Misplaced Pages

Mayor of St. Louis
Seal of City of St. Louis
Incumbent Tishaura Jones since April 20, 2021 (April 20, 2021)
Style	His/Her Honor
Term length	Four years, no term limits
Inaugural holder	William Carr Lane
Formation	April 14, 1823
Salary	$170,000
Website	Office of the Mayor

Elections in Missouri
Federal government Presidential elections 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 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 Missouri bellwether Presidential primaries Democratic 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Republican 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 U.S. Senate 1821 1825 1827 1830 1833 1836 1839 1842 1843 sp 1845 1849 1851 1857 1857 sp 1861 1863 1863 sp 1868 1871 sp 1874 1879 1879 sp 1881 1885 1887 1891 1893 1897 1899 1903 1905 1909 1911 1911 1914 1916 1918 sp 1920 1922 1926 1926 sp 1928 1932 1934 1938 1940 1944 1946 1950 1952 1956 1958 1960 sp 1962 1964 1968 1970 1974 1976 1980 1982 1986 1988 1992 1994 1998 2000 2002 sp 2004 2006 2010 2012 2016 2018 2022 2024 2028 U.S. House of Representatives 1820 1822 1824 1826 1828 1831 1832–33 1835 1836 1838 1839 AL sp 1840 1842 1844 1846 AL sp 1848 1850 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1st sp 1862 1864 1866 1867 3rd sp 1868 5th sp 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 7th sp 1882 2nd sp 1884 1886 1888 1889 4th sp 1890 14th sp 1892 1894 1896 1897 1st sp 1898 1899 8th sp 1900 1902 12th sp 1904 1906 1908 1910 6th sp 1912 1914 1916 1918 10th sp 1920 1921 4th sp 1922 1924 1926 11th sp 1928 1929 4th sp 1930 1931 7th sp 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1943 6th sp 1944 1946 1948 10th sp 1950 1951 11th sp 1952 1954 1956 1958 1959 4th sp 1960 1962 1964 9th sp 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 6th sp 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 8th sp 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2013 8th sp 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government State elections 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 Gubernatorial elections 1820 1824 1825 sp 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1857 sp 1860 1864 1868 1870 1872 1874 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 Lieutenant gubernatorial elections 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1870 1872 1874 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 Secretary of State elections 2012 2016 2020 2024 Attorney General elections 2012 2016 2020 2024 State Treasurer elections 2012 2016 2020 2024 State Auditor elections 2010 2014 2018 2022 Senate elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 House of Representatives elections 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 2026
Ballot measures 1999 Proposition B 2004 Amendment 2 2006 Amendment 2 2018 Proposition A 2020 Amendment 2 2022 Amendment 3 2024 Amendment 3
Columbia Mayoral elections 2016 2019 2022
Jefferson City Mayoral elections 2016 2019 2022
Joplin Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Kansas City Mayoral elections 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023
Springfield Mayoral elections 2021
St. Louis Mayoral elections 1973 1977 1981 1985 1989 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025 Board of Aldermen elections 2023
v t e

The mayor of St. Louis is the chief executive officer of St. Louis's city government. The mayor has a duty to enforce city ordinances and the power to either approve or veto city ordinances passed by the Board of Aldermen. The current mayor is Tishaura Jones, who took office on April 20, 2021.

Forty-seven people have held the office, four of whom — William Carr Lane, John Fletcher Darby, John Wimer, and John How — served non-consecutive terms. Lane, the city's first mayor, served the most terms: eight one-year terms plus the unexpired term of Darby. Francis Slay is the longest-serving mayor, having served four 4-year terms. The second-longest-serving mayor was Henry Kiel, who served 12 years and nine days over three terms in office. Two others — Raymond Tucker and Vincent C. Schoemehl — also served three terms, but seven fewer days. The shortest-serving mayor was Arthur Barret, who died 11 days after taking office. The first female mayor was Lyda Krewson, who served from 2017 to 2021.

Duties and powers

St. Louis was incorporated as a city on December 9, 1822, four months after Missouri was admitted as a state to the Union. In accordance with its new charter, the city changed its governance to a mayor-council format and elected its first mayor, William Carr Lane, on April 7, 1823.

