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Mayor of Portland, Oregon
Seal of Portland, Oregon.svg
Mayor Keith Wilson at Portland Waterfront 01 (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
Keith Wilson

since January 1, 2025
Style Mayor
Term length Four years
Inaugural holder Hugh O'Bryant
Formation 1851
Salary $175,463

The mayor of Portland, Oregon is the official leader of the city of Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The mayor is chosen by voters for a four-year term. There is no limit to how many terms a person can serve. In Portland, all elections are nonpartisan, which means candidates do not officially run as members of a political party. The current mayor is Keith Wilson. He started his term on January 1, 2025, after being elected in the 2024 election.

The mayor's term in Portland is four years long. This was changed from two years in 1913. Before 2024, mayoral elections happened in May during US presidential election years. If no candidate won more than half the votes, the top two candidates would have a second election in November. However, starting in 2024, a new system is used. Now, there is one general election in November of presidential election years. This election uses a method called Instant Runoff ranked choice voting. The person elected mayor officially takes office the following January.

What the Mayor Does

Before 2025, Portland used a special type of government called a city commission government. This was unusual for a big city. In this system, the mayor and other leaders, called commissioners, made the city's laws. They also managed different city departments that handled daily tasks. The mayor was the head of this group and decided which departments each commissioner would oversee. The mayor could also declare an emergency and acted as the head of the police.

Starting with the mayor's term in 2025, Portland changed its government style. It now uses a Council-Mayor system. The mayor is the main executive leader. They work with a professional city administrator to carry out the laws made by the city council. The mayor also manages the city's departments, employees, buildings, and money. The mayor creates the city's budget and suggests it to the council for approval. They can also propose new laws to the council and break tie votes if the council members are split.

How Mayors Are Elected

Portland Mayors Office Portrait Gallery 001
Gallery of the mayors of Portland

The mayor is elected by all voters in the city. Elections now use the instant runoff ranked choice voting method. This system began with the 2024 general election. The city's rules also allow people to vote for write-in candidates. These are people whose names are not officially on the ballot. The mayor serves a four-year term and can be re-elected many times. Even though the office is officially nonpartisan, most candidates do share their political party preference. Mayoral elections happen at the same time as the United States presidential election.

The most recent election was in 2024. In that election, businessman Keith Wilson won against 19 other candidates.

Past Mayors of Portland

# Image Name

(Born–Died)

Term Election Previous Job or Role
1 HughOBryant.jpg Hugh O'Bryant

(1813–1883)

1851–1852 Officer in the Oregon Riflemen
2 ACBonnell.jpg A. C. Bonnell

(1801–1875)

April 1852 – November 1852
3 No image.svg Simon B. Marye

(c. 1810–1868)

November 1852 – April 1853
4 Josiah Failing.png Josiah Failing

(1806–1877)

1853–1854 Member of the Portland City Council

(1852)

5 5.8WilliamLadd.jpg William S. Ladd

(1826–1893)

1854–1855 Member of the Portland City Council

(1853)

6 George W. Vaughn.jpg George W. Vaughn

(1809–1877)

1855–1856
7 James O'Neill (Washington politician).jpg James O'Neill

(1824–1901)

1856–1857 Agent for Wells Fargo & Company
8 5.8WilliamLadd.jpg William S. Ladd

(1826–1893)

1857–1858 5th Mayor of Portland

(1854-1855)

9 No image.svg A. M. Starr

(c. 1820–1891)

1858–1859 Member of the Portland City Council

(1854, 1856)

10 S. J. McCormick.png S. J. McCormick

(1828–1891)

1859–1860 Delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention from Multnomah County
11 11GCollierRobbins.jpg G. Collier Robbins

(1823–19??)

1860–1861 Member of the Portland City Council

(1855, 1858)

12 12JohnBreck.jpg John M. Breck

(1828–1900)

1861–1862 City Assessor of Portland
13 No image.svg William H. Farrar

(1826–1873)

1862–1863 Delegate to the Oregon Constitutional Convention from Multnomah County

District Attorney for the Oregon Territory (1853-1859)

14 David Logan (Oregon).png David Logan

(1824–1874)

1863–1864 Member of the Oregon Territorial Legislature from Washington County
15 Henry Failing - Oregon.png Henry Failing

(1834–1898)

1864 – November 16, 1866
16 Thomas J. Holmes.jpg Thomas J. Holmes

(1819–1867)

1866–1867 Member of the Portland Public Schools Board of Education
17 17.22.25 J A Chapman.jpg J. A. Chapman

(1821–1885)

1867–1868 Major/Surgeon in the United States Army
18 No image.svg Hamilton Boyd 1868–1869 Multnomah County Commissioner
19 Goldsmith-Bernard.jpg Bernard Goldsmith

(1832–1901)

1869–1871 Director of the Library Association of Portland
20 20PhilipWasserman.jpg Philip Wasserman

(1828–1895)

1871–1873
21 Henry Failing - Oregon.png Henry Failing

(1834–1898)

1873–1875 15th Mayor of Portland

(1864-1866)

22 17.22.25 J A Chapman.jpg J. A. Chapman

(1821–1885)

1875–1877 17th Mayor of Portland

(1867-1868)

23 23WilliamSNewbury.jpg William Spencer Newbury

(1834–1915)

1877–1879 Mayor of Iola, Kansas

(1870)

