This is a list of mayors of Laurel, Maryland, a city in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland. Before the city's (nonpartisan) office of Mayor was established, a similar role was that of President of the Board of Commissioners. Officials elected to multiple consecutive terms have the number of terms noted after their names. The term length changed from one year to two years in 1904, and from two years to four years in 1974.
Presidents
| Order | Presidents of the Laurel Board of Commissioners | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Served | Notes | |
| 1 | James Curley | 1870–1872 | grandfather of James P. Curley |
| 2 | James A. Crandle | 1872–1873 | |
| 3 | Walter Brown | 1873–1874 | |
| 4 | William H. Diven | 1874–1875 | |
| 5 | John A. Talbott | 1875–1876 | |
| 6 | Edward J. Phelps (2) | 1876–1878 | father of Edward Phelps |
| 7 | John Haslup | 1878–1879 | |
| 8 | John W. Whitesides (2) | 1879–1881 | |
| 9 | Lawrence A. Ellis | 1881–1882 | |
| 10 | John Cronmiller (4) | 1882–1886 | |
| 11 | A.M. Bond (2) | 1886–1888 | |
| 12 | Jesse Smallwood | 1888–1889 | |
Mayors
| Years per term |
Order | Person number |
Mayors of Laurel, Maryland | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mayor | Served | Notes | |||
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Judson T. Cull | 1890–1891 | |
| 2 | 2 | Charles H. Stanley (2) | 1891–1893 | ||
| 3 | 3 | J.R. Huntt | 1893–1894 | ||
| 4 | 4 | Gustavus B. Timanus | 1894–1895 | ||
| 5 | 5 | Edward Phelps (7) | 1895–1902 | Son of Edward J. Phelps; most-elected mayor | |
| 6 | 6 | Gustavus Timanus (3) | 1902–1905 | 3rd term had a two-year length | |
| 2 | |||||
| 7 | 7 | T. Watts Byerly | 1905–1906 | July 1905, completed Timanus' 3rd term | |
| 8 | 8 | William E. Gilbert (3) | 1906–1910 | Also served in 1920 | |
| 9 | 9 | George McCeney | 1910–1912 | December 1910, completed Gilbert's 3rd term | |
| 10 | 10 | George W. Waters Jr. (3) | 1912–1918 | ||
| 11 | 11 | George P. McCeney | 1918–1920 | ||
| 12 | 8 | William E. Gilbert | 1920 | Also served 1906–1910 | |
| 13 | 12 | Edward F. Tolson | 1920–1922 | December 1920, completed Gilbert's term; also served 1940–1946 | |
| 14 | 13 | Charles E. Little | 1922–1924 | ||
| 15 | 14 | Thomas D. Roberts | 1924–1925 | ||
| 16 | 15 | DeWilton H. Donaldson | 1925–1928 | October 1925, completed Roberts' term | |
| 17 | 16 | James P. Curley | 1928–1930 | Grandson of James Curley | |
| 18 | 17 | John H. Fetty | 1930–1934 | Also served 1946–1948 | |
| 19 | 18 | Julian B. Anderson | 1934–1936 | ||
| 20 | 19 | Everard Enos Hatch (2) | 1936–1940 | ||
| 21 | 12 | Edward F. Tolson (3) | 1940–1946 | Also served 1920–1922 | |
| 22 | 17 | John H. Fetty | 1946–1948 | Also served 1930–1934 | |
| 23 | 20 | Merrill L. Harrison (3) | 1948–1954 | Also served 1964–1972 | |
| 24 | 21 | Harry Hardingham Jr. (2) | 1954–1958 | ||
| 25 | 22 | Hiram J. Soper (2) | 1958–1962 | ||
| 26 | 23 | P.G. Melbourne III | 1962–1964 | ||
| 27 | 20 | Merrill L. Harrison (4) | 1964–1972 | Also served 1948–1954 | |
| 28 | 24 | Leo E. Wilson (2) | 1972–1978 | 2nd term had a four-year length | |
| 4 | |||||
| 29 | 25 | Robert J. DiPietro (2) | 1978–1986 | ||
| 30 | 26 | Doris A. (Dani) Duniho | 1986–1990 | Laurel's first woman mayor | |
| 31 | 27 | Joseph R. Robison | 1990–1994 | ||
| 32 | 28 | Frank P. Casula (2) | 1994–2001 | Died in office | |
| 33 | 29 | Michael R. Leszcz | 2001–2002 | October 2001, completed Casula's 2nd term | |
| 34 | 30 | Craig A. Moe (5) | 2002–2023 | Election moved to odd years (starting 2011); longest-tenured mayor | |
| 35 | 31 | Keith Sydnor | 2023–present | Laurel's first Black mayor | |
References
- "History of the City of Laurel, Maryland". www.laurel.md.us. City of Laurel, Maryland. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
- "Laurel Mayors, Prince George's County, Maryland". msa.maryland.gov. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
- ^ "About Laurel/History of Laurel". www.cityoflaurel.org. City of Laurel, Maryland. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
- Wotanis, Lindsey Lee (2011). Community journalism as ritual: A case study of community and weekly newspapers in Laurel, Maryland (PDF) (Ph.D.). University Microfilms International. pp. 199–200. 3461429. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
became Laurel's mayor in 1928
- "Former Ocalan Elected Mayor of Laurel, Md". Ocala Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. March 20, 1986. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
will be Laurel's first woman mayor.
- "FY2010 Adopted Operating Budget" (PDF). City of Laurel, Maryland. 2009. p. 141. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
The park was renamed ... after Laurel's first woman mayor, Dani Duniho
- Scarcella, Michael (October 23, 2001). "Laurel Mayor Frank P. Casula, respected politician, dies at 81". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
was elected mayor in 1994 and reelected in 1998.
- Glenn, Gwendolyn (October 12, 2011). "Leszcz seeks eighth term on Laurel City Council". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
Leszcz ... served for five months as Laurel's mayor after Mayor Frank Casula died in 2001.
- "Laurel: Candidate Endorsements". Baltimore Sun. October 19, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2013.
The current mayor and council members had 14 months added to their four- and two-year terms when Laurel's election day was moved to the first November in odd-numbered years
- Friend, Richard (February 2017). "Laurel History Boys Connect Woman to Lost Family Memorabilia" (PDF). The Laurel Light. Vol. XVIII, no. I. Laurel Historical Society. p. 1. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
- Lockman, JeanneTyler Moodee (November 8, 2023). "Keith Sydnor makes history as first Black mayor of Laurel, Maryland". WJLA-TV. Retrieved November 9, 2023.