List of mayors of Fairbanks, Alaska facts for kids
This article tells you about the people who have been the mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska. It also lists the mayors of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. This borough is like a county that includes Fairbanks city and other nearby areas.
Fairbanks is a city in Alaska, USA. It started in 1901. It officially became a town on November 10, 1903. Around 1950, Fairbanks became known as a city. When Alaska became a state in 1959, Fairbanks citizens voted to have "home rule" the next year. This means they can make many of their own local laws.
The Fairbanks North Star Borough was created by Alaska's government in 1963. It officially started on January 1, 1964. This borough includes Fairbanks city and several smaller towns and villages around it. The main office for the borough is in Fairbanks.
Mayors of the City of Fairbanks
The city mayor was first chosen from the city council members. Later, people voted for the mayor separately for a two-year term. At that time, the mayor was mostly a leader in name only. A city manager ran the daily government. In 1992, the mayor's job changed. The mayor became the main leader of the city government. The term of office also changed to three years.
Nr. | Name | Term start | Term end |
---|---|---|---|
1 | E. T. Barnette | 1903 | 1906 |
2 | B.D. Mills | 1906 | 1907 |
3 | J. Barrack | 1907 | 1908 |
4 | Fred Carter | 1908 | 1909 |
5 | Joseph Smith | 1909 | 1909 |
6 | Mel Sabin | 1909 | 1910 |
7 | A.J. Nordale | 1910 | 1911 |
8 | F.S. Gordon | 1911 | 1912 |
9 | Dan Driscoll | 1912 | 1913 |
10 | E.C. Heacock | 1913 | 1913 |
11 | Murray C. Smith | 1913 | 1915 |
12 | Andrew Nerland | 1915 | 1916 |
13 | R.R. Meyers | 1916 | 1917 |
14 | G.M. Smith | 1917 | 1917 |
15 | Henry T. Ray | 1917 | 1918 |
16 | E.E. Suter | 1918 | 1919 |
17 | A.L. Wilbur | 1919 | 1921 |
18 | C.H. Woodward | 1921 | 1922 |
19 | R.W. Ferguson | 1922 | 1923 |
20 | Thomas A. Marquam | 1923 | 1925 |
21 | Dr. Frank De La Vergne | 1925 | 1931 |
22 | Jessie F. Bryant | 1931 | 1933 |
23 | Arnold Nordale | 1933 | 1934 |
24 | E. B. Collins | 1934 | 1938 |
25 | Arthur Leslie Nerland | 1938 | 1940 |
26 | William Growden | 1940 | 1943 |
27 | Howard G. Hughes | 1943 | 1945 |
28 | Alfeld Hjalmar Nordale | 1945 | 1948 |
29 | Ray Kohler | 1948 | 1949 |
30 | Maurice Johnson | 1949 | 1950 |
31 | Robert Hoopes | 1950 | 1952 |
32 | Ralph J. Rivers | 1952 | 1954 |
33 | Douglas Preston | 1954 | 1957 |
34 | Paul B. Haggland | 1957 | 1960 |
35 | Joseph M. Ribar | 1960 | 1962 |
36 | Darrell Brewington | 1962 | 1965 |
37 | Sylvia Ringstad | 1965 | 1966 |
38 | H. A. Boucher | 1966 | 1970 |
39 | Julian C. Rice | 1970 | 1972 |
40 | Harold Gillam | 1972 | 1978 |
41 | William Ransom Wood | 1978 | 1980 |
42 | Ruth E. Burnett | 1980 | 1982 |
43 | Bill Walley | 1982 | 1988 |
44 | James D. Nordale | 1988 | 1990 |
45 | Wayne S. Nelson | 1990 | 1992 |
46 | James C. Hayes | 1992 | 2001 |
47 | Steve M. Thompson | 2001 | 2007 |
48 | Terry Strle | 2007 | 2010 |
49 | Jerry Cleworth | 2010 | 2013 |
50 | John Eberhart | 2013 | 2016 |
51 | Jim Matherly | October 24, 2016 | October 24, 2022 |
52 | David Pruhs | October 24, 2022 | Present |
Mayors of Fairbanks North Star Borough

The leader of the borough was first called "chairman." This changed to "mayor" in the mid-1970s. Around the same time, the term of office changed from two years to three years. This job is non-partisan, meaning the person's political party does not officially matter for the role.
Nr. | Name | Term start | Term end |
---|---|---|---|
1 | John D. Schleppegrell | 1964 | 1966 |
2 | Harold Gillam | 1966 | 1968 |
3 | John A. Carlson | 1968 | 1982 |
4 | Bill Allen | 1982 | 1985 |
5 | Juanita Helms | 1985 | 1990 |
6 | Jim Sampson | 1990 | 1997 |
7 | Hank Hove | 1997 | 2000 |
8 | Rhonda Boyles (R) | 2000 | 2003 |
9 | Jim Whitaker (R) | 2003 | 2009 |
10 | Luke T. Hopkins (D) | 2009 | 2015 |
11 | Karl Kassel (I) | 2015 | 2018 |
12 | Bryce Ward (R) | 2018 | 2024 |
13 | Grier Hopkins (D) | 2024 | Present |