The first African American mayors were elected during

Reconstruction Reconstruction may refer to: Politics, history, and sociology * Reconstruction (law), the transfer of a company's (or several companies') business to a new company *''Perestroika'' (Russian for "reconstruction"), a late 20th century Soviet Unio ...

in the Southern United States beginning about 1867. African Americans in the South were also elected to many local offices, such as

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or '' puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the s ...

, and state offices such as legislatures as well as a smaller number to Federal offices. After this period ended in 1876, it became increasingly difficult for African Americans to compete in elections due to

racial discrimination Racial discrimination is any discrimination against any individual on the basis of their skin color, race or ethnic origin.Individuals can discriminate by refusing to do business with, socialize with, or share resources with people of a certain g ...

such as

Jim Crow laws The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws enforcing racial segregation in the Southern United States. Other areas of the United States were affected by formal and informal policies of segregation as well, but many states outside the S ...

. After the end of the 19th century it generally was not until the 1960s, they again began to be elected or appointed to mayoral positions following the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

and passage of the

Civil Rights Act of 1964 The Civil Rights Act of 1964 () is a landmark civil rights and labor law in the United States that outlaws discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, and national origin. It prohibits unequal application of voter registration requi ...

and

Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights m ...

. Achievements in African Americans' being elected mayor in majority-

European American European Americans (also referred to as Euro-Americans) are Americans of European ancestry. This term includes people who are descended from the first European settlers in the United States as well as people who are descended from more recent Eu ...

and other municipalities made their political participation one of daily life in many localities. In 1970 there were fewer than 50 African American mayors; by 1982 there were 205.

1860s

* 1867 ::First African-American appointed mayor of a U.S. town as mayor of St. Martinville, Louisiana: Monroe Baker * 1868 ::First African American elected mayor of a U.S. town as mayor of

Donaldsonville, Louisiana Donaldsonville (historically french: Lafourche-des-Chitimachas) is a city in, and the parish seat of Ascension Parish in the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located along the River Road of the west bank of the Mississippi River, it is a part of the ...

: Pierre Caliste LandryRon Stodghill, "Driving Back Into Louisiana’s History"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'', May 25, 2008. Retrieved July 7, 2008 ::First African-American mayor of

Kingstree, South Carolina Kingstree is a city and the county seat of Williamsburg County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 3,328 at the 2010 census. History The original town was laid out as Williamsburg by the Lords Proprietors in colonial times, but ...

Stephen Atkins Swails Stephen Atkins Swails (23 February 1832 – 17 May 1900) was a soldier in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Although originally enlisting as a private, he was the first African-American soldier promoted to commissioned rank, as a l ...

*1869 ::First African-American mayor of

Maryville, Tennessee Maryville is a city in and the county seat of Blount County, Tennessee, and is a suburb of Knoxville. Its population was 31,907 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Knoxville Metropolitan Area and a short distance from popular tourist de ...

: William Bennett Scott Sr.

1870s

* 1870 ::First African American elected mayor of a

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

city: Robert H. Wood,

Natchez, Mississippi Natchez ( ) is the county seat of and only city in Adams County, Mississippi, United States. Natchez has a total population of 14,520 (as of the 2020 census). Located on the Mississippi River across from Vidalia in Concordia Parish, Louisiana, ...

* 1878 ::First African American elected to serve as mayor in the state of New York: Edward "Ned" Sherman,

Cleveland, New York Cleveland is a village in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 750 at the 2010 census. The village is located at the eastern boundary of the town of Constantia on NY Route 49. History The village of Cleveland was incorp ...

1880s

* 1887 ::Founding mayor: Columbus H. Boger,

Eatonville, Florida Eatonville is a town in Orange County, Florida, United States, six miles north of Orlando. It is part of the Orlando– Kissimmee metropolitan statistical area. Incorporated on August 15, 1887, it was one of the first self-governing all-black ...

* 1888 ::First African American elected to the office of mayor in California and probably the first elected mayor in the Western United States: Edward P. Duplex,

Wheatland, California Wheatland is the second-largest city by population in Yuba County, California, United States. The population was 3,456 at the 2010 census, up from 2,275 at the 2000 census. Wheatland is located southeast of Marysville. Geography Wheatland is ...

* 1899 ::Founding mayor of

Hobson City, Alabama Hobson City is a town in Calhoun County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 759. It is included in the Anniston-Oxford Metropolitan Statistical Area. Hobson City was Alabama's first self-governed all-black municipali ...

; S.L. David

1900s

* 1905 ::Founding mayor of

Boley, Oklahoma Boley is a town in Okfuskee County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 1,184 at the 2010 census, a gain of 5.2 percent from the figure of 1,126 recorded in 2000. Boley was incorporated in 1905 as a predominantly Black pioneer town with pe ...

: T. B. Armstrong

1910s

* 1918 :: Founding mayor of Robbins, Illinois: Thomas J. Kellar

1920s

* 1926 :: Lawnside, New Jersey became a self-governing community in 1926 and has elected African-American mayors since its inception.

1960s

* 1964 :: First African-American mayor of

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.

: George D. Carroll * 1966 :: First African-American mayor of

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of ...

: Floyd J. McCree ::First African-American mayor of

Lake Elsinore, California Lake Elsinore is a city in western Riverside County, California, United States. Established as a city in 1888, it is on the shore of Lake Elsinore, a natural freshwater lake about in size. The city has grown from a small resort town in the lat ...

: Thomas R. Yarborough :: First African-American mayor of

Milpitas, California Milpitas ( Spanish for "little milpas") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in Silicon Valley. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 80,273. The city's origins lie in Rancho Milpitas, granted to Californio ranchero José Mar� ...

: Ben F. Gross ::First African-American mayor of

El Centro, California El Centro ( Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the largest city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban ar ...

: DuBois McGee * 1967 :: First elected African-American mayor of

Gary, Indiana Gary is a city in Lake County, Indiana, United States. The city has been historically dominated by major industrial activity and is home to U.S. Steel's Gary Works, the largest steel mill complex in North America. Gary is located along th ...

: Richard G. Hatcher :: First African-American mayor of a large U.S. city,

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S ...

Carl Stokes Carl Burton Stokes (June 21, 1927 – April 3, 1996) was an American politician and diplomat of the Democratic Party who served as the 51st mayor of Cleveland, Ohio. Elected on November 7, 1967, and taking office on January 1, 1968, he was ...

:: First African American appointed mayor of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington (see also: 1975) ::First African American elected mayor of

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, an ...

: John Burton * 1968 :: First African American elected mayor of

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair () is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a wealthy and diverse commuter town and suburb of New York City within the New York metropolitan area. ...

: Matthew G. Carter ::First African-American mayor of a

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

city:

Luska Twyman Luska Joseph Twyman (May 19, 1913 – January 28, 1988) was a Kentucky politician and educator. Twyman became Kentucky's first African American mayor in 1968 when he became mayor of Glasgow, Kentucky, the county seat for Barren County. He also w ...

, Glasgow, Kentucky ::First African American elected mayor of a predominantly white southern city:

Howard Nathaniel Lee Howard Nathaniel Lee (born July 28, 1934) is an American politician who served as Mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, from 1969 to 1975. He was the first African-American mayor elected in Chapel Hill, and the first African American to be electe ...

Chapel Hill, North Carolina Chapel Hill is a town in Orange, Durham and Chatham counties in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Its population was 61,960 in the 2020 census, making Chapel Hill the 17th-largest municipality in the state. Chapel Hill, Durham, and the state ...

* 1969 ::First African American elected mayor of Fayette, Mississippi: Charles Evers :: First African American mayor of

Compton, California Compton is a city in southern Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated south of downtown Los Angeles. Compton is one of the oldest cities in the county and, on May 11, 1888, was the eighth city in Los Angeles County to incorporat ...

: Douglas Dollarhide :: First African American elected mayor of

East Orange, New Jersey East Orange is a city in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the city's population was 69,612. The city was the state's 20th most-populous municipality in 2010, after having been the state's 14th most-po ...

: William Stanford Hart Sr. :: First African American elected mayor of

1970s

* 1970 ::First African American elected mayor of

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...

