kids encyclopedia robot

Mayor of Portland, Maine facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Mayor of Portland, Maine
Incumbent
Mark Dion
since December 4, 2023
Term length 4 years
Inaugural holder Andrew L. Emerson
Formation 1832
Salary $65,400 (2011)
Website [1]

The Mayor of Portland, Maine is the main leader of the city of Portland, which is in Maine, United States. This person is chosen to help run the city, following rules set in Portland's city charter. This page tells you about the people who have been mayor of Portland, from the past to today.

Understanding the Mayor's Role in Portland

The mayor is like the chief executive of the city. They help guide the city council and represent Portland to the rest of the world. The current mayor is Mark Dion, who started his term on December 4, 2023.

How the Mayor's Job Has Changed

The way Portland chooses its mayor has changed a few times over the years.

  • Early Mayors (Before 1923): For many years, the city's leader was simply called the "mayor."
  • Chairman of the City Council (1923-1969): From 1923 until 1969, the person in charge was called the "Chairman of the City Council." This person was chosen by the other members of the city council, not by a public vote.
  • Mayor Again (1969-2011): In 1969, the title "Mayor" came back. However, the mayor was still chosen by the city council members, just like the chairman had been.
  • Publicly Elected Mayor (Since 2011): In 2011, Portland decided to let its citizens vote directly for their mayor again. This was the first time since 1923 that the mayor was chosen by a popular vote. Since then, elections for mayor have been held every four years, including in 2015, 2019, and 2023.

List of Portland's Mayors

Here is a list of the people who have served as mayors of Portland, Maine. This information comes from the official website of the city council.

