List of mayors of Louisville, Kentucky facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky
Incumbent Craig Greenberg since January 2, 2023
Formation	1828
First holder	John Bucklin

The Mayor of Louisville is the leader of the city of Louisville, Kentucky. This important job started when Louisville officially became a city on February 13, 1828. Before that, from 1781, Louisville was a smaller village run by a group of trustees. As the village grew and became more important for business, it needed a new way to be governed. So, the state government made it a city with five areas called wards. Each ward had two people on the city council, and the whole city was led by a mayor.

How the Mayor's Job Began

The first election for mayor happened in March 1828. Back then, only free white men who had lived in the city for at least six months could vote. People didn't directly choose the mayor at first. The two people with the most votes were sent to the governor. The governor then picked one of them to be mayor, with approval from the state senate.

In the early days, the mayor's job wasn't very powerful. The mayor mostly acted like a local judge, called a Justice of the Peace. They served for only one year. They also didn't get to vote on the City Council, unless there was a tie that needed breaking.

Changes to the Mayor's Role

Things changed in 1838. A new rule allowed people to vote directly for the mayor. The mayor's term, or time in office, was also made longer, lasting three years. However, a mayor could not run for re-election right after their term ended.

Later, the term length changed again. From 1851 to 1870, it was two years. Then it went back to three years. Finally, in 1894, the Kentucky Legislature set the term at four years.

In the early 1900s, there were problems with how politics worked. Some mayors were even removed from office by courts. In 1929, all the power to make laws for the city was given to the Board of Aldermen. In 1986, rules were put in place that limited a mayor to serving three terms.

Louisville Metro Government

A big change happened on January 6, 2003. The city of Louisville and Jefferson County governments joined together. This created a new, larger government called the Louisville Metro. With this merger, the new job of Mayor of Louisville Metro was created.

Mayors of Incorporated Louisville

Mayor	Image	Term began	Term ended	Political party
John Bucklin		1828	1833
John Joyes		1834	1836
W. A. Cocke		1836	1836	Whig
Frederick A. Kaye		1837	1840	Whig
David L. Beatty		1841	1843	Democratic
Frederick A. Kaye		1844	1846	Whig
William R. Vance		1847	1850	Whig
John M. Delph		1850	1852	Whig
James Stephens Speed		1853	1854	Whig
John Barbee		1855	1856	Know Nothing
William S. Pilcher		1857	August 1858	Know Nothing
Thomas W. Riley		August 1858	April 1859	Whig
Thomas H. Crawford		April 1859	1860	Unionist
John M. Delph		1861	1862	Unionist
William Kaye		1863	1865	Democratic
Philip Tomppert		1865	December 28, 1865	Democratic
James S. Lithgow		January 2, 1866	February 14, 1867	Democratic
Philip Tomppert		February 14, 1867	1868	Democratic
Joseph H. Bunce		1869	March 1870	Democratic
John G. Baxter		1870	1872	Democratic
Charles D. Jacob		1873	1878	Democratic
John G. Baxter		1879	1881	Democratic
Charles D. Jacob		1882	1884	Democratic
P. Booker Reed		1885	1887	Democratic
Charles D. Jacob		1888	1890	Democratic
William L. Lyons		May 12, 1890	August 1890	Democratic
Henry S. Tyler		1891	January 14, 1896	Democratic
Robert Emmet King		January 14, 1896	January 31, 1896 (pro tem)	Republican
George Davidson Todd		January 31, 1896	December 1897	Republican
Charles P. Weaver		December 1897	December 1901	Democratic
Charles F. Grainger		December 1901	December 1905	Democratic
Paul C. Barth		December 1905	July 1907	Democratic
Robert Worth Bingham		July 1907	December 1907	Democratic
James F. Grinstead		December 1907	December 1909	Republican
William O. Head		December 1909	December 1913	Democratic
John H. Buschemeyer		December 1913	December 1917	Democratic
George Weissinger Smith		December 1917	December 1921	Republican
Huston Quin		December 1921	December 1925	Republican
Arthur A. Will		December 1925	June 1927	Republican
Joseph T. O'Neal		June 1927	December 1927	Democratic
William B. Harrison		December 1927	December 1933	Republican
Neville Miller		December 1933	December 1937	Democratic
Joseph D. Scholtz		December 1937	December 1941	Democratic
Wilson W. Wyatt		December 1941	December 1945	Democratic
E. Leland Taylor		December 1945	February 16, 1948	Democratic
Charles R. Farnsley		February 16, 1948	December 1953	Democratic
Andrew Broaddus		December 1953	December 1957	Democratic
Bruce Hoblitzell		December 1957	December 1961	Democratic
William Cowger		December 1961	December 1965	Republican
Kenneth A. Schmied		December 1965	December 1969	Republican
Frank W. Burke		December 1969	December 1, 1973	Democratic
Harvey I. Sloane		December 1, 1973	December 1, 1977	Democratic
William B. Stansbury		December 1, 1977	January 1, 1982	Democratic
Harvey I. Sloane		January 1, 1982	January 1, 1986	Democratic
Jerry Abramson		January 1, 1986	January 1, 1999	Democratic
David L. Armstrong		January 1, 1999	January 5, 2003	Democratic

Mayors of Louisville Metro

Mayor	Image	Term began	Term ended	Political party
Jerry Abramson		January 6, 2003	January 2, 2011	Democratic
Greg Fischer		January 3, 2011	January 1, 2023	Democratic
Craig Greenberg		January 2, 2023	Present	Democratic

See also

• 2022 Louisville mayoral election
• Louisville Metro Council
• Government of Louisville, Kentucky
• History of Louisville, Kentucky
• Timeline of Louisville, Kentucky