Kenneth A. Gibson Kenneth Allen Gibson (May 15, 1932 – March 29, 2019) was an American Democratic Party politician who served as the 36th mayor of Newark, New Jersey, from 1970 to 1986. He was the first African American elected mayor of any major city in the ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Dayton, Ohio Dayton () is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County, Ohio, Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County, Ohio, Greene County. The 2020 United S ...

: James H. McGee :: First African American appointed mayor of

Wichita, Kansas Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...

: A. Price Woodard ::First African-American elected mayor of

Salina, Kansas Salina is a city in, and the county seat of, Saline County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,889. In the early 1800s, the Kanza tribal land reached eastward from the middle of the Kansas Territory. In 1 ...

: Robert C. Caldwell ::First African American elected mayor of

Chesilhurst, New Jersey Chesilhurst is a borough in Camden County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the U.S. census, the borough's population was 1,536, a decline from 2010 when it was 1,634.https://archive.today/20200212102650/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkm ...

: George J. Phillips ::First African American appointed mayor of

Carson, California Carson is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, in the South Bay region of Los Angeles, located south of downtown Los Angeles and approximately away from Los Angeles International Airport. Incorporated on February 20, 1968, ...

: Gilbert D. Smith * 1971 :: First African-American appointed mayor of

Gainesville, Florida Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, and the largest city in North Central Florida, with a population of 141,085 in 2020. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which had a population of 339,247 in ...

since the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

: Neil A. Butler ::First African American appointed mayor of

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is th ...

Lyman Parks Rev. Lyman S. Parks (1917 – November 4, 2009) was the mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan from 1971 to 1976. He was the first African-American to serve in the position. He was also the first African-American elected to the Grand Rapids City Commissi ...

(see also: 1973) ::First African-American

mayor of Englewood, New Jersey Englewood, New Jersey was incorporated on March 17, 1899. Beginning in 1980, Englewood switched from a Mayor-Council form of government to a modified Council-Manager plan of government in accordance with a Special Charter granted by the New Jers ...

: Walter Scott Taylor ::First African American elected mayor of

Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and E ...

Warren Widener Warren Hamilton Widener (25 March 1938 – 25 June 2013) was a former Mayor of Berkeley, California, and former member of the Alameda County Board of Supervisors. He was the first African American mayor of Berkeley, serving two terms from 19 ...

* 1972 ::First African-American mayor of

Tallahassee, Florida Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the populatio ...

and first African-American mayor of a state capital:

James R. Ford James R. Ford (December 1, 1925 – October 11, 2017) was an American educator, politician, and businessman. In 1972, Ford became the first African-American mayor of Tallahassee, Florida, and the first black mayor of a U.S. state capital city. ...

::First African-American mayor of

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line w ...

Ted Berry Theodore Moody Berry (November 8, 1905 – October 15, 2000) is an American politician of the Charter Party of Cincinnati, Ohio and was the first African-American mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. Early life and education Born in poverty in Maysvill ...

::First African American appointed mayor of

Leavenworth, Kansas Leavenworth () is the county seat and largest city of Leavenworth County, Kansas, United States and is part of the Kansas City metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 37,351. It is located on the west bank of t ...

: Benjamin Day * 1973 ::First African American elected mayor of

Detroit, Michigan Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at ...

Coleman Young Coleman Alexander Young (May 24, 1918 – November 29, 1997) was an American politician who served as mayor of Detroit, Michigan, from 1974 to 1994. Young was the first African-American mayor of Detroit. Young had emerged from the far-left ele ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Raleigh, North Carolina Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Sout ...

Clarence Lightner Clarence Everett Lightner (August 15, 1921 – July 8, 2002) was an American politician and mortician. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina from 1973 to 1975. He was the first popularly elected Mayor ...

::First African American elected mayor of a city in Georgia, Greenville: Richmond D. Hill ::First African American elected mayor of a major Southern city:

Maynard Jackson Maynard Holbrook Jackson Jr. (March 23, 1938 – June 23, 2003) was an American politician and attorney from Georgia. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected in 1973 at the age of 35 as the first black mayor of Atlanta, Georgia and of ...

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital city, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georgia, Fulton County, the mos ...

::First African American elected mayor of a major Western city: Tom Bradley, Los Angeles, California ::First African-American woman mayor:

Lelia Foley Lelia Foley (born November 7, 1942) was the first African American woman elected mayor in the United States. Biography In January 1973, Foley, a divorced mother of five, surviving on welfare, ran for a spot on the school board of Taft, Oklahoma, ...

, Taft, Oklahoma ::First African-American woman mayor of a major

satellite city Satellite cities or satellite towns are smaller municipalities that are adjacent to a principal city which is the core of a metropolitan area. They differ from mere suburbs, subdivisions and especially bedroom communities in that they have m ...

: Doris A. Davis,

::First African American elected mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan:

(see also: 1971) *1974 ::First African American elected mayor of

Waco, Texas Waco ( ) is the county seat of McLennan County, Texas, United States. It is situated along the Brazos River and I-35, halfway between Dallas and Austin. The city had a 2020 population of 138,486, making it the 22nd-most populous city in the s ...

: Oscar Du Conge ::First African American appointed mayor of

Pontiac, Michigan Pontiac ( ') is a city in and the county seat of Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 61,606. A northern suburb of Metro Detroit, Pontiac is about northwest of Detroit. Found ...

: Wallace E. Holland ::First African American elected mayor of

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Colora ...

: Penfield Tate ::First African American woman elected mayor of

Fairplay, Colorado The historic Town of Fairplay is the Statutory Town that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Park County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 724 at the 2020 United States Census. Fairplay is located in Sout ...

: Ada B. Evans ::First African American elected mayor of

Berkeley Township, New Jersey Berkeley Township is a township in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township population had increased to 41,255, reflecting an increase of 1,264 (+3.2%) from the 39,991 counted in the 2000 Censu ...

: Edward Tolbert ::First African American elected mayor of Matawan, New Jersey and first African American mayor in Monmouth County: Philip N. Gumbs ::First African American elected mayor of

Paulsboro, New Jersey Paulsboro is a borough in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,196, an increase of 99 (+1.6%) from the 2010 census count of 6,097,

: Elwood Hampton ::First African American elected mayor of

Randolph, New Jersey Randolph is a township in Morris County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 25,734, reflecting an increase of 887 (+3.6%) from the 24,847 counted in the 2000 census, which had in turn ...

: Tyrone Barnes ::First African American mayor of

Bridgewater, New York Bridgewater is a town in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,522 at the 2010 census. The Town of Bridgewater is on the southern border of the county. The town has a former village called Bridgewater near the souther ...

and first African American mayor in New York State: Everett Holmes * 1975 ::First African American elected mayor, and first elected mayor, of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington (see also: 1967) ::First African-American mayor of

Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...

Nat Trives Nathaniel Trives (born 1934/1935) is an American politician who served as the first African-American mayor of Santa Monica, California, a town then 95 percent white. Trives is a former Santa Monica police officer who served on the Santa Monica Ci ...

::First African-American mayor of

Opa-Locka, Florida Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...

and first African-American mayor in Dade County: Albert Tresvant * 1976 ::First African American elected mayor of

Pocatello, Idaho Pocatello () is the county seat of and largest city in Bannock County, with a small portion on the Fort Hall Indian Reservation in neighboring Power County, in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is the principal city of the ...

and first African American elected mayor in the state of Idaho: Thomas L. Purce ::First African-American mayor of

Seaside, California Seaside, formerly East Monterey, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, with a population of 32,366 as of the 2020 census. It is located east-northeast of Monterey, at an elevation of , and is the home of California State Uni ...

: Oscar Lawson ::First African-American mayor of

Opelousas, Louisiana :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.'' Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 ...

: John W. Joseph ::First African-American mayor in New Mexico and First African-American mayor of

Las Cruces, New Mexico Las Cruces (; "the crosses") is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New Mexico and the seat of Doña Ana County. As of the 2020 census the population was 111,385. Las Cruces is the largest city in both Doña Ana County and southern Ne ...

: Albert Johnson * 1977 ::First African-American mayor of

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

: Henry L. Marsh (Note: elected from within nine City Council members; changed to general election in 2003) * 1978 ::First African American elected mayor of

Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the ...

: Lionel Wilson ::First African American elected mayor of

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Ernest Nathan Morial Ernest Nathan "Dutch" Morial (October 9, 1929 – December 24, 1989), was an American political figure and a leading civil rights advocate. He was the first African-American mayor of New Orleans, serving from 1978 to 1986. He was the father of ...

