List of mayors of Gary, Indiana facts for kids

Gary, Indiana, is a city led by a person called a mayor. The mayor is like the city's chief executive officer. They help make important decisions about how the city runs, including things like public safety, parks, and city services.

The very first leader of Gary was Thomas Knotts. He was the president of the Town Board from 1906 to 1909. Gary officially became a city in 1909, and he continued to serve as its first mayor. Since 1943, every mayor of Gary has been a member of the Democratic Party.

Who Has Led Gary?

Gary has had many mayors throughout its history, each serving different terms. These leaders have helped shape the city over the years.

Early Mayors of Gary

After Thomas Knotts, several other mayors served Gary. For a while, the city had mayors from the Republican Party. One mayor, Roswell O. Johnson, served three different times! This shows how some leaders can be elected more than once.

Democratic Mayors Since 1943

A big change happened in 1943. From that year onward, every mayor elected in Gary has been a Democrat. This long streak shows how strong the Democratic Party has been in Gary's local politics.

Notable Mayors

• Richard Hatcher was a very important mayor. He served for a long time, from 1968 to 1987. He was one of the first African American mayors of a major U.S. city.
• Rudy Clay served from 2006 to 2011.
• Karen Freeman-Wilson became mayor in 2012 and served until 2019. She was the first woman to be mayor of Gary.
• Jerome A. Prince took office in 2020 and served until 2023.
• Eddie Melton became the current mayor of Gary on January 1, 2024.

List of Gary's Mayors

Here is a list of the people who have served as mayor of Gary, Indiana, since it became a city.

	Portrait	Mayor	Term start	Term end		Party
1		Knotts, ThomasThomas Knotts (1861–1921; aged 60)	1906	1914		Democratic
2		Johnson, Roswell O.Roswell O. Johnson (1st) (1872–1938; aged 66)	1914	1918		Republican
3		Hodges, William F.William F. Hodges	1918	1922		Republican
4		Johnson, Roswell O.Roswell O. Johnson (2nd)	1922	March 1925		Republican
5		Fulton, William J.William J. Fulton	March 1925	1926		Republican
6		Williams, Floyd E.Floyd E. Williams	1926	1930		Republican
7		Johnson, Roswell O.Roswell O. Johnson (3rd)	1930	1935		Republican
8		Clayton, Lee B.Lee B. Clayton	1935	1939		Democratic
9		Schaible, ErnstErnst Schaible (1879–?)	1939	1943		Republican
10		Finerty, Joseph E.Joseph E. Finerty (1905–07.11.1992; aged 87)	1943	1948		Democratic
11		Swartz, EugeneEugene Swartz	1948	1952		Democratic
12		Mandich, PeterPeter Mandich	1952	July 15, 1958		Democratic
13		Chacharis, GeorgeGeorge Chacharis (11.02.1908–17.08.1983; aged 75)	July 16, 1958	December 12, 1962		Democratic
14		Visclosky, John S.John S. Visclosky (26.12.1915–01.04.2017; aged 101)	December 13, 1962	1963		Democratic
15		Katz, A. MartinA. Martin Katz (1917–1995; aged 78)	1964	1968		Democratic
16		Hatcher, RichardRichard Hatcher (1933–2019; aged 86)	January 1, 1968	December 31, 1987		Democratic
17		Barnes, Thomas V.Thomas V. Barnes (born in 1936; age 89)	January 1, 1988	December 31, 1995		Democratic
18		King, Scott L.Scott L. King (born in 1951; age 74)	January 1, 1996	March 23, 2006		Democratic
–		Allen Jr., DozierDozier Allen Jr. (born in 1931; age 94)	March 24, 2006	April 6, 2006		Democratic
19		Rudy Clay (1935–2014; aged 78)	April 7, 2006	December 31, 2011		Democratic
20		Freeman-Wilson, KarenKaren Freeman-Wilson (born in 1960; age 64)	January 1, 2012	December 31, 2019		Democratic
21		Prince, Jerome A.Jerome A. Prince (born in 1964; age 60)	January 1, 2020	December 31, 2023		Democratic
22		Melton, EddieEddie Melton (born in 1980; age 45)	January 1, 2024	incumbent		Democratic

Images for kids

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  Richard Hatcher, who served as mayor from 1968 to 1987.

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  Rudy Clay, mayor from 2006 to 2011.

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  Karen Freeman-Wilson, the first woman mayor of Gary, served from 2012 to 2019.

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  Eddie Melton, the current mayor of Gary, Indiana.