List of first African-American mayors

The first African-American mayors were elected during Reconstruction in the Southern United States beginning about 1867. African Americans in the South were also elected to many local offices, such as sheriff and Justice of the Peace, and state offices such as legislatures as well as a smaller number of federal offices. After this period ended in 1876, it became increasingly difficult for African Americans to compete in elections due to racial discrimination, such as Jim Crow laws.

After the end of the 19th century, it generally was not until the 1960s, following the civil rights movement and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, that they again began to be elected or appointed to mayoral positions. Achievements in African Americans' being elected mayor in majority-European American 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. Lelia Foley was the first African American woman elected mayor in the United States. In 1986, the first African-American women mayors were elected to major mid-size cities.

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: Pierre Caliste Landry
First African-American mayor of Kingstree, South Carolina: Stephen Atkins Swails

1869

First African-American mayor of Maryville, Tennessee: William Bennett Scott Sr.

1870s

1870

First African American elected mayor of a Mississippi city: Robert H. Wood, mayor of Natchez

1878

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

1880s

1886

First African American mayor of Brooklyn, Illinois: John Evans

1887

Founding mayor: Columbus H. Boger, Eatonville, Florida

1888

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

1899

Founding mayor of Hobson City, Alabama; Samuel L. Davis

1900s

1905

Founding mayor of Boley, Oklahoma: 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.

1940s

1946

First African American mayor of Lincoln Heights, Ohio: Michael J. Mangham

1949

First African American mayor of East Chicago Heights, Illinois (now known as Ford Heights): Charlie Williams

1960s

1963

First African-American mayor in the state of Hawaii as the Chairman and Executive Officer of the County of Hawaii (a forerunner of the Mayor of HawaiÃÂ»i County): Helene Hale

1964

First African-American mayor of Richmond, California: George D. Carroll

1966

First African-American mayor of Flint, Michigan: Floyd J. McCree
First African-American mayor of Lake Elsinore, California: Thomas R. Yarborough
First African-American mayor of Milpitas, California: Ben F. Gross
First African-American mayor of El Centro, California: DuBois McGee
First African-American mayor of Springfield, Ohio: Robert C. Henry

1967

First elected African-American mayor of Gary, Indiana: Richard G. Hatcher
First African-American mayor of a large U.S. city, Cleveland, Ohio: Carl Stokes
First African-American appointed mayor of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington (see also: 1975)
First African American to be elected mayor of Ypsilanti, Michigan: John Burton
First African American mayor of Saginaw, Michigan: Henry G. Marsh

1968

First African American to be elected mayor of Montclair, New Jersey: Matthew G. Carter
First African-American mayor of a Kentucky city: Luska Twyman, Glasgow, Kentucky
First African American to be elected mayor of a predominantly white Southern city: Howard Nathaniel Lee, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

1969

In 1969, Sophia Mitchell was appointed mayor of Rendville, becoming the first African American woman to serve as mayor in Ohio. She continued to lead for at least two additional terms.<Ref>

https://www.ohio.edu/news/2021/02/black-history-region-images#:~:text=Rendville%20has%20been%20known%20for,American%20woman%20mayor)%20and%20others</ref>

First African American to be elected mayor of Fayette, Mississippi: Charles Evers
First African-American mayor of Compton, California: Douglas Dollarhide
First African American to be elected mayor of East Orange, New Jersey: William Stanford Hart Sr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Howard Nathaniel Lee

1970s

1970

First African American to be elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey: Kenneth A. Gibson
First African American to be elected mayor of Dayton, Ohio: James H. McGee
First African-American appointed mayor of Wichita, Kansas: A. Price Woodard
First African American to be elected mayor of Salina, Kansas: Robert C. Caldwell
First African American to be elected mayor of Chesilhurst, New Jersey: George J. Phillips
First African American to be appointed mayor of Carson, California: Gilbert D. Smith

1971

First African American to be appointed mayor of Gainesville, Florida since the Reconstruction era: Neil A. Butler
First African American to be appointed mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan: Lyman Parks (see also: 1973)
First African-American mayor of Englewood, New Jersey: Walter Scott Taylor
First African American to be elected mayor of Berkeley, California: Warren Widener