* 1979 ::First African American elected mayor of

Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% f ...

: Richard Arrington, Jr. ::First African American appointed mayor of

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decade ...

: Leo E. Jackson ::First African American elected mayor of

Rock Island, Illinois Rock Island is a city in and the county seat of Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The original Rock Island, from which the city name is derived, is now called Arsenal Island. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 census. Located on t ...

: James R. Davis

1980s

* 1980 ::First African American mayor of

Menlo Park, California Menlo Park is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County within the San Francisco Bay Area of California in the United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, Palo Alto, and Stanford to the south ...

: Billy Ray White * 1981 ::First African American elected

mayor of Camden, New Jersey Mayor of Camden, New Jersey, has been an office since its inception in 1828. List of mayors * Victor Carstarphen (2021–present) * Curtis Jenkins (interim) (2021) * Frank Moran (2018–2021) *Dana Redd (2010–2018) *Gwendolyn Faison (2000–2010 ...

: Randy Primas ::First African American elected mayor of

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

James Everett Chase James Everett Chase (March 29, 1914 – May 19, 1987) was an African American politician in Spokane, Washington. He was elected mayor in 1981 by a landslide 62 percent to 38 percent margin, and became the state's second African American mayor. Ea ...

::First African American elected mayor of Plainfield, New Jersey, and first African American elected mayor in

Central New Jersey Central Jersey is the central region of the U.S. state of New Jersey. The designation of Central New Jersey is a distinct administrative toponym. Geographic area and descriptions While the State of New Jersey is often divided into North and ...

: Everett C. Lattimore ::First African-American mayor of

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

: Charles E. Bussey Jr. ::First African-American mayor of

Winter Haven, Florida Winter Haven is a city in Polk County, Florida, United States. It is fifty-one miles east of Tampa. The population was 49,219 at the 2020 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2019 estimates, this city had a population of 44,955, making ...

: Lemuel Geathers ::First African-American mayor of Hartford, Connecticut: Thirman L. Milner * 1982 ::First African American succeeds to the office of mayor of

Memphis, Tennessee Memphis is a city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the seat of Shelby County in the southwest part of the state; it is situated along the Mississippi River. With a population of 633,104 at the 2020 U.S. census, Memphis is the second-mo ...

after the resignation of his predecessor: J.O. Patterson, Jr. ::First African-American mayor of

Teaneck, New Jersey Teaneck () is a township in Bergen County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is a bedroom community in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 39,776, reflecting an increase of 516 (+1.3%) f ...

: Bernard E. Brooks ::First female African American mayor in the state of Florida and first female

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Opa-locka, Florida Opa-locka is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 16,463, up from 15,219 in 2010. The city was developed by Glenn Curtiss. Developed based on a ''One Thousand and One Nights'' theme, Op ...

: Helen L. Miller * 1983 ::First African American elected

Mayor of Chicago The mayor of Chicago is the chief executive of city government in Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States. The mayor is responsible for the administration and management of various city departments, submits proposals and ...

: Harold Washington ::First African American elected mayor of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most popu ...

Harvey Gantt Harvey Bernard Gantt (born January 14, 1943) is an American architect and Democratic politician active in North Carolina. The first African-American student admitted to Clemson University after attending Iowa State University, Gantt graduated w ...

::First African American elected Mayor of Flint: James Sharp * 1984 ::First African American elected

Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, New Jersey was incorporated on May 1, 1854. It is governed within the Faulkner Act (formally known as the Optional Municipal Charter Law) under the Mayor-Council system of municipal government (Plan D), implemented by direct petiti ...

James L. Usry James Leroy Usry (February 2, 1922 – January 25, 2002) was the first African-American Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey. He was also a professional basketball player. Biography He was born on February 2, 1922, in Athens, Georgia. Usry graduate ...

::First African American elected

Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 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 Jim Kenney. History The first mayor of Philadelph ...

: Wilson Goode ::First African American elected mayor of

Portsmouth, Virginia Portsmouth is an independent city in southeast Virginia and across the Elizabeth River from Norfolk. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,915. It is part of the Hampton Roads metropolitan area. The Norfolk Naval Shipyard and Naval M ...

: James W. Holley, III ::First African American appointed mayor of

Peekskill, New York Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from ...

: Richard E. Jackson * 1985 ::First African-American appointed mayor of

Gainesville, Georgia The city of Gainesville is the county seat of Hall County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 42,296. Because of its large number of poultry processing plants, it is often called the "Poultry Capital of ...

: John W. Morrow Jr. ::First African-American appointed mayor of

Lynwood, California Lynwood is a city in Los Angeles County, California. At the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 69,772, down from 69,845 at the 2000 census. Lynwood is located near South Gate and Compton in the central portion of the Los Angeles ...

: Robert Henning ::First African American elected mayor of

Mount Vernon, New York Mount Vernon is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. It is an inner suburb of New York City, immediately to the north of the borough of the Bronx. As of the 2020 census, Mount Vernon had a population of 73,893, making it th ...

, and first African American elected mayor in New York: Ronald Blackwood ::First African American appointed mayor of

Mount Pleasant, Tennessee Mount Pleasant is a city in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. Mount Pleasant was the birthplace of 19th-century writer and humorist Sam R. Watkins and formerly titled "The Phosphate Capital of the World." The population was 4,561 at the 2 ...

and first African-American appointed mayor in the state of Tennessee: Willie B. Baker *1986 ::First African American and first woman mayor of

Newport News, Virginia Newport News () is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 186,247. Located in the Hampton Roads region, it is the 5th most populous city in Virginia and 140th most populous city in the U ...

: Jessie M. Rattley ::First African American appointed mayor of

Evelyn Wells Evelyn Wells (7 April 1899 – 6 September 1984) was a 20th-century American biographer and author most known for her biographies of the ancient Egyptian royals of the 18th dynasty, Nefertiti and Hatshepsut. Biography Evelyn Minerva Wells was b ...

* 1987 ::First African American woman elected mayor of a major city

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It was the seat of Hartford County until Connecticut disbanded county government in 1960. It is the core city in the Greater Hartford metropolitan area. Census estimates since t ...

Carrie Saxon Perry Carrie Saxon Perry (August 30, 1931 – November 22, 2018) was an American politician from Connecticut. She was notable as the first African American woman to be elected mayor of a major New England city – Hartford, Connecticut – in 1987. She ...

::First African American succeeds to the office of mayor of

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore wa ...

: Clarence H. Burns ::First African American elected mayor of

Fairbanks, Alaska Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

: James C. Hayes ::First African American elected mayor of

Tacoma, Washington Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Pa ...

: Harold Moss ::First African American woman and first woman mayor of

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

: Lottie Shackelford * 1988 ::First African American elected mayor of

: Kurt Schmoke ::First African American elected mayor of

Hempstead, New York The Town of Hempstead (also known historically as South Hempstead) is the largest of the three towns in Nassau County (alongside North Hempstead and Oyster Bay) in the U.S. state of New York. It occupies the southwestern part of the county, o ...

: James A. Garner ::First African American elected mayor of

Orange, New Jersey The City of Orange is a township in Essex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 30,134, reflecting a decline of 2,734 (−8.3%) from the 32,868 counted in 2000. Orange was original ...

: Robert L. Brown * 1989 ::First African American elected mayor of

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

David Dinkins David Norman Dinkins (July 10, 1927 – November 23, 2020) was an American politician, lawyer, and author who served as the 106th mayor of New York City from 1990 to 1993. He was the first African American to hold the office. Before enteri ...

::First African American elected mayor of

New Haven, Connecticut New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...

: John C. Daniels ::First African American elected mayor of

Richmond, California Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905, and has a city council.

: George Livingston ::First African American elected mayor of

Rockford, Illinois Rockford is a city in Winnebago County, Illinois, located in the far northern part of the state. Situated on the banks of the Rock River, Rockford is the county seat of Winnebago County (a small portion of the city is located in Ogle County). ...

Charles Box Charles Box (born February 24, 1951) was elected mayor of Rockford, Illinois in 1989, the 2nd largest city in the state. A Democrat, Box was the first African-American Mayor elected in Rockford. Box was elected to three terms as mayor before c ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Seattle, Washington Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region ...

