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List of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts facts for kids

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This is a list of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell became a city in 1836. From 1836 to 1943 the mayor of Lowell was the chief administrative officer of the city. Lowell switched to a Massachusetts "Plan E" form of city government in 1943, since January 1, 1944 the city has been administrated by a professional city manager, the office of mayor, while retained under "Plan E", is strictly a ceremonial one.

Mayors

Quick facts for kids
Mayor of Lowell
Incumbent
Daniel Rourke

since January 2, 2024
Style His/Her Honor
Member of School Committee
Residence None official
Seat Lowell City Hall
Appointer City Council vote
Term length Two years
Constituting instrument Lowell City Charter
Precursor Lowell Board of Selectmen
(1826-1836)
Formation 1836
First holder Elisha Bartlett
Salary $30,000 (2017)
# Mayor Picture Term Party Notes
1st Elisha Bartlett Elisha Bartlett by Thomas Bayley Lawson.jpg 1836–1838 Whig
2nd Luther Lawrence 1838 – April 17, 1839 Federalist
A Elisha Huntington Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg April 1839 – April 1840 Whig Became acting mayor after the death
of Luther Lawrence in April 1839.
3rd Elisha Huntington Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg April 1840 – April 1842 Whig
4th Nathaniel Wright April 1842 – April 1844 Citizens ticket, (1842); Whig (1843)
5th Elisha Huntington Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg April 1844 – January 1846 Whig
6th Jefferson Bancroft Jefferson Bancroft portrait at Lowell Masonic Temple; Lowell, MA; 2012-05-18.jpg 1846–1848 Whig
7th Josiah B. French 1849–1850 Coalitionist/Democratic
8th James H.B. Ayer James H. B. Ayer.jpg 1851 Whig
9th Elisha Huntington Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg January 1852 – January 1853 Whig
10th Sewall G. Mack 1853–1854 Whig
11th Ambrose Lawrence Thomas Bayley Lawson - Ambrose Lawrence (1816-1893) - H540 - Harvard Art Museums.jpg 1855 Native American Party
12th Elisha Huntington Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg 1856 Whig
13th Stephen Mansur Stephen Mansur.jpg 1857 Republican
14th Elisha Huntington Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg January 1858 – January 1859 Whig
15th James Cook 1859 Republican
16th Benjamin C. Sargent 1860–1861 Republican
17th Hocum Hosford 1862–1865 Citizens ticket (1862–1863), Republican (1864)
18th Josiah G. Peabody 1865–1866 Republican
19th George F. Richardson George Francis Richardson 1872.png 1867 – January 4, 1869 Republican
20th Jonathan P. Folsom 1872 Jonathan Philbrick Folsom Massachusetts House of Representatives.png January 4, 1869 – 1870 Republican
21st Edward Fay Sherman 1871 Republican
22nd Josiah G. Peabody 1872 Republican
23rd Francis Jewett 1873–1875 Republican
24th Charles A. Stott January 1, 1876 – 1877 Republican
25th John A. G. Richardson January 7, 1878 – 1879 Democratic
26th Frederic T. Greenhalge Frederick T. Greenhalge.jpg 1880 – January 2, 1882 Republican
27th George Runels January 2, 1882 Republican
28th John J. Donovan 1883–1884 Democratic First Irish-American Mayor of Lowell
29th Edward J. Noyes 1885 Republican
30th James C. Abbott 1886–1887 Democratic
31st Charles Dana Palmer Charles Dana Palmer.png 1888 – January 1891 Republican
32nd George W. Fifield George W. Fifield.png January 1891 – 1892 Democratic
33rd John J. Pickman John J. Pickman.png 1893–1894 Republican
34th William F. Courtney 1895–1897 Democratic
35th Col. James W. Bennett 1898 Republican
36th Jeremiah Crowley Jeremiah Crowley (politician),.png 1899–1900 Democratic Irish-American
37th Charles A. R. Dimon Charles A.R. Dimon.jpg 1901 – May 5, 1902 Democratic
A William E. Badger 1902 Republican Acting
38th Charles E. Howe 1903–1904 Republican
39th James B. Casey 1905–1906 Democratic Irish-American
40th Frederick W. Farnham 1907–1908 Republican
41st George H. Brown January 1, 1909-January, 1910 Republican
42nd John F. Meehan 1910–1911 Democratic Irish-American
43rd James E. O'Donnell 1912–1913 Democratic Irish-American
44th Dennis J. Murphy 1914–1915 Democratic Irish-American
45th James E. O'Donnell 1916–1917 Democratic
46th Perry D. Thompson Perry D. Thompson.png 1918–1921 Republican
47th George H. Brown 1922 Republican
48th John J. Donovan 1923–1926 Democratic
49th Thomas J. Corbett 1927–1928 Democratic
50th Thomas H. Braden 1929–1931 Republican
52nd Charles H. Slowey 1932–1933 Democratic
53rd James J. Bruin 1934–1935 Democratic
54th Dewey G. Archambault 1936–1939 Republican First Franco-American Mayor of Lowell
55th George T. Ashe 1935 George Ashe Massachusetts House of Representatives.png 1940–1943 Democratic
A Joseph J. Sweeney 1943 Democratic Acting mayor.
Last mayor before the City Manager form of government was established under a Massachusetts Plan E Charter.
56th Woodbury F. Howard 1944–1945 Republican First ceremonial mayor.
Beginning of the weak mayor system.
City manager form of government
established on January 1, 1944.
57th Leo A. Roy 1946–1947 Republican
58th George A. Ayotte 1948–1949 Republican
59th William C. Geary 1950 Democratic
60th George C. Eliades 1951–1952 Democratic First Greek-American Mayor of Lowell
61st Henry Beaudry Henri Henry Beaudry, 1896-1969.jpg 1952–1953 Republican
62nd John Janas 1967 John Janas Massachusetts House of Representatives.png 1954–1955 Republican First Polish-American Mayor of Lowell
63rd Samuel S. Pollard 1956–1959 Democratic
64th Raymond J. Lord 1960–1961 Republican
65th Joseph M. Downes 1962–1963 Democratic
66th Ellen A. Sampson Ellen Anastos Sampson.jpg 1964–1965 Republican First Female Mayor of Lowell
67th Edward J. Early Jr. 1966–1967 Democratic
68th Robert G. Maguire 1968–1969 Democratic
69th Richard P. Howe 1970–1971 Democratic
70th Ellen A. Sampson Ellen Anastos Sampson.jpg 1972–1973 Republican
71st Armand W. LeMay 1974–1975 Democratic
72nd Leo J. Farley 1976–1977 Democratic
73rd Raymond F. Rourke 1967 Raymond Rourke Massachusetts House of Representatives.png 1978–1979 Democratic
74th Robert C. Maguire 1980–1981 Democratic
75th M. Brendan Fleming Mayor Brendan Fleming photographed in 1973.jpg 1982–1983 Democratic
76th Brian J. Martin Master of Ceremonies Brian Martin (500094508) (cropped).jpg 1984–1985 Democratic
77th Robert B. Kennedy 1975 Robert B Kennedy Massachusetts House of Representatives.png 1986–1987 Democratic
78th Richard P. Howe 1988–1991 Democratic
79th Tarsy T. Poulios 1992–1993 Democratic
80th Richard P. Howe 1994–1995 Democratic
81st Edward "Bud" Caulfield 1996–1997
82nd Eileen Donoghue Eileen Donoghue.jpg 1998–2001 Democratic
83rd Rita Mercier 2002–2003 Democratic
84th Armand Mercier 2004–2005
85th William F. Martin 2006–2007 Democratic
86th Edward "Bud" Caulfield 2008–2009 Democratic
87th James L. Milinazzo 2010–2011 Democratic Italian-American
88th Patrick O. Murphy PatrickOMurphy.jpg 2012–2013 Independent Inaugurated at age 29,
youngest mayor in Lowell history
89th Rodney Elliott Rodney Elliot.jpg 2014–2016 Democratic
90th Edward J. Kennedy Edward J Kennedy MA government photo.jpg 2016–2018 Democratic
91st William Samaras 2018–2020 Democratic
92nd John Leahy 2020–2022 Independent
93rd Sokhary Chau 2022-2024 Democratic First Cambodian mayor in the United States.
94th Daniel Rourke 2024–present