1972

First African-American mayor of Tallahassee, Florida and first African-American mayor of a state capital: James R. Ford
First African-American mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio: Ted Berry
First African-American mayor of Uniontown, Alabama: Andrew Hayden
First African-American mayor of Prichard, Alabama: Algernon J. Cooper
First African American to be appointed mayor of Leavenworth, Kansas: Benjamin Day
First African-American elected female mayor of (Urbancrest, Ohio) Ellen Walker Craig-Jones, in the United States (January 1, 1972) The Columbus, Ohio Board of Election, validates the dates of election
First African-American mayor of Lakeland, Florida: John S. Jackson
First African American mayor of Manhattan, Kansas: Murt Hanks Jr.

1973

First African American to be elected mayor of Detroit, Michigan: Coleman Young
First African American to be elected mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina: Clarence Lightner
First African American to be elected mayor of a city in Georgia, Greenville: Richmond D. Hill
First African American to be elected mayor of a major Southern city: Maynard Jackson, Atlanta, Georgia
First African American to be elected mayor of a major Western city: Tom Bradley, Los Angeles, California
First African-American female mayor: Lelia Foley, Taft, Oklahoma
First African-American female mayor of a major satellite city and first African American woman mayor in California: Doris A. Davis, Compton, California
First African American to be elected mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan: Lyman Parks (see also: 1971)

1974

First African American to be elected mayor of Waco, Texas: Oscar Du Conge
First African American to be appointed mayor of Pontiac, Michigan: Wallace E. Holland
First African American to be elected mayor of Boulder, Colorado: Penfield Tate
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Fairplay, Colorado: Ada B. Evans
First African American to be elected mayor of Berkeley Township, New Jersey: Edward Tolbert
First African American to be elected mayor of Matawan, New Jersey and first African-American mayor in Monmouth County: Philip N. Gumbs
First African American to be elected mayor of Paulsboro, New Jersey: Elwood Hampton
First African American to be elected mayor of Randolph, New Jersey: Tyrone Barnes
First African-American mayor of Bridgewater, New York and first African-American mayor in New York State: Everett Holmes
First African-American mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia: Charles H. Barbour

1975

First African American to be elected mayor, and first elected mayor, of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington (see also: 1967)
First African-American mayor of Santa Monica, California: Nat Trives
First African-American mayor of Opa-Locka, Florida and first African-American mayor in Dade County: Albert Tresvant
First African-American mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan: Albert Wheeler

1976

First African American to be elected mayor of Pocatello, Idaho and first African American to be elected mayor in the state of Idaho: Thomas L. Purce
First African-American mayor of Seaside, California: Oscar Lawson
First African-American mayor of Opelousas, Louisiana: John W. Joseph
First African-American mayor in New Mexico and first African-American mayor of Las Cruces, New Mexico: Albert Johnson
First African-American woman to be elected mayor in the U.S. state of Mississippi: Unita Blackwell

1977

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

1978

First African American to be elected mayor of Oakland, California: Lionel Wilson
First African American to be elected mayor of New Orleans: Ernest Nathan Morial
First African-American woman to be elected mayor in Walthourville, Georgia: Carrie Kent

1979

First African American to be elected mayor of Birmingham, Alabama: Richard Arrington, Jr.
First African American to be appointed mayor of New London, Connecticut: Leo E. Jackson
First African American to be elected mayor of Rock Island, Illinois: James R. Davis

1980s

1980

First African-American mayor of Menlo Park, California: Billy Ray White

1981

First African American to be elected mayor of Camden, New Jersey: Randy Primas
First African American to be elected mayor of Spokane, Washington: James Everett Chase
First African American to be elected mayor of Plainfield, New Jersey, and first African American elected mayor in Central New Jersey: Everett C. Lattimore
First African-American mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas: Charles E. Bussey Jr.
First African-American mayor of Winter Haven, Florida: Lemuel Geathers
First African-American mayor of Hartford, Connecticut: Thirman L. Milner
First African-American mayor of Maywood, Illinois: Joe Freelon
First African-American appointed mayor of Augusta, Georgia: Ed McIntyre