Elections

The mayor is elected for four years during the general municipal election, which is held every two years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April. The candidates are selected through a combined approval voting primary, with the top two advancing to the general. The mayor is usually sworn during the first session of the Board of Aldermen two weeks after the election.

Under the original city charter, the mayor was elected to a one-year term. Terms became two years under the 1859 city charter. The mayor's office was extended to its present four-year term after passage of the Charter and Scheme in 1876 which separated the City of St. Louis from St. Louis County.

Succession

If the office of mayor becomes vacant through death, resignation, recall, or removal by the board of aldermen, the president of the board of aldermen becomes mayor until a special mayoral election can be held; if the office is only temporarily vacant due to disability of the mayor, the president only acts out the duties of mayor. Should both offices be vacant, the vice-president of the board of aldermen becomes mayor.

Five people have acted as mayor: Wilson Primm following the resignation of John Darby; Ferdinand W. Cronenbold following the resignation of Chauncey Filley; Herman Rechtien following the death of Arthur Barret; George W. Allen following the resignation of David Francis; and Aloys P. Kaufmann following the death of William Becker.

List of mayors

#	Portrait	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Terms		Party
1		William Carr Lane	April 14, 1823	April 14, 1829	6		Whig
2		Daniel Page	April 14, 1829	November 11, 1833	4½		Whig
3		John W. Johnston	November 11, 1833	April 14, 1835	1½		Whig
4		John Fletcher Darby	April 14, 1835	October 31, 1837	2½		Whig
—		Wilson Primm	October 31, 1837	November 15, 1837	—		Whig
1		William Carr Lane	November 15, 1837	April 14, 1840	2½		Whig
4		John Fletcher Darby	April 14, 1840	April 13, 1841	1		Whig
5		John D. Daggett	April 13, 1841	April 12, 1842	1		Whig
6		George Maguire	April 12, 1842	April 11, 1843	1		Democratic
7		John Wimer	April 11, 1843	April 9, 1844	1		Democratic
8		Bernard Pratte	April 9, 1844	April 14, 1846	2		Whig
9		Peter G. Camden	April 14, 1846	April 13, 1847	1		Know Nothing
10		Bryan Mullanphy	April 13, 1847	April 11, 1848	1		Democratic
11		John Krum	April 10, 1849	April 10, 1849	1		Democratic
12		James G. Barry	April 10, 1849	April 9, 1850	1		Democratic
13		Luther Martin Kennett	April 9, 1850	April 12, 1853	3		Whig
14		John How	April 12, 1853	April 10, 1855	2		Democratic
15		Washington King	April 10, 1855	April 15, 1856	1		Know Nothing
14		John How	April 15, 1856	April 14, 1857	1		Democratic
7		John Wimer	April 14, 1857	April 13, 1858	1		Democratic
16		Oliver Filley	April 13, 1858	April 9, 1861	2		Republican
17		Daniel G. Taylor	April 9, 1861	April 14, 1863	1		Republican
18		Chauncey Filley	April 14, 1863	March 19, 1864	½		Republican
—		Ferdinand W. Cronenbold	March 19, 1864	April 11, 1864	—
19		James Thomas	April 11, 1864	April 13, 1869	2½		Republican
20		Nathan Cole	April 13, 1869	April 11, 1871	1		Republican
21		Joseph Brown	April 11, 1871	April 13, 1875	2		War Democrat
22		Arthur Barret	April 13, 1875	April 24, 1875	⅓		Democratic
—		Herman Rechtien	April 24, 1875	May 29, 1875	—
23		James H. Britton	May 29, 1875	February 9, 1876	⅓		Democratic
24		Henry Overstolz	February 9, 1876	April 12, 1881	1⅓		Independent
25		William L. Ewing	April 12, 1881	April 14, 1885	1		Republican
26		David R. Francis	April 14, 1885	January 2, 1889	1		Democratic
—		George W. Allen	January 2, 1889	April 6, 1889	—		Democratic
27		Edward A. Noonan	April 6, 1889	April 8, 1893	1		Democratic
28		Cyrus Walbridge	April 8, 1893	April 10, 1897	1		Republican
29		Henry Ziegenhein	April 10, 1897	April 9, 1901	1		Republican
30		Rolla Wells	April 9, 1901	April 13, 1909	2		Democratic
31		Frederick Kreismann	April 13, 1909	April 12, 1913	1		Republican
32		Henry Kiel	April 12, 1913	April 21, 1925	3		Republican
33		Victor J. Miller	April 21, 1925	April 18, 1933	2		Republican
34		Bernard F. Dickmann	April 18, 1933	April 15, 1941	2		Democratic
35		William D. Becker	April 15, 1941	August 1, 1943	½		Republican
36		Aloys P. Kaufmann	August 1, 1943	April 19, 1949	1½		Republican
37		Joseph Darst	April 19, 1949	April 21, 1953	1		Democratic
38		Raymond Tucker	April 21, 1953	April 20, 1965	3		Democratic
39		Alfonso J. Cervantes	April 20, 1965	April 17, 1973	2		Democratic
40		John Poelker	April 17, 1973	April 19, 1977	1		Democratic
41		James F. Conway	April 19, 1977	April 21, 1981	1		Democratic
42		Vincent C. Schoemehl	April 21, 1981	April 20, 1993	3		Democratic
43		Freeman Bosley Jr.	April 20, 1993	April 15, 1997	1		Democratic
44		Clarence Harmon	April 15, 1997	April 17, 2001	1		Democratic
45		Francis Slay	April 17, 2001	April 18, 2017	4		Democratic
46		Lyda Krewson	April 18, 2017	April 20, 2021	1		Democratic
47		Tishaura Jones	April 20, 2021	Incumbent	1		Democratic

