List of mayors of Nashville, Tennessee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of Nashville |
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Seal of the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County
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 Freddie O'Connell since September 25, 2023 |
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| Term length | 4 years |
| Inaugural holder | Beverly Briley |
| Formation | 1963 |
| Succession | Vice mayor of Nashville |
| Salary | $180,000 |
The Mayor of Nashville is the main leader of the government in Nashville, Tennessee. Think of them as the city's chief executive officer. They are in charge of making sure the city runs smoothly. The person holding this job right now is Freddie O'Connell. Each mayor serves for four years. They can usually serve for two terms in a row.
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Nashville's Early Mayors
Before Nashville joined with Davidson County to form a bigger, combined government, it had its own mayors. These leaders helped shape the city as it grew. Here is a list of some of the people who served as mayor before the city's government changed.
Leaders Before the Civil War
These mayors served Nashville in the years leading up to the American Civil War. They helped guide the city through its early development.
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| Joseph Coleman | 1806–1809 |
| Benjamin J. Bradford | 1809–1811 |
| William Tait | 1811–1814 |
| Joseph Thorpe Elliston | 1814–1817 |
| Stephen Cantrell, Jr. | 1817–1817 |
| Felix Robertson | 1818–1819 |
| Thomas Crutcher | 1819–1820 |
| James Condon | 1820–1821 |
| John Patton Erwin | 1821–1822 |
| Robert Brownlee Currey | 1822–1824 |
| Randal McGavock | 1824–1825 |
| Wilkins F. Tannehill | 1825–1827 |
| Felix Robertson | 1827–1829 |
| William Armstrong | 1829–1833 |
| John Meredith Bass | 1833–1834 |
| John Patton Erwin | 1834–1835 |
| William Nichol | 1835–1837 |
| Henry Hollingsworth | 1837–1839 |
| Charles Clay Trabue | 1839–1841 |
| Samuel Van Dyke Stout | 1841–1842 |
| Thomas B. Coleman | 1842–1843 |
| Powhatan W. Maxey | 1843–1845 |
| John Hugh Smith | 1845–1846 |
| John A. Goodlett | 1846–1847 |
| Alexander Allison | 1847–1849 |
| John McCormick Lea | 1849–1850 |
| John Hugh Smith | 1850–1853 |
| Williamson Hartley Horn | 1853–1854 |
| William Booker Shapard | 1854–1854 |
| Robert Bell Castleman | 1854–1856 |
| Andrew Anderson | 1856–1857 |
| John A. McEwen | 1857–1858 |
| Randal William McGavock | 1858–1859 |
| Samuel N. Hollingsworth | 1859–1860 |
Mayors During and After the Civil War
These mayors served Nashville during the challenging times of the Civil War and the period of rebuilding that followed.
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| Richard Boone Cheatham | 1860–1862 |
| John Hugh Smith | 1862–1865 |
| William Matt Brown | 1865–1867 |
| Augustus E. Alden | 1867–1869 |
| John Meredith Bass | 1869–1869 |
| Kindred Jenkins Morris | 1869–1871 |
| Thomas A. Kercheval | 1871–1874 |
| Morton Boyte Howell | 1874–1875 |
Mayors in the Late 1800s and Early 1900s
This list shows the mayors who led Nashville from the late 1800s into the mid-1900s, before the city's government changed again.
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| Thomas A. Kercheval | 1875–1883 |
| Claiborne Hooper Phillips | 1883–1886 |
| Thomas A. Kercheval | 1886–1888 |
| Charles P. McCarver | 1888–1890 |
| William Litterer | 1890–1891 |
| George Blackmore Guild | 1891–1895 |
| William Marshall McCarthey | 1895–1897 |
| Richard Houston Dudley | 1897–1900 |
| James Marshall Head | 1900–1904 |
| Albert Smiley Williams | 1904–1906 |
| Thomas Owen Morris | 1906–1908 |
| James Stephens Brown | 1908–1909 |
| Hilary Ewing Howse | 1909–1915 |
| Robert Ewing | 1915–1917 |
| William Gupton | 1917–1921 |
| Felix Zollicoffer Wilson | 1921–1922 |
| William Percy Sharpe | 1922–1924 |
| Hilary Ewing Howse | 1924–1938 |
| Thomas L. Cummings, Sr. | 1938–1951 |
| Ben West | 1951–1963 |
Mayors of Modern Nashville
In 1963, the city of Nashville joined its government with Davidson County. This created a new, larger "Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County." Since then, these are the mayors who have led this combined government.
| Image | Mayor | Term |
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Beverly Briley | 1963–1975 |
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Richard Fulton | 1975–1987 |
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Bill Boner | 1987–1991 |
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Phil Bredesen | 1991–1999 |
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Bill Purcell | 1999–2007 |
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Karl Dean | 2007–2015 |
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Megan Barry | 2015–2018 |
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David Briley | 2018–2019 |
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John Cooper | 2019–2023 |
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Freddie O'Connell | 2023–present |
More About Nashville's History
