List of mayors of Baltimore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City of Baltimore
Flag of Baltimore
Incumbent Brandon Scott since December 8, 2020
Residence	Private residence
Term length	Four years
Inaugural holder	James Calhoun 1794
Formation	1797

The Mayor of Baltimore is the main leader of the city government in Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor makes sure city laws are followed. They can also approve or reject new laws or plans made by the Baltimore City Council.

The Mayor is in charge of many city services. This includes things like public property, the police, and fire protection. They also work with the Governor of Maryland on the public school system in the city.

Since the city government started in 1797, the Mayor's office has changed hands 62 times. Fifty-three different people have served as Mayor. The Mayor's office is located in the historic Baltimore City Hall building.

History of Baltimore's Mayors

The first person to lead Baltimore was James Calhoun. He was elected in 1794 when Baltimore was still a town. When Baltimore officially became a city in 1797, he continued as the first Mayor. He served for seven years until 1804.

Baltimore used to be part of Baltimore County. But in 1851, Baltimore City became an independent city. This meant it was separate from the county, like its own county. The county government then moved its main office to Towson.

Some Mayors have served more than one time, but not in a row. These include Edward Johnson, John Montgomery, Ferdinand C. Latrobe, Howard W. Jackson, William F. Broening, and Theodore R. McKeldin.

Originally, Mayors were elected for two-year terms. In 1920, this changed to four-year terms. There is no limit on how many terms a Mayor can serve.

For a long time, mayoral elections happened the year before a presidential election. In 2012, the 2015 election was moved to 2016. This was done to match up better with national elections. Because of this, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake served an extra year.

Baltimore has seen many changes in its Mayor's office recently. In September 2015, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake decided not to run again. This led to a big election in 2016. Catherine Pugh won and became the 50th Mayor of Baltimore. She was sworn in on December 6, 2016.

Catherine Pugh resigned on May 2, 2019. She faced problems related to selling a children's book series. After she resigned, the City Council President, Jack Young, became Mayor.

In the 2020 election, Brandon Scott won. He became the city's 52nd Mayor. He was sworn in on December 8, 2020.

Notable Mayors of Baltimore

Many important people have served as Mayor of Baltimore:

• Samuel Smith: He was a soldier in the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He also served in the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate. He was Mayor from 1835 to 1838.
• Thomas Swann: He was Mayor from 1856 to 1860. He later became the Governor of Maryland and served in the House of Representatives.
• William Pinkney Whyte: He was Mayor from 1881 to 1883. He also served as a U.S. Senator, Governor of Maryland, and Attorney General of Maryland.
• Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr.: He served three terms as Mayor from 1947 to 1959. He is known as the father of Nancy Pelosi, who became Speaker of the House of Representatives. His son, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as Mayor.
• William Donald Schaefer: He served four terms as Mayor, more than anyone else, from 1971 to 1987. He then became the Governor of Maryland.
• Kurt Schmoke: He served three terms as Mayor from 1987 to 1999. He was the first African-American person elected Mayor of Baltimore.
• Martin O'Malley: He served two terms as Mayor from 1999 to 2007. He then became the Governor of Maryland.

