This is a list of mayors of Memphis, Tennessee.

History

As a result of a yellow fever epidemic in 1879, Memphis lost so much of its population that it was disincorporated and was not rechartered until 1895. This accounts for the absence of a mayor during the period 1879–1893. The city leaders during this period were known as President of the Taxing District. They were David T. Porter (1879-1881), John Overton (1881-1883), David P. Hadden (1883-1891), William D. Bethell (1891-1893) and Walter L. Clapp (1893-1895) who then became mayor. See the article History of Memphis, Tennessee for more information.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Image

! Mayor

! Years

! Notes

|- style="height:4em"

|

| Marcus B. Winchester

| 1827–1829

|

|-

|

| Isaac Rawlings

| 1829–1831

|

|-

|

| Seth Wheatley

| 1831–1832

|

|-

|

| Robert Lawrence

| 1832–1833

|

|-

|

| Isaac Rawlings <br> (2nd term)

| 1833–1836

|

|-

|

|Enoch Banks

| 1836–1837

|

|-

|

| John H. Morgan

| 1837–1838

|

|-

|

| Enoch Banks<br> (2nd term)

| 1838–1839

|

|-

|

| Thomas Dixon

| 1839–1841

|

|-

|

| William Spickernagle

| 1841–1842

|

|-

|

| Edwin Hickman

| 1842–1845

|

|-

| 75px

| Jesse J. Finley

| 1845–1846

|

|-

|

| Edwin Hickman<br> (2nd term)

| 1846–1847

|

|-

|

| Enoch Banks <br> (3rd term)

| 1847–1848

|

|-

|

| Gardner E. Locke

| 1848–1849

|

|-

|

| Edwin Hickman <br> (3rd term)

| 1849–1852

|

|-

|

| A. B. Taylor

| 1852–1855

|

|-

|

| Addison H. Douglass

| 1855–1856

|

|-

|

| Thomas B. Carroll

| 1856–1857

|

|-

|

| Richard D. Baugh

| 1857–1861

|

|-

|

| John Park

| 1861–1864

|

|-

|

| Thomas H. Harris

| 1864

|

|-

|

| Channing Richards

| 1864–1865

|

|-

|

| John Park <br> (2nd term)

| 1865–1866

|

|-

|

| William Lofland

| 1866–1868

|

|-

|

| Edgar M. McDavitt

| 1868

|

|-

| 75px

| John W. Leftwich

| 1868–1869

|

|-

|

| John T. Swayne

| 1869

|

|-

| 75px

| John W. Leftwich <br> (2nd term)

| 1869–1870

|

|-

|

| John Johnson

| 1870–1874

|

|-

|

| John Loague

| 1874–1876

|

|-

|

| John R. Flippin

| 1876–1879

|

|-

|

| (None)

| 1879–1895

| As a result of a yellow fever epidemic in 1879, Memphis lost so much of its population that it was disincorporated and was not rechartered until 1895.<br> This accounts for the absence of a mayor during the period 1879–1893.<br> The city leaders during this period were known as President of the Taxing District.<br> They were David T. Porter (1879-1881), John Overton (1881-1883), David P. Hadden (1883-1891), William D. Bethell (1891-1893) and Walter L. Clapp (1893-1895) who then became mayor.<br> See the article History of Memphis, Tennessee for more information.

|-

|

| Walker L. Clapp

|1895–1898

|

|-

|

| Joseph John "JJ" Williams

| 1898–1906

|

|-

|

| James H. Malone

| 1906–1910

|

|-

| 75px

| E. H. "Boss" Crump

| 1910–1915

|

|-

|

| George C. Love

| 1915–1916

|

|-

|

| Thomas C. Ashcroft

| 1916–1917

|

|-

|

| Harry H. Litty

| 1917–1918

|

|-

|

| Frank L. Monteverde

| 1918–1919

|

|-

|

| Rowlett Paine

| 1920–1927

|

|-

|

| Watkins Overton

| 1928–1939

|

|-

| 75px

| E. H. "Boss" Crump<br> (2nd term)

| 1940

|

|-

|

| Joseph P. Boyle

| 1940

|

|-

| 75px

| Walter Chandler

| 1940–1946

|

|-

|

| Joseph P. Boyle<br> (2nd term)

| 1946

|

|-

|

| Sylvanus W. Polk, Sr.

| 1946–1947

|

|-

|

| James J. Pleasants, Jr.

| 1947–1949

|

|-

|

| Watkins Overton

| 1949–1953

|

|-

|

| Frank T. Tobey

| 1953–1955

|

|-

| 75px

| Walter Chandler

| 1955

|

|-

|

| Edmund Orgill

| 1956–1959

|

|-

|

| Henry Loeb

| 1960–1963

|

|-

|

| Claude Armour

| 1963

|

|-

|

| William B. Ingram

| 1963–1967

|

|-

|

| Henry Loeb<br> (2nd term)

| 1968–1971

|

|-

|

| J. Wyeth Chandler

| 1972–1982

| Resigned from office to accept a circuit court judgeship

|-

| 75px

| J.O. Patterson, Jr.

| 1982

| Served as interim mayor. First African-American mayor.<br> Former State Representative (one term) and former State Senator (two terms).

|-

|

| Wallace Madewell

| 1982

|

|-

|

| Richard C. Hackett

| 1982–1991

|

|-

| 75px

| W. W. Herenton

| 1992–2009

| First elected African-American mayor

|-

|

| Myron Lowery

| 2009<br> (Mayor pro tem)

| 3rd African-American mayor

|-

| 75px

| A C Wharton

| 2009–2015

| 2nd elected African American mayor

|-

| 75px

| Jim Strickland

| 2016–2024

|

|-

| 75px

| Paul Young

| 2024–present

| 5th African-American mayor.

|}

See also

  • Timeline of Memphis, Tennessee

References

  • Memphis Mayor's Office - MemphisTN.gov