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Mayor of Philadelphia
Seal of the City of Philadelphia
Incumbent Cherelle Parker since January 1, 2024
Term length	four years limited to two consecutive terms
Inaugural holder	Humphrey Morrey
Formation	1691
Salary	$218,000
Website	Office of the Mayor

The mayor of Philadelphia is the chief executive of the government of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Philadelphia. The current mayor of Philadelphia is Cherelle Parker, who is the first woman to hold the position.

History

18th century

The first mayor of Philadelphia was Humphrey Morrey, who was appointed to the position by William Penn, the founder of the city and the colonial-era Province of Pennsylvania, which became the state of Pennsylvania following the American Revolutionary War. Penn subsequently appointed Edward Shippen under the city charter of 1701. The Philadelphia City Council then elected Shippen to a second term. Subsequent mayors, who held office for one year, were elected by the Philadelphia City Council. The initial mayors of Philadelphia were not compensated and candidates sometimes objected strongly to being selected to the position, sometimes choosing even to pay a fine rather than serve in the position.

In 1704, alderman Griffith Jones was elected but declined to serve, for which he was fined twenty pounds. In 1706, Thomas Story, also an alderman, was similarly fined for refusing office.

In 1745, Abraham Taylor, a Philadelphia alderman, was fined thirty pounds for refusing to assume the office. The city council then elected Joseph Turner, who also refused and was likewise fined. Others who refused election included Richard Hill (1717), Issac Norris (1722), John Mifflin, and Alexander Stedman. In other cases, William Coxe pleaded illness (1758), Samuel Mifflin (1761), William Coxe and Daniel Benezet (1762), and John Barclay and George Roberts (1792). Robert Wharton declined in 1800 and 1811, and ended up 14 one-year terms, making him the most-often-elected (16 times, including refusals) and longest-serving (14 years) mayor in Philadelphia history.

In 1747, at the request of retiring Mayor William Attwood, Council resolved to institute an annual salary of 100 pounds for the office. The same year, Anthony Morris secretly fled to Bucks County to avoid being notified of his election as the city's mayor. When he could not be located after three days of searching, a new election was scheduled, and Attwood was reelected to a second term.

19th century

In 1826, the Philadelphia City Council altered its protocols for electing a mayor, permitting any Philadelphia citizen to run for the office. Beginning in 1839, mayors were elected by popular vote. If no candidate won a majority of the popular vote, then the joint Councils (Select and Common) determined the winner between the two leading candidates. John Swift was the first mayor to be elected directly by the people in the 1840 Philadelphia mayoral election.

The term of office for the mayor was extended to two years in 1854, to three years in 1861, and to four years in 1885. The Act of 1885 also prohibited mayors from succeeding themselves.

20th century

The consecutive term limitation for mayor was lifted in the 1940s, which permitted incumbent Bernard Samuel to run for reelection. In 1951, the city's Home Rule Charter established a two-term limit for Philadelphia mayors. The term limit is consecutive, not lifetime.

The mayor of Philadelphia has been held by Democrats for over seven decades, since 1952. The only Republican who has been competitive in the general election for mayor since then was Sam Katz, who came within half a percentage point of being the first Republican mayor of Philadelphia elected in 1999.

List of Mayors

Parties

  Democratic (18)   Democratic-Republican (4)   Federalist (6)   Keystone (1)   National Republican (2)   Republican (19)   Whig (5)

Colonial mayors elected by the Common Council

Post-independence mayors elected by the common council

Mayors chosen by popular election

No.		Image	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Party	Mayorship	Term
(61)			John Swift	October 15, 1839	October 20, 1840	Whig	86	131
				October 20, 1840	October 19, 1841			132
63			John M. Scott	October 19, 1841	October 18, 1842	Whig	87	133
				October 18, 1842	October 10, 1843			134
				October 10, 1843	October 15, 1844			135
64			Peter McCall	October 15, 1844	October 21, 1845	Whig	88	136
(61)			John Swift	October 21, 1845	October 20, 1846	Whig	89	137
				October 20, 1846	October 19, 1847			138
				October 19, 1847	October 17, 1848			139
				October 17, 1848	October 16, 1849			140
65			Joel Jones	October 16, 1849	October 15, 1850	Democratic	90	141
66			Charles Gilpin	October 15, 1850	October 21, 1851	Whig	91	142
				October 21, 1851	October 19, 1852			143
				October 19, 1852	October 18, 1853			144
				October 18, 1853	June 13, 1854			145

