Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut
Incumbent Arunan Arulampalam since January 1, 2024
Formation	June 18, 1774
First holder	Thomas Seymour

The mayor is the top leader of the city of Hartford, Connecticut. This person is in charge of the city's government and helps make important decisions. The table below lists all the people who have served as mayor of Hartford. It also shows their political party and when they were in office.

How Hartford's Mayors Changed Over Time
List of Mayors
See also

How Hartford's Mayors Changed Over Time

Hartford changed how its city government worked in 1947. Before, the mayor and city council ran things together. After, a city manager was hired to handle daily tasks. This was called a "council-manager government."

From Council Pick to Direct Vote

Until 1969, the city council picked the mayor from their own group. After 1969, people started voting directly for the mayor. This meant citizens had a direct say in who led their city.

Efforts to Give the Mayor More Power

In the 1990s and early 2000s, there were attempts to change Hartford's city rules. People wanted to give the mayor more power. At that time, Hartford had a "weak mayor" system. This meant the mayor had limited power. For example, the mayor could not vote in the city council. The mayor could only say "no" to council decisions.

The city manager was in charge of hiring and firing department heads. The mayor could only hire their own secretary. Also, the mayor's salary was quite low. Many people felt this system made it hard to solve city problems. These problems included a shrinking population and issues with city services.

Proposed Changes in 2000

In 2000, a group suggested big changes to the city's rules. They wanted to get rid of the city manager. They also wanted the mayor to become the main leader of the city. The plan also suggested increasing the mayor's salary. This would encourage more skilled people to run for the job.

Voters supported these changes in a special election. However, not enough registered voters participated for the changes to pass.

The Shift to a Strong Mayor System in 2002

In 2002, Mayor Eddie A. Perez took office. He wanted the mayor to have more power. He created a new group to review the city's rules again. This group suggested many of the same changes as before.

The new plan would make the mayor the chief executive of the city. This means the mayor would be in charge of daily operations. The mayor would also appoint most school board members. They would also choose all department heads. The mayor would also prepare the city's yearly budget.

On November 5, 2002, voters approved these changes. About 77% of voters said "yes." These new rules started with the 2003 election. This made Hartford's mayor much more powerful.

List of Mayors

The following table lists the people who have served as mayor of Hartford, Connecticut.

