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Mayor of Dallas
Seal of Dallas.svg
Seal of the City of Dallas
Eric Johnson (51239403937).jpg
Incumbent
Eric Johnson

since 2019
Style The Honorable
Residence Dallas, Texas
Term length Four years, renewable once
Inaugural holder Dr. Samuel B. Pryor
1856
Formation Dallas City Charter
Salary $80,000


The Mayor of the City of Dallas is an important leader in Dallas, Texas. This person is part of the Dallas City Council and leads their meetings. The current mayor is Eric Johnson. He first became mayor in 2019 and was re-elected in 2023. He is the 60th person to hold this job. Dallas uses a special system where the mayor is the official head of the city. However, a City Manager, chosen by the City Council, handles the daily operations.

What the Mayor of Dallas Does

The city of Dallas uses a special way of governing called a council-manager government. This is different from many other big cities in the United States. In most large cities, the mayor is the main boss, like a CEO. But in Dallas, the City Manager handles the day-to-day running of the city.

Mayor's Key Responsibilities

The mayor of Dallas has several important jobs:

  • They lead the meetings of the City Council.
  • They represent Dallas at official events.
  • They speak for the city to other cities, the state, and even other countries.
  • Mayors often join or lead other groups. This helps them represent the people of Dallas even more.

History of Dallas Mayors

The job of Mayor in Dallas started in 1856. This was when the Dallas City Charter was created. The first mayor was Dr. Samuel B. Pryor. He won the election of 1856. Back then, mayors served for only one year. In 1876, the term changed to two years.

Early Mayors and City Growth

For many years, mayors in Dallas usually served just one term. This changed with Winship C. Connor. He was mayor for three terms from 1887 to 1894. He helped Dallas grow by developing its first water, power, and streetcar systems.

Changes in City Government

Dallas's government changed a lot over time.

  • In 1907, the city voted to change from an alderman system to a commission government. Stephen J. Hay was the first mayor under this new system. He helped create White Rock Lake to solve a water shortage.
  • In 1930, the government changed again to a council-manager system. Tom Bradford was the first mayor under this new system. He was a successful grocer. He also helped start the Bradford Memorial Hospital for Babies, which later became the Children's Medical Center Dallas. Sadly, he was the first Dallas mayor to die while in office in 1932.

Mayors During Important Times

  • Woodall Rodgers was mayor from 1939 to 1947, during World War II. Dallas became a big center for making aircraft and weapons. He helped turn Dallas Love Field into a commercial airport. He was also mayor when the Mercantile National Bank Building was built. This was the only skyscraper built in the U.S. during World War II. Today, the Woodall Rodgers Freeway is named after him.
  • Earle Cabell was mayor from 1961 to 1964. He was mayor during the very sad assassination of President John F. Kennedy in Dallas.
  • After this tragic event, Mayor J. Erik Jonsson worked hard to improve Dallas's image. He helped fund the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. He also supported building the new Dallas City Hall, the Dallas Convention Center, and the Dallas Central Library, which is now named after him.
  • Wes Wise continued to improve the city's image from 1971 to 1976. He later left to run for United States Congress.
  • Adlene Harrison became acting mayor after Wes Wise. She was the first female mayor of Dallas. She was also the first female Jewish mayor in the United States. She later worked with the Environmental Protection Agency.

Modern Mayors and Their Impact

  • Ron Kirk was the first African-American mayor of Dallas. He served from 1995 to 2002. He worked for equality and social welfare. He also oversaw the building of the American Airlines Center. He later became the United States Trade Representative for President Barack Obama.
  • Laura Miller was the third female mayor. She helped change flight rules at Love Field Airport. She also put in place a citywide smoking ban.
  • Tom Leppert focused on fighting crime and developing a modern inland port. He was mayor during the Great Recession.
  • Mike Rawlings was mayor from 2011 to 2019. He was a strong leader during the 2014 Ebola outbreak and the 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers. He also oversaw the removal of certain monuments after the Charlottesville riots.

List of Dallas Mayors

Samuel-b-pryor
Samuel B. Pryor, the first mayor of Dallas.
S J Hay 001
Stephen J. Hay, the first mayor elected under commission government. He helped create White Rock Lake.
Earle Cabell
Earle Cabell was mayor of Dallas when President Kennedy was assassinated.
Eric Johnson (51239403937)
The current mayor, Eric Johnson.

