List of mayors of Detroit facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of the City of Detroit
Flag of the City of Detroit
Seal of the City of Detroit
Incumbent Mike Duggan since January 1, 2014
Residence	Manoogian Mansion
Term length	Four years
Constituting instrument	Detroit City Charter
Formation	1824
First holder	John R. Williams
Website	Mayor's Office

This article lists the people who have served as the mayor of Detroit, Michigan. The mayor is the top leader of the city government. They are in charge of making sure the city runs smoothly.

The current mayor of Detroit is Mike Duggan. He started his term on January 1, 2014.

Detroit's Early Leaders

In its earliest days, Detroit was a military outpost. French and then British military leaders were in charge. After American forces took over, a civil government slowly grew. Leaders were first appointed, then elected. For a short time (1806–1809), there was a mayor, but this role had little power.

Detroit's modern system, where the mayor has strong executive powers, began with the city's charter in 1824. From 1824 to 1857, mayors served one-year terms. This changed to two-year terms from 1858 to 1953. Since 1953, mayors have served four-year terms.

French and British Commandants

Before American rule, French and British military leaders, called commandants, governed Detroit.

French commandants included:

• Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac (1701–1710)
• François de la Forêt [fr] (1710–1714)
• Jacques-Charles Renaud Dubuisson (1714)
• Pierre Alphonse de Tonty (1717–1727)
• Jean-Baptiste de Saint-Ours Deschaillons [fr] (1728–1729)
• Louis Henry Deschamps [fr], Sieur de Boishebert (1730–1733)
• Jacques-Hugues Péan de Livaudière [fr] (1733–1736)
• Pierre-Jacques Payen de Noyan [fr], Sieur de Charvis (1739–1742)
• Pierre Joseph Celoron (1742–1744)
• Paul Joseph le Moyne, Chevalier de Longueuil (1744–1748)
• Pierre Joseph Celoron (second term, 1750–1754)
• Jacques-Pierre Daneau de Muy [fr] (1754–1758)
• Francois Marie Picote, Sieur de Belestre (1758–1760)

Seventeen British commandants led Detroit between 1760 and 1796.

• Major Robert Rogers (1760)
• Captain Donald Campbell (1760–1762)
• Major Henry Gladwin (1762–1764)
• Colonel John Bradstreet (1764)
• Lieutenant-Colonel John Campbell (1765–1766)
• George Turnbull (1766–1769)
• Captain James Stephenson (1770–1772)
• Captain George Etherington (1772)
• Major Henry Bassett (1772–1774)
• Captain Richard Beringer Lernoult (1774–1779)
• Colonel Arent Schuyler de Peyster (1779–1784)
• Major William Ancrum (1785–1786)
• Thomas Bennett (1786)
• Captain Robert Matthews (1787–1788)
• Major Patrick Murray (1788–1790)
• Major John Smith (1790–1792)
• Colonel Richard England (1792–1796)

First American Leaders

When Detroit became American in 1796, Colonel Jean François Hamtramck was the commander. He held this role until his death in 1803.

Detroit was officially made a town in 1802. A board of trustees governed it. The chairman of this board was the highest leader. James Henry was the first chairman, appointed in February 1802. He was later elected to the position.

Chairmen of the Board of Trustees:

• James Henry (1802–1803)
• James May (1803–1804)
• Solomon Sibley (1804–1805)
• Joseph Wilkinson (elected 1805)

The 1806 Charter

A huge fire destroyed Detroit in 1805. The government was effectively gone. Governor William Hull and Judge Augustus Woodward created a new government in 1806. It was led by an appointed mayor. However, this mayor position was mostly honorary. The two men who held it, Solomon Sibley and Elijah Brush, quickly resigned. They realized the job had no real power. This mayoral position was removed in 1809. Detroit had no mayor or board of trustees until after the War of 1812.

Second Board of Trustees

After the War of 1812, a new law in 1815 brought back a Board of Trustees. Citizens of Detroit elected this board yearly. In October 1815, Solomon Sibley was elected as the first chairman.

Chairmen elected yearly to this Board were:

• Solomon Sibley (1815–1816)
• George McDougall (1816–1817)
• Abraham Edwards (1817–1818)
• John R. Williams (1818–1819)
• James McCloskey (1819–1820)
• James Abbott (1820–1821)
• Andrew G. Whitney (1821–1822; 1822–1823)
• James Abbott (second term, 1823–1824)

The 1824 Charter

In 1824, John R. Williams created a new city charter. This charter allowed for the first time a directly elected mayor. This mayor would have much more power. After the state approved it, Williams became Detroit's first elected mayor.

