List of longest-serving mayors in the United States explained

Some of the longest-serving mayors in the United States are listed according to their length of service in that currently or has served in that part of the state or legislative 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 of the 50 largest cities in the United States is Carolyn Goodman, who has been mayor of Las Vegas since July 6, 2011.

YearsNameMunicipality Notes
Margaret M. DoudMackinac Island, MichiganEntered office on April 14, 1975.[1]
Robert HeidenescherDupont, OhioEntered office on January 5, 1976.[2]
William D. TateGrapevine, TexasEntered office on May 1, 1973. Served May 1, 1973 – May 1, 1985 and May 1, 1988–present[3]
yearsLamar ScroggsEntered office in 1976.[4]
yearsHarold RainwaterWilmore, KentuckyEntered office in 1976.[5]
Rutledge B. Leland, IIIMcClellanville, South CarolinaEntered office in 1976.[6]
Robert ChatfieldProspect, ConnecticutEntered office on November 7, 1977.
yearsPhil WilliamsMcLemoresville, TennesseeEntered office in 1977.[7] He is the longest serving mayor in Tennessee history.
yearsMarvin JohnsonIndependence, MinnesotaEntered office in 1979.
yearsMary Hawkins ButlerMadison, MississippiEntered office in 1981.
Jeffery D. SchielkeBatavia, IllinoisEntered office on May 4, 1981.[8]
Gerald R. BennettPalos Hills, IllinoisEntered Office in 1981 [9]
Mark Anthony McClureDanville, West VirginiaEntered office on July 6, 1981.
James V. Bender JrPollocksville, North CarolinaEntered office on November 1, 1982.
William "Bill" McIntoshMoultrie, GeorgiaEntered office in 1983.
Duane DawsonMilan, IllinoisEntered office on May 6, 1985.[10]
yearsLouie DavisWaldo, FloridaEntered office in 1985.
38 yearsDennis M. CloughWestlake, OhioEntered office in 1986.[11]
Carlos López RiveraDorado, Puerto RicoEntered office on August 3, 1987.
Dr. Ravi BhaskerSocorro, New MexicoEntered office on November 6, 1990.
Richard TurnerWeehawken, New JerseyEntered office July 1, 1990[12]
James M. CahillNew Brunswick, New JerseyEntered office on January 1, 1991.[13]
J. Christian BollwageElizabeth, New JerseyEntered office on January 1, 1993.[14]
Dean J. MazzarellaLeominster, MassachusettsEntered office on January 3, 1994.

Former mayors

A list of mayors in order of their total length of service. (If there is a break in their service, then this length is measured as the sum of their terms.)

YearsNameMunicipalityNotes
Hilmar MooreRichmond, TexasServed from September 22, 1949, until his death on December 4, 2012.[15]
John H. LandApopka, FloridaServed from January 1, 1950, to January 1, 1968, and from January 1, 1971, to April 22, 2014.
60 yearsCharles E. LongBooneville, KentuckyServed from 1958 until his death on August 3, 2019.[16]
Robert LinnBeaver, PennsylvaniaServed from January 2, 1946, to August 22, 2004.
Bruce ArnoldValparaiso, FloridaServed from January 21, 1964, until his death on February 23, 2017.
56 yearsPaul JurkoYankee Lake, OhioServed from November, 1931 until his death on March 1, 1988.
Robert L. ButlerMarion, IllinoisServed from May 6, 1963[17] until his resignation on January 31, 2018.[18]
52 yearsGerald CalabreseCliffside Park, New JerseyServed from 1961 to 1963 and 1965 to 2015.[19] [20]
52 yearsFrank CaliperColp, IllinoisServed from 1935 until his death on March 28, 1987.
John M. CoyneBrooklyn, OhioServed from 1948 to January 2000.[21] [22]
Donald StephensRosemont, IllinoisFirst Mayor of Rosemont. Served from village's incorporation in 1956 to 2007.
