List of mayors of Chattanooga, Tennessee facts for kids

This page lists the mayors of Chattanooga, Tennessee. A mayor is the leader of a city government. They help make important decisions for the city and its people. Tim Kelly is the current mayor of Chattanooga. He started his job on April 19, 2021, at the Tivoli Theatre.

Early Mayors: The Aldermen System (1840-1911)

From 1840 to 1911, Chattanooga was led by mayors chosen under an "aldermen system." In this system, a group of elected officials called aldermen helped the mayor run the city. Mayors during this time usually served one-year or two-year terms.

#	Portrait	Name	Term start	Term end	Terms	Party affiliation
1		James Enfield Berry[a]	January 1, 1840	December 31, 1840	1
2		Dr. Beriah Frazier	1841		1
3		Dr. Milo Smith (1st term)	1842	1843	2
4		Dr. Joseph Strong Gillespie	1844	1845	2
5		Henry White Massengale (1st term)	1846	1848	3
6		Thomas Crutchfield Sr.	1849		1
7		Dr. Milo Smith (3rd, 4th & 5th terms)	1850	1852	3
8		Henry White Massengale (2nd term)	1853		1
9		William Williams	January 1854	July 1, 1954	1⁄2
10		William F. Ragsdale	July 1, 1854	December 1954	1⁄2
11		Eldridge Gerry Pearl	1855		1
12		David Claiborne McMillin	1856		1
13		William D. Fulton	1857		1
14		Dr. William Samuel Bell	1858		1
15		Thomas Crutchfield Jr.	1859		1
16		Charles Erskine Grenville	1860		1
17		James Cartwright Warner	1861		1
18		Dr. Milo Smith (6th & 7th terms)	1862	September 9, 1863	2
During the Civil War from 1863–1865, the city was controlled by the United States Army.

#	Portrait	Name	Term start	Term end	Terms	Party affiliation
19		Richard Henderson	October 7, 1865	December 28, 1865	1
20		Charles E. Lewis	1866	1867	1		Republican
21		Dudley C. Carr	1867	1869	2
22		Alonzo G. Sharpe (1st term)	1869	1870	1		Republican
23		William P. Rathburn	1870	1871	2
24		Gen. John T. Wilder ‡	November 20, 1871	May 18, 1872	2		Republican
25		Josiah Jackson Bryan	May 18, 1872	November 25, 1872	1
26		Dr. Eli M. Wight (1st term)	November 25, 1872	November 24, 1873	1		Republican
27		Dr. Philander D. Sims	November 24, 1873	November 23, 1874	1		Democratic
28		John W. James	November 23, 1874	November 22, 1875	1		Republican
29		Col. Tomlinson Fort, Jr.	November 22, 1875	November 20, 1876	1		Democratic
30		Dr. Eli M. Wight (2nd term)	November 20, 1876	November 20, 1877	1		Republican
31		Thomas J. Carlisle †	November 19, 1877	October 29, 1878	1		Republican
32		Andrew Jackson Gahagan (Acting)	October 29, 1878	November 25, 1878			Republican
33		Jesse Thomas Hill	November 25, 1878	November 24, 1879	1		Democratic
34		Henry Frederick Temple	November 24, 1879	November 22, 1880	1		Independent
35		John A. Hart (1st term)	November 22, 1880	November 21, 1881	1		Republican
36		Henry C. Evans	November 21, 1881	November 19, 1883	2		Republican
37		Hugh Whiteside	November 19, 1883	November 23, 1885[b]	1		Democratic
38		Alonzo G. Sharpe (2nd term)	November 23, 1885	November 21, 1887	1		Republican
39		John B. Nicklin	November 21, 1887	October 14, 1889	1		Democratic
40		John A. Hart (2nd term) †	October 14, 1889	January 15, 1891	1		Republican
41		Isaac B. Merriman (Acting)	January 20, 1891	October 19, 1891	1/2
42		Garnet Andrews	October 19, 1891	October 16, 1893	1		Democratic
43		George W. Ochs	October 16, 1893	October 18, 1897	2		Democratic
44		Edmund Watkins	October 18, 1897	October 16, 1899	1		Democratic
45		Joseph Wassman	October 16, 1899	October 14, 1901	1		Republican
–		Alexander W. Chambliss (1st & 2nd terms)	October 14, 1901	October 16, 1905	2		Democratic
46		William Little Frierson	October 16, 1905	October 14, 1907	1		Democratic
47		William Riley Crabtree	October 14, 1907	October 18, 1909	1		Democratic
48		Thomas C. Thompson	October 18, 1909	May 8, 1911[c]	1		Democratic

