Mayor of Lakeland, Florida
Former city hall of Lakeland, built 1913 (photo 2011) The following is a list of mayors of the city of Lakeland, Florida , United States.
The City of Lakeland was incorporated on January 1, 1885. The mayor is one of seven members of the City Commission, acting as the board chair and performing mostly ceremonial and procedural duties beyond the powers of the other six. Prior to 1988, Lakeland's mayor was selected by the City Commission among its members. Mayors can be on the board for up to 12 years in a lifetime, or 16 years in combination with holding a regular commission position. Since 1988 the mayor is elected by the citizens of the city.
The first female mayor was Lois Q. Searl, who served in 1965. Carrie R. Oldham was the first female African American mayor.
List of Mayors
John W. Trammell, 1885
John D. Torrence, 1885
Eppes C. Tucker, Sr., 1886, 1887, 1888
Napoleon B. Bowyer, 1889, 1890
Herbert J. Drane , 1888-1892[ 1] J. T. Park, 1894
Clarence A. Boswell, 1894-1896
James p. Thompson, 1897, 1899
Samuel L.A. Clonts, 1898, 1903, 1904, 1912[ 2]
C. M. Marsh, 1898
Park Trammell , 1900-1902[ 1] John F. Cox, 1905-1907, 1911, 1916, 1917
John S. Edwards, 1909
Jackson, William K., 1910
Oscar M. Eaton, 1913-1915
Edwin C. Flanagan, 1918, 1919
Frank H. Thompson, 1920
Hubert C. Petteway, 1921
J.T. Hodges, 1922,1923[ 3]
Daniel C. Boswell, 1924
John W. Buchanan, Jr., 1925
J. Bunyan Smith, 1926
Jesse F. Council, 1927, 1928
William S. Rodgers, 1927
William F. Reid, 1928, 1931
Charles I. Dwiggins, 1929
H. Dean Grady, 1930, 1931
Benjamin M. Pulliam, 1932
Elijah A. Godwin, 1933, 1935
Edward L. Mack, 1934
George W. Mershon, 1936
H. Clay Haynes, 1937[ 1]
Lutie M. Koons, 1938
Thomas D. Conter, 1939
Ira C. Hopper, 1940
George J. Tolson, 1941, 1944, 1947
Elmer E. Kelly, Jr., 1942
Horace W. Gibson, 1943
William Cade, 1945, 1948
Edwin C. Flanagan, Jr., 1946
Clinton V. McClurg, 1948
Ernest B. Sutton, 1949
Guerry L. Dobbins, 1950
Clayton Logan, 1951[ 1]
James J. Musso, 1952, 1958 [ 1]
Norman T. Kent, 1953[ 1]
Wilbur Y. Wooten, 1954[ 1]
S. Scott Kelly, 1955[ 1]
Mac H. Cunningham, 1956
Earl W. Bowen, 1957
William M. Hollis, 1958
R. Tom Joyner, Jr., circa 1959[ 1]
William G. Cooper, Jr., 1960
Reuben H. Gibson, 1961
Morris J. Pritchard, 1962
William H. Lofton, 1963
R. Harold Grizzard, 1964
James R. West, 1965
Lois Q. Searl, 1965[ 4]
John H. Woodall, Jr., 1966
W. Jack Day, 1967
George W. Trask, 1968, 1969, 1974
Marvin H. Henderson, Jr., 1970
Joe P. Ruthven, 1971, founded warehouse and distribution company Ruthvens and was the brother-in-law of Lawton Chiles [ 5]
Charles E. Whitten, 1972
John S. Jackson , 1972, 1973, a surgeon and city commissioner, he was the city's first African American mayorW. Carl Dicks, 1975
Peggy C. Brown, 1976, 1984
Charles A. Coleman, 1977, second African American mayor, a community center is named for him[ 5]
John Tolson, 1977
Curtis I. Walker, 1978
George R. Burt, 1979
Carrie R. Oldham, 1980
R. Larry Turnipseed, 1981
J. Larry Durrence, 1982, 1986, college professor at Florida Southern College and president of Polk State College [ 5]
Frank J. O'Reilly, 1983, 1987, 1989-1993, an accountant and city commissioner
Thomas R. Shaw, 1985, former owner of owned Shaw House Bed & Breakfast[ 5]
Willie J. Williams, 1988, pastor[ 5]
Ralph "Buddy" Fletcher , 1993-2009Gow Fields , 2010-2013, first African American elected mayor[ 5] [ 6] R. Howard Wiggs, 2014-2018[ 7] [ 8]
Bill Mutz 2018-present[ 9] [ 5]
See also
References
^ a b c d e f g h i Lawrence Kestenbaum (ed.). "Mayors of Lakeland, Florida" . Political Graveyard . Retrieved April 21, 2017 .^ "Clonts Chosen as Mayor" (PDF) , Lakeland Evening Telegram , November 8, 1911 – via Library of Congress ^ "City Government" . Lakeland and Polk County Directory R.L. Polk & Co. 1923 – via Internet Archive .^ "LOIS SEARL Obituary (2015) - Lakeland, FL - The Ledger" . Legacy.com .^ a b c d e f g "A 50-year snapshot of Lakeland, FL's mayors" . LALtoday . November 1, 2021.^ "Former Mayor of Lakeland Gow Fields joins Don Burns for a great conversation. #iamlakeland" . August 6, 2023 – via YouTube.^ "Howard Wiggs defeats Gow Field in race for Lakeland mayor" , WFTS E.W. Scripps Co. , November 5, 2013^ Spafford, Adam (July 16, 2014). "An interview with Mayor Howard Wiggs" . The Lakelander . ^ "Mayor Bill Mutz" . City of Lakeland .
