List of mayors of Houston facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mayor of Houston |
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Flag of the City of Houston
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Seal of the City of Houston
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_(cropped).jpg) John Whitmire since January 1, 2024 |
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| Style | The Honorable |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once (effective 2016) |
| Inaugural holder | James S. Holman 1837 |
| Formation | Houston City Charter |
| Salary | $236,189 (2019) |
A mayor is the top leader of a city. They help make important decisions and manage city services. This article lists all the people who have served as mayor of Houston, a large city in the U.S. state of Texas. The current mayor is John Whitmire, who started his term on January 1, 2024.
Contents
Becoming Mayor of Houston
To become the mayor of Houston, a person needs to meet certain rules. They must be a registered voter in Houston. They also need to have lived in the city for at least 12 months before the election day.
How Elections Work
Elections for mayor happen every two years, always in odd-numbered years. To win, a candidate must get more than half of all the votes. If no one gets a majority, the two candidates with the most votes have a second election. This is called a run-off election.
How Long Mayors Serve
For many years, a mayor's term was two years long. There were also rules about how many times someone could be mayor. A person could serve up to three terms, which was a total of six years.
In November 2015, voters in Houston made a change. They approved a new rule that extended the mayor's term to four years. Now, a mayor can serve a maximum of two terms, which means they can be mayor for up to eight years in total.
List of Mayors of Houston
Here is a list of everyone who has served as mayor of Houston, from the first mayor to the current one.
| No. | Term | Mayor | Party affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 2024–present | John Whitmire | Democratic | |
| 62 | 2016–2024 | Sylvester Turner | Democratic | |
| 61 | 2010–2016 | Annise Parker | Democratic | |
| 60 | 2004–2010 | Bill White | Democratic | |
| 59 | 1998–2004 | Lee Brown | Democratic | |
| 58 | 1992–1998 | Bob Lanier | Democratic | |
| 57 | 1982–1992 | Kathy Whitmire | Democratic | |
| 56 | 1978–1982 | Jim McConn | Republican | |
| 55 | 1974–1978 | Fred Hofheinz | Democratic | |
| 54 | 1964–1974 | Louie Welch | Republican | |
| 53 | 1958–1964 | Lewis Cutrer | Democratic | |
| 52 | 1956–1958 | Oscar F. Holcombe (5th) | Democratic | |
| 51 | 1953–1956 | Roy Hofheinz | Democratic | |
| 50 | 1947–1953 | Oscar F. Holcombe (4th) | Democratic | |
| 49 | 1943–1947 | Otis Massey | Democratic | |
| 48 | 1941–1943 | Neal Pickett | Democratic | |
| 47 | 1939–1941 | Oscar F. Holcombe (3rd) | Democratic | |
| 46 | 1937–1939 | Richard H. Fonville | ||
| 45 | 1933–1937 | Oscar F. Holcombe (2nd) | Democratic | |
| 44 | 1929–1933 | Walter E. Monteith | ||
| 43 | 1921–1929 | Oscar F. Holcombe | Democratic | |
| 42 | 1918–1921 | A. Earl Amerman | ||
| 41 | 1917–1918 | Joseph Chappell Hutcheson Jr. | ||
| 40 | 1917 | J. J. Pastoriza (died in office) | ||
| 39 | 1913–1917 | Ben Campbell | ||
| 38 | 1905–1913 | H. Baldwin Rice (2nd) | ||
| 37 | 1904–1905 | Andrew L. Jackson | ||
| 36 | 1902–1904 | O. T. Holt | ||
| 35 | 1901–1902 | John D. Woolford | ||
| 34 | 1898–1901 | Samuel H. Brashear | ||
| 33 | 1896–1898 | Horace Baldwin Rice | ||
| 32 | 1892–1896 | John T. Browne | ||
| 31 | 1890–1892 | Henry Scherffius | ||
| 30 | 1886–1890 | Daniel C. Smith | ||
| 29 | 1880–1886 | William R. Baker | ||
| 28 | 1879–1880 | Andrew Jackson Burke | ||
| 27 | 1877–1878 | James T. D. Wilson (2nd) | ||
| 26 | 1875–1876 | I. C. Lord | ||
| 25 | 1874 | James T. D. Wilson | ||
| 24 | 1870–1873 | Thomas H. Scanlan | ||
| 23 | 1868–1870 | Joseph Robert Morris | ||
| 22 | 1867–1868 | Alexander McGowan (2nd) | ||
| 21 | 1866 | Horace D. Taylor | ||
| 20 | 1863–1865 | William Anders | ||
| 19 | 1862 | Thomas W. House | ||
| 18 | 1861 | William J. Hutchins | ||
| 17 | 1860 | Thomas W. Whitmarsh | ||
| 16 | 1859 | William King | ||
| 15 | 1858 | Alexander McGowan | ||
| 14 | 1856–1857 | Cornelius Ennis | ||
| 13 | 1855–1856 | James H. Stevens | ||
| 12 | 1853–1854 | Nathan Fuller | ||
| 11 | 1849–1852 | Francis W. Moore Jr. (3rd) | ||
| 10 | 1847–1848 | Benjamin P. Buckner | ||
| 9 | 1846 | James Bailey | ||
| 8 | 1845 | William Swain | ||
| 7 | 1844 | Horace Baldwin | ||
| 6 | 1843 | Francis W. Moore Jr. (2nd) | ||
| 5 | 1841–1842 | John Day Andrews | ||
| 4 | 1840 | Charles Bigelow | ||
| 3 | 1839 | George W. Lively | ||
| 2 | 1838–1839 | Francis W. Moore Jr. | ||
| 1 | 1837 | James S. Holman |
See also