New Leadership: The City Commission System (1911-1990)

In 1911, Chattanooga changed its government to a "city commission system." In this system, a small group of elected commissioners, including the mayor, ran the city. The mayor was one of these commissioners. Mayors during this period usually served four-year terms. Sometimes, an "acting" mayor would step in for a short time if the elected mayor couldn't finish their term.

#	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office[c]	Terms	Party affiliation		Election
–		Thomas C. Thompson (1860–1938)	May 8, 1911 – April 19, 1915	1		Democratic	1911
49		Jesse M. Littleton (1867–1923)	April 19, 1915 – July 14, 1919	1		Republican	1915
50		Alex W. Chambliss ‡ (1864–1947)	July 14, 1919 – October 17, 1923	3		Democratic	1919 1923
51		Richard Hardy (1868–1927)	October 17, 1923 – April 18, 1927	1		none	Acting
52		Edward D. Bass ‡ (1873–1960)	April 18, 1927 – January 10, 1947	5		Democratic	1927 1931 1935 1939 1943
53		Elijah R. Betterton (1879–1958)	January 10, 1947 – April 14, 1947	1⁄2		none	Acting
54		Hugh P. Wasson (1889–1958)	April 14, 1947 – April 16, 1951	1		Independent	1947
55		Peter R. Olgiati (1901–1989)	April 16, 1951 – April 15, 1963	3		none	1951 1955 1959
56		Ralph H. Kelley ‡ (1928–2004)	April 15, 1963 – January 1, 1969	11⁄2		none	1963 1967
57		Austin L. Bender ‡ (1916–1980)	January 1, 1969 – January 26, 1971	1⁄2		Democratic	Acting
58		S. Dean Peterson (1903–1986)	January 26, 1971 – April 1971	2 months		none	Acting
59		Robert K. Walker (1925–2007)	1971–1975	1		none	1971
60		Charles A. Rose (1930–2022)	1975–1983	2		none	1975 1979
61		Gene Roberts (1932–2013)	1983–1990	4		none	1983 1987

Modern Mayors: The City Council System (Since 1990)

Since 1990, Chattanooga has used a "city council system." In this system, the mayor is the chief executive, meaning they lead the city's daily operations. A separate city council makes laws and helps guide the city. Mayors in this system serve four-year terms.

#	Portrait	Name (Birth–Death)	Term in office	Terms	Party affiliation		Election	Previous office
–		Gene Roberts (1932–2013)	1990–1997	4		none	1990 1993	Tennessee Commissioner of Safety (1979–1982)
62		Jon Kinsey (b. 1954)	1997–2001	1		Democratic	1997	President of Leonard Kinsey Company (1984–1996)
63		Bob Corker (b. 1952)	April 16, 2001 – April 18, 2005	1		Republican	2001	Tennessee Commissioner of Finance and Administration (1995–1996)
64		Ron Littlefield (b. 1954)	April 18, 2005 – April 15, 2013	2		Independent	2005 2009	Chairman of the City Council (1990–2001)
65		Andy Berke (b. 1968)	April 15, 2013 – April 19, 2021	2		Democratic	2013 2017	Member of the Tennessee Senate (2007–2012)
66		Tim Kelly (b. 1967)	April 19, 2021 – Incumbent	1		Democratic	2021 2025

Notes
[a] From 1840–1882, all mayors served one-year terms. Some mayors were elected for more than one term.
[b] From 1883–1911, all mayors served two-year terms. Some mayors were elected for more than one term.
[c] From 1911 to the present, most mayors have served four-year terms. Some mayors were elected for more than one term.

See also

• Timeline of Chattanooga, Tennessee