The mayor of Tallahassee is the ceremonial head of the city government of Tallahassee, Florida and the chair of the City Commission. The position was created in 1992 and rotated between members, and eventually became an elected office in 2000 with Scott Maddox as its inaugural holder.
For part of the city's history the office of mayor was a rotating position chosen among city commissioners. Tallahassee switched to the direct election of its mayors in 1997.
List Florida Territory
Image Mayor Years NotesCharles Haire1826 was elected IntendantDavid Ochiltree1827moved to Florida from Fayetteville, North Carolina. He also served as a justice of the peace. Ochiltree died in 1834 at his residence on Rocky Comfort Creek (Florida). He was a colonel and was a member elect of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida for Gadsden County when he died.Floridian and Advocate (Tallahassee, Florida), Dec. 27, 1834, p. 3: ObituaryJohn Y. Garey1828–1829 He was a justice of the peace and territorial auditor. He was named on the first two issues of treasury notes in 1829 and 1830: "The Territory of Florida promises to pay John Y. Garey or bearer at the Treasury Office..."Leslie A. Thompson1830Charles Austin1831Leslie A. Thompson (2nd term)1832–1833Robert J. Hackley1834Hackley was a pioneer settler sent by his father to an area by Tampa Bay. He was dispossessed of his land for the establishment of Fort Brooke. A case on behalf of his heirs went to the Supreme Court.William Wilson1835John Rea1836William P. Gorman1837William Hilliard1838R. F. Ker1839Leslie A. Thompson (3rd term)1840Francis W. Eppes1841–1844
Statehood Image Mayor Years NotesJames A. Berthelot1845He also served in the General Assembly and campaigned for another office on a no tax anti bond platform advertised on a poster. He was a mason and part of the Grand Lodge of FloridaSimon Towle1846He was also a state comptroller. Owned the Towle House in Tallahassee, FloridaJames Kirksey1847Also delegate to the 1861 Secession Convention of FloridaF. H. Flagg1848Thomas James Perkins1849David Porter Hogue1850–1851 a lawyer who served as Attorney General in Florida.David S. Walker1852 went on to serve as the eighth Governor of Florida from 1866 to 1868.Richard Hayward1853Thomas Hayward1854–1855Francis W. Eppes (2nd term)1856–1857David Porter Hogue (2nd term)1858–1860
Civil War era and Reconstruction Image Mayor Years NotesP. T. Pearce1861–1865appointed a trustee of the West Florida SeminaryFrancis W. Eppes (3rd term)1866grandson of Thomas JeffersonDavid Porter Hogue (3rd term)1867–1868 Thaddeus Preston Tatum1869–1870Tatum was a druggist and served in the Battle of Natural Bridge. Lived September 27, 1835 - July 4, 1873 and is buried in the Old City Cemetery.Charles Edgar Dyke1871a Conservative newspaper editor of the Floridian & JournalC. H. Edwards1872–1874 David S. Walker Jr.1875Son of David S. WalkerSamuel Walker1876
Post-Reconstruction Image Mayor Years NotesSamuel C. Watkins 1876 Council President Watkins served briefly as Acting Mayor making him Tallahassee's first African-American mayorJesse Talbot Bernard1877First Democratic mayor after Reconstruction, which ended the year he was elected. David S. Walker Jr. (2nd term)1878–1879Henry Bernreuter1880born in Columbus, Georgia to German immigrants, he moved as a child with his family to Florida. He was a Confederate veteran who later served as sheriff and police chief.Edward Lewis1881Charles C. Pearce1884–1885George W. Walker 1886A. J. Fish1887Robert B. Gorman1888–1889 Son of former mayor, William P. Gorman. Served in the Confederate Army and was postmaster in Tallahassee. As mayor, he signed on to a letter from the merchants of Tallahassee to the U.S. Army's Chief of Engineers calling for the St. Marks River to be made navigable to promote trade. In 1889 he reported on negotiations with a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania company for a water works system.Richard B. Carpenter1890–1894A shopkeeper, he went into bankruptcy and had a legal case for exemption given individuals declaring bankruptcy, even though the firm was established as a separate entity. Decided on appeal in his favor.Jesse Talbot Bernard (2nd term)1895–1896a teacher and judge who travelled around Florida to hear cases. Served in the Confederate Army.R. A. Shine1897Robert B. Gorman (2nd term)1898–1902 