List of Mayors of Baltimore

#	Portrait	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Terms	Party	Notes
1		James Calhoun	1797	1804	5	None
2		Thorowgood Smith	1804	1808	2	None
3		Edward Johnson	1808	1816	4	Democratic-Republican
4		George Stiles	1816	1819	1.5	Democratic-Republican	Resigned during second term.
(3)		Edward Johnson	1819	1820	Partial	Democratic-Republican	Finished Mayor Stiles' term.
5		John Montgomery	1820	1822	1	Democratic-Republican
(3)		Edward Johnson	1822	1824	1	Democratic-Republican
(5)		John Montgomery	1824	1826	1	Democratic-Republican
6		Jacob Small	1826	1831	2.5	Democratic-Republican	Resigned from office.
7		William Steuart	1831	1832	Partial	Democratic-Republican	Finished Mayor Small's term.
8		Jesse Hunt	1832	1835	1.5	Whig	Resigned from office.
9		Samuel Smith	1835	1838	1.5	Democratic
10		Sheppard C. Leakin	1838	1840	1	Whig
11		Samuel Brady	1840	1842	Partial	Whig	Resigned from office.
12		Solomon Hillen Jr.	1842	1843	Partial	Democratic	Resigned from office.
13		James O. Law	1843	1844	Partial	Democratic	Finished Mayor Hillen's term.
14		Jacob G. Davies	1844	1848	2	Whig
15		Elijah Stansbury Jr.	1848	1850	1	Democratic
16		John H.T. Jerome	1850	1852	1	Democratic
17		John S. Hollins	1852	1854	1	Whig
18		Samuel Hinks	1854	1856	1	American
19		Thomas Swann	1856	1860	2	American
20		George W. Brown	1860	1861	Partial	Constitutional Union	Removed from office.
21		John C. Blackburn	1861	1861	Partial	None	Served as temporary Mayor.
22		Charles J. Baker	1861	1862	Partial	None	Served as temporary Mayor.
23		John L. Chapman	1862	1867	3.5	Republican
24		Robert T. Banks	1867	1871	1	Democratic
25		Joshua Van Sant	1871	1875	2	Democratic
26		Ferdinand C. Latrobe	1875	1877	1	Democratic
27		George P. Kane	1877	1878	Partial	Democratic	Died in office.
(26)		Ferdinand C. Latrobe	1878	1881	1.5	Democratic
28		William P. Whyte	1881	1883	1	Democratic
(26)		Ferdinand C. Latrobe	1883	1885	1	Democratic
29		James Hodges	1885	1887	1	Republican
(26)		Ferdinand C. Latrobe	1887	1889	1	Democratic
30		Robert C. Davidson	1889	1891	1	Democratic
(26)		Ferdinand C. Latrobe	1891	1895	2	Democratic
31		Alcaeus Hooper	1895	1897	1	Republican
32		William T. Malster	1897	1899	1	Republican
33		Thomas G. Hayes	1899	1903	1	Democratic
34		Robert McLane	1903	1904	Partial	Democratic	Died in office.
35		E. Clay Timanus	1904	1907	Partial	Republican	Became Mayor after McLane's death.
36		J. Barry Mahool	1907	1911	1	Democratic
37		James H. Preston	1911	1919	2	Democratic
38		William F. Broening	1919	1923	1	Republican
39		Howard W. Jackson	1923	1927	1	Democratic
(38)		William F. Broening	1927	1931	1	Republican
(39)		Howard W. Jackson	1931	1943	3	Democratic
40		Theodore McKeldin	1943	1947	1	Republican
41		Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.	1947	1959	3	Democratic
42		J. Harold Grady	1959	1962	Partial	Democratic	Resigned to become a Judge.
43		Philip H. Goodman	1962	1963	Partial	Democratic	Became Mayor after Grady's resignation.
(40)		Theodore McKeldin	1963	1967	1	Republican
44		Thomas D'Alesandro III	1967	1971	1	Democratic
45		William D. Schaefer	1971	1987	4	Democratic	Longest-serving Mayor. Resigned to become Governor.
46		Clarence H. Burns	1987	1987	Partial	Democratic	First African-American Mayor. Became Mayor after Schaefer's resignation.
47		Kurt Schmoke	1987	1999	3	Democratic	First African-American elected Mayor.
48		Martin O'Malley	1999	2007	2	Democratic	Resigned to become Governor.
49		Sheila Dixon	2007	2010	Partial	Democratic	First female Mayor. Resigned from office.
50		Stephanie Rawlings-Blake	2010	2016	1.5	Democratic	Became Mayor after Dixon's resignation.
51		Catherine Pugh	2016	2019	Partial	Democratic	Resigned from office.
52		Jack Young	2019	2020	Partial	Democratic	Became Mayor after Pugh's resignation.
53		Brandon Scott	2020	Incumbent		Democratic	Inaugurated on December 8, 2020

See also