Norm Rice Norman Blann Rice (born May 4, 1943) is an American politician who served as the 49th mayor of Seattle, Washington, serving two terms from 1990 to 1997. Rice was Seattle's first elected African-American mayor. Early life Rice graduated from th ...

::First African American succeeds to the office of mayor of

Minden Minden () is a middle-sized town in the very north-east of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, the greatest town between Bielefeld and Hanover. It is the capital of the district (''Kreis'') of Minden-Lübbecke, which is part of the region of De ...

, Louisiana, after the

recall Recall may refer to: * Recall (bugle call), a signal to stop * Recall (information retrieval), a statistical measure * ''ReCALL'' (journal), an academic journal about computer-assisted language learning * Recall (memory) * ''Recall'' (Overwatc ...

of his predecessor: Robert T. Tobin ::First African American elected

mayor of Asbury Park, New Jersey Asbury Park, New Jersey incorporated as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 26, 1874, from portions of Ocean Township. The borough was reincorporated on February 28, 1893. Asbury Park was incorporated as a city, its current ...

: Thomas S. Smith ::First African-American mayor of

Victorville, California Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. History In 1858, Aaron G. Lane came to what is now known as Victorville and founded a waystation called "Lane's Cr ...

: James Busby (politician)

1990s

*1990 ::First African American elected Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey: Douglas Palmer ::First African American elected mayor of

New Bern, North Carolina New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and ...

: Leander R. "Lee" Morgan ::First African-American mayor of

Lynchburg, Virginia Lynchburg is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. First settled in 1757 by ferry owner John Lynch, the city's population was 79,009 at the 2020 census. Located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mounta ...

: M.W. Thornhill Jr. ::First African American elected mayor of

Chandler, Arizona Chandler is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). It is bordered to the north and west by Tempe, to the north by Mesa, to the west by Phoenix, to t ...

: Coy Payne ::First African American elected mayor of New York City:

::First African American elected mayor of Irvington, New Jersey: Michael G. Steele * 1991 ::First African American elected mayor of

: W. W. Herenton ::First African American elected mayor of

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

: Wellington Webb ::First African American elected mayor of

Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City (abbreviated KC or KCMO) is the largest city in Missouri by population and area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 508,090 in 2020, making it the List of United States cities by populat ...

Emanuel Cleaver Emanuel Cleaver II (born October 26, 1944) is a United Methodist pastor and American politician who has represented in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2005. Cleaver represents a district that includes the southern three-fourths of Kan ...

::First African American woman elected mayor of Washington, D.C.:

Sharon Pratt Kelly Sharon Pratt (born January 30, 1944), formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and Sharon Pratt Kelly, is an American attorney and politician who was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995, the first mayor born in the District of Colum ...

::First African-American mayor of Trenton, New Jersey: Douglas Palmer ::First African-American mayor of

Salem, New Jersey Salem is a city in Salem County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the city's population was 5,146,

: Leon F. Johnson ::First African-American mayor elected in the state of

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

as the mayor of Fitchburg: Frances Huntley-Cooper * 1992 ::First African American male elected mayor of

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

Kenneth Reeves Kenneth E. Reeves (born 1951) is an American politician who served as the mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, from 1992 to 1995 and again from 2006 to 2007. Reeves is the first openly gay African-American man to have served as mayo ...

::First African American mayor in the state of

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U ...

as mayor of

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the p ...

: James C. Hayes * 1993 ::First African American elected mayor of St. Louis, Missouri: Freeman Bosley, Jr. ::First African American elected mayor of

Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...

: William A. Johnson, Jr. ::First African American and first woman elected mayor of

Minneapolis, Minnesota Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origi ...

Sharon Sayles Belton Sharon Sayles Belton (born May 13, 1951) is an American community leader, politician and activist. She is Vice President of Community Relations and Government Affairs for Thomson Reuters Legal business. She served as mayor of Minneapolis, Minnes ...

::First African American woman and first woman elected mayor of Irvington, New Jersey: Sara Bost * 1995 ::First African American elected mayor of

Dallas, Texas Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County ...

Ron Kirk Ronald Kirk (born June 27, 1954) is an American lawyer, politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the United States Trade Representative from 2009 to 2013 and the 57th Mayor of Dallas from 1995 to 2002. Born in Austin, Texas, ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Savannah, Georgia Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...

: Floyd Adams, Jr. * 1996 ::First African American elected

mayor of San Francisco The mayor of the City and County of San Francisco is the head of the executive branch of the San Francisco city and county government. The officeholder has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by ...

, California: Willie Brown ::First African American elected mayor of Monroe, Louisiana: Abe E. Pierce, III ::First African American elected mayor of Pleasant Valley, Missouri: Abram "Abe" McGull * 1997 ::First African American elected mayor of Dolton, Illinois: William Shaw ::First African American elected mayor of

Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the capital of and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, along with Raymond. The city had a population of 153,701 at t ...

: Harvey Johnson, Jr. ::First African American elected mayor of

Houston, Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

Lee P. Brown Lee Patrick Brown (born October 4, 1937) is an American politician, criminologist and businessman; in 1997 he was the first African-American to be elected mayor of Houston, Texas. He was re-elected twice to serve the maximum of three terms fro ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines () is the capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small part of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moine ...

: Preston Daniels ::First African American elected mayor of

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Martin G. Barnes ::First African-American succeeds to the mayor of

Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...

after the resignation of his predecessor:

Leon Young Leon D. Young (born July 4, 1967) is a police officer and former Democratic member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, representing the 16th Assembly District from 1992 until 2018. Gaining office In 1992, his aunt, incumbent Marcia P. Coggs ( ...

::First African-born Black mayor in the United States elected as mayor of

East Cleveland, Ohio East Cleveland is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and is the first suburb encountered when travelling east from Cleveland. The population was 13,792 at the 2020 census. East Cleveland is bounded by the city of Cleveland to its nor ...

: Emmanuel Onunwor ::First African-American mayor of

District Heights, Maryland District Heights is an incorporated municipality in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located near Maryland Route 4. Per the 2020 census, the population was 5,959. For more information, see the separate articles on Forestville a ...

: Jack Sims Jr. * 1998 ::First African-American mayor of Jasper, Texas: R. C. Horn ::First African-American female elected mayor of

: E. Denise Simmons ::First African-American mayor of

Hopewell, Virginia Hopewell is an independent city surrounded by Prince George County and the Appomattox River in the Commonwealth of Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 23,033. The Bureau of Economic Analysis combines the city of Hopewell with Prin ...

: Curtis West Harris ::First African-American and first woman mayor of

Lecompte, Louisiana Lecompte ( ) is a town in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. Lecompte is situated along the banks of the Red River in central Louisiana. US Highway 71, Louisiana’s major north-south route which connects Baton Rouge and Shreveport ...

: Rosa Mae Scott Jones * 1999 ::First African-American mayor of Pineville, Louisiana: Clarence R. Fields (became interim mayor in 1999; was elected to a partial term in 2000 and re-elected to full terms in 2002, 2006, 2010, and 2014) ::First African-American mayor of Elyria, Ohio: Thomas O. Shores ::First African-American mayor of

Forest Park, Ohio Forest Park is the second most populous city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cincinnati. The population was 18,720 at the 2010 census. Geography Forest Park is located at (39.286408, -84.520363). According to the U ...

: Stephanie Summerow Dumas

2000s

* 2000 ::First African American elected mayor of

Columbus, Ohio Columbus () is the state capital and the most populous city in the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the 14th-most populous city in the U.S., the second-most populous city in the Midwest, after Chicago, an ...

Michael B. Coleman Michael B. Coleman (born November 18, 1954) is an American politician of the Democratic Party who served as the 52nd mayor of Columbus, Ohio. He was the first African-American to serve as the mayor of Ohio's capital city. Coleman was a memb ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abo ...

: James Perkins, Jr. ::First African American elected mayor of

Oceanside, California Oceanside is a city on the South Coast of California, located in San Diego County. The city had a population of 167,086 at the 2010 census. The city is a popular tourist destination, owing to its historic landmarks, beaches, and architecture. ...

: Terry Johnson ::First African American elected mayor in the state of

Wyoming Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It is bordered by Montana to the north and northwest, South Dakota and Nebraska to the east, Idaho to the west, Utah to the southwest, and Colorado to t ...

as mayor of

Worland, Wyoming Worland is a city in Washakie County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 5,487 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Washakie County. It is located within the Big Horn Basin and along the Big Horn River in northwestern Wyoming. ...