#	Name	Party	Served	Notes
1	Thomas Seymour	Federalist	June 18, 1774 – May 28, 1812	Resigned
2	Chauncey Goodrich	Federalist	June 8, 1812 – September 9, 1815	Died in office; Served simultaneously as Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut
3	Jonathan Brace	Federalist	September 9, 1815 – November 22, 1824
4	Nathaniel Terry	Whig	November 22, 1824 – March 28, 1831
5	Thomas Scott Williams	Whig	March 28, 1831 – April 27, 1835
6	Henry Leavitt Ellsworth	Democratic	April 27, 1835 – June 15, 1835	Resigned
7	Jared Griswold	Whig	June 15, 1835 – November 22, 1835	Died in office
8	Jeremy Hoadley	Whig	November 23, 1835 – April 18, 1836
9	Henry Hudson	Whig	April 18, 1836 – April 20, 1840
10	Thomas Kimberly Brace	Whig	April 20, 1840 – April 17, 1843	Resigned
11	Amos M. Collins	Democratic	April 17, 1843 – April 19, 1847
12	Philip Ripley	Democratic	April 19, 1847 – April 21, 1851
13	Ebenezer Flower	Democratic	April 21, 1851 – April 18, 1853
14	William Jas. Hamersley	Democratic	April 18, 1853 – April 17, 1854
15	Henry C. Deming	Democratic	April 17, 1854 – April 12, 1858
16	Timothy M. Allyn	Republican	April 12, 1858 – April 8, 1860
17	Henry C. Deming	Democratic	April 9, 1860 – February 27, 1862	Resigned
18	Charles S. Benton	Democratic	February 10, 1852 – April 14, 1862	Elected by Common Council
19	William Jas. Hamersley	Democratic	April 14, 1862 – April 11, 1864
20	Allyn S. Stillman	Republican	April 11, 1864 – April 9, 1866
21	Charles R. Chapman	Democratic	April 9, 1866 – April 1, 1872
22	Henry C. Robinson	Republican	April 1, 1872 – April 6, 1874
23	Joseph H. Sprague	Democratic	April 6, 1874 – April 1, 1878
24	George G. Sumner	Democratic	April 1, 1878 – April 5, 1880
25	Morgan Bulkeley	Republican	April 5, 1880– April 2, 1888
26	John G. Root	Republican	April 2, 1888 – April 7, 1890
27	Henry C. Dwight	Republican	April 7, 1890 – April 4, 1892
28	William Waldo Hyde	Democratic	April 4, 1892 – April 2, 1894
29	Leveret Brainard	Republican	April 2, 1894 – April 6, 1896
30	Miles B. Preston	Democratic	April 6, 1896 – April 2, 1900
31	Alexander Harbison	Republican	April 2, 1900 – April 7, 1902
32	Ignatius A. Sullivan	Democratic	April 7, 1902 – April 4, 1904
33	William F. Henney	Republican	April 4, 1904 – April 7, 1908
34	Edward W. Hooker	Republican	April 7, 1908 – April 5, 1910
35	Edward L. Smith	Democratic	April 5, 1910 – April 2, 1912
36	Louis R. Cheney	Republican	April 2, 1912 – April 7, 1914
37	Joseph H. Lawler	Democratic	April 7, 1914 – April 4, 1916
38	Frank A. Hagarty	Republican	April 7, 1916 – April 7, 1918
39	Richard J. Kinsella	Democratic	April 2, 1918 – April 4, 1920
40	Newton C. Brainard	Republican	April 6, 1920 – May 2, 1922
41	Richard J. Kinsella	Democratic	April 4, 1922 – April 6, 1924
42	Norman C. Stevens	Republican	April 1, 1924 – May 1, 1928
43	Walter E. Batterson	Republican	April 3, 1928 – December 1, 1931
44	William J. Rankin	Democratic	November 3, 1931 – December 4, 1933
45	Joseph W. Beach	Republican	November 7, 1933 – December 3, 1935
46	John A. Pilgard	Democratic	November 5, 1935 – November 14, 1935	Died before taking oath of office
47	Thomas J. Spellacy	Democratic	December 3, 1935 – June 18, 1943	Elected to first term by Common Council; resigned in fourth term.
48	Dennis P. O'Connor	Democratic	June 24, 1943 – December 7, 1943	Elected by Common Council
49	William H. Mortensen	Republican	December 7, 1943 – December 4, 1945
50	Cornelius A. Moylan	Republican	December 4, 1945 – December 24, 1946	Died in office
51	Edward N. Allen	Republican	January 3, 1947 – January 6, 1948	Elected by Common Council
52	Cyril Coleman	Democratic	January 6, 1948 – December 4, 1951
53	Joseph V. Cronin	Democratic	December 4, 1951 – December 1, 1953
54	Dominick J. DeLucco	Democratic	1953–1955
55	Joseph V. Cronin	Democratic	1955–1957
56	James H. Kinsella	Democratic	1957–1960
57	Dominick J. DeLucco	Democratic	November 14, 1960 – December 5, 1961	Deputy mayor, succeeded to office
58	William E. Glynn	Democratic	December 5, 1961 – December 7, 1965
59	George B. Kinsella	Democratic	December 7, 1965 – December 5, 1967
60	Antonina Uccello	Republican	December 5, 1967 – April 12, 1971	Resigned to take U.S. Department of Transportation post; City's first female mayor; first female mayor of a state capital
61	George A. Athanson	Democratic	April 12, 1971 – December 1, 1981	Deputy mayor, succeeded to office
62	Thirman L. Milner	Democratic	December 1, 1981 – December 1, 1987	City's first black mayor, and first black elected mayor in New England
63	Carrie Saxon Perry	Democratic	December 1, 1987 – December 7, 1993	City's first black female mayor, and first black female elected mayor of a major Northeastern city
64	Michael P. Peters	Democratic	December 7, 1993 – December 4, 2001
65	Eddie A. Perez	Democratic	December 4, 2001 – June 26, 2010	Resigned due to legal issues City's first Hispanic mayor
66	Pedro Segarra	Democratic	June 26, 2010 – December 31, 2015	City Council president, succeeded Perez; city's first openly gay mayor
67	Luke Bronin	Democratic	January 1, 2016 – December 31, 2023
68	Arunan Arulampalam	Democratic	January 1, 2024–present

Mayor of Hartford, Connecticut facts for kids

Contents