William L. Moor1903–1904John Ward Henderson1905 He also served as a legislator.Foster Clinton Gilmore1906William M. McIntosh Jr.1907he also served as Chief Clerk of the state's Comptroller Office.Foster Clinton Gilmore (2nd term)1908Francis B. Winthrop1909The Florida State Archives have a photo of the family home as well as a photo of Winthrop, age 3. Florida State University has a photo of him in what appears to be a military uniform as well as some of his business documents in a collection of his family's papers. His family owned the Barrow Hill Plantation and a house at 610 North Magnolia, which he lived in with his wife for years.Dexter Marvin Lowry1910–1917
After World War I Image Mayor Years NotesJ. R. McDaniel1918Guyte P. McCord1919–1921played on the 1904 Florida State College football team and scored a touchdown in the state championship game against StetsonA. P. McCaskill1922–1923Ben A. Meginniss1924–1925W. Theo Proctor1926 (b.1892, d.1986)Ben A. Meginniss (2nd term)1927W. Theo Proctor (2nd term)1928–1929G. E. Lewis1930Frank D. Moor1931 W. L. Marshall1932–1933John L. Fain1934Leonard A. Wesson1935H. J. Yaeger1936 (H. Jack Yaeger)Leonard A. Wesson (2nd term)1937J. R. Jinks1938Samuel A. Wahnish1939First Jewish mayorFrank D. Moor (2nd term)1940Charles Saxon Ausley1941Jack W. Simmons1942A. R. Richardson1943Charles Saxon Ausley (2nd term)1944Ralph E. Proctor1945
Post-World War II Image Mayor Years NotesFred S. Winterle1946He and his son were involved in the oil distribution business.George I. Martin1947Fred N. Lowry1948 Younger brother of former mayor Dexter Marvin LowryRobert C. Parker1949–1950 William H. Cates1951B. A. Ragsdale1952William T. Mayo1953H. C. Summitt1954J. T. Williams1955–1956Died November 24, 1970Fred S. Winterle (2nd term)1956 John Yaeger Humphress1956–1957J. W. Cordell1957Davis H. Atkinson1958Hugh E. Williams Jr.1959George Stanton Taff1960J. W. Cordell (2nd term)1961Davis H. Atkinson1962Samuel E. Teague Jr. 1963Hugh E. Williams, Jr. (2nd term)1964George Stanton Taff (2nd term)1965William Haywood Cates(2nd Term)1966Longest-serving city commissioner in history of Tallahassee. In 1971, he was defeated by the first African American elected as commissioner, James R. Ford. His son drowned in a hunting accident. Was a religion professor at Florida State University and helped found religious organizations in Tallahassee.John A. Rudd, Sr.1967 Gene Berkowitz1968 He also served as a City Commissioner in Tallahassee His wife was a schoolteacher. As a commissioner he voted to reopen the city's pools in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968.Spurgeon Camp1969 Lee A. Everhart1970founder and president of building company Everhart Construction CompanyGene Berkowitz (2nd term)1971James R. Ford1972First African-American mayor since Reconstruction when City Council president Samuel C. Watkins briefly served as mayor in 1876Joan Heggen1973First female mayorRussell R. Bevis1974Earl Yancey1974His wife Lucy was the granddaughter of Florida politician Robert Flournoy Hosford.Johnny Jones1975James R. Ford (2nd term)1976Ben W. Thompson 1977Neal D. Sapp1978He was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and graduated from Florida State University. He was a software developer and businessman. He died March 26, 2004.Sheldon E. Hilaman1979Former school principal. Known as "Shad". Hillaman Golf Course is named for him.Richard P. Wilson 1980Hurley Rudd1981also served as a city commissioner and multiple terms in the Florida legislature2006 obituary in the Tallahassee DemocratJames R. Ford (3rd term)1982Carol Bellamy1983Kent Spriggs1984Civil Rights lawyer who also edited a book about Civil Rights leaders in the deep south. Appeared on C-SPAN while mayor discussing his duties.Hurley Rudd (2nd term)1985Jack L. McLean Jr.1986 Third African-American mayorBetty Harley1987Frank Visconti1988Dorothy Inman-Crews1989First female African-American mayorSteve Meisberg1990Debbie Lightsey1991Bob Hightower1992Dorothy Inman-Crews(2nd term)1993Penny Herman1994Scott Maddox1995Ron Weaver1996Fifth African American mayorScott Maddox (2nd term)1997–2003first directly elected mayorJohn Marks2003–2014Andrew Gillum 2014–2018 Ran for governor in 2018 but lost narrowly to Ron DeSantisJohn E. Dailey2018–present
See also Timeline of Tallahassee, Florida
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