List of mayors of Lincoln, Nebraska facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of Lincoln, Nebraska |
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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
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 |
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- | Humphrey D. Gilbert | April 10, 1869 | 1870 | Was the first chairman of the Lincoln Board of Trustees, acting as the city's leader. | ||
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Charles 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 | ![]() |
William F. Chapin | Rep | April 4, 1871 | April 10, 1872 | First mayor directly elected by Lincoln citizens after the city was officially formed. |
2 | Erastus E. Brown | Rep | April 10, 1872 | 1873 | ||
3 | Robert D. Silver, Jr. | Dem | 1873 | April 11, 1874 | ||
4 | Samuel W. Little | Temp | April 11, 1874 | April 16, 1875 | ||
5 | ![]() |
Amasa Cobb | Rep | April 16, 1875 | April 11, 1876 | Had served as a US Representative from Wisconsin. |
6 | Robert D. Silver, Jr. | Dem | April 11, 1876 | April 11, 1877 | Had previously served as the 3rd mayor. | |
7 | ![]() |
Harvey Wesley Hardy | Rep | April 11, 1877 | April 14, 1879 | |
8 | Seth P. Galey | Rep | April 14, 1879 | April 19, 1880 | ||
9 | John B. Wright | Rep | April 19, 1880 | April 10, 1882 | ||
10 | John Doolittle | Rep | April 10, 1882 | April 9, 1883 | ||
11 | ![]() |
Robert Emmett Moore | Rep | April 9, 1883 | April 13, 1885 | Later became Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska. |
12 | Carlos C. Burr | Rep | April 13, 1885 | April 12, 1887 | ||
13 | Andrew J. Sawyer | Ind | April 12, 1887 | April 9, 1889 | ||
14 | Robert B. Graham | Rep | April 9, 1889 | April 14, 1891 | ||
15 | Austin H. Weir | Ind | April 14, 1891 | April 8, 1895 | ||
16 | Frank A. Graham | Rep | April 8, 1895 | April 10, 1899 | ||
17 | ![]() |
Hudson J. Winnett | Rep | April 10, 1899 | April 13, 1903 | |
18 | George A. Adams | Rep | April 13, 1903 | April 10, 1905 | ||
19 | Francis W. Brown | Dem | April 10, 1905 | May 11, 1909 | ||
20 | Don Lathrop Love | Rep | May 11, 1909 | May 8, 1911 | ||
21 | Alvin H. Armstrong | Rep | May 8, 1911 | May 13, 1913 | Last mayor directly elected by voters until Mayor Copeland in 1937. | |
22 | 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 | ![]() |
Charles Wayland Bryan | Dem | May 10, 1915 | May 7, 1917 | Later became Governor of Nebraska. |
24 | John Eschelman Miller | Dem | May 7, 1917 | May 9, 1921 | Known for helping start Miller & Paine, a department store. | |
25 | Frank C. Zehrung | Rep | May 9, 1921 | May 9, 1927 | Had previously served as the 22nd mayor. | |
26 | Verne Hedge | Rep | May 9, 1927 | May 13, 1929 | ||
27 | Don Lathrop Love | Rep | May 13, 1929 | May 11, 1931 | Had previously served as the 20th mayor. | |
28 | Frank C. Zehrung | Rep | May 11, 1931 | May 8, 1933 | Had previously served as the 22nd and 25th mayor. | |
29 | Fenton B. Fleming | Rep | May 8, 1933 | May 13, 1935 | ||
30 | ![]() |
Charles 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 | ![]() |
Oren 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 | Robert Erle Campbell | Rep | March 4, 1940 | May 12, 1941 | Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Copeland's term. | |
33 | Richard O. Johnson | Rep | May 12, 1941 | May 10, 1943 | ||
34 | Lloyd J. Marti | Rep | May 10, 1943 | May 12, 1947 | ||
35 | Clarence Gillespie Miles | Dem | May 12, 1947 | July 31, 1950 | Resigned to run for the U.S. House of Representatives. | |
36 | Thomas R. Pansing | Rep | July 31, 1950 | September 11, 1950 | Served as "Acting Mayor" after Mayor Miles resigned. | |
37 | ![]() |
Victor 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 | Clark Jeary | Rep | May 18, 1953 | July 30, 1956 | Resigned to take a job at a bank. | |
39 | Bennett S. (Abe) Martin | Rep | July 30, 1956 | May 18, 1959 | Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Jeary's term. | |
40 | Bartlett E. (Pat) Boyles | Dem | May 18, 1959 | December 31, 1962 | Resigned after being appointed as a judge. | |
41 | Dell L. Tyrrell | Rep | January 7, 1963 | May 20, 1963 | Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Boyles' term. | |
42 | 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 | Sam Schwartzkopf | Dem | May 15, 1967 | May 19, 1975 | ||
44 | ![]() |
Helen Boosalis | Dem | May 19, 1975 | May 16, 1983 | First woman to serve as mayor of Lincoln. |
45 | ![]() |
Roland A. Luedtke | Rep | May 16, 1983 | May 18, 1987 | Had served as Speaker of the Nebraska Legislature and Lieutenant Governor of Nebraska. |
46 | Bill Harris | Dem | May 18, 1987 | May 20, 1991 | ||
47 | ![]() |
Mike Johanns | Rep | May 20, 1991 | November 30, 1998 | Resigned to become Governor of Nebraska. |
48 | Dale Young | Rep | November 30, 1998 | May 17, 1999 | Chosen by the Lincoln City Council to finish Mayor Johanns' term. | |
49 | Don Wesely | Dem | May 17, 1999 | May 19, 2003 | ||
50 | Coleen J. Seng | Dem | May 19, 2003 | May 14, 2007 | ||
51 | ![]() |
Chris Beutler | Dem | May 14, 2007 | May 20, 2019 | Served the maximum of three terms in a row due to a new city rule. |
52 | ![]() |
Leirion Gaylor Baird | Dem | May 20, 2019 | Present |