Official Mayoral Residence

Since 1966, the official home of Detroit's Mayor has been the Manoogian Mansion. It is located on Dwight Street, facing the Detroit River. Industrialist Alex Manoogian, who founded the Masco Corporation, donated the mansion to the city.

Detroit's Mayors: A Timeline

This section lists the mayors of Detroit. The party affiliations listed for mayors after 1918 are unofficial. They are based on historical information, as elections became non-partisan.

Mayors Under the 1806 Charter

Two mayors served under the 1806 charter. This charter gave the mayor very little power.

#	Name		Term	Party	Notes
1		Solomon Sibley	1806	Democratic	Solomon Sibley helped write Detroit's first city charter in 1806. He became the city's first mayor under this charter. However, he resigned because the office had little power. Sibley later served as chairman of Detroit's board of trustees. He also became a delegate to the United States House of Representatives and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court.
2		Elijah Brush	1806		Elijah Brush was appointed mayor after Sibley resigned. Like Sibley, he found the position powerless and soon resigned. He owned land next to Detroit, where Brush Street now runs. Brush was a lieutenant colonel in the Territorial Militia. He died shortly after returning to Detroit in 1814.

Mayors Under the 1824 Charter

The following mayors served under the 1824 charter. This system gave the mayor more executive power.

#	Mayor		Term	Party	Notes
1		John R. Williams	1824–1825	Democratic	John R. Williams wrote the City Charter. He served as the first mayor under the new system from 1824 to 1825. He also served two more terms later. Williams was a successful merchant and held many other public roles.
2		Henry Jackson Hunt	1826	Democratic	Henry Jackson Hunt was a successful merchant. He held various political offices, including county judge. He died while in office on September 15, 1826.
3		Jonathan Kearsley	1826	Democratic	Jonathan Kearsley served in the War of 1812. He moved to Detroit in 1819. Kearsley was mayor twice. He was appointed once in 1826 to finish Henry Jackson Hunt's term. He was elected himself in 1829.
4		John Biddle	1827–1828	Whig	Major John Biddle was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792. He served in the US Army during the War of 1812. He was active in Detroit politics and civic life. He later served as a delegate to the United States House of Representatives.
5		Jonathan Kearsley	1829	Democratic	(See above)
6		John R. Williams	1830	Democratic	(See above)
7		Marshall Chapin	1831	Whig	Marshall Chapin was a medical doctor. He opened Detroit's first drugstore in 1819. He served twice as mayor (1831 and 1833). He was also City Physician during the cholera outbreaks of 1832 and 1834.
8		Levi Cook	1832	Whig	Levi Cook held many positions in Detroit and Michigan government. He was mayor of Detroit in 1832, 1835, and 1836.
9		Marshall Chapin	1833	Whig	(See above)
10		Charles Christopher Trowbridge	1834	Whig	Trowbridge moved to Detroit in 1819. He helped negotiate a treaty with Native American tribes. He briefly served as Mayor during the cholera epidemic of 1834, then resigned.
11		Andrew Mack	1834	Democratic	Andrew Mack won a special election after Mayor Trowbridge resigned during a cholera epidemic. He later represented Wayne County in the Michigan Legislature.
12		Levi Cook	1835–1836	Whig	(See above)
13		Henry Howard	1837	Democratic	Henry Howard moved to Detroit in 1827. He managed a lumber business. He served as an alderman and mayor for one term. He was also the treasurer and auditor general of Michigan.
14		Augustus Seymour Porter	1838 – March 14, 1839	Whig	Augustus Porter practiced law in Detroit for 20 years. He was elected mayor in 1838. He resigned on March 14, 1839, to become a United States Senator for Michigan.
15		Asher B. Bates	March 15, 1839 – April 18, 1839	Whig	Asher Bates came to Detroit in 1831. He served as acting mayor after Porter resigned. He later became Attorney General for the Kingdom of Hawaii.
16		De Garmo Jones	1839	Whig	De Garmo Jones was involved in many businesses, including the Michigan Central Railroad. He served as mayor, city alderman, and state senator.
17		Zina Pitcher	1840–1841	Whig	Zina Pitcher was a medical doctor. He served as a surgeon in the United States Army. After leaving the Army, he came to Detroit in 1836. He served three terms as mayor (1840, 1841, and 1843).
18		Douglass Houghton	1842	Democratic	Douglass Houghton was a medical doctor. He served as Michigan's state geologist from 1833 until his death in 1845. He was also a geology professor at the University of Michigan. Houghton died in 1845 in a storm on Lake Superior. Houghton County, Michigan is named after him.
