List of mayors of Lincoln, Nebraska facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska
Incumbent Leirion Gaylor Baird since May 20, 2019
Term length	Four years
Formation	1871
First holder	Humphrey D. Gilbert (de facto) William F. Chapin (official)
Website	https://www.lincoln.ne.gov/City/Mayor

The Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska is the top leader of the city government in Lincoln, Nebraska. The mayor is in charge of running the city and making sure everything works well. They also represent the city at important events.

The mayor of Lincoln is chosen every four years. The election happens on the first Tuesday in May, every other odd-numbered year. The mayor and new city council members start their jobs on the second Monday after election day. Since November 2018, a mayor can only serve three terms in a row. Chris Beutler has been Lincoln's longest-serving mayor, holding the job for 12 years. If the mayor's job becomes empty, the Lincoln City Council votes to pick someone new. This happened most recently in 1998.

The mayor has many important jobs. They oversee all city departments and groups. They make sure city rules and laws are followed. The mayor also creates the city's yearly budget and approves big purchases. They work to help the city's businesses and industries grow. The mayor also chooses the leaders of city departments and other city workers, with the city council's approval.

History of Lincoln's Mayors

William F. Chapin, first elected mayor of Lincoln

Lincoln, Nebraska, officially became a town on April 7, 1869. At first, a group of trustees managed the town, like a city council. The citizens of Lincoln then elected permanent trustees on May 3, 1869. These trustees chose a chairman. Even though there was no official "mayor" title yet, this chairman was basically the mayor. Humphrey D. Gilbert was Lincoln's first chairman in 1869, and Charles H. Gere was the second in 1870.

Lincoln became an official city on March 18, 1871. This change allowed citizens to directly vote for a mayor. The first mayor elected by the people was William F. Chapin. He was a lawyer and was chosen on April 4, 1871. For many years, mayors were elected every April for one-year terms.

In 1883, a new law changed things. Mayors in cities like Lincoln would now be elected for two-year terms. This continued until 1912. That year, Lincoln decided to try a "commission" style of government. Under this system, the city council members chose the mayor from among themselves. The people did not vote for the mayor directly anymore. This system lasted until 1935.

In 1935, Lincoln's voters changed the city rules again. The city council grew from five to seven members. More importantly, the mayor was once again directly elected by the people. However, the mayor was still a member of the city council. The mayor served a two-year term, while other council members served four years. Oren S. Copeland was the first mayor under this new plan in 1937.

Another big change happened in 1962. Voters decided to make the mayor's job separate from the city council. The mayor's term also became four years long. This made the mayor's job a full-time position. Dean H. Petersen was the first mayor elected under this system in 1963. This is still how Lincoln's city government works today.

In 1975, Helen Boosalis made history. After serving 16 years on the city council, she became the first woman to be mayor of Lincoln. In 1998, Mike Johanns became the first Lincoln mayor to be elected Governor of Nebraska while still serving as mayor. Other Lincoln mayors, like Charles W. Bryan and Victor E. Anderson, also became governor later.

List of Lincoln Mayors

This is a list of the people who have served as mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska.