1982

First African American to succeed to the office of mayor of Memphis, Tennessee after the resignation of his predecessor: J.O. Patterson, Jr.
First African-American mayor of Teaneck, New Jersey: Bernard E. Brooks
First female African-American mayor in the state of Florida and first female mayor of Opa-locka, Florida: Helen L. Miller
First African-American mayor of Pasadena, California: Loretta Thompson-Glickman

1983

First African American to be elected Mayor of Chicago: Harold Washington
First African American to be elected mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina: Harvey Gantt
First African American to be elected Mayor of Flint: James Sharp
First African American to be elected mayor Hope, Arkansas: Floyd Young, Jr

1984

First African American to be elected Mayor of Atlantic City, New Jersey: James L. Usry
First African American to be elected Mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Wilson Goode
First African American to be elected mayor of Portsmouth, Virginia: James W. Holley III
First African American to be appointed mayor of Peekskill, New York: Richard E. Jackson

1985

First African American to be elected mayor of Plant City, Florida: Sadye Gibbs Martin 1985-1989 which also made her the first female African-American elected mayor of a major city in Florida. She served on the City Commission for 15 years
First African American to be appointed mayor of Gainesville, Georgia: John W. Morrow Jr.
First African-American to be appointed mayor of Lynwood, California: Robert Henning
First African-American mayor of Markham, Illinois: Evans R Miller
First African American to be elected mayor of Mount Vernon, New York, and first African American elected mayor in New York: Ronald Blackwood
First African American to be appointed mayor of Mount Pleasant, Tennessee and first African-American appointed mayor in the state of Tennessee: Willie B. Baker

1986

First African-American and first female mayor of Newport News, Virginia: Jessie M. Rattley
First African American to be appointed Lynwood, California: Evelyn Wells
First African American and first woman mayor of Chester, Pennsylvania: Willie Mae Leake
First African-American mayor of Mitchell, South Dakota: Leonard Williams

1987

First African-American woman to be elected mayor of a major city Hartford, Connecticut: Carrie Saxon Perry
First African American to succeed to the office of mayor of Baltimore, Maryland: Clarence H. Burns
First African American to be elected mayor of Fairbanks, Alaska: James C. Hayes
First African American to be elected mayor of Tacoma, Washington: Harold Moss
First African-American female and first female mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas: Lottie Shackelford

1988

First African American to be elected mayor of Baltimore, Maryland: Kurt Schmoke
First African American to be elected mayor of Hempstead, New York: James A. Garner
First African American to be elected mayor of Orange, New Jersey: Robert L. Brown
First African American acting mayor of Omaha, Nebraska: Fred L. Conley
First African American to be elected mayor of Vicksburg, Mississippi: Robert Walker

1989

First African American to be elected mayor of New York City: David Dinkins
First African American to be elected mayor of New Haven, Connecticut: John C. Daniels
First African American to be elected mayor of Richmond, California: George Livingston
First African American to be elected mayor of Rockford, Illinois: Charles Box
First African American to be elected mayor of Seattle, Washington: Norm Rice
First African American to succeed to the office of mayor of Minden, Louisiana, after the recall of his predecessor: Robert T. Tobin
First African American to be elected mayor of Asbury Park, New Jersey: Thomas S. Smith
First African-American mayor of Victorville, California: James Busby

1990s

1990

First African American to be elected Mayor of Trenton, New Jersey: Douglas Palmer
First African American to be elected mayor of New Bern, North Carolina: Leander R. "Lee" Morgan
First African-American mayor of Lynchburg, Virginia: M.W. Thornhill Jr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Chandler, Arizona: Coy Payne
First African American to be elected mayor of New York City: David Dinkins
First African American to be elected mayor of Irvington, New Jersey: Michael G. Steele

