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Mayor of Savannah
Incumbent Van R. Johnson since January 1, 2020
Style	The Honorable
Term length	4 years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	John Houstoun
Formation	1790
Salary	$78,898
Website	www.savannahga.gov

The mayor is the highest elected official in Savannah, Georgia. Since its incorporation in 1789, the city has had 67 mayors. On May 27, 1958, the term for mayor was extended from two years to four years by popular vote and with approval of the state government. Election for mayor is held every four years, and is held as a non-partisan election.

List

Elections in Georgia
Federal government Presidential elections 1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2000 2004 2008 2016 2020 2024 Republican 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate elections 1789 1792 1793 1794 1795 1798 1799 1800 1804 1806 1813 1816 1818 1819 1823 1824 1825 1828 1834 1837 1840 1843 1846 1847 1852 1858 1867 1871 1873 1877 1879 1883 1885 1888 1891 1894 1896 1900 1902 1909 1913 1914 1918 1920 1924 1926 1930 1932 1936 1938 1942 1944 1948 1950 1954 1956 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 2028 U.S. House elections 1789 1791 1792 1794 1796 1798 1800 1802 1804 1806 1808 1810 1812 1814 1816 1818 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1830 1832 1834 1836 1838 1840 1842 1844 1846 1848 1851 1853 1855 1857 1859 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 6 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 4 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Special elections Senate 1796 1806 1807 1809 1813 1816 1818 1819 1821 1824 1828 1829 1833 1835 1837 1845 1880 1882 1894 1907 1911 1914 1922 1932 1972 2000 2020 House At-large 1801 1802 1803 1806 1812 1813 1816 1819 1824 1829 1831 1835 1836 1837 1841 1843 1844 1st 1792 1827 1879 1906 1931 2nd 1827 1910 1913 1953 3rd 1846 1896 1932 4th 1871 1872 1918 1939 5th 1870 1929 1946 1977 2020 6th 1870 1932 1999 2017 7th 1958 1983 8th 1873 1882 1917 1940 9th 1875 1877 2010 10th 1895 1933 2007
State government State elections 2000 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1825 1827 1829 1831 1833 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1853 1855 1868 1871 (sp) 1872 1876 1880 1882 1883 (sp) 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1946 1948 1950 1954 1958 1962 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2026 Lieutenant gubernatorial elections 1990 1994 1998 2002 2018 2022 Secretary of State elections 2018 2022 Attorney General elections 2014 2018 2022 State Senate elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 House of Representatives elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 Judicial elections 2024 Special elections Governor 1871 1883 1948
Ballot measures 2004 Flag referendum Amendment 1 2020 Amendment 1 Amendment 2 Tax referendum
Atlanta City elections 2009 Mayoral elections 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025
Savannah Mayoral elections 2015 2019 2023
Mableton Mayoral elections 2023
v t e