Mayors elected following the Act of Consolidation

No.		Image	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Party	Mayorship	Term
67			Robert T. Conrad	June 13, 1854	May 13, 1856	Whig	92	146
68			Richard Vaux	May 13, 1856	May 11, 1858	Democratic	93	147
69			Alexander Henry	May 11, 1858	May 8, 1860	Republican	94	148
				May 8, 1860	January 1, 1863			149
				January 1, 1863	January 1, 1866			150
70			Morton McMichael	January 1, 1866	January 1, 1869	Republican	95	151
71			Daniel M. Fox	January 1, 1869	January 1, 1872	Democratic	96	152
72			William S. Stokley	January 1, 1872	January 1, 1875	Republican	97	153
				January 1, 1875	January 1, 1878			154
				January 1, 1878	April 4, 1881			155
73			Samuel G. King	April 4, 1881	April 7, 1884	Democratic	98	156
74			William B. Smith	April 7, 1884	April 4, 1887	Republican	99	157
75			Edwin H. Fitler	April 4, 1887	April 6, 1891	Republican	100	158
76			Edwin S. Stuart	April 6, 1891	April 1, 1895	Republican	101	159
77			Charles F. Warwick	April 1, 1895	April 3, 1899	Republican	102	160
78			Samuel H. Ashbridge	April 3, 1899	April 6, 1903	Republican	103	161
79			John Weaver	April 6, 1903	April 1, 1907	Republican	104	162
80			John E. Reyburn	April 1, 1907	December 4, 1911	Republican	105	163
81			Rudolph Blankenburg	December 4, 1911	January 3, 1916	Keystone	106	164
82			Thomas B. Smith	January 3, 1916	January 5, 1920	Republican	107	165
83			J. Hampton Moore	January 5, 1920	January 7, 1924	Republican	108	166
84			W. Freeland Kendrick	January 7, 1924	January 2, 1928	Republican	109	167
85			Harry A. Mackey	January 2, 1928	January 4, 1932	Republican	110	168
(83)			J. Hampton Moore	January 4, 1932	January 6, 1936	Republican	111	169
86			Samuel D. Wilson	January 6, 1936	August 19, 1939	Republican	112	170
87			George Connell	August 9, 1939	January 1, 1940	Republican	113	171
88			Robert E. Lamberton	January 1, 1940	August 22, 1941	Republican	114	172
89			Bernard Samuel	August 22, 1941	January 3, 1944	Republican	115	173
				January 3, 1944	January 5, 1948			174
				January 5, 1948	January 7, 1952			175

Mayors elected under the Home Rule Charter of 1951

No.		Image	Mayor	Term start	Term end	Party	Mayorship	Term
90			Joseph S. Clark Jr.	January 7, 1952	January 2, 1956	Democratic	116	176
91			Richardson Dilworth	January 2, 1956	January 4, 1960	Democratic	117	177
				January 4, 1960	February 13, 1962			178
92			James Tate	February 13, 1962	January 6, 1964	Democratic	118	179
				January 6, 1964	January 1, 1968			180
				January 1, 1968	January 3, 1972			181
93			Frank Rizzo	January 3, 1972	January 5, 1976	Democratic	119	182
				January 5, 1976	January 7, 1980			183
94			William J. Green III	January 7, 1980	January 2, 1984	Democratic	120	184
95			Wilson Goode	January 2, 1984	January 4, 1988	Democratic	121	185
				January 4, 1988	January 6, 1992			186
96			Ed Rendell	January 6, 1992	January 1, 1996	Democratic	122	187
				January 1, 1996	January 3, 2000			188
97			John F. Street	January 3, 2000	January 5, 2004	Democratic	123	189
				January 5, 2004	January 7, 2008			190
98			Michael Nutter	January 7, 2008	January 2, 2012	Democratic	124	191
				January 2, 2012	January 4, 2016			192
99			Jim Kenney	January 4, 2016	January 7, 2020	Democratic	125	193
				January 7, 2020	January 1, 2024			194
100			Cherelle Parker	January 2, 2024	incumbent	Democratic	126	195

