Mayor of Dallas facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Dallas
Seal of the City of Dallas
Incumbent Eric Johnson since 2019
Style	The Honorable
Residence	Dallas, Texas
Term length	Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder	Dr. Samuel B. Pryor 1856
Formation	Dallas City Charter
Salary	$80,000

The Mayor of the City of Dallas is an important leader in the city of Dallas, Texas. The mayor is a member of the Dallas City Council and leads its meetings. The current mayor is Eric Johnson, who started his first term in 2019. He is the 60th person to hold this position. Dallas uses a special system where the mayor is the official head of the city, but a city manager handles the daily operations.

What the Mayor Does in Dallas

Dallas uses a special type of government called a council-manager government. This means that even though the mayor is the official leader, a professional City Manager handles most of the city's day-to-day work. This is different from many other large cities where the mayor is in charge of everything.

The Mayor of Dallas has several key jobs:

• They lead meetings of the City Council.
• They represent Dallas at important events.
• They speak for the city to other cities, states, and even countries.
• Mayors often join other groups or committees to help Dallas.

History of Dallas Mayors

The job of Mayor of Dallas started in 1856 when the city created its first rules, called the Dallas City Charter. The first mayor was Dr. Samuel B. Pryor. Back then, mayors served for just one year. In 1876, the term changed to two years.

For a long time, most mayors only served one term. This changed with Winship C. Connor, who was mayor for three terms from 1887 to 1894. He helped develop the city's first water, power, and streetcar systems.

Dallas's government changed twice in big ways. In 1907, the city switched to a commission government. Stephen J. Hay was the first mayor under this new system. He helped create White Rock Lake to solve a water shortage. In 1930, the government changed again to the council-manager system used today. Tom Bradford was the first mayor under this system. He helped start the Bradford Memorial Hospital for Babies, which later became the Children's Medical Center Dallas. He was the first Dallas mayor to pass away while in office.

Woodall Rodgers was mayor from 1939 to 1947, during World War II. Dallas became a busy place making planes and weapons. Rodgers helped turn Dallas Love Field into a commercial airport. He also oversaw the building of the Mercantile National Bank Building, which was the only skyscraper built in the U.S. during the war. Today, the Woodall Rodgers Freeway is named after him.

Earle Cabell was mayor from 1961 to 1964. He was mayor when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas. This event deeply affected the city's image.

After Cabell, Mayor J. Erik Jonsson worked hard to improve Dallas's reputation. He supported building the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, the new Dallas City Hall, and the Dallas Convention Center. The Dallas Central Library is now named in his honor.

Wes Wise continued to improve the city's image from 1971 to 1976. When he left office early, Adlene Harrison became the acting mayor. She was the first female mayor of Dallas and the first female Jewish mayor in the United States. She later worked with environmental groups.

Ron Kirk was the first African-American mayor of Dallas, serving from 1995 to 2002. He worked for equality and social welfare, helped resolve issues between the City Council and the school board, and supported economic growth. He also oversaw the building of the American Airlines Center.

Laura Miller was the third female mayor. She helped change flight rules at Love Field Airport and put in place a citywide smoking ban. The next mayor, Tom Leppert, focused on fighting crime and developing a modern inland port. After him, Mike Rawlings was mayor during challenging times, including the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers. He also oversaw the removal of Confederate monuments.

List of Dallas Mayors

This is a list of the people who have served as Mayor of Dallas. In Texas, elections for mayor are non-partisan, meaning candidates don't run as a specific political party. The party listed here is just for information.

See also

• History of Dallas

Images for kids

• 

  Samuel B. Pryor, the first mayor of Dallas.

• 

  Stephen J. Hay, the first mayor elected under commission government.

• 

  Earle Cabell was mayor of Dallas during President Kennedy's assassination.

• 

  Current mayor Eric Johnson.