1991

First African American to be elected mayor of Memphis, Tennessee: W. W. Herenton
First African American to be elected mayor of Denver, Colorado: Wellington Webb
First African American to be elected mayor of Kansas City, Missouri: Emanuel Cleaver
First African-American to be appointed mayor of Lancaster, California: Henry Hearns
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Washington, D.C.: Sharon Pratt Kelly
First African-American mayor of Trenton, New Jersey: Douglas Palmer
First African-American mayor of Salem, New Jersey: Leon F. Johnson
First African-American mayor elected in the state of Wisconsin as the mayor of Fitchburg: Frances Huntley-Cooper
First African American mayor of Morgantown, West Virginia, and the first African-American woman to be elected mayor of a West Virginia city: Charlene Marshall

1992

First African-American male to be lected mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts: Kenneth Reeves
First African-American mayor in the state of Alaska, as mayor of Fairbanks: James C. Hayes

1993

First African American to be elected mayor of St. Louis, Missouri: Freeman Bosley Jr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Rochester, New York: William A. Johnson Jr.
First African American and first woman to be elected mayor of Minneapolis, Minnesota: Sharon Sayles Belton
First African-American woman and first woman to be elected mayor of Irvington, New Jersey: Sara Bost
First African American mayor of Evanston, Illinois: Lorraine H. Morton
First African American and first woman mayor of East Point, Georgia: Patsy Jo Hilliard

1995

First African American to be elected mayor of Dallas, Texas: Ron Kirk
First African American to be elected mayor of Savannah, Georgia: Floyd Adams, Jr.
First African-American woman to hold the position of mayor in any Iowa municipality when she served as mayor of Clinton, Iowa: LaMetta Wynn

1996

First African American to be elected mayor of San Francisco, California: Willie Brown
First African American to be elected mayor of Monroe, Louisiana: Abe E. Pierce, III
First African American to be elected mayor of Pleasant Valley, Missouri: Abram "Abe" McGull

1997

First African American to be elected mayor of Dolton, Illinois: William Shaw
First African American to be elected mayor of Jackson, Mississippi: Harvey Johnson, Jr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Houston, Texas: Lee P. Brown
First African American to be elected mayor of Des Moines, Iowa: Preston Daniels
First African American to be elected mayor of Paterson, New Jersey: Martin G. Barnes
First African American to succeed to the office of mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado, after the resignation of his predecessor: Leon Young
First African-born black mayor in the United States, elected as mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio: Emmanuel Onunwor
First African-American mayor of District Heights, Maryland: Jack Sims Jr.

1998

First African-American mayor of Jasper, Texas: R. C. Horn
First African-American female to be elected mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts: E. Denise Simmons
First African-American mayor of Hopewell, Virginia: Curtis West Harris
First African-American and first female mayor of Lecompte, Louisiana: Rosa Mae Scott Jones
First African-American woman mayor on the Eastern Shore of Maryland: Fannie Birckhead

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: Stephanie Summerow Dumas
First African-American mayor of Macon, Georgia: C. Jack Ellis

2000s

2000

First African American to be elected mayor of Columbus, Ohio: Michael B. Coleman
First African American to be elected mayor of Selma, Alabama: James Perkins, Jr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Oceanside, California: Terry Johnson
First African American to be elected mayor in the state of Wyoming as mayor of Worland, Wyoming: LaVertha Gotier

2001

First African American to be elected mayor of Hattiesburg, Mississippi: Johnny DuPree
First African-American female mayor of a major Southern city, and first woman to be elected mayor of Atlanta, Georgia: Shirley Franklin
First African American and first woman to be elected mayor of Southfield, Michigan: Brenda L. Lawrence
First African American elected mayor of Fayetteville, North Carolina: Marshall Pitts Jr.
First African-American female Republican to be elected mayor of Tchula, Mississippi: Yvonne Brown
First African-American Mayor of Jersey City, New Jersey: Glenn Cunningham
First African-American female to be appointed mayor of Gainesville, Georgia: Myrtle Figueras
First African-American mayor of Pittsburg, California: Yvonne Beals
First African-American woman mayor of Richmond, California: Irma Anderson
First African-American mayor of Riverdale, Illinois: Zenovia Evans (appointed 2001, elected to a full term thereafter)