# Mayor Party Term Notes
1 Andrew L. Emerson 1832
2 Jonathan Dow 1832
3 John Anderson Democrat 1833
4 Levi Cutter 1834–1840
5 James C. Churchill 1841
6 John Anderson Democrat 1842
7 Eliphalet Greeley Whig 1843–1848
8 James B. Cahoon Whig 1849–1850
9 Neal Dow Whig 1851–1852 came up with the Maine law
10 Albion K. Parris Democrat 1852–1853 Preiviously Senator and Governor of Maine
11 James B. Calhoon Democrat 1853–1854
12 Neal Dow Republican 1855–1856 later served in the Maine House
13 James T. McCobb 1856
14 William Willis Republican 1857 Previously served in the Maine Senate.
15 Jedediah Jewett 1858–1859
16 Joseph Howard 1860 Previously a Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from 1848 to 1855 and future Democratic nominee for Governor in 1865.
17 William W. Thomas 1861–1862
18 Jacob McLellan 1863–65
19 Augustus E. Stevens 1866–1867
20 Jacob McLellan 1868
21 William Lebaron Putnam Democrat 1869–1870 Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from 1892-1917.
22 Benjamin Kingsbury Jr. 1870–1872
23 George P. Wescott 1873–1874
24 Roswell M. Richardson 1875
25 Francis Fessenden Republican 1876 Major general in the 25th and 30th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiments during the Civil War.
26 Moses M. Butler 1877–1878
27 George Walker 1879
28 William Senter 1880–1881
29 Charles F. Libby 1882
31 John W. Deering Democrat 1883 Formerly a Republican. Commissioner of the Port of Portland under President Grover Cleveland.
32 Marquis F. King 1884
33 John W. Deering Democrat 1885 Formerly a Republican. Commissioner of the Port of Portland under President Grover Cleveland.
34 Charles J. Chapman 1886–1888
35 Holman S. Melcher Republican 1889–1890 Captain in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War.
36 George W. True 1891
37 Darius H. Ingraham 1892
38 James Phinney Baxter Republican 1893–1896
39 Charles H. Randall 1897–1898
40 Frank W. Robinson 1899–1900 Previously Cumberland County District Attorney and judge of the Portland Municipal Court from 1893-1899.
41 Frederic E. Boothby Republican 1901–1903
42 James Phinney Baxter Republican 1904–1905
43 Nathan Clifford Democrat 1906–1907
44 Adam P. Leighton Republican 1908–1909
45 Charles A. Strout Republican 1910
46 Oakley C. Curtis Democrat 1911–1914 Governor of Maine from 1915-1917.
47 William Moulton Ingraham Democrat 1915
48 Wilford G. Chapman Republican 1916–1917
49 Charles B. Clarke Republican 1918–1921
50 Carroll S. Chaplin Republican 1922–1923
51 Philip J. Deering Democrat 1924
52 Neal W. Allen 1925–1926
53 Philip J. Deering Democrat 1927
54 Lester F. Wallace 1928–1929
55 Ralph D. Brooks 1930
56 Arthur W. Jordan 1931
57 Ralph D. Brooks 1932
58 Arthur E. Craig 1933
59 Philip J. Deering Democrat 1934–1935
60 Edward C. Berry 1936
61 Adam P. Leighton, Jr. 1937
62 Edward C. Berry 1938
63 Arthur E. Craig 1939
64 Harry E. Martin 1940
65 Edward C. Berry 1941
66 Adam P. Leighton Jr. 1942
67 Herman B. Libby 1943
68 George A. Harrison 1944
69 Harry C. Libby 1945
70 Helen C. Frost 1946
71 Herman B. Libby 1947
72 Robert L. Getchell 1948–1949
73 Edward T. Colley 1950
74 Helen C. Frost 1952
75 H. Merrill Luthe 1953
76 Edward T. Colley 1954
77 Ben B. Wilson 1955
78 H. Merrill Luthe 1956
79 Carleton G. Lane 1957
80 Perley J. Lessard 1958
81 Sumner S. Clark 1959
82 Mitchell Cope 1960
83 Harold E. Frank 1961
84 Daniel B. Felix 1962
85 Ralph Amerigan 1963
86 J. Weston Walch 1964–1965
87 Charles W. Allen 1966
88 Harold G. Loring 1967
89 Donald Slipp 1969-1970
90 William L. MacVane Democrat 1970–1971
91 Gerard Conley Sr. Democrat 1971–1972
92 Edward I. Bernstein Republican 1973
93 William B. Troubh Democrat 1974–1975
94 Harold G. Loring 1975–1976
95 Matthew I. Barron 1976–1978
96 Bruce Taliento 1978
97 Edward I. Bernstein Republican 1978–1979
98 Llewellyn Smith 1979–1980
99 John O'Leary Democrat 1980–1981
100 Pamela P. Plumb 1981–1982
101 Linda Abromson Democrat 1982–1983
102 William B. Troubh Democrat 1983–1984
103 David H. Brenerman Democrat 1984–1985
104 Joseph D. Casale Democrat 1985–1986
105 Philip J. Dawson 1986–1987
106 Ronald J. Dorler 1987–1988
107 Cheryl A. Leeman Republican 1988–1989
108 Esther Clenott Democrat 1989–1990
109 Peter O'Donnell Democrat 1990–1991
110 Thomas H. Allen Democrat 1991–1992
111 Charles Harlow Democrat 1992–1993
112 Anne B. Pringle Democrat 1993–1994
113 Richard W. "Dick" Paulson Jr. Democrat 1994–1995
114 Philip "Jack" Dawson Democrat 1995–1996
115 John F. McDonough Democrat 1996–1997
116 George N. Campbell 1997–1998
117 Thomas V. Kane Democrat 1998–1999
118 Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. Democrat 1999–2000
119 Cheryl A. Leeman Republican 2000–2001
120 Karen Geraghty Democrat 2001–2002
121 James F. "Jim" Cloutier Democrat 2002–2003
122 Nathan Smith Democrat 2003–2004
123 Jill Duson Democrat 2004–2005 First African-American mayor
124 James I. Cohen Democrat 2005–2006
125 Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. Democrat 2006–2007
126 Edward Suslovic Democrat 2007–2008
127 Jill Duson Democrat 2008–2010
128 Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. Democrat 2010–2011
129 Michael F. Brennan Democrat 2011–2015 First popularly elected Mayor of Portland since 1923. Previously served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1992 to 2000 and in the Maine Senate from 2002 to 2006.
130 Ethan Strimling Democrat 2015–2019
131 Kate Snyder Democrat 2019–2023
132 Mark Dion Democrat 2023–Incumbent

Related Information

kids search engine
All content from Kiddle encyclopedia articles (including the article images and facts) can be freely used under Attribution-ShareAlike license, unless stated otherwise. Cite this article:
Mayor of Portland, Maine Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.