Robert M. BlaisLake George, New YorkServed from April 5, 1971, to April 1, 2023.[23] [24]
Dock Hulett GabbertDerma, MississippiServed from July 1, 1969, to December 30, 2020.[25]
Leonard ScarcellaStafford, TexasServed from September 4, 1969, until his death on June 28, 2020.[26]
Leonard T. ConnorsSurf City, New JerseyServed from 1966 to January 5, 2016.
Frank E. RodgersHarrison, New JerseyServed from September 4, 1946, to August 22, 1995.
Randall WiseNiceville, FloridaServed from August, 1972 until his death on January 20, 2020.
48 yearsJohn Lewis GayBerea, KentuckyServed from 1910 to 1958.
47 years, 11 monthsFrank KellyCollingdale, PennsylvaniaServed from 1970 until his death on November 22, 2018.
Nicholas B. BlaseNiles, IllinoisServed from May 2, 1961, until his resignation on August 25, 2008.[27]
Milt KramerServed from September 19, 1974, to January 1, 2022.
Noel B. CummingsHodgkins, IllinoisServed from 1979 until his formal retirement was announced on Oct. 3, 2022 at the age of 95.[28]
H. Ford GravittCumming, GeorgiaServed from January 1, 1971, to December 31, 2017.
46 years, 222 daysJoseph SiebNorridge, IllinoisServed from November 14, 1951, until his death on June 23, 1998.[29]
44 yearsCharles "Sonny" PenhaleHelena, AlabamaServed from 1968 to 2012.[30]
44 yearsThomas M. TarttLivingston, AlabamaServed from 1980 to February 22, 2024.
44 yearsGerald H. ThompsonFitzgerald, GeorgiaServed from January 1, 1968, to January 1, 2012.
yearsRichard A. MolaElmwood Park, New JerseyServed from 1972 until his death in 2016.[31]
Paul W. CassidyParma Heights, OhioServed from January, 1958 to January, 2001.[32]
Tom ReidPearland, TexasServed from 1978 to 1990 and 1993 to May, 2020.
yearsGary W. StarrMiddleburg Heights, OhioEntered office in 1981.
Erastus Corning IIAlbany, New YorkServed from January 2, 1942, to May 28, 1983.
Harold Wayne FordGalva, KSServed from June 6, 1977, to January 31, 2019. He was the longest serving mayor of Galva, KS.[33]
41 yearsGlenn L. SiscoKinnelon, New JerseyServed from 1969 to 2010.
40 yearsGeorge C. ClantonTappahannock, VirginiaServed from 1948 to 1988
Joseph P. Riley Jr.Charleston, South CarolinaServed from December 15, 1975, to January 11, 2016.
yearsLouis Bay 2ndHawthorne, New JerseyServed from 1947 to 1987.
William W. Dickinson Jr.Wallingford, ConnecticutServed from January 2, 1984, to December 31, 2023.
John FerreroCity of Industry, CaliforniaServed from Industry's incorporation in 1957 till his death on September 26, 1996.[34]
37–38 yearsJames EaganFlorissant, MissouriServed from 1963 to 2000.
36 yearsRoss AragonPagosa Springs, ColoradoServed from 1978 to 2014
36 yearsRandall RamseyParma, MissouriServed from 1962 to 1974 and from 1991 to 2015.[35]
Orville L. HubbardDearborn, MichiganServed from 1942 to 1978.
Edward J. ZabrockiTinley Park, IllinoisServed from May 1, 1981, until his resignation in June, 2016.
34–35 yearsWillis ConnerDexter, MissouriServed for about 35 years.[36]
34–35 yearsGlendel StephensonMebane, North CarolinaServed from 1975 to 1983 and 1993 to 2019.[37] [38]
33 years, 10 monthsDavid W. SmithNewark, CaliforniaServed from March 1978 to December 2011[39] [40]
33 years, 3 monthsJoseph BarabeMellen, WisconsinServed from April 1987 to April 2001 and April 2003 to July 2022
33 yearsRichard A. NowackOak Grove, IllinoisServed from May 1978 until his death on September 20, 2011.[41]
33 yearsJoseph SmithEast Newark, New JerseyServed from 1987 to 2020[42]
32 yearsAnthony VaccoEvergreen Park, IllinoisServed from 1969 to 2001.