2002

First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Dayton, Ohio: Rhine McLin
First African American to be elected mayor of Toledo, Ohio: Jack Ford

2003

First African American to be elected mayor of Palm Springs, California: Ron Oden
First African American to be elected by citizens as mayor of Tallahassee, Florida: John Marks
First African American to be elected mayor, and first elected mayor, of San Ramon, California: H. Abram Wilson
First African-American mayor of Alexandria, Virginia: William D. Euille

2004

First African American to be elected mayor of Midway, Alabama: James N. Robbins, Sr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Kip Holden
First African-American mayor of Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Marvin Pratt
First African American to be elected mayor of Pine Bluff, Arkansas: Carl A. Redus Jr.
First African-American female to be elected mayor of Waco, Texas: Mae Jackson
First African-American female to be appointed mayor of East Cleveland, Ohio: Saratha Goggins
First African American and first woman to serve as mayor of Greenville, Mississippi: Heather McTeer Toney

2005

First African American to be elected mayor of Buffalo, New York: Byron Brown
First African American to be elected mayor of Mobile, Alabama: Sam Jones
First African American to be elected mayor of Asheville, North Carolina: Terry Bellamy
First African American to be elected mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio: Mark Mallory
First African American to be elected mayor of Youngstown, Ohio: Jay Williams
First African American and first woman to be elected mayor of Greenwood, Mississippi: Sheriel F. Perkins
First African American to succeed to the office of mayor of Orlando, Florida: Ernest Page

2006

First African American to be elected mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana: Cedric Glover
First African American to be elected mayor of Anderson, South Carolina: Terence Roberts
First African-American mayor of Duarte, California: Lois Gaston
First African American to be elected mayor of Killeen, Texas: Timothy Hancock
First African American to be elected mayor of Lancaster, California: Henry Hearns

2007

First African-American woman and first woman to be elected mayor of Baltimore, Maryland: Sheila Dixon
First African American to be elected mayor of Greensboro, North Carolina: Yvonne Johnson
First African American to be elected mayor of Wichita, Kansas: Carl Brewer
First African American to be elected mayor of South Harrison Township, New Jersey: Charles Tyson

2008

First African American to be elected mayor of Blue Springs, Missouri: Carson Ross
First African American to be elected mayor of Lancaster, Texas: Marcus Knight
First African American to be elected mayor of Mansfield, Ohio: Donald Culliver
First African American to be elected mayor of Sacramento, California: Kevin Johnson
First African-American mayor of Festus, Missouri: Earl Cook
First African American and first woman to be elected mayor of Cambridge, Maryland: Victoria Jackson-Stanley

2009

First African American to be elected mayor of Philadelphia, Mississippi: James Young
First African American to be elected mayor of Freeport, New York: Andrew Hardwick
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Brentwood, Maryland: Xzavier Montgomery-Wright
First African American and first woman to be elected mayor of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Linda D. Thompson
First African-American woman to serve as mayor of Birmingham, Alabama: Carole Smitherman

2010s

2010

First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Fontana, California: Acquanetta Warren
First African American to be elected mayor of Columbia, South Carolina: Stephen K. Benjamin
First African American to be elected mayor of Bridgeton, New Jersey: Albert B. Kelly
First African American to be elected Mayor of Lakeland, Florida: Gow Fields
First African American elected to serve as mayor of York, Pennsylvania: C. Kim Bracey
First appointed African American mayor of Roxboro, North Carolina: Samuel Spencer
First appointed African American mayor of East Chicago, Indiana: Anthony Copeland

2011

First African American to be elected mayor of Jacksonville, Florida: Alvin Brown
First African-American mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee: Daniel Brown
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Savannah, Georgia: Edna Jackson

2012

First African-American mayor of Ithaca, New York: Svante Myrick
First African-American mayor of Antioch, California: Wade Harper
First African-American and first female mayor of Orrville, Alabama: Louvenia Diane Lumpkin
First African-American mayor of Phenix City, Alabama: Eddie Lowe
First African-American woman and first woman to be elected mayor of Gary, Indiana: Karen Freeman-Wilson
First African American mayor of High Point, North Carolina: Bernita Sims
First African American woman elected mayor of Albany, Georgia: Dorothy Hubbard

