List of mayors of Baltimore facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City of Baltimore
Flag of Baltimore
Seal 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 leader of Baltimore City's government. The mayor's job is to make sure city laws are followed. They can also approve or reject new laws passed by the Baltimore City Council.

The mayor is in charge of many city services. This includes police and fire protection, and most public agencies. They also share responsibility for the public school system with the Governor of Maryland. Since 1797, 53 different people have served as mayor of Baltimore. The mayor's office is in the historic Baltimore City Hall.

Understanding the Mayor's Role

The mayor of Baltimore is like the chief executive officer of a big company. They lead the city government. This means they oversee how the city runs day-to-day.

What Does the Mayor Do?

The mayor has several important duties:

• Enforcing Laws: They make sure city laws are put into action.
• Approving or Vetoing Bills: They can sign new laws into effect or reject them.
• Managing City Services: They oversee things like trash collection, parks, and roads.
• Public Safety: They are responsible for the police and fire department.
• Education: They work with the state governor on the city's public schools.

A Look at Baltimore's Mayoral History

The role of mayor in Baltimore has a long and interesting past. It started even before Baltimore became an official city.

Early Mayors and City Growth

James Calhoun was the first mayor. He was elected in 1794 when Baltimore was still a town. He continued as mayor when Baltimore became a city in 1797. He served for seven years until 1804.

Baltimore was once part of Baltimore County. In 1851, Baltimore City became an independent city. This meant it was separate from the county. The county seat then moved to Towson.

Mayors Serving Multiple Terms

Some mayors have served more than once. This means they left office and then were elected again later. Six people have done this:

• Edward Johnson
• John Montgomery
• Ferdinand C. Latrobe (elected four times!)
• Howard W. Jackson
• William F. Broening
• Theodore R. McKeldin

Changes in Term Length

When the office first started, mayors served for two years. In 1920, this changed to a four-year term. There is no limit to how many terms a mayor can serve.

Sometimes, election dates have shifted. For example, the 2015 election was moved to 2016. This was done to better match national election schedules.

Recent Mayoral Changes

Baltimore has seen a few changes in its mayor's office recently. In 2015, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake decided not to run again.

Catherine Pugh became the 50th Mayor in 2016. She resigned in 2019 due to issues related to selling a children's book series. After her resignation, Jack Young, who was the City Council President, became mayor.

In 2020, Brandon Scott was elected mayor. He won with more than 70% of the votes. He became the city's 52nd mayor on December 8, 2020.

Famous Mayors of Baltimore

Many important figures have served as mayor of Baltimore. Here are a few:

• Samuel Smith: A soldier from the Revolutionary War and the War of 1812. He also served in the U.S. House and Senate.
• Thomas Swann: Later became the Governor of Maryland and served in the House of Representatives.
• William Pinkney Whyte: Also served as a U.S. Senator, Governor, and Attorney General of Maryland.
• Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr.: Served three terms. His daughter, Nancy Pelosi, became Speaker of the House of Representatives. His son, Thomas D'Alesandro III, also served as mayor.
• William Donald Schaefer: Served four terms, more than anyone else. He later became the Governor of Maryland.
• Kurt Schmoke: The first African-American to be elected Mayor of Baltimore.
• Martin O'Malley: Served two terms. He later became the Governor of Maryland and ran for President in 2016.

List of Baltimore Mayors

This table shows the people who have served as mayor 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 1⁄2		Democratic-Republican	Resigned during second term, died shortly after.
(3)		Edward Johnson	1819	1820	Partial		Democratic-Republican	Elected by the 1818 electors to finish out 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 1⁄2		Democratic-Republican	Resigned from office.
7		William Steuart	1831	1832	Partial		Democratic-Republican	Elected by the 1830 electors to finish out Mayor Small's term.
8		Jesse Hunt	1832	1835	1 1⁄2		Whig	Resigned from office.
9		Samuel Smith	1835	1838	1 1⁄2		Democratic	First elected in a special election to finish out Mayor Hunt's term, elected to a full term in 1836.
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	First elected in a special election to finish out Mayor Brady's term, elected to a full term in 1842. Resigned from office.
13		James O. Law	1843	1844	Partial		Democratic	Elected in a special election to finish out 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	Arrested and removed from office by the Union Army for Confederate sympathies.
21		John C. Blackburn	1861	1861	Partial		None	President of the First Branch of the City Council and served as Mayor Ex Officio from Mayor Brown's arrest until October 1861.
22		Charles J. Baker	1861	1862	Partial		None	Served as Mayor Ex Officio from October 1861 to January 1862, when Chapman was elected until the new First Branch organized and elected a President in January 1862. He was not recognized as an acting mayor until 1989.
23		John L. Chapman	1862	1867	3 1⁄2		Republican	President of the First Branch of the City Council and served as Mayor Ex Officio from January to November 1862. Elected to three terms. His final term was reduced from two years to one year per the new Maryland Constitution.
24		Robert T. Banks	1867	1871	1		Democratic	The Maryland Constitution of 1867 extended the term of office from two to four years. The term was reduced back to two years in 1870.
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 1⁄2		Democratic	First elected in a special election to finish out Mayor Kane's term, elected to a full term in 1879.
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	President of the Second Branch. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Mayor McLane's death.
36		J. Barry Mahool	1907	1911	1		Democratic	Lost reelection.
37		James H. Preston	1911	1919	2		Democratic	Lost reelection.
38		William F. Broening	1919	1923	1		Republican	Lost reelection.
39		Howard W. Jackson	1923	1927	1		Democratic	Did not run for reelection.
(38)		William F. Broening	1927	1931	1		Republican	Did not run for reelection.
(39)		Howard W. Jackson	1931	1943	3		Democratic	Lost reelection in 1943.
40		Theodore McKeldin	1943	1947	1		Republican	Did not run for reelection.
41		Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.	1947	1959	3		Democratic	Lost reelection in 1959.
42		J. Harold Grady	1959	1962	Partial		Democratic	Resigned following appointment as a Judge to the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City (Circuit Court).
43		Philip H. Goodman	1962	1963	Partial		Democratic	City Council President. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Grady's resignation. Lost reelection to a full term.
(40)		Theodore McKeldin	1963	1967	1		Republican	Did not run for reelection.
44		Thomas D'Alesandro III	1967	1971	1		Democratic	Did not run for reelection.
45		William D. Schaefer	1971	1987	4		Democratic	Baltimore's longest-serving mayor. Resigned following his election as governor.
46		Clarence H. Burns	1987	1987	Partial		Democratic	City Council President. First African-American mayor of Baltimore. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Schaefer's resignation. Lost reelection to a full term.
47		Kurt Schmoke	1987	1999	3		Democratic	First African-American elected Mayor of Baltimore. Did not run for reelection in 1999.
48		Martin O'Malley	1999	2007	2		Democratic	Resigned following his election as governor.
49		Sheila Dixon	2007	2010	Partial		Democratic	City Council President. First female Mayor of Baltimore and first female elected Mayor of Baltimore. Succeeded to the mayoralty following O'Malley's resignation. Elected to a full term in 2007. Resigned from office in January 2010.
50		Stephanie Rawlings-Blake	2010	2016	1 1⁄2		Democratic	City Council President. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Dixon's resignation. Elected to a full term in 2011. Did not run for reelection in 2016.
51		Catherine Pugh	2016	2019	Partial		Democratic	Resigned from office May 2, 2019.
52		Jack Young	2019	2020	Partial		Democratic	City Council President. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Pugh's resignation.
53		Brandon Scott	2020	Incumbent			Democratic	Inaugurated on December 8, 2020

See also