List of mayors of Oakland, California facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Oakland, California
Flag of Oakland
Seal of Oakland
Incumbent Kevin Jenkins since January 7, 2025
Term length	Four-year term, renewable once
Formation	April 17, 1854
First holder	Horace W. Carpentier
Deputy	Rebecca Kaplan (Vice Mayor)

The city of Oakland, California, was founded in 1852 and became an official city in 1854.

Oakland's mayors used to serve for only one or two years. The city has a "weak mayor" system. This means the mayor shares power with the city council and a city manager.

How Mayors Served Their Terms

• 1854: Mayors served 1-year terms. They were chosen by other members of the city council.
• 1893: Terms became 2 years. Mayors were still chosen by the city council.
• 1953: Terms changed to 4 years. From this point on, people in Oakland voted directly for their mayor.

Meet Oakland's Mayors

This section introduces some of the people who have served as mayor of Oakland.

Number	Term start	Image	Name	Notes
1st	April 17, 1854		Horace W. Carpentier	Horace W. Carpentier was Oakland's first mayor. He was only 29 years old when he was elected. He helped Oakland become a city. He also wanted Oakland to be the end point for the transcontinental railroad. This happened 15 years later. Carpentier was known for owning much of Oakland's waterfront. He also helped create Alameda County.
2nd	March 5, 1855		Charles Campbell	Oakland's second mayor, Charles Campbell, tried to end Carpentier's control over the waterfront. He fought against this "waterfront scheme" during his time in office.
3rd	March 3, 1856		Samuel H. Robinson	Not much is known about Samuel H. Robinson. He was Oakland's third mayor.
4th	March 2, 1857		Andrew Williams	Andrew Williams was a poet and lawyer. He helped start the Oakland Public Library. He also predicted that Oakland would become an important railroad city. He was the stepfather of famous writer Bret Harte.
5th	March 7, 1859		Francis K. Shattuck	Francis K. Shattuck helped develop both Oakland and Berkeley. He owned a lot of land in Berkeley. He also helped build Oakland's first city office building. He tried to make Oakland the state capital.
6th	March 7, 1860		James Paine Miller Davis	James Paine Miller Davis was a doctor. He was elected mayor in the first elections where political parties were involved.
7th	March 5, 1862		George M. Blake	George M. Blake was a lawyer. He helped claim land in what is now Berkeley. He also gave land for the new University of California campus. His wife ran Oakland's first school for girls.
8th	March 1863		William Henry Bovee	William Henry Bovee came to California during the Gold Rush. He later became successful in the coffee and spice business. He also did well in real estate.
9th	March 14, 1864		Edward Gibbons	Edward Gibbons was a doctor who also studied law. He helped create the first county hospital in Alameda County. He served as mayor and in the Delaware House of Representatives.
10th	March 6, 1865		Benjamin F. Ferris	Benjamin F. Ferris was a banker. He was also a "capitalist," meaning he invested a lot of money. He served on the city council after being mayor.
11th	March 5, 1866		John W. Dwinelle	John W. Dwinelle was a lawyer. He wrote the bill that created the University of California. He also served as a regent for the university. He was known for his knowledge of Spanish and Mexican land laws.
12th	March 7, 1867		William Watrus Crane Jr.	William Watrus Crane Jr. was a lawyer and poet. He resigned as mayor after only eight months. He was also a bank director.
13th	November 1867		Samuel Merritt	Samuel Merritt was a doctor who became very wealthy in California. He helped resolve the "waterfront compromise" with Horace Carpentier. He also started building Oakland's first city hall. He helped create Lake Merritt and made it the first wildlife refuge in the U.S.
14th	March 1, 1869		John B. Felton	John B. Felton was a prominent lawyer. He became very wealthy by helping property owners with their legal cases. He was also a regent for the University of California.
15th	March 6, 1871		Nathaniel W. Spaulding	Nathaniel W. Spaulding invented a new type of saw that changed the industry. He helped make Oakland a well-planned city with good lighting and streets. He also helped move the county seat to Oakland.
16th	March 4, 1873		Rev. Henry Durant	Henry Durant was a minister and educator. He founded the Contra Costa Academy in Oakland, which later became the University of California. He was the first president of the university. He died while still in office as mayor.
17th	February 1875		Mack Webber	Mack Webber was a druggist. He became mayor after Henry Durant died. Not much is known about his life after he left office.
18th	March 13, 1876		Enoch H. Pardee	Enoch H. Pardee was a famous eye doctor. He was also a ventriloquist and magician when he was young. As mayor, he faced economic problems and protests. He helped create the First Unitarian Church of Oakland. His son, George, also became mayor.
19th	March 25, 1878		Washburne R. Andrus	Washburne R. Andrus was a carpenter. He was elected mayor during a time of labor unrest. He was known as Oakland's "carpenter mayor."
20th	March 8, 1880		James E. Blethen	James E. Blethen was a ship carpenter. He later owned a successful planing mill business. He was elected mayor as a Republican.
21st	March 13, 1882		Charles K. Robinson	Charles K. Robinson was a lawyer and banker. He moved to Oakland and focused on writing. He ran for mayor on a platform that included restricting Chinese immigration.
22nd	March 12, 1883		J. West Martin	J. West Martin was a banker. He tried to save money for the city by cutting salaries and turning off streetlights. This made him unpopular, and he was not reelected.
23rd	March 10, 1884		Ashmun Cooke Henry	Ashmun Cooke Henry was a businessman and banker. He helped build a wagon road to the silver mines in Nevada. He also founded the first banking house in Alameda County.
24th	March 9, 1885		Eli W. Playter	Eli W. Playter was a hardware merchant. He was a Republican and a "devout Methodist." He served two terms as mayor.