: LaVertha Gotier * 2001 ::First African American elected mayor of

Hattiesburg, Mississippi Hattiesburg is a city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, located primarily in Forrest County (where it is the county seat and largest city) and extending west into Lamar County. The city population was 45,989 at the 2010 census, with the popul ...

Johnny DuPree Johnny DuPree (born November 18, 1953) is an American politician and member of the Democratic Party who served as the mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi from 2001 to 2017. He was the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of Mississippi in 2011, ...

::First African-American woman mayor of a major Southern city, and first woman to be elected mayor of

Shirley Franklin Shirley Clarke Franklin (born May 10, 1945) is an American politician, a member of the Democratic Party who served as the 58th mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2002 to 2010. She currently serves as a member on the board of directors for both Delta ...

::First African American and first woman elected mayor of

Southfield, Michigan Southfield is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 76,618. As a northern suburb of Detroit, Southfield shares part of its southern border with Detroit. The city was original ...

: Brenda L. Lawrence ::First African American elected mayor of

Fayetteville, North Carolina Fayetteville () is a city in and the county seat of Cumberland County, North Carolina, United States. It is best known as the home of Fort Bragg, a major U.S. Army installation northwest of the city. Fayetteville has received the All-America ...

: Marshall Pitts Jr. ::First African-American female Republican elected mayor of Tchula, Mississippi: Yvonne Brown ::First African American Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey: Glenn Cunningham ::First African-American appointed female mayor of

: Myrtle Figueras * 2002 ::First African-American woman elected mayor of

Rhine McLin Rhine Lana McLin (born October 1948) is an American Democratic politician from Ohio who served as the 54th mayor of Dayton, Ohio from 2002 to 2010. McLin previously served as a member of both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly. Education ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnat ...

: Jack Ford * 2003 ::First African-American elected mayor of

Palm Springs, California Palm Springs (Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Riverside County by lan ...

Ron Oden Ron Oden (born March 21, 1950) is an American politician. In November 2003, he was elected the first gay African-American mayor of Palm Springs, California, after serving eight years on the city council. He became the first Black openly gay ...

::First African American elected by citizens as mayor of

: John Marks ::First African-American elected mayor, and first elected mayor, of

San Ramon, California San Ramon ( Spanish: ''San Ramón'', meaning "St. Raymond") is a city in Contra Costa County, California, United States, located within the San Ramon Valley, and east of San Francisco. San Ramon's population was 84,605 per the 2020 census, ma ...

: H. Abram Wilson * 2004 ::First African American elected mayor of

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the List of capitals in the United States, capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the county seat, parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana, E ...

Kip Holden Melvin Lee "Kip" Holden (born August 12, 1952), is an American politician who served from 2005 to 2016 as the Democratic Mayor-President of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The parish includes the state capital of Baton Rouge a ...

::First African-American mayor of

Milwaukee, Wisconsin Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee i ...

Marvin Pratt Marvin E. Pratt (born May 26, 1944) is an American politician who served as acting mayor of Milwaukee in 2004 and as interim Milwaukee County Executive in 2011. He was the first African-American to serve as mayor of Milwaukee. Early life Pratt ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Pine Bluff, Arkansas Pine Bluff is the eleventh-largest city in the state of Arkansas and the county seat of Jefferson County. It is the principal city of the Pine Bluff Metropolitan Statistical Area and part of the Little Rock-North Little Rock-Pine Bluff Combin ...

: Carl A. Redus Jr. ::First African-American elected female mayor of

: Mae Jackson ::First African-American appointed female mayor of

: Saratha Goggins * 2005 ::First African American elected mayor of

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

Byron Brown Byron William Brown II (born September 24, 1958) is an American politician who is the current mayor of Buffalo, New York. He has served as Buffalo's 62nd mayor since January 2006, the City's first African-American mayor and longest serving ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Mobile, Alabama Mobile ( , ) is a city and the county seat of Mobile County, Alabama, United States. The population within the city limits was 187,041 at the 2020 census, down from 195,111 at the 2010 census. It is the fourth-most-populous city in Alabama ...

: Sam Jones ::First African American elected mayor of

Asheville, North Carolina Asheville ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Buncombe County, North Carolina. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the largest city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most populous cit ...

Terry Bellamy Terry M. Bellamy is the former mayor of Asheville, North Carolina. She was first elected to the Asheville City Council in 1999 and won re‑election in 2003. She was elected mayor in November 2005, defeating incumbent Mayor Charles Worley in the ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Mark Mallory Mark Mallory (born April 2, 1962) is an American politician who served as the 68th Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first two-term Mayor under the City's new Stronger-Mayor system, the first directly elect ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Youngstown, Ohio Youngstown is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the largest city and county seat of Mahoning County. At the 2020 census, Youngstown had a city population of 60,068. It is a principal city of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area, whi ...

: Jay Williams ::First African American and woman elected mayor of

Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, and 130 miles south of the riverp ...

: Sheriel F. Perkins ::First African-American succeeds to the office of mayor of

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

: Ernest Page * 2006 ::First African American elected mayor of

Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is ...

Cedric Glover Cedric Bradford Glover (born August 9, 1965) is a Democratic Party politician who is a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing District 4. He was earlier the two-term mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana, the first African-Ame ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Anderson, South Carolina Anderson is a city in and the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 28,106 at the 2020 census, and the city was the center of an urbanized area of 75,702. It is one of the principal cities in the Green ...

Terence Roberts Terence Roberts (born 1959/1960) is the current mayor of Anderson, South Carolina, the county seat of Anderson County, South Carolina. Serving since July 1, 2006, he is the first African-American African Americans (also referred to as Bl ...

::First African-American mayor of Duarte, California:

Lois Gaston Lois Gaston (born 1937) is a former Mayor and City Councilmember for City of Duarte, California. Biography Gaston was born in Arkansas in 1937. She was an only child and she and her mother moved to Monrovia, California in 1949. She is a graduat ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Killeen, Texas Killeen is a city in Bell County, Texas, United States. According to the 2020 census, its population was 153,095, making it the 19th-most populous city in Texas and the largest of the three principal cities of Bell County. It is the principal cit ...

: Timothy Hancock * 2007 :: First African-American woman and first woman elected mayor of

Sheila Dixon Sheila Ann Dixon (born December 27, 1953) is an American politician who served as the forty-eighth mayor of Baltimore, Maryland. When the former mayor, Martin O'Malley, was sworn in as governor on January 17, 2007, Dixon, the president of the Bal ...

:: First African American elected mayor of

Greensboro, North Carolina Greensboro (; formerly Greensborough) is a city in and the county seat of Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. It is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, third-most populous city in North Carolina after Charlotte, North Car ...

: Yvonne Johnson :: First African American elected mayor of

: Carl Brewer :: First African American elected mayor of

South Harrison Township, New Jersey South Harrison Township is a township in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the township's population was 3,162, reflecting an increase of 745 (+30.8%) from the 2,417 counted in the 2000 census. S ...

: Charles Tyson"Former South Harrison mayor who endured death threats steps down from council"

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. new ...

via NJ.com, November 10, 2009 * 2008 :: First African American elected mayor of

Blue Springs, Missouri Blue Springs is a city located in the U.S. state of Missouri within Jackson County. Blue Springs is located east of downtown Kansas City and is the 9th largest city in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. As of the 2020 census, the population wa ...

: Carson Ross :: First African American elected mayor of

Lancaster, Texas Lancaster ( ) is a city in Dallas County, Texas, United States. Its population was 41,275 according to the 2020 census. Founded in 1852 as a frontier post, Lancaster is one of Dallas County's earliest settlements. Today, it is a suburban commun ...

: Marcus Knight :: First African American elected mayor of

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in and the county seat of Richland County, Ohio, United States. Located midway between Columbus and Cleveland via Interstate 71, it is part of Northeast Ohio region in the western foothills of the Allegheny Plateau. The ci ...

Donald Culliver Donald Culliver (born November 1951) is a former mayor of Mansfield, Ohio, having served from 2007 to 2011. He was the first African-American in history to be elected mayor of Mansfield, and also served on the city council through this 20-year pu ...