24 24DavidThompson.jpg David P. Thompson

(1834–1901)

1879–1882 6th Governor of the Idaho Territory

(1875-1876)

25 17.22.25 J A Chapman.jpg J. A. Chapman

(1821–1885)

1882–1885 17th and 22nd Mayor of Portland

(1867-1868, 1875-1877)

26 26JohnGates.jpg John Gates

(1827–1888)

1885 – April 27, 1888

(died in office)

President of the Portland National Bank
27 27VanBDeLashmutt.jpg Van B. DeLashmutt

(1842–1921)

May 2, 1888 – 1891
28 28WilliamMason.jpg William S. Mason

(1832–1899)

1891–1894
29 George P. Frank.png George P. Frank

(1852–1896)

1894–1896
30 SylvesterPennoyer.png Sylvester Pennoyer

(1831–1902)

1896–1898 8th Governor of Oregon

(1887-1895)

31 28WilliamMason.jpg William S. Mason

(1832–1899)

July 1, 1898 – March 27, 1899

(died in office)

28th Mayor of Portland

(1891-1894)

32 32WAStorey.jpg W. A. Storey

(1854–1917)

May 17, 1899 –1900 Member of the Portland City Council

(1898-1899)

33 Henry Spoor Rowe.jpg Henry S. Rowe

(1851–1914)

1900–1902 1900
34 GeorgeHWilliams.jpg George Henry Williams

(1823–1910)

1902–1905 32nd United States Attorney General

(1871-1875)

35 Lane-Harry.jpg Harry Lane

(1855–1917)

1905–1909 Superintendent of the Oregon State Insane Asylum

(1887–1891)

36 36JosephSimon.jpg Joseph Simon

(1851–1935)

1909–1911 United States Senator from Oregon

(1898-1903)

37 37AllenRushlight.jpg Allen G. Rushlight

(1874–1930)

1911–1913 Member of the Portland City Council

(1905-1911)

38 38HRussellAlbee.jpg H. Russell Albee

(1867–1950)

June 1913 – July 1917
39 GeorgeLBaker.jpg George L. Baker

(1868–1941)

July 1917 – July 1933 Member of the Portland City Commission
40 Joseph K. Carson.jpg Joseph K. Carson

(1891–1956)

July 1933 – December 31, 1940
41 No image.svg Earl Riley

(1890–1965)

January 1, 1941 – December 31, 1948 Member of the Portland City Commission

(1930-1940)

42 Dorothy McCullough Lee 1957 (cropped).jpeg Dorothy McCullough Lee

(1901–1981)

January 1, 1949 – December 31, 1952 Member of the Portland City Commission

(1943-1949)

43 No image.svg Fred L. Peterson

(1896–1985)

January 1, 1953 – December 31, 1956 Member of the Portland City Commission

(1941-1952)

44 Portland mayor Terry Schrunk in Germany in 1965.jpg Terry Schrunk

(1913–1975)

January 1, 1957 – January 1, 1973 24th Sheriff of Multnomah County

(1949-1956)

45 Neil Goldschmidt.jpg Neil Goldschmidt

(1940–2024)

January 2, 1973 – August 15, 1979 Member of the Portland City Commission

(1970-1973)

46 Connie McCready

(1921–2000)

September 5, 1979 – November 23, 1980 Member of the Portland City Commission

(1970-1979)

47 Frank Ivancie (cropped).png Frank Ivancie

(1924–2019)

November 24, 1980 – January 3, 1985 1980 Member of the Portland City Commission

(1967-1980)

48 Bud Clark 1988.jpg Bud Clark

(1931–2022)

January 3, 1985 – January 2, 1993 1984
1988
49 Vera Katz.jpg Vera Katz

(1933–2017)

January 3, 1993 – January 3, 2005 1992
1996
2000
57th Speaker of the Oregon House of Representatives

(1985-1990)

50 Mayor Tom Potter in August 2008 (1).jpg Tom Potter

(born 1940)

January 3, 2005 – December 31, 2008 2004 38th Chief of the Portland Police Bureau

(1990-1990)

51 Sam Adams Nov 2012 (cropped).jpg Sam Adams

(born 1963)

January 1, 2009 – December 31, 2012 2008 Member of the Portland City Commission

(2005-2009)

52 MAX Orange Line Opening Day (21259942179) (cropped).jpg Charlie Hales

(born 1956)

January 1, 2013 – December 31, 2016 2012 Member of the Portland City Commission

(1993-2002)

53 180421-N-UK248-023 (41616137742) (cropped).jpg Ted Wheeler

(born 1962)

January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2024 2016
2020
28th Treasurer of Oregon

(2010-2017)

54 Mayor Keith Wilson at Portland Waterfront 01 (cropped).jpg Keith Wilson

1962/1963 (age 61–62)

January 1, 2025 – present 2024 CEO of Titan Freight Systems

(2010-2017)

Note: The color in the number (#) column shows the mayor's registered political party. Red is for Republican, blue for Democratic, and teal for the People's Party (Populist). Gray means Independent. Even so, mayors officially run and serve without a party label.

The mayor's office in City Hall has portraits of all the mayors so far. As of February 2024, two mayors are missing from this collection. They are William H. Farrar (who served from 1862–1863) and Hamilton Boyd (who served from 1868–1869).

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