The Mayor of Chester is the chief executive of the government of the city of Chester, Pennsylvania as stipulated by the city charter. This article is a listing of past (and present) mayors of Chester.
On March 5, 1795, the borough of Chester, which had been governed under the charter granted by William Penn in 1701, was incorporated by the Pennsylvania Assembly. Chester was incorporated as a city on February 4, 1866 with a mayor-council government system, consisting of a popularly elected city mayor and city council. The terms of the mayor and city council members are four years.
Mayors (1866–present) Mayor Term Political party NotesJohn Larkin, Jr.1866–1872RepublicanLarkin was the first mayor of Chester and refused to accept any salary for his service as mayorDr. J.L. Forwood1872–1881DemocratJames Barton, Jr.1881–1884RepublicanDr. J.L. Forwood1884–1887DemocratMajor Joseph R. T. Coates1887–1893RepublicanCoates was an officer in the 1st Pennsylvania Reserve Regiment of the Union Army during the U.S. Civil War and served in several of the key battles of the war.John B. Hinkson1893–1896DemocratCrosby M. Black1896–1899Republican Black served as a Pennsylvania State Representative from 1905 to 1906Dr. Daniel W. Jefferis1899–1902RepublicanHoward H. Houston1902–1905RepublicanWilliam H. Berry1905–1905DemocratBerry was elected Pennsylvania State Treasurer in the fall of 1905 and resigned as mayor in Dec. 1905Samuel E. Turner 1906–1906RepublicanElected by Chester City Council to fill Berry's term Dr. Samuel R. Crothers1906–1908RepublicanDavid M. Johnson1908–1911RepublicanWilliam Ward Jr.1911–1915RepublicanThis was Ward's 1st of two terms as mayorWesley S. McDowell1916–1920RepublicanMcDowell ordered all hotels, pool halls and liquor stores closed, implemented a curfew after dark and forbade the carrying of weapons in order to quell the 1917 Chester race riotWilliam T. Ramsey1920–1924RepublicanRamsey served as a Pennsylvania State Representative from 1913 to 1920Samuel E. Turner1924–1931RepublicanT. Woodward Trainer1931–1932RepublicanResigned. Appointed Clerk of House of Representatives, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania January 3, 1939William Ward Jr.1932–1939RepublicanThis was Ward's 2nd of two terms as mayorClifford H. Peoples1939–1945RepublicanRalph S. Swarts1944–1956RepublicanOriginally appointed on January 5, 1943, to replace Mayor Peoples. Ran unopposed in November 1943Joseph L. Eyre1956–1963RepublicanEyre was a direct descendant of John Larkin, Jr., the first mayor of Chester.James Henry Gorbey1964–1967RepublicanGorbey became a judge for the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas and a federal judge for the United States District Court of Eastern PennsylvaniaJohn H. Nacrelli1968–1979RepublicanNacrelli was convicted of federal bribery and racketeering charges related to his activities as mayor and served two years in prisonJoseph F. Battle Jr.1979–1986RepublicanBattle was nominated to the Delaware County Court of Common Pleas in 1987 by Robert P. CaseyWillie Mae James Leake1986–1991RepublicanLeake was Chester's first female mayor and first African-American mayorBarbara Bohannan-Sheppard1992–1995DemocratFirst African-American Democratic mayor. Bohannan-Sheppard created a major controversy by hiring a convicted murderer and rapist as her administrative assistantDr. Aaron Wilson Jr.1996–1998RepublicanWilson resigned to take a seat on the Pennsylvania state Public Utility CommissionDominic F. Pileggi1999–2002RepublicanPileggi became a Pennsylvania State Senator for the 9th Senatorial District and a Judge for the Pennsylvania Court of Common PleasWendell Butler Jr.2002–2012RepublicanButler served as police chief of Chester for 10 years as well as two terms as MayorJohn Linder2012–2016Democrat2nd African-American Democratic mayor Thaddeus Kirkland2016–2024DemocratKirkland was a member of the 159th District of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 23 yearsStefan Roots2024–presentDemocratRoots was a member of the Chester City Council from 2022 to 2024
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