List of mayors of Rochester, New York

Mayor of Rochester
Seal of the City of Rochester
Flag of the City of Rochester
Incumbent
Malik Evans
since January 1, 2022
StyleThe Honorable
Term lengthFour years; renewable
Inaugural holderJonathan Child
Formation1834
Salary$143,000 (2017)
WebsiteCity of Rochester

The following is the complete list of the mayors of the city of Rochester, New York.

Rochester's city charter defines the mayor as the chief executive of the city, empowered to enforce all local laws and make appointments to all appointed local offices.[1]

When Rochester was incorporated in 1834, the mayor was initially appointed by the city council and had few responsibilities beyond presiding over council meetings. In 1840, the New York state legislature passed a law making the mayors of all incorporated cities elective. Various amendments to the city charter during the 19th century gave the mayor additional powers of appointment.[2] In 1898, the state legislature adopted a uniform charter for all cities, establishing a mayor-council government where the mayor controlled all executive functions and appointments.[3] In 1925, Rochester modified its charter in a referendum to switch to a council-manager government, where the mayor was ceremonial and executive functions were handled by a city manager appointed by the council.[4] A second referendum in 1984 changed the city charter back to a mayor-council government.[5]

List of Mayors of Rochester

# Term Mayor Party
1 June 1834 - 1835 Jonathan Child   Whig
2 July 1835 - December 1836 Jacob Gould   Democrat
3 December 1836 - 1837 Abraham M. Schermerhorn   Whig
4 March 1837 - 1838 Thomas Kempshall   Whig
5 1838 - December 1838 Elisha Johnson   Democrat
6 December 1838 - December 1839 Thomas H. Rochester   Whig
7 December 1839 - 1840 Samuel G. Andrews   Whig
8 1840 - 1842 Elijah F. Smith   Whig
9 March 1842 - 1843 Charles J. Hill   Democrat
10 1843 - 1844 Isaac Hills   Democrat
11 March 1844 - March 1845 John Allen   Whig
12 March 1845 - 1847 William Pitkin   Whig
13 1847 - 1848 John B. Elwood   Democrat
14 1848 - 1849 Joseph Field   Democrat
15 March 1849 - 1850 Levi A. Ward   Whig
16 March 1850 - 1851 Samuel Richardson   Democrat
17 1851 - 1852 Nicholas E. Paine   Democrat
18 1852 - 1853 Hamblin Stillwell   Democrat
19 1853 - 1854 John Williams   Democrat
20 1854 - 1855 Maltby Strong   Whig
21 1855 - 1856 Charles J. Hayden   American
22 1856 - 1857 Samuel G. Andrews   Republican
23 1857 - 1858 Rufus Keeler   Democrat
24 1858 - 1859 Charles H. Clark   Democrat
25 1859 - 1860 Samuel W.D. Moore   Republican
26 1860 - 1861 Hamlet D. Scrantom   Republican
27 March 1861 - April 1862 John C. Nash   Republican
28 April 1862 - April 1863 Michael Filon   Democrat
29 April 1863 - March 1864 Nehemiah C. Bradstreet   Democrat
30 March 1864 - March 1865 James Brackett   Democrat
31 March 1865 - 1866 Daniel D.T. Moore   Republican
32 1866 - 1867 Samuel W.D. Moore   Republican
33 March 1867 - 1869 Henry L. Fish   Democrat
34 1869 - 1870 Edward M. Smith   Republican
35 1870 - 1871 John Lutes   Democrat
36 April 1871 - April 1872 Charles W. Briggs   Republican
37 April 1872 - 1873 Abel Carter Wilder   Republican
38 1873 - 1874 George W. Aldridge, Sr. (acting)   Republican
39 1874 - 1876 George G. Clarkson   Republican
40 1876 - 1890 Cornelius R. Parsons   Republican
41 1890 - 1892 William Carroll   Democrat
42 1892 - 1894 Richard J. Curran   Republican
43 April 1, 1894 - January 22, 1895 George W. Aldridge   Republican
44 January 22, 1895 - December 31, 1895 Merton E. Lewis (acting)   Republican
45 January 1, 1896 - December 31, 1899 George E. Warner   Democrat
46 January 1, 1900 - December 31, 1901 George A. Carnahan   Republican
47 January 1, 1902 - December 31, 1903 Adolph J. Rodenbeck   Republican
48 January 1, 1904 - December 31, 1907 James G. Cutler   Republican
49 January 1, 1908 - December 31, 1921 Hiram Edgerton   Republican
50 January 1, 1922 - June 17, 1926 Clarence D. Van Zandt   Republican
51 June 22, 1926 - January 3, 1928 Martin B. O'Neil   Republican
52 January 3, 1928 - March 5, 1930 Joseph C. Wilson   Republican
53 March 5, 1930 - January 2, 1932 Vice Mayor Isaac Adler & City Manager Stephen B. Story (acting)   Republican
54 January 2, 1932 - April 28, 1933 Charles S. Owen   Democrat
55 April 28, 1933 - January 2, 1934 Percival D. Oviatt   Republican
56 January 2, 1934 - December 31, 1937 Charles Stanton   Republican
57 January 1, 1938 - December 31, 1938 Lester B. Rapp   Republican
58 January 10, 1939 - June 14, 1955 Samuel B. Dicker   Republican
59 June 14, 1955 - December 31, 1961 Peter Barry   Republican
60 January 1, 1962 - December 31, 1963 Henry E. Gillette   Democrat
61 January 1, 1964 - December 31, 1969 Frank Lamb   Democrat
62 January 1, 1970 - December 31, 1973 Stephen May   Republican
63 January 1, 1974 - December 31, 1993 Thomas P. Ryan, Jr.   Democrat
64 January 1, 1994 - December 31, 2005 William A. Johnson, Jr.   Democrat
65 January 1, 2006 - December 31, 2010 Robert "Bob" J. Duffy   Democrat
66 January 1, 2011 - January 18, 2011 Thomas S. Richards (interim)   Democrat
67 January 18, 2011 - April 11, 2011 R. Carlos Carballada (interim)   Democrat
68 April 11, 2011 - December 31, 2013 Thomas S. Richards   Democrat
69 January 1, 2014 - December 1, 2021 Lovely Warren   Democrat
70 December 2, 2021 - December 31, 2021 James Smith (interim)   Democrat
71 January 1, 2022 - present Malik Evans   Democrat

References

  1. ^ "Article III, Powers and duties of Mayor". Charter of the City of Rochester. Retrieved 28 December 2023.
  2. ^ McKelvey, Blake (January 1964). "Rochester Mayors Before the Civil War" (PDF). Rochester History. 26 (1): 1–8.
  3. ^ McKelvey, Blake (January 1969). "His Honor, the Mayor of Rochester: 1900-1928" (PDF). Rochester History. 31 (1): 1.
  4. ^ McKelvey, Blake (January 1969). "His Honor, the Mayor of Rochester: 1900-1928" (PDF). Rochester History. 31 (1): 23–24.
  5. ^ "STRONG-MAYOR SYSTEM RETURNING IN ROCHESTER". The New York Times. November 11, 1984. p. 47. Retrieved August 8, 2022.