Mayor of Tallahassee
Seal of the City of Tallahassee
Flag of the City of Tallahassee
Incumbent
John E. Dailey
since November 19, 2018
StyleThe Honorable
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderCharles Haire
Formation1826
Salary$80,289
Website

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

Florida Territory

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.
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

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

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

After World War I

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

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

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

References

  1. "Mayoral candidate raises the question of a position overhaul".
  2. "Tallahassee, Leon County". Viva Florida. Tallahassee: Florida League of Cities. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. "d.o. elected intendant in Tallahassee, fla. 1827". Newspapers.com.
  4. 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.
  5. Floridian and Advocate (Tallahassee, Florida), Dec. 27, 1834, p. 3: Obituary
  6. Burnett, Gene M. (1 June 1996). Florida's Past: People and Events That Shaped the State. Pineapple Press Inc. ISBN 9781561641178 via Google Books.
  7. "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.
  8. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Campaign Poster for James A. Berthelot, James M. Gilchrist, and James H. Gibson". Florida Memory.
  9. "Towle House - Florida Historical Markers". Waymarking.com.
  10. Court, Florida Supreme (10 December 2018). "Cases Argued and Adjudged in the Supreme Court of Florida" via Google Books.
  11. Court, Florida Supreme (10 December 2018). "Florida Reports" via Google Books.
  12. "Portrait of Thaddeus Preston Tatum - Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
  13. "Notes on Reconstruction in Tallahassee and Leon County, 1866-1876". The Florida Historical Society Quarterly. 5 (3): 153–158. 1927. JSTOR 30150750.
  14. "Henry Bernreuter, Memorial article by friend". The Weekly True Democrat.
  15. "BERNREUTER, Henry". Florida Memory.
  16. "R B Gorman obit 17 April 1918 - Newspapers.com". Tallahassee Democrat. 17 April 1918. p. 1.
  17. House, Florida Legislature (8 December 1881). "Journal ..." pp. 2–27.
  18. "Report of the Chief of Engineers U.S. Army". U.S. Government Printing Office. 8 December 1889 via Google Books.
  19. "The Engineering Record, Building Record and Sanitary Engineer". McGraw Publishing Company. 8 December 1889.
  20. "Mayor r b carpenter bankrupt - Newspapers.com". Tampa Bay Times.
  21. Phillips, Rebecca; Bernard, Jesse Talbot (1939). "A Diary of Jesse Talbot Bernard". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 18 (2): 115–126. JSTOR 30145327.
  22. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Tallahassee Junior Museum officials". Florida Memory. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
  23. History of Florida, Past and Present: Historical and Biographical. Chicago: Lewis Publishing Company. 1923.
  24. "Search Results". Florida Memory.
  25. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Portrait of William M. McIntosh Jr. standing by the Capitol - Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
  26. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Winthrop family home at 610 N. Monroe St. in Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
  27. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Francis B. Winthrop at age three". Florida Memory.
  28. "Francis B. Winthrop - fsu.digital.flvc.org". fsu.digital.flvc.org.
  29. "Winthrop Family Papers, 1592-1970 - FSU Special Collections & Archives". fsuarchon.fcla.edu.
  30. Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.). "Mayors and Postmasters of Tallahassee, Florida". Political Graveyard. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  31. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Fred S. Winterle and son's Gulf oil distribution trucks". Florida Memory.
  32. Ensley, Gerald (May 17, 2014). "Northeast streets named for banking family". Tallahassee Democrat.
  33. "Ex-Mayor Williams is Dead here at 64". Tallahassee Democrat. November 25, 1970 via Newspapers.com.
  34. "Cates Ave. named for former city commissioner". Tallahassee Democrat.
  35. 1 2 "Letter: Was it Wade or Berkowitz who reopened city pools?". Tallahassee Democrat.
  36. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "New City Commissioner Gene Berkowitz with his wife in Tallahassee". Florida Memory.
  37. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Kindergarten teacher Mrs. Gene Berkowitz reading to class in Tallahassee". Florida Memory.
  38. Butcher, Lee (10 December 1976). Florida's power structure: who's part of it and why. Trend Pub. ISBN 9780882510699 via Google Books.
  39. "S.E. Hilamen is Chairman of '64 March". Tallahassee Democrat. January 17, 1964 via Newspapers.com.
  40. Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Men on the course at the Winewood Golf Club in Tallahassee, Florida". Florida Memory.
  41. 2006 obituary in the Tallahassee Democrat
  42. "Kent Spriggs - C-SPAN.org". C-span.org.
  43. "Robert S. Hightower". hightowerlaw.com. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
  44. Varian, Bill (March 4, 1996). "Bethel". Tallahassee Democrat.
  45. "Ron Weaver Steps Out Of Shadows To Become Mr. Mayor". Tallahassee Democrat. March 3, 1996. pp. 1B, 4B via Newspapers.com.
  46. "City Officials". City of Tallahassee. Archived from the original on June 5, 1997 via Internet Archive, Wayback Machine.
  47. ""I Cried Everyday": Former Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum to Discuss Controversial Incident on "Tamron Hall"". 10 September 2020.
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