The Mayor of Richmond, Virginia is the chief executive of the government of Richmond, Virginia, as stipulated by the city's charter.
This list includes mayors who were appointed by the Richmond City Council as well as those who were elected by popular vote.
The current Mayor of Richmond, Virginia and 81st in the sequence of regular officeholders is Democrat Danny Avula, who has served in the office since January 1, 2025.
History
The City of Richmond was founded in 1737 by William Byrd II.
In May 1782, the Virginia General Assembly expressed desire to move inland, to a place less exposed to British incursions than Williamsburg. Richmond had been made the temporary capital after urging from Thomas Jefferson years earlier, and it was soon decided to make the move permanent.
Two months later, on July 2, a charter was written up, and the city was incorporated. Twelve men were to be elected from the City at-large and were to select one of their own to act as Mayor, another to serve as Recorder and four to serve as Aldermen. The remaining six were to serve as members of the Common Council. All positions had term limits of three years, with the exception of the mayor who could only serve one year consecutively. A vote was held at a meeting the following day and Dr. William Foushee, Sr. was chosen as the first mayor.
In March 1851, the decision was made to replace the original Richmond City Charter. It was decided that all city officials were to be popularly elected. After the 12-year tenure of William Lambert and his short-term replacement by recorder Samuel T. Pulliam, elections were held, with Joseph C. Mayo coming out on top. Mayo was deposed in April 1865, weeks before the end of the American Civil War, when Union forces captured the city.
The system set forth by the Second City Charter worked as long as the city was small and most voters knew personally, the qualifications of the men for whom they were voting and the requirements for the jobs to which they were elected. Beginning in 1948, Richmond eliminated the popularly elected mayor's office, and instituted a council-manager form of government. This lasted until 2004, when the City Charter was changed once again, bringing back the popularly elected mayor. Former Virginia Governor L. Douglas Wilder was elected mayor that year. Of Virginia's 38 cities, only Richmond does not have a council-manager form of government.
List of mayors Mayor Took office Left office Tenure Party Election Appointed mayors (1782–1853) 1 William Foushee Independent 2 John J. Beckley Independent 3 Robert Mitchell 1 year Independent 4 John Harvie 1 year Independent 5 William Pennock <1 year Independent 6 Richard Adams 2 years Independent 7 John J. Beckley Independent 8 Alexander McRobert Independent 9 Robert Boyd <1 year Unknown 10 George Nicholson <1 year Unknown 11 Robert Mitchell 1 year Unknown 12 John Barrett 1 year Unknown 13 Robert Mitchell 1 year Unknown 14 John Barrett 1 year Unknown 15 Robert Mitchell 1 year Unknown 16 Andrew Dunscomb 1 year Unknown 17 Robert Mitchell 1 year Unknown 18 James McClurg 1 year Unknown 19 John Barrett 1 year Unknown 20 George Nicholson 1 year Unknown 21 James McClurg 1 year Unknown 22 William Richardson 1 year Unknown 23 John Foster 1 year Unknown 24 James McClurg 1 year Unknown 25 Robert Mitchell 1 year Unknown 26 William DuVal 1 year Unknown 27 Edward Carrington 4 years Unknown 28 David Bullock 1 year Unknown 29 Benjamin Tate 1 year Unknown 30 Thomas Wilson 1 year Unknown 31 Robert Greenhow 1 year Unknown 32 Thomas Wilson 1 year Unknown 33 Robert Gamble 1 year Unknown 34 Thomas Wilson 1 year Unknown 35 William H. Fitzwhylson 1 year Unknown 36 Thomas Wilson <1 year Unknown 37 Francis Wicker 1 year Unknown 38 John Adams 6 years Unknown 39 Joseph Tate 14 years Unknown 40 Francis Wicker 1 year Unknown 41 William Lambert 12 years Democratic 42 Samuel T. Pulliam 1 year Democratic Popularly elected mayors (1853–1948) 43 Joseph Mayo 12 years Democratic TBA colspan="3" colspan="4" 44 David J. Saunders Democratic 45 Joseph Mayo Democratic TBA 46 George Chahoon Republican 47 Henry K. Ellyson Democratic TBA 48 Anthony M. Keiley Democratic TBA 49 William C. Carrington Democratic TBA 50 James Taylor Ellyson Democratic TBA 51 Richard M. Taylor 10 years Democratic TBA 52 Carlton McCarthy Democratic TBA 53 David C. Richardson Democratic TBA 54 George Ainslie 12 years Democratic TBA 55 John Fulmer Bright 16 years Democratic TBA 56 Gordon Barbour Ambler 4 years Democratic TBA 57 William C. Herbert 2 years Democratic TBA 58 Horace Hall Edwards 2 years Democratic TBA City Council appointed mayors (1948–2005) 59 W. Stirling King 2 years Democratic 60 T. Nelson Parker 2 years Democratic 61 Edward E. Haddock 2 years Democratic 62 Thomas P. Bryan 2 years Democratic 63 F. Henry Garber 2 years Democratic 64 A. Scott Anderson 2 years Democratic 65 Claude W. Woodward 2 years Democratic 66 Eleanor P. Sheppard Democratic 67 Morrill Martin Crowe Democratic 68 Philip J. Bagley Jr. Democratic 69 Thomas J. Bliley Jr. Democratic 70 Henry L. Marsh Democratic 71 Roy A. West Democratic 72 Geline B. Williams Republican 73 Walter T. Kenney Sr. Democratic 74 Leonidas B. Young II Democratic 75 Larry E. Chavis Democratic 76 Tim Kaine Democratic 77 Rudy McCollum Democratic Popularly-elected mayors (since 2005) 78 Douglas Wilder Democratic 2004 79 Dwight Clinton Jones Democratic 2008 2012 80 Levar Stoney Democratic 2016 2020 81 Danny Avula Incumbent Democratic 2024
Notes
References
External links City of Richmond: City Council 1948-Present Political Graveyard: Mayors of Richmond