served as a City Commissioner in Tallahassee His wife was a schoolteacher. As a commissioner he voted to reopen the city's pools in the wake of the

assassination of Martin Luther King Martin Luther King Jr., an African-American clergyman and civil rights leader, was fatally shot at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee, on April 4, 1968, at 6:01 p.m. CST. He was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital, where he died at ...

in 1968. *1969

Spurgeon Camp Spurgeon may refer to: Places United States * Spurgeon, Indiana, a town * Spurgeon, Missouri, an unincorporated community * Spurgeon, Tennessee, a census-designated place * Spurgeon Creek, Washington Australia * Spurgeon, Queensland, a locality ...

*1970 Lee A. Everhart, founder and president of building company Everhart Construction Company *1971 Gene Berkowitz, return to office *1972 James R. Ford, first African-American mayor *1973

Joan Heggen Joan Reidy Heggen was mayor of Tallahassee, Florida. The first woman to hold the position, Heggen served as mayor from 1973-1974. She declined to run for reelection, citing a desire to spend more time with her family. Heggen was born in Wisconsin a ...

, first female mayor *1974 Russell R. Bevis *1974 Earl Yancy *1975 Johnny Jones *1976 James R. Ford *1977 Ben W. Thompson *1978 Neal D. Sapp, was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and graduated from

Florida State University Florida State University (FSU) is a public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher education in the st ...

with a business. He was a software developer and businessman. He died March 26, 2004. *1979 Sheldon E. Hilaman, also served as a City Commissioner. Went by Shad. Hillaman Golf Course is named for him. *1980 Richard P. Wilson *1981 Hurley W. Rudd, also served as a city commissioner and multiple terms in the Florida legislature *1982 James R. Ford *1983 Carol Bellamy *1984 Kent Spriggs, a

Civil Rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...

lawyer who also edited a book about Civil Rights leaders in the deep south. Appeared on

C-Span Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...

while mayor discussing his duties. *1985 Hurley W. Rudd *1986 Jack L. McLean Jr., second African-American mayor *1987 Betty Harley *1988 Frank Visconti *1989 Dorothy Inman-Crews, first female African-American mayor *1990 Steve Meisberg *1991 Debbie Lightsey *1992 Bob Hightower *1993 Dorothy Inman-Crews *1994 Penny Herman *1995

Scott Maddox Scott Charles Maddox (born March 13, 1968) is an American politician. He was the mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, from 1995 to 1996 and from 1997 to 2005. Maddox is the former chair of the Florida Democratic Party and a former Tallahassee City Comm ...

*1996 Ron Weaver (mayor) *1997–2003

, first directly-elected mayor * 2003–2014 John Marks, longest-serving mayor in the city's history * 2014–2018

Andrew Gillum Andrew Demetric Gillum (born July 26, 1979) is an American former politician who served as the 126th mayor of Tallahassee from 2014 to 2018. He served as a Tallahassee city commissioner from 2003 until 2014, first elected at the age of 23. He i ...

, ran for governor in 2018 but lost narrowly to

Ron DeSantis Ronald Dion DeSantis (; born September 14, 1978) is an American politician serving as the 46th governor of Florida since January 2019. A member of the Republican Party, DeSantis represented Florida's 6th district in the U.S. House of Represe ...

* 2018–present John E. Dailey

References

{{Tallahassee, Florida *