32 yearsShawn HoganHornell, New YorkServed from 1985 to 2017.
32 yearsKenneth J. SimsEuclid, OhioServed from 1938 until his retirement in June 1970[43]
31 years, 6 monthsJames A. AnzaldiClifton, New JerseyEntered office July 1, 1990 and left office on December 31, 2022[44] [45]
Frank HagueJersey City, New JerseyServed from 1917 to 1947.
30 years Richard Homrighausen Dover, OhioServed from 1992 until his suspension from office in May 2022
30 yearsEmmett Dofner Jr.McClelland, IowaServed from 1987 until his death on May 2, 2017.[46]
Daniel R. BrooksNorth College Hill, OhioServed from January 1, 1984, until his resignation on December 21, 2013
Dr. LeRoy G. SuireErath, LouisianaServed from 1961 to 1990.
Willie OswaltLake City, GeorgiaServed from 1989 to 2018.
Arnold KlentzWest Allis, WisconsinServed from April 18, 1944, until his death on March 5, 1973.[47] [48] [49]
Don PlusquellicAkron, OhioServed from January 1, 1987, until his resignation on May 31, 2015.
28 years, 4 daysJames BrainardCarmel, IndianaServed from January 1, 1996 to January 4, 2024
28 yearsPaul AmicoSecaucus, New JerseyServed from 1964 to 1992.[50]
28 yearsHenry ClarkStephenville, TexasServed from 1928 to 1956.[51]
Henry MaierMilwaukee, WisconsinServed from 1960 to 1988.[52]
28 yearsWalter A. ScottJackson, MississippiServed from 1917 to 1945.[53]
28 yearsThomas Gerard DunnElizabeth, New Jersey1964 to 1992. Longest-serving mayor of a city of more than 100,000 people.[54]
28 yearsGeorge H. LysleMcKeesport, PennsylvaniaServed from 1914 to 1942.[55]
Stephen R. ReedHarrisburg, PennsylvaniaServed from 1982 to 2010.
Don RobartCuyahoga Falls, OhioServed from 1986 to 2013.
26 years, 30 daysMiguel A. PulidoSanta Ana, CaliforniaServed from 1994 to 2020.
26 yearsManuel Lamela AbreuQuebradillas, Puerto RicoServed from 1918 to 1944.
24 YearsTimothy HannaAppleton, WisconsinServed From 1996 to 2020.

Notes

Notes and References

  1. News: Atkins. Harry. Tradition Followed, But Also Broken in Mackinac. April 9, 1975. The Lewiston Daily Sun. Lewiston, Maine. 11. December 2, 2023. Google News Archive.
  2. News: New Mayor Takes Over at Dupont. January 8, 1976. NewspaperArchive. 12. Defiance Crescent News. Defiance, Ohio. December 3, 2023.
  3. Web site: Mayor – William D. Tate Grapevine, TX – Official Website. www.grapevinetexas.gov. en. 2018-05-07.
  4. News: Mayor Scroggs holds top post for over 45 years . 15 July 2023 . AccessWDUN . 27 October 2021.
  5. A RESOLUTION honoring Wilmore Mayor Harold Rainwater as the longest-serving mayor in Kentucky.. House of Representatives of the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky. 16 April 2016. 2318. Resolution.
  6. Rutledge B. Leland III. South Carolina General Assembly. 1 February 2018. 4821. House Resolution.
  7. Web site: McLemoresville Officials Administered Oath of Office. The Mckenzie Banner.
  8. News: Staff. Batavia Government Center to be named for Mayor Jeff Schielke. September 7, 2022. Shaw Local News Network. December 12, 2023. subscription. September 7, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220907163302/https://www.shawlocal.com/kane-county-chronicle/news/2022/09/07/batavia-government-center-to-be-named-for-mayor-jeff-schielke/. When he first took office on May 4, 1981, Schielke was the youngest mayor in Batavia's history at age 32..
