List of mayors of Meridian, Mississippi facts for kids
Meridian City Hall is where the mayor works.
The mayor of Meridian, Mississippi is like the main leader of the city. People in Meridian vote for their mayor every four years. The mayor's job is to manage the city's daily activities and make sure everything runs smoothly.
The mayor's office is inside City Hall, which is at 601 24th Avenue. You can find the mayor's office on the second floor of the building.
Contents
Meet the Mayors of Meridian
Mayors from the 1800s
| Mayor's Name | Years in Office | What They Did |
|---|---|---|
| J. H. Gibbs | 1859–1865 | Gibbs was chosen as mayor in 1859, even before Meridian officially became a city. After Meridian became a city in 1860, he was elected again. He served until the American Civil War ended in July 1865. |
| John Armstrong | 1865–1866 | After the Civil War, Meridian had many changes in its mayors. In 1871 alone, there were five different mayors! John Armstrong was first chosen in July 1865. Then, people elected him in December 1865, and he served for another year. R.L Henderson was elected next. William Cathey then became mayor and served until 1870.
William Sturges took over after Cathey. During his time, a difficult event happened in the city, and he left office in March 1871. John W. Smith was then appointed mayor. After him came Grafton Baker, who passed away in October 1871. B.T. Rush then served for a short time, followed by W.P. Evans. |
| R.L Henderson | 1866–1867 | |
| William Cathey | 1867–1870 | |
| William Sturges | 1870–Mar 1871 | |
| John W. Smith | Mar–Sept 1871 | |
| Grafton Baker | Sept–Oct 1871 | |
| Benjamin T. Rush | Oct–Dec 1871 | |
| W.P. Evans | 1871–1873 | |
| C. N. Wilcox | 1873–1874 | Wilcox became mayor in January 1873. This was during a tough economic time called the Panic of 1873. Meridian's population dropped, and property values went down. |
| E.V. Early | 1874–1875 | |
| W. W. Shearer | 1875–1878 | Shearer was elected in December 1874 and again in 1876. He passed away in April 1878 during his second term. |
| John Thomas Taylor | 1878–1882 | Taylor was elected to finish Shearer's term. He was reelected in 1880 but also passed away during his second term. During his time, cotton farming and shipping became very important for the city. |
| Thomas H. Griffin | 1882–1893 | Griffin was elected after Taylor's death and served for over 10 years. His time as mayor is known as the city's "Golden Age." Businesses grew a lot, and famous stores like Loeb's were started. |
| Edwin H. Dial | 1893–1901 | During Dial's time, Meridian got modern updates. These included telephone lines, paved streets, and sidewalks. The first Union Station and the historic Grand Opera House were also built. Dial is also known for calling Meridian "The Queen City." |
Mayors from the 1900s
| Mayor's Name | Years in Office | What They Did |
|---|---|---|
| Enoch Ephraim Spinks | 1901–1903 | Spinks continued many of the plans from the previous mayor. He oversaw more paved streets and expanded the sewage and electric streetcar systems. |
| James Henry Rivers | 1903–1909 | During Rivers's time, a new part of the streetcar line was finished. A group was also started that later helped create Highland Park. |
| John Woods Parker | 1909–1917 | During Parker's first time as mayor, six new school buildings were built. Other schools were made bigger or better. City streets grew from 3 miles to 15 miles, and sidewalks doubled. Meridian City Hall was finished, along with two libraries and a jail. The Meridian Fire Department also got new vehicles instead of horse-drawn ones. |
| John Milton Dabney | 1917–1921 | Dabney was mayor during World War I. He served for one term. |
| John Woods Parker | 1921–1923 | Parker, who had been mayor before, was elected again in 1921. He served for about half a term before he passed away in 1923. |
| William Henry Owen | 1923–1933 | Owen was elected after Parker's death. He had served on the city council before. The last four years of his time as mayor were during the Great Depression. This was a very hard economic time. |
| Clint Vinson | 1933–1945 | |
| Frank L. Jacobs | 1945–1949 | |
| Laurence B. Paine | 1949–1953 | |
| William Smylie | 1953–1957 | Smylie helped bring the 22nd Avenue Bridge to downtown Meridian. This bridge helped traffic avoid many railroad tracks that often stopped cars. |
| James C. Downey, Jr. | 1957–1961 | |
| Henry D. Burns | 1961–1965 | |
| Algene Key | 1965–1973 | Key was famous for breaking a world flight record with his brother in 1935. As mayor, he was very active in city matters. |
| Tom Stuart | 1973–1977 | Stuart was the city's first Republican mayor in the 1900s. He won by a large number of votes. As mayor, he worked to make the government more open. He also helped pave streets and solve downtown traffic issues. |
| Alfred Rosenbaum | 1977–1985 | Rosenbaum was Meridian's first Jewish mayor. He helped bring Naval Air Station Meridian to the city. During his time, the military presence in Meridian grew a lot. |
| Jimmy Kemp | 1985–1993 | Under Kemp, Meridian started well-known recycling programs. The city also worked to improve downtown areas. New public works projects and flood control programs were put in place. Streets like 22nd and 23rd avenues became one-way to help traffic flow. |
Mayors from the 2000s
| Mayor's Name | Years in Office | What They Did |
|---|---|---|
| John Robert Smith | 1993–2009 | Smith led many projects to improve downtown and city neighborhoods. He helped fix up Union Station. He also supported restoring the historic Grand Opera House into the Riley Center. Smith was known for supporting the arts. He also started the Meridian Green Initiative to help the city's environment. |
| Cheri Barry | 2009–2013 | Barry was the first female mayor of Meridian. She focused on basic city services like garbage collection, sewage, and roads. The renovation of Meridian City Hall was finished during her time. A new police station was also built, which she said was a top goal. |
| Percy Bland | 2013–2021 | Bland was the city's first African-American mayor. He worked with a team to improve education, public safety, and city partnerships. Under his leadership, new programs were launched to fight crime. The Parks and Recreation Department partnered with mentors and churches to help youth through sports. In 2014, he helped bring American Airlines service to Meridian. He also started a program called Kids Zone to help strengthen families.
During his second term, Bland continued to improve Meridian's infrastructure. He paved over 28 miles of streets in inner-city areas. He also started a project to install LED lights in neighborhoods. In 2021, he helped the city buy the Meridian Police Department Headquarters, saving taxpayers money. Bland also helped the city get support for the MAX (Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience) and the Meridian Mississippi Children’s Museum. He worked to turn the Threefoot Building into a new Marriott Hotel. |
| Jimmie Smith | 2021–2025 | Smith was the second African-American mayor of Meridian. He was elected in June 2021. |
| Percy Bland | 2025–present | Bland became mayor again for a third time. |
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List of mayors of Meridian, Mississippi Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.