19		Zina Pitcher	1843	Whig	(See above)
20		John R. Williams	1844–1846	Democratic	(See above)
21		James A. Van Dyke	1847	Whig	James A. Van Dyke was a lawyer. He served as City Attorney for Detroit and mayor. He was also very important in organizing the early Detroit Fire Department.
22		Frederick Buhl	1848	Whig	Frederick Buhl moved to Detroit in 1833. He started a successful business in hats and furs with his brother. He was also a director of banks and president of Harper Hospital.
23		Charles Howard	1849	Whig	Charles Howard moved to Detroit in 1840. He worked in shipping and railroad construction. He was president of two banks and was elected mayor in 1848.
24		John Ladue	1850	Democratic	Ladue moved to Detroit in 1847. He started a business making leather and buying wool. He was popular in the business community and was elected mayor in 1850. He died a few years later in 1854.
25		Zachariah Chandler	1851	Whig	Zachariah Chandler arrived in Detroit in 1833 and opened a dry goods store. After serving as mayor, Chandler spent 18 years as a United States Senator. He was also the United States Secretary of the Interior under Ulysses S. Grant.
26		John H. Harmon	1852–1853	Democratic	John Harmon came to Detroit in 1838. He worked at the Detroit Free Press and eventually bought the paper. Harmon served as an alderman and two years as mayor.
27		Oliver Moulton Hyde	1854	Whig	Oliver Moulton Hyde moved to Detroit in 1838 and opened a hardware store. He expanded into manufacturing marine engines. Hyde was elected to the city council many times and served as mayor in 1854, 1856, and 1857.
28		Henry Ledyard	1855	Democratic	Henry Ledyard was the son of a famous New York lawyer. He moved to Detroit in 1844. He served as a member of the Board of Education, an alderman, and mayor in 1855. He was also a state senator.
29		Oliver Moulton Hyde	1856–1857	Whig	(See above)
30		John Patton	1858–1859	Democratic	John Patton was a carriagemaker from Ireland. He came to Detroit and started a factory. He held many city positions, including chief engineer of the Fire Department and mayor.
31		Christian H. Buhl	1860–1861	Republican	Christian H. Buhl moved to Detroit in 1833. He started a successful business in hats and furs with his brother. He later started a wholesale hardware firm. He was also an alderman and mayor of Detroit.
32		William C. Duncan	1862–1863	Democratic	William C. Duncan moved to Detroit in 1849 and became a brewer. He was elected city alderman in 1852. He also served as the first council president, mayor, and state senator.
33		Kirkland C. Barker	1864–1865	Democratic	Barker worked in shipping before starting a successful tobacco business in Detroit. He was also the presiding officer of the Horse Association of America. He died in a boating accident.
34		Merrill I. Mills	1866–1867	Democratic	Mills originally planned to start a store in Fort Wayne, Indiana. But he ended up in Detroit and started a business there. He later traded in furs and manufactured tobacco. He also served two years as head of the Democratic State Committee.
35		William W. Wheaton	1868–1871	Democratic	Wheaton was born in New Haven, Connecticut in 1833. He came to Detroit in 1853 and built a successful wholesale grocery business. He was elected mayor in 1868.
36		Hugh Moffat	1872–1875	Republican	Moffat was born in Scotland and came to Detroit in 1837. He started as a carpenter and built a successful lumber business. He was elected mayor for two terms. His honesty earned him the nickname "Honest Hugh Moffat."
37		Alexander Lewis	1876–1877	Democratic	Alexander Lewis was born in Windsor, Ontario. He came to Detroit at 14 and eventually started his own forwarding business. He also served as Police Commissioner and a board member of the Detroit Public Library.
38		George C. Langdon	1878–1879	Democratic	George C. Langdon started as a clerk. He later went into brewing and malting, earning a lot of money. After his time as mayor, he faced financial difficulties.
39		William G. Thompson	1880–1883	Republican	Thompson was a Republican mayor. He later switched to the Democratic Party in 1884. He also served as a state senator.
40		Stephen Benedict Grummond	1884–1885	Republican	Stephen Benedict Grummond made his money in the shipping industry. He was originally a Democrat but joined the Republican Party. He served on the Board of Estimates, the Detroit City Council, and one term as mayor.
41		Marvin H. Chamberlain	1886–1887	Democratic	Marvin H. Chamberlain was a wholesale liquor distributor. He served as president of the Detroit City Council before becoming mayor. He later patented a process for garbage reduction.
42		John Pridgeon, Jr.	1888–1889	Democratic	John Pridgeon, Jr. was born in Detroit in 1852. He joined his father's shipping business. He was a member of the first Park Commission. He was elected to the city council and then mayor of Detroit.