2013

First African-American mayor of Plano, Texas: Harry LaRosiliere
First African-American mayor of Meridian, Mississippi: Percy Bland
First African-American mayor of Hawthorne, California: Chris Brown
First African-American woman mayor of Broward County, Florida: Barbara Sharief

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 New Haven, Connecticut, and first woman: Toni Harp
First African-American mayor of Brunswick, Georgia: Cornell Harvey
First African-American female mayor of San Antonio, Texas: Ivy Taylor
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Shreveport, Louisiana: 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: Lizette Parker
First African-American female mayor of Rochester, New York: Lovely Warren, also second African-American mayor of Rochester.
First African-American mayor of Linden, New Jersey: Derek Armstead
First African-American mayor of Purcellville, Virginia: Kwasi Fraser

2015

First African American and first African-American woman to be elected mayor of Pearsall, Texas: Mary Moore
First African American and first African-American woman to be elected mayor of Conway, South Carolina: Barbara Blain-Bellamy
First African American to be elected mayor of Camilla, Georgia: Rufus L Davis II
First African American to be elected mayor of Fayetteville, Georgia: Edward J Johnson Jr
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Toledo, Ohio: Paula Hicks-Hudson
First African-American woman and first woman to be elected mayor of Flint, Michigan: Karen Weaver
First African American and first African-American woman to be appointed as mayor of Grove Hill, Alabama: Cynthia McGill Jackson
First woman and fifth African-American mayor of Flint, Michigan: Karen Weaver

2016

First African American to be elected mayor in San Diego County and Lemon Grove, California: Racquel Vasquez
First African-American and first African-American female mayor of Midland City, Alabama: Jo Ann Bennett Grimsley
First African American to be elected mayor of Norfolk, Virginia: Kenneth Alexander
First African American to be elected mayor of Stockton, California: Michael Tubbs
First African American and first African-American woman to be elected as mayor of Grove Hill, Alabama: Cynthia McGill Jackson
First African American to be elected as mayor of Flagstaff, Arizona: Coral Evans
First African-American mayor of Abilene, Texas: Anthony Williams
First African-American mayor of Santa Cruz, California: Martine Watkins, also first biracial mayor
First African-American woman to serve as mayor-president of Baton Rouge, Louisiana: Sharon Weston Broome

2017

First African American elected mayor of Stamps, Arkansas: Brenda Davis
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina: Vi Lyles
First African American to be elected mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota: Melvin Carter
First African American to be elected mayor of Waukegan, Illinois: Sam Cunningham
First African American to be elected mayor of Aurora, Illinois: Richard Irvin
First African American female to be elected mayor of Broadview, Illinois: Katrina Thompson
First African-American woman to succeed to the office of mayor of Paterson, New Jersey: Ruby Cotton
First African-American and first female mayor of Mound City, Illinois: Allison Madison
First African-American woman to be appointed as mayor of Paterson, New Jersey: Jane Williams-Warren
First African-American woman to be elected as mayor of Kankakee, Illinois: Chastity Wells-Armstrong
First African-American mayor of Gardena, California: Tasha Cerda, also the first native American mayor in the state of California
First African-American mayor of Pelahatchie, Mississippi and first African-American mayor in Rankin County, Mississippi: Ryshonda Harper Beechem

2018

First African American to be elected mayor of Little Rock, Arkansas: Frank Scott Jr.
First African-American mayor of Brookneal, Virginia: James Nowlin
First African-American mayor of Orange County, Florida: Jerry Demings
First African-American mayor of Helena, Montana: Wilmot Collins
First African American to be appointed mayor of Danville, Illinois: Rickey Williams Jr.
First African-American mayor of Bridgeport, Pennsylvania: Mark Barbee
First African-American mayor of Lathrup Village, Michigan: Mykale (Kelly) Garrett
First African-American mayor of Hercules, California: Dion Bailey
First African-American woman mayor of Charlottesville, Virginia: Nikuyah Walker
First African-American woman mayor of New Orleans: LaToya Cantrell
First African-American woman mayor of San Francisco: London Breed
First African-American woman to be a popularly elected mayor in Massachusetts when inaugurated as mayor of Framingham, Massachusetts: Yvonne M. Spicer