:: First African American elected mayor of

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

: Kevin Johnson :: First African American mayor of

Festus, Missouri Festus is a city situated in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States, and is also a suburb of St. Louis. It had a population of 12,706 individuals as of the 2020 census. Festus and its adjacent neighbor Crystal City are often collectively kno ...

: Earl Cook :: First African-American and first woman elected mayor of

Cambridge, Maryland Cambridge is a city in Dorchester County, Maryland, United States. The population was 13,096 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Dorchester County and the county's largest municipality. Cambridge is the fourth most populous city in Mary ...

: Victoria Jackson-Stanley * 2009 ::First African American elected mayor of

Philadelphia, Mississippi Philadelphia is a city in and the county seat of Neshoba County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 7,118 at the 2020 census. History Philadelphia is incorporated as a municipality; it was given its current name in 1903, two years ...

: James Young ::First African American elected mayor of

Freeport, New York Freeport is a village in the town of Hempstead, in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York state. The population was 43,713 at the 2010 census, making it the second largest village in New York by population. A settlem ...

: Andrew Hardwick ::First African-American woman elected mayor of

Brentwood, Maryland Brentwood is a town in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 3,828. Brentwood is located within of Washington. The municipality of Brentwood is located just outside the northeast boundary o ...

: Xzavier Montgomery-Wright ::First African American and first woman elected mayor of

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the 9th largest city and 15th largest municipality in ...

: Linda D. Thompson

2010s

* 2010 ::First African-American woman elected mayor of

Fontana, California Fontana is a city in San Bernardino County, California. Founded by Azariel Blanchard Miller in 1913, it remained essentially rural until World War II, when entrepreneur Henry J. Kaiser built a large steel mill in the area. It is now a regiona ...

: Acquanetta Warren ::First African American elected mayor of

Columbia, South Carolina Columbia is the capital of the U.S. state of South Carolina. With a population of 136,632 at the 2020 census, it is the second-largest city in South Carolina. The city serves as the county seat of Richland County, and a portion of the cit ...

: Stephen K. Benjamin ::First African American elected mayor of

Bridgeton, New Jersey Bridgeton is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is the county seat of Cumberland County

: Albert B. Kelly * 2011 ::First African American elected mayor of

Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville is a city located on the Atlantic coast of northeast Florida, the most populous city proper in the state and is the largest city by area in the contiguous United States as of 2020. It is the seat of Duval County, with which th ...

Alvin Brown Alvin Brown is an American politician from Florida who served as mayor of Jacksonville, Florida, from 2011 to 2015. He was the first African American to be elected to that position. Brown succeeded John Peyton as mayor after winning the 2011 ma ...

::First African-American mayor of

Knoxville, Tennessee Knoxville is a city in and the county seat of Knox County in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, Knoxville's population was 190,740, making it the largest city in the East Tennessee Grand Division and the stat ...

: Daniel Brown ::First African-American woman elected mayor of

Edna Jackson Edna Davis Jackson (born 1950) is a Tlingit people, Tlingit and Americans, American artist. Jackson is a native of Petersburg, Alaska, Petersburg, Alaska, and continues to live in the nearby community of Kake, Alaska, Kake; she is the daughter ...

* 2012 ::First African-American mayor of

Ithaca, New York Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...

: Svante Myrick ::First African-American mayor of

Antioch, California Antioch is the third-largest city in Contra Costa County, California, United States. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the Sacramento–San Joaquin River Delta. The city's population was 115,291 at the 2020 cen ...

Wade Harper Wade Harper (born 1963/1964) is an American politician, the former mayor of Antioch, California. He is the first African American to be elected as mayor. Biography Harper was born and raised in Oakland, California, the youngest of three children. ...

::First African American and first female mayor of Orrville, Alabama: Louvenia Diane Lumpkin ::First African-American mayor of

Phenix City, Alabama Phenix City is a city in Lee and Russell counties in the U.S. state of Alabama, and the county seat of Russell County. As of the 2020 Census, the population of the city was 38,817. Phenix City lies immediately west across the Chattahoochee R ...

: Eddie Lowe ::First African-American woman and first woman elected mayor of

: Karen Freeman-Wilson *2013 ::First African-American mayor of

Plano, Texas Plano ( ) is a city in Collin County and Denton County, Texas, United States. It had a population of 285,494 at the 2020 census. It is a principal city of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. History European settlers came to the area near ...

Harry LaRosiliere Harry LaRosiliere (born May 6, 1962) was the 39th mayor of Plano, Texas, the first African-American to hold the office. He was elected in 2013 and served until 2021 after reaching his term limit. LaRosiliere was born in Haiti and grew up in Harle ...

::First African-American mayor of

Meridian, Mississippi Meridian is the seventh largest city in the U.S. state of Mississippi, with a population of 41,148 at the 2010 census and an estimated population in 2018 of 36,347. It is the county seat of Lauderdale County and the principal city of the Merid ...

: Percy Bland ::First African-American mayor of

Hawthorne, California Hawthorne is a city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California. It is part of a seventeen-city region commonly called the South Bay. As of the 2020 US census, Hawthorne had a population of 88, ...

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. According to ''Billboard'', Brown is one of the most successful R&B singers of his generation, having often been referred to by many contempor ...

* 2014 ::First African-American mayor of Quitman, Georgia: James C. Brown III ::First African-American mayor of Adairsville, Georgia: Kenneth J. Carson ::First African-American female mayor of

, and first woman:

Toni Harp Toni Nathaniel Harp (born August 6, 1947) is an American politician who served as the 50th Mayor of New Haven, Connecticut. Harp, a Democrat, was previously a state senator in Connecticut from 1993 to 2013. A resident of New Haven, Harp represent ...

::First African-American mayor of

Brunswick, Georgia Brunswick () is a city in and the county seat of Glynn County in the U.S. state of Georgia. As the primary urban and economic center of the lower southeast portion of Georgia, it is the second-largest urban area on the Georgia coastline after S ...

: Cornell Harvey ::First African-American female mayor of

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_ ...

, Texas:

Ivy Taylor Ivy Ruth Taylor (born June 17, 1970) is the president of Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi, and the former Mayor of San Antonio, Texas, from 2014 through 2017. The former politician and urban planner was a nonpartisan officeholder, alth ...

::First African-American woman elected mayor of

: Ollie Tyler ::First African-American female Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, as well as the first African-American female mayor of any municipality in

Bergen County, New Jersey Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Lizette Parker Lizette Parker (August 31, 1971 – April 24, 2016) was an American politician and social worker. She served as the Mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey, from 2014 until her death in April 2016. Parker was the first black woman to serve as Mayor of Tea ...

::Second African-American mayor of

Lovely Warren Lovely Ann Warren (born July 1, 1977) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 69th mayor of Rochester, New York from 2014 until her resignation in 2021. She was previously the President of the Rochester City Council. She was the fi ...

, also first Female African-American mayor of Rochester. ::First African-American mayor of

Linden, New Jersey Linden is a city in southeastern Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area, located about southwest of Manhattan and bordering Staten Island, a borough of New York City, across the Arthur Kill ...

: Derek Armstead * 2015 ::First African American and first African-American woman elected mayor of

Pearsall, Texas Pearsall ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Frio County, Texas, United States. The population was 9,146 at the 2010 census, up from 7,157 at the 2000 census. Geography Pearsall is located near the center of Frio County at (28.891458, –9 ...

: Mary Moore ::First African American and first African-American woman elected mayor of

Conway, South Carolina Conway is a city in Horry County, South Carolina, United States. The population was 24,849 at the 2020 census, up from 17,103 in 2010 census. It is the county seat of Horry County and is part of the Myrtle Beach metropolitan area. It is the ho ...

: Barbara Blain-Bellamy ::First African American elected mayor of

Camilla, Georgia Camilla is a city in Mitchell County, Georgia, United States, and is its county seat. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 5,187. History The city was incorporated in 1858. The name Camilla was chosen in honor of the granddaug ...

: Rufus L Davis II ::First African-American woman elected mayor of

Paula Hicks-Hudson Paula S. Hicks-Hudson (born May 28, 1951) is an American politician currently serving as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. She is the former Mayor of Toledo, Ohio. Early life and education Hicks-Hudson was born in Hamilton, Ohio. ...

::First African-American woman and first woman elected mayor of

Karen Weaver Karen Williams Weaver is an American psychologist and politician who was the mayor of Flint, Michigan, from 2015 to 2019. She was the first female mayor of the city and the 5th African-American to hold the office. Weaver is a member of the Demo ...