#	Image	Name	Party	Term began	Term ended	Notes
-		Gilbert, Humphrey D.Humphrey D. Gilbert		April 10, 1869	1870	Was the first chairman of the Lincoln Board of Trustees, acting as the city's leader.
-		Gere, Charles HenryCharles Henry Gere	Rep	1870	April 4, 1871	Was the second chairman of the Lincoln Board of Trustees, also acting as the city's leader.
1		Chapin, William F.William F. Chapin	Rep	April 4, 1871	April 10, 1872	First mayor directly elected by Lincoln citizens after the city was officially formed.
2		Brown, Erastus E.Erastus E. Brown	Rep	April 10, 1872	1873
3		Silver, Jr., Robert D.Robert D. Silver, Jr.	Dem	1873	April 11, 1874
4		Little, Samuel W.Samuel W. Little	Temp	April 11, 1874	April 16, 1875
5		Cobb, AmasaAmasa Cobb	Rep	April 16, 1875	April 11, 1876	Had served as a US Representative from Wisconsin.
6		Silver, Jr., Robert D.Robert D. Silver, Jr.	Dem	April 11, 1876	April 11, 1877	Had previously served as the 3rd mayor.
7		Hardy, Harvey WesleyHarvey Wesley Hardy	Rep	April 11, 1877	April 14, 1879
8		Galey, Seth P.Seth P. Galey	Rep	April 14, 1879	April 19, 1880
9		Wright, John B.John B. Wright	Rep	April 19, 1880	April 10, 1882
10		Doolittle, JohnJohn Doolittle	Rep	April 10, 1882	April 9, 1883
11		Moore, Robert EmmettRobert Emmett Moore	Rep	April 9, 1883	April 13, 1885	Later became Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska.
12		Burr, Carlos C.Carlos C. Burr	Rep	April 13, 1885	April 12, 1887
13		Sawyer, Andrew J.Andrew J. Sawyer	Ind	April 12, 1887	April 9, 1889
14		Graham, Robert B.Robert B. Graham	Rep	April 9, 1889	April 14, 1891
15		Weir, Austin H.Austin H. Weir	Ind	April 14, 1891	April 8, 1895
16		Graham, Frank A.Frank A. Graham	Rep	April 8, 1895	April 10, 1899
17		Winnett, Hudson J.Hudson J. Winnett	Rep	April 10, 1899	April 13, 1903
18		Adams, George A.George A. Adams	Rep	April 13, 1903	April 10, 1905
19		Brown, Francis W.Francis W. Brown	Dem	April 10, 1905	May 11, 1909
20		Love, Don LathropDon Lathrop Love	Rep	May 11, 1909	May 8, 1911
21		Armstrong, Alvin H.Alvin H. Armstrong	Rep	May 8, 1911	May 13, 1913	Last mayor directly elected by voters until Mayor Copeland in 1937.
22		Zehrung, Frank C.Frank C. Zehrung	Rep	May 13, 1913	May 10, 1915	First mayor chosen by the city council, not by voters, since Charles H. Gere in 1870.
23		Bryan, Charles WaylandCharles Wayland Bryan	Dem	May 10, 1915	May 7, 1917	Later became Governor of Nebraska.
24		Miller, John EschelmanJohn Eschelman Miller	Dem	May 7, 1917	May 9, 1921	Known for helping start Miller & Paine, a department store.
25		Zehrung, Frank C.Frank C. Zehrung	Rep	May 9, 1921	May 9, 1927	Had previously served as the 22nd mayor.
26		Hedge, VerneVerne Hedge	Rep	May 9, 1927	May 13, 1929
27		Love, Don LathropDon Lathrop Love	Rep	May 13, 1929	May 11, 1931	Had previously served as the 20th mayor.
28		Zehrung, Frank C.Frank C. Zehrung	Rep	May 11, 1931	May 8, 1933	Had previously served as the 22nd and 25th mayor.
29		Fleming, Fenton B.Fenton B. Fleming	Rep	May 8, 1933	May 13, 1935
30		Bryan, Charles WaylandCharles Wayland Bryan	Dem	May 13, 1935	May 10, 1937	Last mayor chosen by the city council under the old system. Had also served as Governor of Nebraska.
31		Copeland, Oren SturmonOren Sturmon Copeland	Rep	May 10, 1937	February 28, 1940	First mayor directly elected by the city's voters since Mayor Alvin Armstrong in 1911. He resigned to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
32		Campbell, Robert ErleRobert Erle Campbell	Rep	March 4, 1940	May 12, 1941	Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Copeland's term.
33		Johnson, Richard O.Richard O. Johnson	Rep	May 12, 1941	May 10, 1943
34		Marti, Lloyd J.Lloyd J. Marti	Rep	May 10, 1943	May 12, 1947
35		Miles, Clarence GillespieClarence Gillespie Miles	Dem	May 12, 1947	July 31, 1950	Resigned to run for the U.S. House of Representatives.
36		Pansing, Thomas R.Thomas R. Pansing	Rep	July 31, 1950	September 11, 1950	Served as "Acting Mayor" after Mayor Miles resigned.
37		Anderson, Victor EmanuelVictor Emanuel Anderson	Rep	September 11, 1950	May 18, 1953	Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Miles' term. Later became Governor of Nebraska.
38		Jeary, ClarkClark Jeary	Rep	May 18, 1953	July 30, 1956	Resigned to take a job at a bank.
39		Martin, Bennett S. (Abe)Bennett S. (Abe) Martin	Rep	July 30, 1956	May 18, 1959	Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Jeary's term.
40		Boyles, Bartlett E. (Pat)Bartlett E. (Pat) Boyles	Dem	May 18, 1959	December 31, 1962	Resigned after being appointed as a judge.
41		Tyrrell, Dell L.Dell L. Tyrrell	Rep	January 7, 1963	May 20, 1963	Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Boyles' term.
42		Petersen, Dean H.Dean H. Petersen	Rep	May 20, 1963	May 15, 1967	Lincoln's first "full-time" mayor elected for a four-year term. His office was separate from the city council.
43		Schwartzkopf, SamSam Schwartzkopf	Dem	May 15, 1967	May 19, 1975
44		Boosalis, HelenHelen Boosalis	Dem	May 19, 1975	May 16, 1983	First woman to serve as mayor of Lincoln.
45		Luedtke, Roland A.Roland A. Luedtke	Rep	May 16, 1983	May 18, 1987	Had served as Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature and Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska.
46		Harris, BillBill Harris	Dem	May 18, 1987	May 20, 1991
47		Johanns, MikeMike Johanns	Rep	May 20, 1991	November 30, 1998	Resigned to become Governor of Nebraska.
48		Young, DaleDale Young	Rep	November 30, 1998	May 17, 1999	Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Johanns' term.
49		Wesely, DonDon Wesely	Dem	May 17, 1999	May 19, 2003
50		Seng, Coleen J.Coleen J. Seng	Dem	May 19, 2003	May 14, 2007
51		Beutler, ChrisChris Beutler	Dem	May 14, 2007	May 20, 2019	Served the maximum of three terms in a row due to a new city rule.
52		Baird, Leirion GaylorLeirion Gaylor Baird	Dem	May 20, 2019	Present