Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina |
|
|---|---|
| Term length | 2 years |
| Formation | 1853 |
| First holder | William F. Davidson |
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The Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina is an important leader for the city. This person helps guide Charlotte, making decisions that affect everyone who lives there. The current mayor is Vi Lyles, a member of the Democratic Party. She became mayor in December 2017 after winning the election against Kenny Smith.
The job of mayor in Charlotte started in 1853. The first person to hold this leadership role was William F. Davidson. Back then, he was called an "intendent." In 1861, the official title changed to "mayor."
Mayors in Charlotte serve for two years at a time. Elections for mayor happen in "off-years." This means they don't happen at the same time as big national elections like for president. The mayor who served the longest was Pat McCrory. He was mayor for 14 years, from 1995 to 2009.
Who Has Been Mayor of Charlotte?
This list shows all the people who have served as mayor of Charlotte. You can see when they served and their political party. Some mayors are known for special things they did while in office.
| Mayor | Term | Political party | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| William F. Davidson | 1853–1857 | - | |
| David Parks | 1857–1859 | - | |
| Jennings B. Kerr | 1859–1861 | - | |
| William A. Owens | 1861–1862 | - | Resigned after one month. |
| Robert F. Davidson | 1862–1863 | - | Served the rest of Owens' term. |
| Samuel A. Harris | 1864–1865 | - | |
| H.M. Pritchard | 1865–1866 | - | |
| Samuel A. Harris | 1866–1868 | - | Served a second time. |
| Frederick W. Ahrens | 1867–1868 | - | |
| H.M. Pritchard | 1868–1869 | - | Served a second time. |
| Clement Dowd | 1869–1871 | Democratic | Later became a U.S. Representative. |
| John A. Young | 1871–1873 | - | |
| William F. Davidson | 1873–1875 | - | |
| William Johnston | 1875–1878 | - | |
| Benjamin Rush Smith | 1878–1879 | - | |
| Frank I. Osborne | 1879–1880 | Democratic | Later became North Carolina Attorney General. |
| Frederick S. DeWolfe | 1880–1883 | - | |
| William C. Maxwell | 1883–1884 | - | |
| William Johnston | 1884–1887 | - | |
| F. Brevard McDowell | 1887–1891 | - | |
| R.J. Brevard | 1891–1895 | - | |
| E.B. Spring | 1897–1899 | - | |
| Johnson D. McCall | 1899–1901 | Democratic | |
| Peter Marshall Brown | 1901–1905 | Democratic | |
| Samuel S. McNinch | 1905–1907 | Democratic | |
| Thomas S. Franklin | 1907–1909 | Democratic | Helped get funding for Charlotte's first public library. |
| Thomas W. Hawkins | 1909–1911 | Democratic | |
| Charles A. Bland | 1911–1915 | Democratic | |
| Thomas Leroy Kirkpatrick | 1915–1917 | Democratic | |
| Frank R. McNinch | 1917–1920 | Democratic | Later became chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. |
| John M. Wilson | 1920–1921 | Democratic | Became Mayor when Frank McNinch left for a job in Washington, D.C. |
| James O. Walker | 1921–1924 | Democratic | |
| Harvey W. Moore | 1924–1926 | Democratic | |
| David M. Abernathy | 1926–1927 | Democratic | Selected after Moore resigned. |
| F. Marion Redd | 1927–1929 | Democratic | |
| George E. Wilson, Jr. | 1929–1931 | Democratic | |
| Charles E. Lambeth | 1931–1933 | Democratic | |
| Arthur E. Wearn | 1933–1935 | Democratic | |
| Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr. | 1935–1941 | Democratic | Charlotte Douglas International Airport was completed and named after him. |
| E. McA. Currie | 1941–1943 | Democratic | |
| Herbert Hill Baxter | 1943–1949 | Democratic | Charlotte College (now University of North Carolina at Charlotte) was started. |
| Victor Shaw | 1949–1953 | Democratic | |
| Philip Van Every | 1953–1957 | Democratic | The Charlotte Coliseum and Independence Blvd. were finished. |
| James Saxon Smith | 1957–1961 | Democratic | |
| Stanford R. Brookshire | 1961–1969 | Democratic | Lake Norman was developed. Brookshire Freeway is named for him. |
| John M. Belk | 1969–1977 | Democratic | The first Charlotte Convention Center was built. John Belk Freeway is named for him. |
| Kenneth R. Harris | 1977–1979 | Republican | First Republican Mayor. |
| H. Edward Knox | 1979–1983 | Democratic | Discovery Place was built. |
| Harvey Gantt | 1983–1987 | Democratic | First African-American Mayor. The Harvey B. Gantt Center is named in his honor. |
| Sue Myrick | 1987–1991 | Republican | First female Mayor. Later became a U.S. Representative. |
| Richard Vinroot | 1991–1995 | Republican | The Bank of America Corporate Center was dedicated. |
| Pat McCrory | 1995–2009 | Republican | Longest-serving mayor. Later became Governor of North Carolina. |
| Anthony Foxx | 2009–2013 | Democratic | Stepped down to become United States Secretary of Transportation. |
| Patsy Kinsey | 2013 | Democratic | Served the rest of Foxx's term. |
| Patrick Cannon | 2013–2014 | Democratic | Resigned from office. |
| Dan Clodfelter | 2014–2015 | Democratic | Appointed mayor by the City Council. |
| Jennifer Roberts | 2015–2017 | Democratic | |
| Vi Lyles | 2017– | Democratic | First African-American female mayor. |
See Also