::First African American and First African American Woman appointed as mayor of

Grove Hill, Alabama Grove Hill is a town in Clarke County, Alabama, Clarke County, Alabama, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 1,818. It is the county seat of Clarke County and home of the Clarke County Museum. History Th ...

: Cynthia McGill Jackson * 2016 ::First African American elected mayor in

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634, making it California's second-most populous county and the f ...

and Lemon Grove, California: Racquel Vasquez ::First African-American and first African-American female mayor of

Midland City, Alabama Midland City is a town in Dale County, Alabama, United States. At the 2010 U.S. Census the population was 2,344. It incorporated in 1890. It is part of the Ozark Micropolitan Statistical Area. History 2013 hostage standoff On January 29, 2013 ...

: Jo Ann Bennett Grimsley ::First African American elected mayor of

Norfolk, Virginia Norfolk ( ) is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. Incorporated in 1705, it had a population of 238,005 at the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in Virginia after neighboring Virginia B ...

: Kenneth Alexander ::First African American elected mayor of

Stockton, California Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquired Rancho Campo de los Franceses. The city is named after R ...

: Michael Tubbs ::First African American and First African American Woman elected as mayor of

: Cynthia McGill Jackson ::First African American elected as mayor of

Flagstaff, Arizona Flagstaff ( ) is a city in, and the county seat of, Coconino County in northern Arizona, in the southwestern United States. In 2019, the city's estimated population was 75,038. Flagstaff's combined metropolitan area has an estimated population ...

: Coral Evans ::First African-American mayor of

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan st ...

: Anthony Williams ::First African-American mayor of

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

: Martine Watkins, also first biracial mayor * 2017 ::First African American elected mayor of Stamps, Arkansas: Brenda Davis ::First African-American woman elected mayor of

: Vi Lyles ::First African American elected mayor of

St. Paul, Minnesota Saint Paul (abbreviated St. Paul) is the capital of the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of Ramsey County. Situated on high bluffs overlooking a bend in the Mississippi River, Saint Paul is a regional business hub and the center o ...

: Melvin Carter ::First African American elected mayor of

Waukegan, Illinois ''(Fortress or Trading Post)'' , image_flag = , image_seal = , blank_emblem_size = 150 , blank_emblem_type = Logo , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_type1 = State , subdivisi ...

: Sam Cunningham ::First African American elected mayor of

Aurora, Illinois Aurora is a city in the Chicago metropolitan area located partially in DuPage, Kane, Kendall, and Will counties in the U.S. state of Illinois. Located primarily in DuPage and Kane counties, it is the second most populous city in Illinois, a ...

: Richard Irvin ::First female African American succeeds to the office of mayor of

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Mound City, Illinois Mound City is a city and the county seat of Pulaski County, Illinois, United States. It is located along the Ohio River just north of its confluence with the Mississippi River. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 588. History Mound Ci ...

: Allison Madison ::First female African American appointed as mayor of

Paterson, New Jersey Paterson ( ) is the largest city in and the county seat of Passaic County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.Jane Williams-Warren ::First female African American elected as mayor of

Kankakee, Illinois Kankakee is a city in and the county seat of Kankakee County, Illinois, United States. As of 2020, the city's population was 24,052. Kankakee is a principal city of the Kankakee-Bourbonnais-Bradley Metropolitan Statistical Area. It serves as a ...

: Chastity Wells-Armstrong ::First African-American mayor of

Gardena, California Gardena is a city located in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 58,829 at the 2010 census, up from 57,746 at the 2000 census. Until 2014, the US census cited the City of Gardena as the plac ...

: Tasha Cerda, also the first native American mayor in the state of California * 2018 ::First African American elected mayor of

Little Rock, Arkansas ( The "Little Rock") , government_type = Council-manager , leader_title = Mayor , leader_name = Frank Scott Jr. , leader_party = D , leader_title2 = Council , leader_name2 ...

: Frank Scott Jr. ::First African American mayor of

Brookneal, Virginia Brookneal is an incorporated town in Campbell County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,112 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Lynchburg Metropolitan Statistical Area. History On January 14, 1802, "Brooke Neal" was establishe ...

James Nowlin James Robertson Nowlin (born November 21, 1937) is a Senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas and a former state legislator. Education and career Born in San Antonio in Bexar Co ...

::First African American mayor of

Orange County, Florida Orange County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,429,908, making it Florida's fifth most populous county. The county seat is Orlando. Orange County is the central count ...

Jerry Demings Jerry L. Demings (born June 12, 1959) is an American politician and former law enforcement officer serving as Mayor of Orange County, Florida, in office since 2018. A Democrat, he previously served as Sheriff of Orange County, Florida, from 2009 ...

::First African American mayor of

Helena, Montana Helena (; ) is the capital city of Montana, United States, and the county seat of Lewis and Clark County. Helena was founded as a gold camp during the Montana gold rush, and established on October 30, 1864. Due to the gold rush, Helena would be ...

Wilmot Collins Wilmot Collins (born October 15, 1963) is a Liberian-born American politician serving as the mayor of Helena, Montana. He defeated four-term incumbent mayor James E. Smith in the 2017 mayoral election on November 7, 2017, with 51% of the vote. T ...

::First appointed African American mayor of

Danville, Illinois Danville is a city in and the county seat of Vermilion County, Illinois. As of the 2010 census, its population was 33,027. As of 2019, the population was an estimated 30,479. History The area that is now Danville was once home to the Miami, K ...

Rickey Williams Jr. Rickey Williams Jr. (born 1977/1978) is an American politician, the first African-American to serve as mayor of Danville, Illinois, the county seat of Vermilion County. Biography Raised in Danville, Williams is the son of Laura and Ricky Willi ...

::First African American mayor of

Bridgeport, Pennsylvania Bridgeport is a borough in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States, north of Philadelphia on the Schuylkill River. Former industries included paper, flour, cotton, woolen mills, steel works, and brickyards. Bridgeport is east of Valley ...

: Mark Barbee ::First African-American mayor of Lathrup Village, Michigan: Mykale (Kelly) Garrett * 2019 ::First African American elected Mayor of Manor, Texas: Larry Wallace Jr. ::First African American woman and first openly gay elected

Lori Lightfoot Lori Elaine Lightfoot (born August 4, 1962) is an American attorney and politician serving since 2019 as the 56th mayor of Chicago. She is a member of the Democratic Party. Before becoming mayor, Lightfoot worked in private legal practice as ...

::First African American mayor of

Lewisburg, West Virginia Lewisburg is a city in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, United States. The population was 3,930 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Greenbrier County. Geography Lewisburg is located approximately one mile north of the Greenbrier River ...

: Beverly White ::First African American elected mayor of

Elyria, Ohio Elyria ( ) is a city in the Greater Cleveland metropolitan statistical area and the county seat of Lorain County, Ohio, United States, located at the forks of the Black River in Northeast Ohio 23 miles southwest of Cleveland. As of the 2020 ...

: Frank Whitfield ::First African American elected

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

Montgomery, Alabama Montgomery is the capital city of the U.S. state of Alabama and the county seat of Montgomery County, Alabama, Montgomery County. Named for the Irish soldier Richard Montgomery, it stands beside the Alabama River, on the Gulf Coastal Plain, coas ...

: Steven Reed ::First African American elected mayor of

Talladega, Alabama Talladega (, also ) is the county seat of Talladega County, Alabama, United States. It was incorporated in 1835. At the 2020 census, the population was 15,861. Talladega is approximately east of one of the state’s biggest cities, Birmingham. ...

: Timothy Ragland ::First African American elected mayor of

Irmo, South Carolina Irmo () is a town in Lexington and Richland counties, South Carolina, United States and a suburb of Columbia. It is part of the Columbia Metropolitan Statistical Area and is located northwest of the city center. The population of Irmo was 11,097 ...

: Barry Walker ::First African American elected mayor of Eastpointe, Michigan: Monique Owens ::First African American elected mayor of

New Castle, Pennsylvania New Castle is a city in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lawrence County. It is northwest of Pittsburgh, and near the Pennsylvania–Ohio border, just southeast of Youngstown, Ohio. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, ...