43		Hazen S. Pingree	1890–1897	Republican	Hazen Pingree served in the Civil War. He then started a successful shoe company in Detroit. He was elected mayor of Detroit in 1889. He worked to fight corruption and help the poor. During an economic downturn in 1893, he started public works for the unemployed. He also created "potato patch plans" to grow food for the poor on vacant city land. Pingree was elected mayor four times. He later became Governor of Michigan.
44		William Richert	March 22, 1897 – April 5, 1897	Republican	William Richert served on the Detroit City Council for eight years. He was council president in 1895 and 1897. Richert served as acting mayor for a short time after Pingree was unable to hold both mayor and governor positions.
45		William C. Maybury	1897–1904	Democratic	Maybury served as Detroit's city attorney. He was elected twice to the United States House of Representatives. He was elected mayor of Detroit in 1897 to finish Pingree's term. He was then elected twice more.
46		George P. Codd	1905–1906	Republican	George P. Codd was a lawyer. He served as assistant city attorney and a member of the board of aldermen. He was mayor of Detroit from 1905 to 1906. He also served as a circuit judge and a member of the United States House of Representatives.
47		William Barlum Thompson	1907–1908	Democratic	William Barlum Thompson served as an alderman for two terms. He resigned to become city treasurer. He served as mayor for two terms, in 1907–1908 and 1911–1912.
48		Philip Breitmeyer	1909–1910	Republican	Philip Breitmeyer joined his family's florist business. He became the sole owner and grew the business. He was also one of the organizers and president of Florists' Telegraph Delivery (FTD). He was appointed Commissioner of Parks and Boulevards before being elected mayor.
49		William Barlum Thompson	1911–1912	Democratic	(See above)
50		Oscar Marx	1913–1918	Republican	Oscar Marx was born in 1866. He used money from his family's farm to buy into an optical firm, making it very successful. He served as an alderman for eight years. He was appointed City Assessor before serving three terms as Detroit's mayor. Mayors in Non-Partisan Elections In 1918, a new city charter made all city offices non-partisan. This means candidates do not run as members of a political party. The following mayors were elected without official party labels. The party affiliations listed below are based on their personal political history. # Mayor Term Party Notes 51 James J. Couzens 1919–1922 Republican Couzens worked for the Ford Motor Company and became very wealthy. He was appointed street railway and police commissioner for Detroit. He was elected mayor twice. Couzens resigned in 1922 to become a United States Senator for Michigan. 52 John C. Lodge December 5, 1922 – April 9, 1923 Republican John C. Lodge served over 30 years on the Detroit City Council. He was council president for many of those years. He served as acting mayor twice. Lodge was later elected mayor in his own right for one term. The John C. Lodge Freeway in Detroit is named after him. 53 Frank Ellsworth Doremus April 9, 1923 – June 10, 1924 Democratic Doremus was a newspaperman and lawyer. He served in the United States House of Representatives. Doremus was elected mayor in 1923 but resigned in 1924 due to health reasons. 54 Joseph A. Martin June 10, 1924 – August 2, 1924 Republican Joseph A. Martin was Commissioner of Public Works for Detroit. He served as acting mayor in 1924 after Frank Ellsworth Doremus resigned. Martin resigned to run for mayor but lost the election. 55 John C. Lodge August 2, 1924 – November 21, 1924 Republican (See above) 56 John W. Smith November 21, 1924 – January 9, 1928 Republican Smith was appointed postmaster of Detroit in 1922. In 1924, Smith won election as Detroit mayor. He continued in office until 1928. Smith later served on the Detroit City Council. 57 John C. Lodge January 10, 1928 – January 14, 1930 Republican (See above) 58 Charles Bowles January 14, 1930 – September 22, 1930 Republican Charles Bowles ran for mayor in 1929 and won. He campaigned as an anti-crime reformer. However, he faced a recall election and lost to Frank Murphy in September 1930. 59 Frank Murphy September 23, 1930 – May 10, 1933 Democratic Frank Murphy was a judge. He was elected mayor in 1930 and re-elected the next year. Frank Murphy resigned as mayor in 1933 when he was named Governor-General of the Philippines. He later became Governor of Michigan and an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. 