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List of mayors of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania facts for kids

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Mayor of Harrisburg
Wanda Williams 2023 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Wanda Williams
since January 3, 2022
Term length Four years
Inaugural holder William H. Kepner
Formation 1860
Website Office of the Mayor

A mayor is the main leader of a city or town. They help make important decisions and manage how the city runs, like making sure services work well and planning for the future. This page lists all the people who have been the mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, from the very first one to today. The list is organized by when they served.

Right now, the mayor of Harrisburg is Wanda Williams, who is a member of the Democratic Party. She became mayor in January 2022.

William K Verbeke portait
Mayor William K. Verbeke
Picture of Vance C. McCormick
Mayor Vance C. McCormick
Eric Papenfuse 3 2015
Mayor Eric Papenfuse

Harrisburg's Mayors Through the Years

This table shows all the mayors of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, along with when they served and their political party.


Mayor Term Political party Notes
William H. Kepner Apr 20, 1860 – Mar 27, 1863 Democratic
Augustus L. Roumfort Mar 27, 1863 – Mar 23, 1866 Democratic
Oliver Edwards Mar 23, 1866 – Jan 11, 1869 Democratic
William W. Hays Jan 11, 1869 – Mar, 1870 Republican Passed away while in office.
George B. Cole Apr 4, 1870 – Jan 9, 1871 Republican
William K. Verbeke Jan 9, 1871 – Jan 13, 1873 Democratic
Jacob D. Boas Jan 13, 1873 – Jan 11, 1875 Republican
John D. Patterson Jan 11, 1875 – Jan 8, 1881 Republican Left office early.
John Crull Herman Jan 8, 1881 – Apr 2, 1883 Republican
Simon Cameron Wilson Apr 2, 1883 – 1886 Republican Passed away while in office.
Samuel W. Fleming Sr. 1886–1887 Republican
John A. Fritchey 1887–1893 Democratic
Maurice C. Eby 1893–1896 Republican
John D. Patterson 1896–1899 Republican
John A. Fritchey 1899–1902 Democratic
Vance C. McCormick 1902–1905 Democratic
Edward Z. Gross 1905–1908 Republican
Ezra S. Meals, M.D. 1908–1912 Republican
John K. Royal 1912–1916 Democratic
Ezra S. Meals, M.D. 1916 – April 18, 1917 Republican Passed away while in office.
William L. Gorgas Apr 18, 1917 – May 15, 1917 Democratic Served as acting mayor after Dr. Meals passed away.
Charles A. Miller May 15, 1917 – July 12, 1917 Republican Passed away while in office.
William L. Gorgas Jul 12, 1917 – Sep 24, 1917 Democratic Served as acting mayor after Miller passed away.
J. William Bowman Sep 24, 1917 – Nov 27, 1917 Republican Appointed for a short time and then retired.
Daniel L. Keister Nov 27, 1917 – Jan 5, 1920 Republican
George A. Hoverter Jan 5, 1920 – Jan 6, 1936 Republican
John A. F. Hall Jan 6, 1936 – Jan 1, 1940 Republican
Howard E. Milliken, M.D. Jan 1, 1940 – Jan 5, 1948 Republican
Claude R. Robins Jan 5, 1948 – Jan 2, 1956 Republican
Nolan F. Ziegler Jan 2, 1956 – Mar 7, 1963 Republican Passed away while in office.
Daniel J. Barry Mar 26, 1963 – Jan 6, 1964 Republican
William K. McBride Jan 6, 1964 – Jan 1, 1968 Republican
Albert H. Straub Jan 1, 1968 – Jan 5, 1970 Republican
Harold A. Swenson Jan 5, 1970 – Jan 1, 1978 Democratic The first "strong" mayor after the city changed its government style.
Paul E. "Tim" Doutrich, Jr. Jan 3, 1978 – Jan 5, 1982 Republican
Stephen R. Reed Jan 5, 1982 – Jan 4, 2010 Democratic Did not win reelection in 2009.
Linda D. Thompson Jan 4, 2010 – Jan 6, 2014 Democratic Did not win reelection in 2013; she was the first female and first Black mayor of Harrisburg.
Eric R. Papenfuse Jan 6, 2014 – Jan 3, 2022 Democratic Was reelected in November 2017; did not win reelection in November 2021.
Wanda R. D. Williams Jan 3, 2022 – present Democratic

See also

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List of mayors of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.