List of mayors of Gary, Indiana facts for kids

A mayor is the leader of a city or town. They are in charge of making sure the city runs smoothly, like managing public services, working with the city council, and representing the city. This article tells you about the people who have served as mayor of Gary, Indiana.

Gary, Indiana, officially became a city in 1909. Before that, its first leader, Thomas Knotts, was the president of the Town Board. Since 1943, every mayor of Gary has been a member of the Democratic Party.

Who Has Been Mayor of Gary?

Here is a list of the mayors who have led the city of Gary, Indiana, and when they served.

Number	Portrait	Mayor	Term Start	Term End	Party
1		Thomas Knotts	1906	1914	Democratic
2		Roswell O. Johnson (1st)	1914	1918	Republican
3		William F. Hodges	1918	1922	Republican
4		Roswell O. Johnson (2nd)	1922	1925	Republican
5		William J. Fulton	1925	1926	Republican
6		Floyd E. Williams	1926	1930	Republican
7		Roswell O. Johnson (3rd)	1930	1935	Republican
8		Lee B. Clayton	1935	1939	Democratic
9		Ernst Schaible	1939	1943	Republican
10		Joseph E. Finerty	1943	1948	Democratic
11		Eugene Swartz	1948	1952	Democratic
12		Peter Mandich	1952	1958	Democratic
13		George Chacharis	1958	1962	Democratic
14		John S. Visclosky	1962	1963	Democratic
15		A. Martin Katz	1964	1968	Democratic
16	Richard Hatcher, who served as mayor for nearly 20 years.	Richard Hatcher	1968	1987	Democratic
17		Thomas V. Barnes	1988	1995	Democratic
18		Scott L. King	1996	2006	Democratic
–		Dozier Allen Jr.	2006	2006	Democratic
19	Rudy Clay, mayor from 2006 to 2011.	Rudy Clay	2006	2011	Democratic
20	Karen Freeman-Wilson, the first female mayor of Gary.	Karen Freeman-Wilson	2012	2019	Democratic
21		Jerome A. Prince	2020	2023	Democratic
22	Eddie Melton, the current mayor of Gary.	Eddie Melton	2024	incumbent	Democratic