Notes

• A. 47 people have served as mayor, four twice; the table includes these non-consecutive terms as well.
• B. The fractional terms of some mayors are not to be understood absolutely literally; rather, they are meant to show single terms during which multiple mayors served, due to resignations, deaths and the like.
• C. Samuel Merry was elected mayor of St. Louis in April 1833; however, his eligibility was questioned by the City Council as he was a federal officer—United States Receiver of Public Moneys in St. Louis. Merry filed suit to force the council's compliance and in October 1833, he was ruled ineligible by the Missouri Supreme Court. Johnston was elected mayor in a special mayoral election held a month later on November 9. Page continued to serve as mayor until the case was settled and Johnston elected.
• D. Darby resigned from office. William Carr Lane was later elected to fill the vacancy.
• E. As president of the Board of Aldermen, Primm acted as mayor following the resignation of Darby.
• F. Oliver Filley's second term was the first mayoral term to last 2 years.
• G. Daniel G. Taylor was the candidate of a one-time coalition of traditional Missouri Democrats, pro-slavery activists, and secessionists calling itself the "Union Anti-Black Republican" ticket. The coalition was suspicious of the Abolitionist platform of the Republican party, and argued that St. Louis should not be governed by "Black Abolitionists" who would support newly elected President Lincoln in acting, including the use of military force, to prevent secession of southern states. Mayor Taylor worked in concert with Governor Claiborne Fox Jackson, until Jackson fled the state capitol to establish a Confederate aligned state government-in-exile. Mayor Taylor then cooperated with the new conservative-Unionist Governor, Hamilton Gamble.
• H. Chauncey Filley resigned after serving one year of his two-year term as mayor due to poor health.
• I. As president of the Board of Common Council, Cronenbold acted as mayor following the resignation of Chauncey Filley.
• J. Died in office.
• K. Barret became suddenly ill and died after only 11 days in office.
• L. As president of the City Council, Rechtin acted as mayor following the death of Arthur Barret.
• M. Henry Overstolz was declared defeated by James Britton in the 1875 election, but contested the election and was seated as mayor nine months later after a recount of the ballots.
• N. Per the new city charter of 1876, Overstolz became the first mayor of St. Louis elected to a four-year term.
• O. Resigned from office to become Governor of Missouri.
• P. As president of the City Council, Allen acted as mayor following the resignation of David Francis.
• Q. As president of the Board of Aldermen, Kaufmann became mayor following the death of William Becker. He was later elected mayor, in a special mayoral election in November 1944, to fill Becker's unexpired term.