2019

First African American to be elected Mayor of Manor, Texas: Larry Wallace Jr.
First African-American woman and first openly gay person to be elected Mayor of Chicago: Lori Lightfoot
First African-American mayor of Lewisburg, West Virginia: Beverly White
First African American to be elected mayor of Elyria, Ohio: Frank Whitfield
First African American to be elected Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama: Steven Reed
First African American to be elected mayor of Talladega, Alabama: Timothy Ragland
First African American to be elected mayor of Irmo, South Carolina: Barry Walker
First African American to be elected mayor of Eastpointe, Michigan: Monique Owens
First African American to be elected mayor of New Castle, Pennsylvania: Chris Frye
First African American to be elected mayor of Wyoming, Ohio: Thaddeus Hoffmeister
First African-American mayor of, and first mayor elected by popular vote in, Camden, Arkansas: Julian Lott (also president of Arkansas Black Mayors Association 2020Ã¢ÂÂpresent)
First African American to be elected mayor of Danville, Illinois: Rickey Williams Jr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Fort Smith, Arkansas: George McGill
First African American appointed mayor of Centralia, Illinois: Herb Williams
First African-American mayor of Forest Park, Illinois: Rory Hoskins

2020s

2020

First African American to be elected mayor of Ferguson, Missouri: Ella Jones
First African American to be elected mayor of Lake View, Alabama: Adrain Dudley
First African American to be elected mayor of Natchitoches, Louisiana: Ronnie Williams, Jr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Tempe, Arizona: Corey Woods
First African American to be elected mayor of Williamsport, Pennsylvania: Derek Slaughter
First African American to be elected mayor of Los Altos, California: Neysa Fligor
First elected African-American female mayor of Carson, California: Lula Davis-Holmes
First African American to be elected mayor of Denton, Texas: Gerard Hudspeth
First African American to be elected Mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma: Marlon Coleman
First elected African-American female mayor of Mount Vernon, New York: Shawyn Patterson-Howard
First African-American mayor of Elkhart, Indiana: Rod Roberson

2021

First African American to be elected mayor of Alton, Illinois: David Goins
First African American elected mayor of Bloomington, Illinois: Mboka Mwilambwe
First African American to be elected mayor of Calumet City, Illinois: Thaddeus Jones
First African American and first woman to serve as acting mayor of Boston: Kim Janey (upon the resignation of Marty Walsh to take the position of United States Secretary of Labor in the Cabinet of Joe Biden).
First African American to be elected mayor of Kansas City, Kansas: Tyrone Garner
First African American to be elected mayor of Libertyville, Illinois: Donna Johnson
First African American to be elected mayor of Lynwood, Illinois: Jada Curry
First African American to be elected mayor of Maplewood, Missouri: Nikylan Knapper
First African American to be elected mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Edward C. Gainey
First African American to be elected mayor of Little Elm, Texas: Curtis Cornelious
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of St. Louis: Tishaura Jones
First African-American woman to be elected mayor of Peekskill, New York: Vivian MacKenzie
First African American to be elected mayor of Willard, Missouri: Samuel Snider
First African American to be elected mayor of Wiggins, Mississippi: Darrell Berry
First African American to be appointed mayor of Gresham, Oregon: Travis Stovall
First African American to be elected mayor, and first elected mayor, of Cleveland Heights, Ohio: Kahlil Seren
First African American to be elected mayor of Newbern, Alabama: Patrick Braxton
First African American to be elected mayor of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania: Kenya Johns
First African American and first woman to be elected mayor of Peoria, Illinois: Rita Ali
First African-American woman mayor of Durham, North Carolina: Elaine O'Neal