See also

• History of Philadelphia
• Timeline of Philadelphia

Notes

1. Alexander Taylor and Joseph Turner refused election to the office of mayor.
2. After Attwood's first term, Anthony Morris II was elected mayor but fled to avoid taking office. Attwood was elected to a second term three days later.
3. ^ Died in office.
4. John Mifflin, Alexander Stedman, and William Coxe refused election.
5. Samuel Mifflin refused election.
6. William Coxe and Daniel Benezet refused election.
7. When the American Revolution began, the state abolished the city government, including the office of mayor.
8. John Barclay and George Roberts declined election.
9. Wharton declined reelection to a third term in 1800.
10. As the Federalist Party collapsed in Pennsylvania, many Philadelphia politicians, including Inskeep, identified themselves as "Federal Republicans".
11. Wharton declined reelection to a sixth term in 1811.
12. Resigned to become the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
13. Jones was a Democrat elected with the support of the Know Nothing party.
14. In 1854, the entire county was consolidated into the city, and the mayoral term was extended to two years.
15. Conrad was a Whig elected with the Know Nothings' support.
16. In 1861, the mayoral term was extended to three years.
17. In 1887, the mayoral term was extended to four years. Mayors could not serve consecutive terms.
18. Blankenburg was elected on the Keystone Party ticket with the support of the Democrats.
19. During Samuel's first term, the prohibition on consecutive mayoral terms was removed.
20. Under the City Charter of 1951, the mayor is limited to two consecutive, four-year terms.
21. Resigned to run for governor.

References

1. "Mayors of Philadelphia". Phila.gov. Archived from the original on 22 Feb 2021. Retrieved 2016-02-19.
2. ^ John Thomas Scharf, Thompson Westcott, History of Philadelphia, 1609–1884, Lippincott, Phila., 1884.
3. Committee of Seventy's Historical List of Philadelphia Mayors Archived 2007-03-10 at the Wayback Machine
4. ^ "Timeline: A look back at Philly's mayors". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
5. ^ Philadelphia 2012.
6. ^ Young 1898, pp. 206–207.

Sources

Books

• Young, John Russell (1898). Memorial History of the City of Philadelphia. New York, New York: New York History Company.

Websites

• "Mayors of Philadelphia". City of Philadelphia. 13 January 1998. Retrieved 2019-12-22. Official Philadelphia Government list

External links

• Office of the Mayor

v t e Mayors of Philadelphia (chronologically)
Colonial era (1691–1776)	Morrey Shippen (I) Morris (I) G. Jones Willcox Stanbury Masters Hill Carter Preston Dickinson Roch Hill Dickinson Fishbourn Logan C. Plumsted Norris Hudson Charles Read T. Lawrence (I) Griffitts Hasell Griffitts T. Lawrence (I) Allen C. Plumsted Griffitts Morris (II) Roberts Hasell C. Plumsted Till B. Shoemaker Shippen (II) Hamilton Attwood C. Willing T. Lawrence (I) W. Plumsted Strettell B. Shoemaker T. Lawrence (I) C. Willing W. Plumsted Shute T. Lawrence (II) Stamper B. Shoemaker Duché Harrison T. Willing T. Lawrence (II) J. Lawrence I. Jones S. Shoemaker Gibson Fisher Rhoads Powel
Pre-Act of Consolidation (1789–1854)	Powel Miles Barclay Clarkson Baker Wharton Inskeep Lawler Inskeep Wharton J. Barker Wharton Keppele J. Barker Geyer Wharton J. N. Barker Wharton Watson Dallas Richards Milnor Richards Swift Roach Swift Scott McCall Swift J. Jones Gilpin
Post-Consolidation (since 1854)	Conrad Vaux Henry McMichael Fox Stokley King W. Smith Fitler Stuart Warwick Ashbridge Weaver Reyburn Blankenburg T. Smith Moore Kendrick Mackey Moore Wilson Connell Lamberton Samuel Clark Dilworth Tate Rizzo Green Goode Rendell Street Nutter Kenney Parker

• Mayors of Philadelphia
• 1691 establishments in Pennsylvania
• Philadelphia-related lists
• Lists of mayors of places in Pennsylvania