List of mayors of Meridian, Mississippi facts for kids

Meridian City Hall houses the mayor's office.

The mayor of Meridian, Mississippi is the leader of the city. This person is chosen by the people of Meridian every four years. The mayor is in charge of running the city's daily activities and making sure everything works smoothly. The current mayor is Jimmie Smith, who was elected in 2021.

The mayor's office is located on the second floor of City Hall, which you can find at 601 24th Avenue.

Meridian's Mayors Through History

This section shares a look at the people who have served as mayor of Meridian and some of the important things that happened during their time in office.

Early Mayors (1800s)

• J. H. Gibbs (1859–1865): Gibbs was elected mayor even before Meridian officially became a city. He continued to serve during the American Civil War.
• John Armstrong (1865–1866): After the Civil War, Armstrong was appointed mayor and then elected by the people.
• R.L Henderson (1866–1867): Henderson served for about a year.
• William Cathey (1867–1870): Cathey was named mayor by military officials after the war.
• William Sturges (1870–March 1871): During his time, the Meridian race riot of 1871 happened, which led to him leaving office.
• John W. Smith (March–September 1871): Smith was appointed governor.
• Grafton Baker (September–October 1871): Baker served for a short time before he passed away.
• Benjamin T. Rush (October–December 1871): Rush took over after Baker.
• W.P. Evans (1871–1873): Evans served until 1873.
• C. N. Wilcox (1873–1874): Wilcox became mayor during tough economic times for the city. Meridian's population and property values dropped.
• E.V. Early (1874–1875): Early served for one year.
• W. W. Shearer (1875–1878): Shearer was reelected but passed away during his second term.
• John Thomas Taylor (1878–1882): Taylor finished Shearer's term and was reelected. During his time, cotton production and shipping became a big industry in Meridian.
• Thomas H. Griffin (1882–1893): Griffin served for over 10 years. His time as mayor is known as the city's "Golden Age." Many businesses grew, and famous stores like Loeb's were founded.
• Edwin H. Dial (1893–1901): During Dial's time, the city got modern updates like telephone lines, paved streets, and sidewalks. The original Union Station and the historic Grand Opera House were also built. Dial is also known for calling Meridian "The Queen City."

Mayors of the 1900s

• Enoch Ephraim Spinks (1901–1903): Spinks continued many of the improvements from the previous mayor. He oversaw more paved streets and extensions of the sewage and electric streetcar systems.
• James Henry Rivers (1903–1909): During Rivers's time, the streetcar line was completed, and plans for Highland Park began.
• John Woods Parker (1909–1917): Parker's first time as mayor saw many new school buildings and improvements to others. City streets were greatly expanded, and sidewalks doubled. Meridian City Hall, two Carnegie libraries, and a jail were built. The Meridian Fire Department also got new vehicles instead of horse-drawn buggies.
• John Milton Dabney (1917–1921): Dabney was mayor during World War I. He served one term.
• John Woods Parker (1921–1923): Parker was elected again but passed away during his term.
• William Henry Owen (1923–1933): Owen was elected after Parker's death. The last four years of his time as mayor were during the Great Depression, which brought hard times.
• Clint Vinson (1933–1945): Vinson served for 12 years.
• Frank L. Jacobs (1945–1949): Jacobs served one term.
• Laurence B. Paine (1949–1953): Paine served one term.
• William Smylie (1953–1957): Smylie helped bring the 22nd Avenue Bridge to downtown Meridian. This bridge helped traffic flow better by going over many railroad tracks.
• James C. Downey, Jr. (1957–1961): Downey served one term.
• Henry D. Burns (1961–1965): Burns served one term.
• Algene Key (1965–1973): Key was also famous for breaking a world flight endurance record with his brother. As mayor, he was very involved in community activities.
• Tom Stuart (1973–1977): Stuart was the city's first Republican mayor in the 20th century. He focused on making government more open, paving streets, and fixing downtown traffic issues.
• Alfred Rosenbaum (1977–1985): Rosenbaum was Meridian's first Jewish mayor. He helped bring Naval Air Station Meridian to the city. During his time, the military presence in Meridian grew.
• Jimmy Kemp (1985–1993): Under Kemp, Meridian started well-known recycling programs. The city also worked on improving downtown areas. New public works projects and flood control efforts were put in place. Streets like 22nd and 23rd avenues became one-way to help traffic.

Mayors of the 2000s

• John Robert Smith (1993–2009): Smith oversaw many projects to improve downtown and inner-city neighborhoods. He helped renovate Union Station and worked to restore the historic Grand Opera House into the Riley Center. He was a big supporter of the arts and led programs for a healthy "green" environment.
• Cheri Barry (2009–2013): Barry was Meridian's first female mayor. She focused on basic city services like garbage collection, sewage treatment, and roads. The renovation of Meridian City Hall was finished during her time, and a new police station was built.
• Percy Bland (2013–2021): Bland was the city's first African-American mayor. He worked to improve education, community development, public safety, and city partnerships. He helped bring American Airlines service to Meridian and started programs to help fight crime and encourage school attendance. During his second term, he continued to improve streets and installed LED lights in neighborhoods. He also helped with projects like the MAX (Mississippi Arts and Entertainment Experience) and the Meridian Mississippi Children’s Museum. He worked to turn the Threefoot Building into a new hotel.
• Jimmie Smith (2021–Present): Smith defeated the previous mayor and became the second African-American mayor of Meridian.