  9. Web site: Mayor Bennett's Biography.
  10. News: Milan Gets New Officials. May 7, 1985. NewspaperArchive. 7. The Rock Island Argus. Rock Island, Illinois. April 11, 2024.
  11. Web site: Mayor Dennis M. Clough Biography Westlake, OH - Official Website . 2024-03-07 . www.cityofwestlake.org.
  12. Web site: 25 years of Weehawken Mayor Richard Turner. Kathryn Brenzel | NJ Advance Media for. NJ.com. July 26, 2015. nj.
  13. Web site: Mayors Office | New Brunswick, NJ. www.cityofnewbrunswick.org.
  14. Web site: Our Mayor | Elizabeth, NJ. www.elizabethnj.org.
  15. Web site: 15 mayors in major cities that have served as long – or longer – than Cleveland's Frank Jackson. November 9, 2017. cleveland.
  16. Web site: Charles E. Long – View Obituary & Service Information. Charles E. Long Obituary.
  17. News: Marion City Council Takes Office Today. May 6, 1963. 3. The Southern Illinoisan. December 2, 2023. Newspaper Archive. registration.
  18. News: Halstead. Marilyn. Marion Mayor Bob Butler says he will retire Jan. 31. December 1, 2017. The Southern Illinoisan. December 28, 2017. December 29, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171229053737/http://thesouthern.com/news/local/communities/marion/marion-mayor-bob-butler-says-he-will-retire-jan/article_65bdcbee-4593-547c-9f65-7cb59aac8034.html. live.
  19. https://abcnews.go.com/Sports/wireStory/man-believed-jerseys-longest-serving-mayor-dies-30295205 "Man Believed to Be New Jersey's Longest-Serving Mayor Dies"
  20. Web site: Hundreds gather at funeral for Gerry Calabrese, N.J.'s longest serving mayor – News – NorthJersey.com . 2020-08-13 . 2016-03-04 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304074112/http://www.northjersey.com/news/hundreds-gather-at-funeral-for-gerry-calabrese-n-j-s-longest-serving-mayor-1.1311767 . dead .
  21. Web site: Iallonardo. Tony. U.S. Has New "Longest-Serving Mayor. United States Conference of Mayors. November 15, 1999. April 29, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20090413005721/http://www.usmayors.org/usmayornewspaper/documents/11_15_99/US_has.htm. dead. 2009-04-13.
  22. 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.
  23. News: Arnold. Chad. Blais celebrates 50 years as Lake George mayor. April 7, 2021. Adirondack Daily Enterprise. It was April 5, 1971 when he presided over his first Village Board meeting, shortly after taking his oath of office as mayor.. December 3, 2023.
  24. News: DeCamilla. Jana. Mayor Perry: Ushering in a new era of Lake George Village. April 8, 2023. The Post-Star. He (Perry) began his new position on April 1, after serving on the Lake George Village Board of Trustees. December 3, 2023.
  25. News: State's longest serving mayor dies from COVID-19 complications. William. Moore. December 31, 2020. Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal. Tupelo, Mississippi.
  26. Web site: Mayor of Stafford, the longest-serving mayor in the nation, dies at 79. Tierra. Smith. June 29, 2020. KPRC.
  27. Book: Schneider, Andrew. Nick Blase: The Prince of Niles, Illinois. The History Press. 2012. Charleston, SC. 9781609495497.
  28. Web site: The Village of Hodgkins Communicator (Fall 2022 yet to be released on website. Hardcopy was sent to residents on Oct 3, 2022) . Village of Hodgkins, Illinois.
  29. Web site: Village History | Village of Norridge.
  30. Web site: Alec. Etheredge . 2021-01-22. 'He bled Helena': Former Helena Mayor Sonny Penhale dies at 89. 2021-03-10. Shelby County Reporter.