25th	March 14, 1887		William R. Davis	William R. Davis was a lawyer. He wanted to make Oakland's parks more beautiful and build a new boulevard around Lake Merritt. He also helped shape the city's new charter.
26th	March 12, 1888		Charles D. Pierce	Charles D. Pierce was a hardware dealer. He was elected in the last election under the old city charter. The new charter changed mayoral terms to two years.
27th	March 11, 1889		John R. Glascock	John R. Glascock was a lawyer. He was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives before becoming mayor. He won by a large margin, showing public disapproval of the previous administration.
28th	March 9, 1891		Melvin C. Chapman	Melvin C. Chapman was a lawyer. He promised to improve Oakland's streets, sewers, and parks. He also wanted to dredge Lake Merritt.
29th	March 13, 1893		George C. Pardee	George C. Pardee was the son of former mayor Enoch H. Pardee. He was the first California-born person to be mayor of Oakland. He later became the governor of California. He helped with earthquake relief after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He also helped create East Bay MUD, which provides water to the area.
30th	March 11, 1895		John L. Davie	John L. Davie was a colorful character who worked as an opera singer, actor, and butcher. He fought against the Southern Pacific Railroad's control of the Oakland waterfront. He served two separate terms as mayor.
31st	March 9, 1897		William R. Thomas	William R. Thomas was a Civil War veteran. He served as Oakland's police chief before becoming mayor. He was known for being against gambling.
32nd	March 13, 1899		Roland W. Snow	Roland W. Snow was a hardware merchant. He ran for mayor on a platform that included public ownership of utilities and ending private control of the waterfront.
33rd	March 11, 1901		Anson Barstow	Anson Barstow was a businessman. He was elected mayor under a new city charter. He had the honor of welcoming President William McKinley to Oakland during his term.
34th	March 9, 1903		Warren Olney	Warren Olney was a lawyer and a strong supporter of public water systems. He was also a co-founder of the Sierra Club, an environmental organization, with John Muir. He was an avid hiker and fisherman.
35th	March 1905		Frank K. Mott	Frank K. Mott is known as "The Mayor Who Built Oakland." He led the city's efforts to help 150,000 people who came to Oakland after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. He helped resolve the waterfront issue and oversaw many public works projects, like building the current City Hall.
36th	July 1, 1915		John L. Davie	John L. Davie returned for his second time as mayor, becoming the longest-serving mayor in Oakland's history. He oversaw the creation of EBMUD and the Port of Oakland. He also helped build the Oakland International Airport.
37th	July 1, 1931		Fred N. Morcom	Fred N. Morcom was a picture frame and art store owner. He was the first mayor chosen by the city council, not by popular vote. He resigned after one term because the salary was too low for a businessman. The Morcom Rose Garden is named after him.
38th	July 1, 1933		William J. McCracken	William J. McCracken was a dentist. He claimed credit for acquiring Tilden Park and building the Woodminster Theatre. He also helped create the Naval Supply Base in Oakland.
39th	July 1, 1941		John F. Slavich	John F. Slavich was a doctor. He was mayor during World War II, when Oakland played a big role in the war effort. He served on the city council for many years.
40th	July 1, 1945		Herbert L. Beach	Herbert L. Beach helped create the council-manager form of government in Oakland. He owned some of Oakland's first independent movie theaters.
41st	July 1, 1947		Joseph E. Smith	Joseph E. Smith was an Oakland native and lawyer. At 33, he was the youngest mayor since Horace Carpentier. He was elected by his fellow council members.
42nd	July 1, 1949		Clifford E. Rishell	Clifford E. Rishell was the first mayor elected by popular vote since 1927. He was known as "Ambassador of Goodwill for Oakland" for his trips to promote the city. He helped bring the Oakland Raiders football team to Oakland.
43rd	July 1, 1961		John C. Houlihan	John C. Houlihan was a lawyer. He oversaw major projects like the construction of the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Arena and the Oakland Museum of California. He resigned due to salary issues.
44th	May 1, 1966		John H. Reading	John H. Reading was a businessman. He was mayor when the Oakland Athletics baseball team moved to Oakland and won three World Series. He defeated Black Panther leader Bobby Seale in a mayoral election.
45th	July 1, 1977		Lionel J. Wilson	Lionel J. Wilson was Oakland's first African-American mayor. He was also the first African-American appointed to the Alameda County Municipal Court. He was praised for his fairness to all communities in the city.
46th	January 3, 1991		Elihu M. Harris	Elihu M. Harris served in the State Assembly before becoming mayor. He took office after the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and during the 1991 Oakland firestorm of 1991. He oversaw the rebuilding of the fire zone and a downtown revival.
47th	January 4, 1999		Jerry Brown	Jerry Brown had a long political career, serving as California's governor multiple times. As mayor of Oakland, he helped pass a "strong mayor" initiative, giving the mayor more power. He worked to revitalize downtown Oakland.
48th	January 8, 2007		Ronald V. Dellums	Ron Dellums was born in Oakland. He served in the U.S. Marines and later became a social worker. He was a member of the Berkeley City Council before serving many years in the U.S. Congress. He was known for speaking out against the Vietnam War.
49th	January 3, 2011		Jean Quan	Jean Quan was the first woman and the first Asian American to be elected Mayor of Oakland. She was also the first Asian American woman elected to the Oakland School Board and City Council. Her family has roots in Oakland dating back to the 1906 earthquake.
50th	January 5, 2015		Libby Schaaf
51st	January 9, 2023		Sheng Thao
–	December 18, 2024		Nikki Fortunato Bas
–	January 7, 2025		Kevin Jenkins

See also

• Timeline of Oakland, California