: Chris Frye ::First African American elected mayor of

Wyoming, Ohio Wyoming is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton County, Ohio; It is located approximately 12 miles north of downtown Cincinnati and is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The population was 8,756 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 ce ...

: Thaddeus Hoffmeister ::First African American and elected by popular vote of

Camden, Arkansas Camden is a city in and the county seat of Ouachita County in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city is located about 100 miles south of Little Rock. Situated on bluffs overlooking the Ouachita River, the city developed ...

: Julian Lott and president of Arkansas Black Mayors Association 2020– present ::First African American elected mayor of

::First African American elected mayor of

Fort Smith, Arkansas Fort Smith is the third-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 89,142. It is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas–Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Are ...

George McGill George S. McGill (February 12, 1879May 14, 1963) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Kansas from 1930 to 1939. He was a member of the Democratic Party. , McGill was the most recent Democrat to represent Kansas ...

2020s

* 2020 ::First African American elected mayor of Ferguson, Missouri: Ella Jones ::First African American elected mayor of Lake View, Alabama: Adrain Dudley ::First African American elected mayor of

Natchitoches, Louisiana Natchitoches ( ; french: link=no, Les Natchitoches) is a small city and the parish seat of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana, United States. Established in 1714 by Louis Juchereau de St. Denis as part of French Louisiana, the community was name ...

: Ronnie Williams, Jr. ::First African American elected mayor of

Tempe, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Vale of Tempe , image_skyline = Tempeskyline3.jpg , imagesize = 260px , image_caption = Tempe skyline as se ...

: Corey Woods ::First elected African American mayor of

Williamsport, Pennsylvania Williamsport is a city in, and the county seat of, Lycoming County, Pennsylvania, United States. It recorded a population of 27,754 at the 2020 Census. It is the principal city of the Williamsport Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a popul ...

: Derek Slaughter ::First African American elected mayor of

Los Altos, California Los Altos (; Spanish for "The Heights") is a city in Santa Clara County, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area. The population was 31,625 according to the 2020 census. Most of the city's growth occurred between 1950 and 1980. Originally ...

: Neysa Fligor ::First elected African American female mayor of

: Lula Davis-Holmes ::First African American elected mayor of

Denton, Texas Denton is a city in and the county seat of Denton County, Texas, United States. With a population of 139,869 as of 2020, it is the 27th-most populous city in Texas, the 197th-most populous city in the United States, and the 12th-most populous ...

: Gerard Hudspeth * 2021 ::First African American elected mayor of

Alton, Illinois Alton ( ) is a city on the Mississippi River in Madison County, Illinois, Madison County, Illinois, United States, about north of St. Louis, St. Louis, Missouri. The population was 25,676 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. It is a p ...

: David Goins ::First African American elected mayor of

Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomingto ...

: Mboka Mwilambwe ::First African American elected mayor of Calumet City, Illinois: Thaddeus Jones ::First African American and first woman to serve as acting

mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four ...

Kim Janey Kim Michelle Janey (born May 16, 1965) is an American politician who served as acting mayor of Boston for eight months in 2021. She served as president of the Boston City Council from 2020 to 2022, and as a member of the council from the 7th dist ...

(upon the resignation of Marty Walsh to take the position of

United States Secretary of Labor The United States Secretary of Labor is a member of the Cabinet of the United States, and as the head of the United States Department of Labor, controls the department, and enforces and suggests laws involving unions, the workplace, and all ot ...

in the

Cabinet of Joe Biden Joe Biden assumed office as President of the United States on January 20, 2021. The president has the authority to nominate members of his Cabinet to the United States Senate for confirmation under the Appointments Clause of the United Sta ...

). ::First African American elected mayor of Kansas City, Kansas:

Tyrone Garner Tyrone "Ty" Garner (born July 27, 1978) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. He was drafted by the New York Islanders in the fourth round, 83rd overall in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft. Playing career Garner was born in Stoney Creek, Ontar ...

::First African American elected mayor of

Libertyville, Illinois Libertyville is a village in Lake County, Illinois, United States, and a northern suburb of Chicago. It is located west of Lake Michigan on the Des Plaines River. The 2020 census population was 20,579. It is part of Libertyville Township, whi ...

: Donna Johnson ::First African American elected mayor of

Maplewood, Missouri Maplewood is an inner-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. History Maplewood was established around the turn of the 20th century. Maplewood was one of the early suburbs of St. Louis. Located just outsid ...

: Nikylan Knapper ::First African American elected mayor of

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

, Pennsylvania: Edward C. Gainey ::First African American eleted mayor of

Little Elm, Texas Little Elm is a city in Denton County, Texas, United States, and a part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is an extended suburb of Denton; its population was 46,453 as of the 2020 census. In 2000, the census population was at 3,646. By the ...

: Curtis Cornelious ::First African American woman elected

mayor of St. Louis 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 ...

Tishaura Jones Tishaura Oneda Jones ( ; born March 10, 1972) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of St. Louis, Missouri since April 2021. A member of the Missouri Democratic Party, Jones served from 2008 to 2013 in the Missouri House of Repr ...

::First African American woman elected mayor of

: Vivian MacKenzie ::First African American elected mayor of

Willard, Missouri Willard is a city in Greene County, Missouri, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 6,344. It is part of the Springfield, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. History The City of Willard was founded in 1884 and incor ...

: Samuel Snider ::First African American elected mayor of

Wiggins, Mississippi Wiggins is a city in and the county seat of Stone County, Mississippi, United States. It is part of the Gulfport–Biloxi, Mississippi Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 4,272 at the 2020 census. History Wiggins is named a ...

: Darrell Berry ::First African American appointed mayor of

Gresham, Oregon Gresham ( ) is a city located in Multnomah County, Oregon, in the United States of America, immediately east of Portland, Oregon. It is considered a suburb within the Greater Portland Metropolitan area. Though it began as a settlement in the mid ...

: Travis Stovall *2022 ::First African American elected mayor of Milwaukee:

Cavalier Johnson Cavalier Johnson (born c. 1986) is an American politician and mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He recently served as Milwaukee Common Council president as well as Milwaukee's 2nd District alderman. In April 2022, Johnson won a special election, bec ...

::First African American elected Mayor of

Summerton, South Carolina Summerton is a town in Clarendon County, South Carolina, United States. Per the 2020 census, the population was 814. Geography Summerton is in southwestern Clarendon County at (33.605145, -80.352159). Interstate 95 passes just south of the to ...

: Tony Junious ::First women elected mayor and first African-American mayor of

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania Gettysburg (; non-locally ) is a borough and the county seat of Adams County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. The Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address are named for this town. Gettysburg is home to ...

: Rita Frealing ::First African-American elected as mayor of

North Las Vegas, Nevada North Las Vegas is a suburban city in Clark County, Nevada, United States, in the Las Vegas Valley. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 216,961, with an estimated population of 251,974 in 2019. The city was incorporated on May 1, 1 ...

: Pamela Goynes-Brown ::First African-American mayor of Osceola, Arkansas: Joe Harris Jr. ::First African-American mayor of

Brooklyn Park, Minnesota Brooklyn Park is a suburban city on the west bank of the Mississippi River, upstream from (north of) downtown Minneapolis in northern Hennepin County. It is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Minnesota. The population was 86,478 at t ...

: Hollies Winston ::First African-American mayor of

Danville, Kentucky Danville is a home rule-class city in Boyle County, Kentucky, United States. It is the seat of its county. The population was 17,236 at the 2020 Census. Danville is the principal city of the Danville Micropolitan Statistical Area, which include ...

: James J.H. Atkins ::First African-American mayor of

Long Beach, California Long Beach is a city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...

Rex Richardson Rex Richardson (born August 18, 1983) is an American politician from California who has served as the mayor of Long Beach, California since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Richardson was previously served as a member of the Long Beach Ci ...

::First female African American elected as mayor of

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

Karen Bass Karen Ruth Bass (; born October 3, 1953) is an American politician, social worker and former physician assistant who is serving as the 43rd mayor of Los Angeles since 2022. A member of the Democratic Party, Bass had previously served in the U.S ...

::First African American mayor of

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. Founded in 1917 as a "whites only" sundown town, it is now an ethnically diverse city with what was called the "third-most ...

: Daniel Lee

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of First African-American Mayors First mayors First African-American mayors

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ensl ...

African American-related lists

1860s

1870s

1880s

1900s

1910s

1920s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

See also

References