Janet Gray Hayes (July 12, 1926 – April 21, 2014) was the 60th

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

, elected to two consecutive, four-year terms from 1975 to 1983. She was both the first woman to be elected mayor San Jose, and the first woman elected mayor of a major U.S. city with a population of more than 500,000 people.

Early life and education

Born in

Rushville, Indiana Rushville is a city in Rushville Township, Rush County, Indiana, United States. The population was 6,185 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Rush County. It, like the county, was named in honor of Dr. Benjamin Rush, who signed th ...

, Hayes went to

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

and then received her bachelor's degree from

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

. In 1956, Hayes and her husband moved to San Jose, California where her husband practiced medicine.

Political career

Hayes was elected to the

San Jose City Council The San Jose City Council, officially San José City Council, is the legislature A legislature (, ) is a deliberative assembly with the legal authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country, nation or city on behalf of t ...

in 1971 after the city had rebuffed her request for a traffic signal near her children's elementary school. In 1973, she was voted by the city council to serve as the city's vice mayor, becoming the first woman to hold that position. In 1974, she was elected mayor of the city. She was reelected in 1978. She was a

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

and campaigned as an environmentalist and wanted to fight

Urban sprawl Urban sprawl (also known as suburban sprawl or urban encroachment) is defined as "the spreading of urban developments (such as houses and shopping centers) on undeveloped land near a city". Urban sprawl has been described as the unrestricted ...

in San Jose.

Death and legacy

She died of a stroke on April 26, 2014, in

Saratoga, California Saratoga is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States. Located in Silicon Valley, in the southern Bay Area, it had a population of 31,051 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Saratoga is known for its wineries, restaurant ...

. On November 19, 2024, the rotunda of

San Jose City Hall San José City Hall is the seat of the municipal government of San Jose, California. Located in Downtown San Jose, it was designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Richard Meier in a Postmodern style. It consists of an 18-story tower, an ic ...

was rededicated as the Janet Gray Hayes Rotunda in her honor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayes, Janet Gray Women mayors of places in California 1926 births 2014 deaths 20th-century mayors of places in California People from Rushville, Indiana University of Chicago alumni Indiana University alumni California Democrats San Jose City Council members Mayors of San Jose, California Women city councillors in California 21st-century American women