  31. Web site: Richard Mola Obituary (2016) – Elmwood Park, NJ – The Record/Herald News. www.legacy.com.
  32. Web site: Mayor Paul W. Cassidy led Parma Heights for 43 years: news obituary. Grant. Segall. July 11, 2013. Cleveland Plain Dealer.
  33. Web site: Wayne Ford Obituary 2019 .
  34. Web site: Legacy of Fallen Mayor Reverberates in Industry's Name . September 28, 1996 . June 20, 2023 . Los Angeles Times.
  35. Web site: Tiny Missouri Town Plagued By Resignations After Electing First Black Mayor. April 21, 2015. NBC.
  36. Web site: Missouri Obituary and Death Notice Archive. 2021-04-13.
  37. Web site: Glendel Stephenson, Mayor – City of Mebane. cityofmebane.com. 2019-06-05.
  38. Web site: Stephenson to retire after 35 years as Mebane's mayor. Williams. Jessica. The Times-News. en. 2019-06-05.
  39. Web site: David W Smith City Hall- Newark, CA - People-Named Places on Waymarking.com. www.waymarking.com.
  40. Web site: Longest Standing Mayor Bids Newark Farewell .
  41. Web site: Richard A. Nowack Obituary. www.newspapers.com . 2024-04-11.
  42. Web site: Grilo takes over for Hudson's longest-serving mayor. January 5, 2020. New Jersey Globe.
  43. Web site: Williams. John. 2010-06-24. Sims – Leader and shaper of today's Euclid. 2022-02-15. Euclid Observer.
  44. Rimbach, Jean. "New Clifton leaders make it official", The Record,July 2, 1990. Accessed December 18, 2023, via Newspapers.com. "Promising to guide Clifton in unity through what many say will be its toughest years yet, new Mayor James Anzaldi and his six council colleagues were sworn to office Sunday in a ceremony attended by more than 600 residents. The two-term councilman was named mayor by unanimous vote of the council during a small meeting that was later reenacted for the public."
  45. Fagan, Matt. "Clifton's longest-serving mayor, James Anzaldi, not seeking reelection", The Record, August 31, 2022. Accessed December 18, 2023. "It appears that Clifton may get its first new mayor in 32 years.... He was first elected mayor by council colleagues in 1990, and he has remained the top vote-getter in every subsequent election."
  46. Web site: Emmett E. Dofner Jr. Obituary – Visitation & Funeral Information. www.cutleroneill.com. en-US. 2019-08-24.
  47. Book: Muchka, Albert. 2003. West Allis. Chicago. Arcadia Publishing. 57. 0-7385-3183-9.
  48. Web site: Fond Du Lac Reporter Newspaper Archives March 06, 1973 Page 8. 2021-06-20. newspaperarchive.com. 6 March 1973. en.
  49. Both sources agree that Klentz was inaugurated in 1944; West Allis gives a date of April 18. West Allis inaccurately gives Klentz's death date as March 1971, whereas the contemporary source cited gives it as March 5, 1973.
  50. Web site: Paul Amico, a longtime Secaucus mayor, dies at 103 . 2022-12-20. usatoday.com. en.
  51. News: 1959-08-28 . Obituary for Henry Clark (Aged 77) . 2024-08-15 . Fort Worth Star-Telegram . 4.
  52. Web site: Maier Ends 28 Years As Milwaukee's Mayor on April 21, 1988. 2021-06-19. chicagotribune.com. 21 April 1988 . en.
  53. Web site: Hattiesburg American from Hattiesburg, Mississippi on June 28, 1963 · 2. 2021-05-16. Newspapers.com. 28 June 1963 . en.
  54. News: Thomas Dunn, 76, Longtime Elizabeth Mayor . Thomas G. Dunn...had served as mayor of the largely working-class city for 28 years, but he was defeated in his own party's primary in June 1992. Still, his tenure earned him the distinction as the nation's longest-serving mayor of a city of more than 100,000 people. . New York Times . 13 February 1998 . 2023-10-15 . Smothers . Ronald .
  55. News: 1947-09-25 . MAYOR LYSLE obit . 2024-03-09 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . 1.