City Managers

# City Manager Term Notes
1st John J. Flannery 1944–1952
2nd Ulysses J. Lupien 1952–1953 former Massachusetts Director of Civil Service (1939–1944)
A William Sullivan 1953
3rd Frank E. Barrett 1953–1962
4th Cornelius Desmond 1962–1963 former State Representative (1941–1962)
5th P. Harold Ready 1963–1966
6th Charles Gallagher 1966–1970
A Leo Morris 1970
7th James Sullivan 1970–1974 former and future City Manager of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1968–1970, 1974–1981)
A Robert W. Healy 1974 future City Manager of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1981–2013)
8th Paul J. Sheehy 1974–1975 former State Representative (1965–1972)
A William Busby 1975
9th William S. Taupier 1975–1979 former Mayor of Holyoke (1968–1975)
A Victor Normand 1979
10th B. Joseph Tully 1979–1987 former State Senator (1971–1979)
11th James Campbell 1987–1991
A James Kennedy 1991
12th Richard Johnson 1991–1995 former Mayor of Taunton (1982–1992)
13th Brian J. Martin 1995–2000 former Mayor (1984–1985)
14th John F. Cox 2000–2006 former State Representative (1983–1995)
A James Kennedy 2006
15th Bernard F. Lynch 2006–2014 1st Town Manager of Chelmsford (1989–2006)
A Michael Geary 2014
16th Kevin J. Murphy 2014–2018 former State Representative (1997–2014)
17th Eileen Donoghue 2018–2022 former Mayor (1998–2002) and State Senator (2011–2018)
A Michael Geary 2022
18th Thomas Golden Jr. 2022–present former State Representative (1995–2022)
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