References

General

• "St. Louis Mayors". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on June 6, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
• "Laws of the City of St. Louis". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on June 14, 2008. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
• Cornwell, Charles H. (1965). St. Louis Mayors: Brief Biographies. St. Louis, Missouri: St. Louis Public Library.
• Reavis, L. U. (1876). Saint Louis: The Future Great City of the World (Centennial ed.). St. Louis: C. R. Barns. pp. 74–77. OCLC 2186198. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
• Stevens, Walter Barlow (1911). St. Louis: The Fourth City, 1764-1911. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. pp. 91–123. OCLC 9351989. Retrieved August 22, 2008.

Charters

• "St. Louis City Charter". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
• The Scheme of Separation Between St. Louis City and County and the Charter of the City of St. Louis, with All Amendments and Modifications to May 1, 1902: And Constitutional Provisions Specially Applicable to the City of St. Louis. St. Louis: Woodward & Tiernan Printing Co. 1902. OCLC 19450592. Retrieved September 2, 2008.
• The Ordinances of the City of St. Louis. St. Louis: George Knapp & Co., Printers and Binders. 1861. Retrieved September 2, 2008.

Specific

1. Jeffrey, Jeff (October 8, 2018). "Public paychecks: Here's how much Mayor Krewson gets paid and how her salary stacks up nationally". KSDK. Retrieved April 21, 2021.
2. ^ "St. Louis City Charter, Article VII". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved July 23, 2008.
3. Conard, Howard Louis (1901). Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri. Vol. 1. New York; Louisville; St. Louis: The Southern History Company. pp. 569–572. OCLC 32872107.
4. Schlinkmann, Mark (March 1, 2021). "St. Louis mayoral candidates, voters deal with new rules in Tuesday's primary". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. St. Louis. Retrieved May 24, 2024.
5. ^ "St. Louis Mayors: Oliver D. Filley". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
6. ^ "St. Louis Mayors: Henry Overstolz". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
7. State v. Samuel Merry (Mo. 1833), Text.
8. "St. Louis Mayors: John W. Johnston". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
9. Shepard, Elihu Hotchkiss (1870). The Early History of St. Louis and Missouri. Saint Louis: Southwestern Book and Publishing Company. p. 112. OCLC 2804761. Retrieved September 3, 2008.
10. Stevens, Walter Barlow (1911). St. Louis: The Fourth City, 1764-1911. The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co. p. 112. OCLC 9351989. Retrieved August 22, 2008.
11. "Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis". Daily Commercial Bulletin and Missouri Literary Register. December 2, 1837.
12. "St. Louis Mayors: Chauncey I. Filley". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
13. "Resignation of the Mayor". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. St. Louis. March 16, 1864. Retrieved May 25, 2024.
14. Reavis, L. U. (1875). Saint Louis: The Future Great City of the World (Biographical ed.). Saint Louis, MO: Gray, Baker & Co. pp. 467–470. OCLC 1805694. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
15. ^ "Arthur B. Barret. The Mayor's Illness Results in Death This Morning". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. April 24, 1875.
16. "A Municipal Row". The Inter Ocean. May 19, 1875.
17. "St. Louis Mayors: James H. Britton". St. Louis Public Library. Archived from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2008.
18. ^ "The City Hall Change". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 2, 1889. p. 10.
19. "Next Municipal Chief". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. January 2, 1889. p. 2.
20. "Aloys P. Kaufmann". The New York Times. February 15, 1984. Retrieved July 17, 2008.

External links

• "Missouri City Directories: St. Louis Directories, Gazetteers, Rosters and Guides", Missouri Digital Heritage, Missouri Secretrary of State

v t e Mayors of St. Louis, Missouri
Lane Page Johnston Darby Daggett Maguire Wimer Pratte Camden Mullanphy Krum Barry Kennett How King O. Filley Taylor C. Filley Thomas Cole Brown Barret Britton Overstolz Ewing Francis Noonan Walbridge Ziegenhein Wells Kreismann Kiel Miller Dickmann Becker Kaufmann Darst Tucker Cervantes Poelker Conway Schoemehl Bosley Harmon Slay Krewson Jones

v t e City of St. Louis
Greater St. Louis Missouri United States
Architecture Airport Board of Alderman City Hall Culture Crime Cuisine Economy Education Fire Flag Geography History Timeline Hospitals Landmarks Neighborhoods Parks People Police Public art Skyscrapers Sports School District Transportation
Category

• Mayors of St. Louis
• Lists of mayors of places in Missouri
• St. Louis-related lists