Here is a list of the people who have served as Mayor of Dallas. In Texas, city elections are non-partisan, meaning candidates don't run as a specific political party. The party listed here is just for information.

# Mayor Term start Term end Terms   Party
1 Samuel B. Pryor 1856 1857 1 None
2 John McClannahan Crockett 1857 1858 1 Democratic
3 Isaac Naylor 1858 1858 1 None
4 A. D. Rice 1858 1859 1 None
5 John M. Crockett (Second term) 1859 1861 1 Democratic
6 Joshua Lafayette Smith 1861 1861 1 None
7 Thos. E. Sherwood 1861 1862 1 None
- Military governor (American Civil War). 1862 1865 None None
8 John M. Crockett (Third term) 1865 1866 1 Democratic
9 John W. Lane 1866 1866 1 Democratic
10 George W. Guess 1866 1868 1 None
11 Benjamin Long 1868 1870 1 None
12 Henry Ervay 1870 1872 1 None
13 Benjamin Long (Second term) 1872 1874 1 None
14 William Lewis Cabell 1874 1876 1 None
15 John D. Kerfoot 1876 1877 ½ None
16 William Lewis Cabell (Second term) 1877 1879 1 None
17 J. M. Thurmond 1879 1880 1 None
18 J. J. Good 1880 1881 ½ Democratic
19 J. W. Crowdus 1881 1883 1 None
20 William Lewis Cabell (Third term) 1883 1885 1 None
21 John Henry Brown 1885 1887 1 None
22 Winship C. Connor 1887 1894 3 None
23 Bryan T. Barry 1894 1895 ½ None
24 F. P. Holland 1895 1897 1 None
25 Bryan T. Barry (Second term) 1897 1898 1 None
26 John H. Traylor 1898 1900 2 None
27 Ben E. Cabell 1900 1904 4 None
28 Bryan T. Barry (Third term) 1904 1906 2 None
29 Curtis P. Smith 1906 1907 1 Democratic
30 Stephen J. Hay 1907 1911 2 Democratic
31 W. M. Holland 1911 1915 2 None
32 Henry D. Lindsley 1915 1917 1 Democratic
33 Joe E. Lawther 1917 1919 1 Democratic
34 Frank W. Wozencraft 1919 1921 1 Democratic
35 Sawnie R. Aldredge 1921 1923 1 Democratic
36 Louis Blaylock 1923 1927 2 None
37 R. E. Burt 1927 1929 1 None
38 J. Waddy Tate 1929 1931 1 None
39 Tom Bradford 1931 1932 ½ None
40 Charles E. Turner 1932 1935 Democratic
41 George Sergeant 1935 1937 1 Democratic
42 George Sprague 1937 1939 1 Democratic
43 Woodall Rodgers 1939 1947 4 None
44 J. R. Temple 1947 1949 1 Democratic
45 Wallace H. Savage 1949 1951 1 Democratic
46 Jean Baptiste Adoue 1951 1953 1 None
47 Robert L. Thornton 1953 1961 4 Democratic
48 Earle Cabell 1961 1964 Democratic
49 J. Erik Jonsson 1964 1971 None
50 Wes Wise 1971 1976 None
Acting (51) Adlene Harrison 1976 1976 less than 1 Democratic
51 (52) Robert Folsom 1976 1981 None
52 (53) Jack Wilson Evans 1981 1983 1 Republican
53 (54) Starke Taylor 1983 1987 2 Republican
54 (55) Annette Strauss 1987 1991 2 None
55 (56) Steve Bartlett 1991 1995 2 Republican
56 (57) Ron Kirk 1995 2001 Democratic
Acting (58) Mary Poss 2001 2002 less than 1 None
57 (59) Laura Miller 2002 2007 Democratic
58 (60) Tom Leppert 2007 2011 2 Republican
Acting (61) Dwaine Caraway 2011 2011 less than 1 Democratic
59 (62) Mike Rawlings 2011 2019 2 Democratic
60 (63) Eric Johnson 2019 2023 less than 2 Democratic
2023 incumbent Republican

See also

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