#	Portrait	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Terms		Party	Notes
1		John Houstoun	1790	1791	1		None
2		Thomas Gibbons	1791	1792	1		None
3		Joseph Habersham	1792	1793	1		None
4		William Stephens	1793	1794	1		None
(2)		Thomas Gibbons	1794	1795	1		None
(4)		William Stephens	1795	1796	1		None
5		John Noel	1796	1797	1		None
6		John Glen	1797	1798	1		None
7		Matthew McAllister	1798	1799	1		Democratic-Republican
(2)		Thomas Gibbons	1799	1801	2		Democratic-Republican
8		David B. Mitchell	1801	1802	1		Democratic-Republican
9		Charles Harris	1802	1804	2		Democratic-Republican
(5)		John Noel	1804	1807	3		Democratic-Republican
10		William Davies	1807	1807	1⁄2		Democratic-Republican
(9)		Charles Harris	1807	1808	1⁄2		Democratic-Republican
11		John Williamson	1808	1809	1		Democratic-Republican
12		William Bulloch	1809	1811	2		Democratic-Republican
13		Thomas Mendenhall Jr.	1811	1811	1⁄2		Democratic-Republican
(12)		William Bulloch	1811	1812	1⁄2		Democratic-Republican
14		George Jones	1812	1814	2		Democratic-Republican
(7)		Matthew McAllister	1814	1815	Partial		Democratic-Republican
15		Thomas Charlton	1815	1817	2 1⁄2		Democratic-Republican
16		James Wayne	1817	1819	2		Democratic-Republican
(15)		Thomas Charlton	1819	1821	1 1⁄2		Democratic-Republican
17		James Morrison	1821	1824	3 1⁄2		Democratic-Republican
18		William Daniell	1824	1826	2		Jacksonian
19		Joseph W. Jackson	1826	1828	2		Jacksonian
20		William T. Williams	1828	1830	2		Democratic
21		William Waring	1830	1832	2		Democratic
22		George W. Owens	1832	1833	Partial		Democratic
(20)		William T. Williams	1833	1834	1 1⁄2		Democratic
23		William Gordon	1834	1836	1 1⁄2		Democratic
24		William Cuyler	1836	1836	1⁄2		Democratic
25		John Nicoll	1836	1837	1		Democratic
26		Matthew H. McAllister	1837	1839	1 1⁄2		Democratic
27		Robert M. Charlton	1839	1841	2 1⁄2		Democratic
(20)		William T. Williams	1841	1842	1		Democratic
28		Richard Arnold	1842	1843	1		Whig
(20)		William T. Williams	1843	1844	1		Democratic
29		Richard Wayne	1844	1845	1		Democratic
30		Henry Burroughs	1845	1848	3		Whig
(29)		Richard Wayne	1848	1851	3		Democratic
(28)		Richard Arnold	1851	1852	1		Whig
(29)		Richard Wayne	1852	1853	1		Democratic
31		John Elliott Ward	1853	1854	1		Democratic
32		Edward C. Anderson	1854	1856	2		American
33		James Screven	1856	1857	1		Democratic
(29)		Richard Wayne	1857	1858	Partial		Democratic
34		Thomas Turner	1858	1859	1 1⁄2		Democratic
(28)		Richard Arnold	1859	1860	1		American
35		Charles Jones	1860	1861	1		Democratic (Southern)
36		Thomas Purse	1861	1862	1		Democratic (Southern)
37		Thomas Holcombe	1862	1863	1		Democratic (Southern)
(28)		Richard Arnold	1863	1865	1		Democratic (Southern)
(32)		Edward C. Anderson	1865	1869	4		Democratic
38		John Screven	1869	1873	4		Democratic
(32)		Edward C. Anderson	1873	1877	2		Democratic
39		John Wheaton	1877	1883	3		Democratic
40		Rufus E. Lester	1883	1889	3		Democratic
41		John Schwarz	1889	1891	1		Democratic
42		John McDonough	1891	1895	2		Democratic
43		Herman Myers	1895	1897	1		Democratic
44		Peter Meldrim	1897	1899	1		Democratic
(43)		Herman Myers	1899	1907	4		Democratic
45		George Tiedeman	1907	1913	3		Democratic
46		Richard Davant	1913	1915	1 1⁄2		Democratic
47		Wallace Pierpont	1915	1919	1 1⁄2		Democratic
48		Murray Stewart	1919	1923	2		Democratic
49		Paul Seabrook	1923	1925	1		Democratic
50		Robert Hull	1925	1927	1 1⁄2		Democratic
51		Thomas Hoynes	1927	1929	1⁄2		Democratic
52		Gordon Saussy	1929	1931	1 1⁄2		Democratic
(51)		Thomas Hoynes	1931	1933	1⁄2		Democratic
53		Thomas Gamble	1933	1937	2		Democratic
54		Robert M. Hitch	1937	1939	1		Democratic
(53)		Thomas Gamble	1939	1945	3 1⁄2		Democratic
55		Peter Roe Nugent	1945	1947	1 1⁄2		Democratic
56		John G. Kennedy	1947	1949	1		Democratic
57		Olin Fulmer	1949	1955	3		Democratic
58		Lee Mingledorff, Jr.	1955	1960	3		Democratic	First elected to a two-year term where he served from January 24, 1955 until January 21, 1957. Relected to a second two-year term beginning January 21, 1957. In 1958, the city shifted to a four-year mayoral term and a special election was held. Mingledorff won re-election to a 4-year term running from October 6, 1958 to October 1, 1962. He resigned prematurely on August 1, 1960 with the remainder of his term completed by vice-mayor Maclean.
59		Malcolm R. Maclean	1960	1966	2		Democratic
60		J.C. Lewis, Jr.	1966	1970	1		Republican
61		John Rousakis	1970	1992	5		Democratic	First Greek-American mayor
62		Susan Weiner	1992	1996	1		Republican	First female mayor
63		Floyd Adams, Jr.	1996	2004	2		Democratic	First African-American mayor
64		Otis Johnson	2004	2012	2		Democratic
65		Edna Jackson	2012	2016	1		Democratic	First African-American female mayor
66		Eddie DeLoach	2016	2020	1		Republican
67		Van R. Johnson	2020	Incumbent	1		Democratic

Notes

Deceased/murdered in office.

See also

• Savannah, Georgia
• Timeline of Savannah, Georgia
• Garden City, Georgia
• List of mayors of Garden City, Georgia
• List of mayors of Atlanta
• List of mayors of Augusta, Georgia
• List of mayors of Columbus, Georgia
• List of mayors of Macon, Georgia

Footnotes

1. salarygenius.com/ga/savannah/salary/mayor-salary
2. Savannah Morning News
3. "A List of Mayors and Aldermen of the City of Savannah, Georgia, 1790-2012". savannahga.gov.
4. Spracher, Luciana M. (2004). "History & Highlights of the City of Savannah's Council-Manager Form of Government 1954-2004". savannahga.gov. p. 20.

• Lists of mayors of places in Georgia (U.S. state)
• Mayors of Savannah, Georgia