60 Frank Couzens May 10, 1933 – September 8, 1933 Republican Frank Couzens was the son of former mayor James J. Couzens. He served on the Detroit City Council. When Frank Murphy resigned, Couzens became acting mayor. He later resigned to run for mayor and was elected twice. 61 John W. Smith September 8, 1933 – January 2, 1934 Republican (See above) 62 Frank Couzens January 2, 1934 – January 3, 1938 Republican (See above) 63 Richard Reading January 4, 1938 – January 1, 1940 Republican Reading was appointed City Assessor and City Controller. He was elected City Clerk in 1926. He ran for mayor and won. However, he faced issues during his time in office and was defeated in the next election. 64 Edward Jeffries January 2, 1940 – January 5, 1948 Republican Edward Jeffries served on the Detroit City Council for four terms. He was City Council president for two of those terms. In 1940, Jeffries became mayor, winning four terms. He later served on the City Council again. 65 Eugene Van Antwerp January 6, 1948 – January 2, 1950 Democratic Eugene Van Antwerp was a civil engineer and a captain in the United States Army Corps of Engineers during World War I. He served in the Detroit City Council before becoming mayor. He served one term as mayor. 66 Albert Cobo January 3, 1950 – September 12, 1957 Republican Albert Cobo worked for Burroughs Corporation. He later ran for city treasurer in 1935 and served seven terms. In 1949, he ran for mayor and won. He won two more elections, with his last term being four years. He died in office near the end of his term. 67 Louis Miriani September 12, 1957 – January 2, 1962 Republican Louis Miriani was elected to the Detroit City Council in 1947. He was council president from 1949 to 1957. After Albert Cobo died, Miriani served as acting mayor. He was then elected mayor. He was defeated for re-election by Jerome Cavanagh. Miriani was later elected to the City Council again. He is the most recent Republican to serve as mayor of Detroit. 68 Jerome Cavanagh January 2, 1962 – January 5, 1970 Democratic Jerome Cavanagh won an upset election against incumbent Louis Miriani. He was initially a popular mayor. He appointed a reformer as police chief and marched with Martin Luther King Jr.. Cavanagh was reelected in 1965. His reputation was affected by the 1967 civil unrest. He decided not to run for a third term. 69 Roman Gribbs January 6, 1970 – January 1, 1974 Democratic Gribbs served as an assistant prosecutor and as sheriff of Wayne County. He then ran for mayor. Gribbs served one term as mayor and chose not to seek re-election. He later served as a circuit court judge and on the Michigan Court of Appeals. 70 Coleman Young January 1, 1974 – January 3, 1994 Democratic Coleman Young moved to Detroit when he was five. During World War II, Young served as one of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was elected to the state senate in 1963. In 1974, he became Detroit's first African-American mayor. Young served a record five terms, becoming the longest-serving mayor in city history. He also led the United States Conference of Mayors. 71 Dennis Archer January 3, 1994 – December 31, 2001 Democratic Dennis Archer practiced law and was a law professor. He was named to the Michigan Supreme Court in 1985. He served two terms as mayor of Detroit. During his time as mayor, he was president of the National Conference of Democratic Mayors. Archer decided not to seek a third term. 72 Kwame Kilpatrick January 1, 2002 – September 18, 2008 Democratic Kwame Kilpatrick began his political career in the Michigan House. He was elected mayor twice. He resigned from office in 2008 due to legal challenges. 73 Kenneth Cockrel, Jr. September 18, 2008 – May 11, 2009 Democratic. Ken Cockrel is the son of civil rights activist Kenneth Cockrel Sr. The younger Cockrel was elected to the city council in 1997. He became council president in 2005. He became mayor after Kwame Kilpatrick's resignation. However, Cockrel lost the next special election and returned to his seat on the city council. 74 Dave Bing May 11, 2009 – December 31, 2013 Democratic Dave Bing played 12 seasons in the National Basketball Association, mostly with the Detroit Pistons. He was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame. After retiring from basketball, Bing started an auto parts manufacturing business. He moved to Detroit to run for mayor. He won a special election to finish the previous mayor's term and was elected to a full term later that year. 75 Mike Duggan January 1, 2014 – present Democratic Mike Duggan served as deputy County Executive and prosecutor for Wayne County. He was also president and CEO of the Detroit Medical Center. He resigned to run for Detroit mayor. He won the election after a successful write-in campaign. Duggan is the first white mayor since Roman Gribbs. See also Timeline of Detroit History of Detroit