Bayonne, New Jersey was incorporated on April 1, 1861 as a township. It was reincorporated on March 10, 1869 as a city. It is currently governed within the Faulkner Act, formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law, under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government (Plan C), implemented based on the recommendations of a Charter Study Commission as of July 1, 1962, before which it was governed by a Board of Commissioners under the Walsh Act. The governing body consists of a mayor and a five-member city council, of which two seats are elected at-large and three from wards. This is a list of mayors of Bayonne, New Jersey.
Mayors
| Term |
Mayor |
Notes |
| 1869–1879 |
Henry Meigs, Jr. |
Henry Meigs, Jr. was the first mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey. He took office on March 10, 1869. |
| 1879–1883 |
Lane, Stephen KnowltonStephen Knowlton Lane |
|
| 1883–1887 |
David W. Oliver |
|
| 1887–1891 |
John Newman |
|
| 1891–1895 |
William C. Farr |
|
| 1895–1904 |
Egbert Seymour |
|
| 1904–1906 |
Thomas Brady |
|
| 1906–1910 |
Garven, Pierre ProsperPierre Prosper Garven |
This was his first term. |
| 1910–1912 |
John J. Cain |
Cain (July 5, 1861 – January 17, 1937) was the 9th mayor.
Born in Jersey City, New Jersey, Cain started work as a mechanic and worked for the Babcock & Wilcox Boiler Company in Bayonne. He married Katherine Drudy. Cain became involved in politicsin the early 1900s. In 1910, Cain, a Democrat, defeated the incumbent Pierre P. Garven. Cain was very independent and was many times at odds with the city's Democratic party. The following year, when he ran for re-election, he lost in the Democratic primary to Bayonne's Democratic leader Matthew T. Cronin. Cain lost again in 1914, ending his political career. He died at home after a lengthy illness at age 75. His funeral was at St. Henry's Church in Bayonne. He is buried in Holy Name Cemetery in Jersey City.
|
| 1912–1914 |
Matthew T. Cronin |
|
| 1914–1915 |
Bert J. Daly |
This is his first term. Dr. Bert J. Daly served three non-consecutive terms from 1914–1915, 1927–1931 and 1943–1947. |
| 1915–1919 |
Garven, Pierre ProsperPierre Prosper Garven |
This was his second term. |
| 1919–1923 |
W. Homer Axford |
He was the director of public affairs on the Bayonne, New Jersey City Commission in 1930. He was head of the X-ray department of the Jersey City Hospital in 1930. |
| 1923–1927 |
Robert J. Talbot |
|
| 1927–1931 |
Bert J. Daly |
This is his second term. |
| 1931–1939 |
Lucius F. Donohue |
|
| 1939–1943 |
James J. Donovan |
|
| 1943–1947 |
Bert J. Daly |
This is his third term. |
| 1947–1951 |
Charles A. Heiser |
|
| 1951–1955 |
Edward F. Clark |
|
| 1955–1959 |
G. Thomas DiDomenico |
Dominico - 16th Street Park is named in his honor. |
| 1959–1962 |
Alfred V. Brady |
|
| 1962–1974 |
Francis G. Fitzpatrick |
Fitzpatrick Park is named in his honor. |
| 1974–1990 |
Dennis P. Collins |
Dennis P. Collins is the longest-serving mayor of Bayonne, New Jersey, serving from 1974 to 1990. He served for 16 years. Collins Park is named for him. |
| 1990–1994 |
Richard A. Rutkowski |
Rutowski Park named in his honor. |
| 1994–1998 |
Leonard P. Kiczek |
|
| 1998–2007 |
Joseph Doria |
|
| 2007–2008 |
Terrance Malloy |
|
| 2008–2014 |
Mark Smith |
|
| 2014– |
James Davis |
|