2022

First African American to be elected mayor of Milwaukee: Cavalier Johnson
First African American to be elected Mayor of Summerton, South Carolina: Tony Junious
First woman to be elected mayor and first African-American mayor of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania: Rita Frealing
First African American to be elected mayor in the state of Nevada and first African American to be elected as mayor of North Las Vegas, Nevada: Pamela Goynes-Brown
First African-American mayor of Osceola, Arkansas: Joe Harris Jr.
First African-American mayor of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota: Hollies Winston
First African-American mayor of Danville, Kentucky: James J. H. Atkins
First African-American mayor of Long Beach, California: Rex Richardson
First African-American woman to be elected as mayor of Los Angeles: Karen Bass
First African-American mayor of Culver City, California: Daniel Lee
First African-American mayor of Santa Rosa, California: Natalie Rogers
First Afro-Filipino mayor of Hercules, California: Alexander Walker-Griffin
First African-American mayor of Calhoun City, Mississippi: Marshall W. Coleman
First African-American mayor of Baldwyn, Mississippi: Roslynn Clark
First African-American mayor of West Point, Mississippi: Rod Bobo
First African-American mayor of St. Petersburg, Florida: Ken Welch
First African-American woman mayor of West Chester, Pennsylvania: Lillian DeBaptiste

2023

First African American to be appointed mayor of Waynesville, Missouri: Sean Avery Wilson
First African American to be elected mayor of Carbondale, Illinois: Carolin Harvey
First African American to be elected mayor of Colorado Springs, Colorado: Yemi Mobolade
First African American to be elected mayor of Culver City, California: Yasmine-Imani McMorrin
First African American to be appointed mayor of Hagerstown, Maryland: Tekesha Martinez
First African American to be appointed mayor of Pinole, California: Devin Murphy

2024

First African American to be elected mayor of Gaffney, South Carolina: Lyman Dawkins III
First African American to be elected mayor of Mullins, South Carolina: Miko Pickett
First African American to be elected mayor of White Plains, New York: Nadine Hunt-Robinson
First African American to be elected mayor of Kingsport, Tennessee:Paul Montgomery
First African American to be elected mayor of Princeton, Texas: Eugene Escobar Jr.
First African American to be elected mayor of Neptune Township, New Jersey: Tassie York
First African American to be elected mayor of Port Huron, Michigan: Anita Ashford
First African-American woman to serve as mayor of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Cherelle Parker
First African-American female mayor of Fort Wayne, Indiana: Sharon Tucker
First African American mayor of Michigan City, Indiana: Angie Nelson-Deuitch
First African American mayor of Evansville, Indiana: Stephanie Terry
First African American mayor of Lawrence, Indiana: Deb Whitfield
First African American mayor of Marion, Indiana and first African American Republican mayor in the state of Indiana: Ronald Morrell Jr.
First African American mayor of North Charleston, South Carolina: Reggie L. Burgess

2025

First African American mayor of Urbana, Illinois: DeShawn Williams
First African-American woman mayor of Alexandria, Virginia: Alyia Gaskins
First African American elected mayor and first black woman of Roxboro, North Carolina: Cynthia Petty
First African American mayor elect and first Black woman of Conyers, Georgia: Connie Alsobrook
First African American to be elected mayor of Roxboro, North Carolina: Cynthia Petty
First African American woman to be elected mayor of Detroit: Mary Sheffield
First African American and first African American woman to be elected mayor of Albany, New York: Dorcey Applyrs
First African American and first African American woman to be elected mayor of Syracuse, New York: Sharon Owens
First African American elected mayor of Omaha, Nebraska: John Ewing Jr.
First African American elected mayor of Brockton, Massachusetts: Moises Rodrigues
First African American woman to be elected mayor of Kansas City, Kansas: Christal Watson
First African American to be elected mayor of El Paso, Texas: Renard Johnson
First African American to be elected mayor of Waynesboro, Virginia: Kenny Lee
First African American mayor of Bay Minette, Alabama: Joshua Brown
First African-American woman mayor of Plymouth, North Carolina: Crystal Davis

References