The mayor of Portland, Maine is the official head of the city of Portland, Maine, United States, as stipulated in the Charter of the City of Portland. This article is a list of past (and present) mayors of Portland.

History of the office

Before 1923, the city's leader was known as the mayor. From 1923 to 1969, the position was named "Chairman of the City Council." In 1969, the "Mayor" title was reinstated, but the office continued to be held by the leader of the city council, chosen by a vote of its members.

In 2011, the city returned to the practice of popularly electing a mayor for the first time since 1923. Subsequent elections were held in 2015, 2019 and 2023.

List of mayors

This is a list of mayors of Portland, Maine. This information is obtained from the website of the city council.

{| class="wikitable"

! # !! Mayor !! Party !! Term !! Notes

|-

|1||Andrew L. Emerson|| ||1832||

|-

|2||Jonathan Dow || || 1832 ||

|-

|3|| John Anderson || Democrat || 1833 || National Republican Party candidate

|-

|4|| Levi Cutter || || 1834–1840 ||

|-

|5|| James C. Churchill || || 1841 ||

|-

|6|| John Anderson || Democrat || 1842 ||

|-

|7|| Eliphalet Greeley || Whig || 1843–1848 ||

|-

|8|| James B. Cahoon || Whig || 1849–1850 ||

|-

|9|| Neal Dow || Whig || 1851–1852 ||Maine law

|-

|10|| Albion K. Parris || Democrat || 1852–1853 ||Preiviously U.S. senator and governor of Maine

|-

|11|| James B. Calhoon || Democrat || 1853–1854 ||

|-

|12|| Neal Dow || Republican || 1855–1856 ||Later served in the Maine House

|-

|13|| James T. McCobb || || 1856 ||

|-

|14|| William Willis || Republican|| 1857 || Previously served in the Maine Senate

|-

|15|| Jedediah Jewett || || 1858–1859 ||

|-

|16|| Joseph Howard || || 1860 || Previously a justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court 1848–1855 and future Democratic nominee for governor in 1865

|-

|17|| William W. Thomas || || 1861–1862 ||

|-

|18|| Jacob McLellan || || 1863–65 ||

|-

|19|| Augustus E. Stevens || || 1866–1867 ||

|-

|20|| Jacob McLellan || || 1868 ||

|-

|21|| William Lebaron Putnam || Democrat || 1869–1870 || Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit 1892–1917

|-

|22|| Benjamin Kingsbury Jr. || || 1870–1872 ||

|-

|23|| George P. Wescott || || 1873–1874 ||

|-

|24|| Roswell M. Richardson || || 1875 ||

|-

|25|| Francis Fessenden || Republican || 1876 || Major general in the 25th and 30th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiments during the Civil War

|-

|26|| Moses M. Butler || || 1877–1878 ||

|-

|27|| George Walker || || 1879 ||

|-

|28|| William Senter || || 1880–1881 ||

|-

|29|| Charles F. Libby || || 1882 ||

|-

|31|| John W. Deering || Democrat || 1883 || Formerly a Republican. Commissioner of the Port of Portland under President Grover Cleveland.

|-

|32|| Marquis F. King || || 1884 ||

|-

|33|| John W. Deering || Democrat || 1885 || Formerly a Republican. Commissioner of the Port of Portland under President Grover Cleveland.

|-

|34|| Charles J. Chapman || || 1886–1888 ||

|-

|35|| Holman S. Melcher || Republican|| 1889–1890 || Captain in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War

|-

|36|| George W. True || || 1891 ||

|-

|37|| Darius H. Ingraham || || 1892 ||

|-

|38|| James Phinney Baxter || Republican || 1893–1896 ||

|-

|39|| Charles H. Randall || || 1897–1898 ||

|-

|40|| Frank W. Robinson || || 1899–1900 || Previously Cumberland County district attorney and judge of the Portland Municipal Court 1893–1899

|-

|41|| Frederic E. Boothby || Republican || 1901–1903 ||

|-

|42|| James Phinney Baxter || Republican || 1904–1905 ||

|-

|43|| Nathan Clifford || Democrat || 1906–1907 ||

|-

|44|| Adam P. Leighton || Republican || 1908–1909 ||

|-

|45|| Charles A. Strout || Republican || 1910 ||

|-

|46|| Oakley C. Curtis || Democrat || 1911–1914 || Governor of Maine 1915–1917

|-

|47|| William Moulton Ingraham || Democrat || 1915 ||

|-

|48|| Wilford G. Chapman || Republican || 1916–1917 ||

|-

|49|| Charles B. Clarke || Republican || 1918–1921 ||

|-

|50|| Carroll S. Chaplin || Republican || 1922–1923||

|-

|51|| Philip J. Deering || Democrat || 1924 ||

|-

|52|| Neal W. Allen || || 1925–1926 ||

|-

|53|| Philip J. Deering || Democrat || 1927 ||

|-

|54|| Lester F. Wallace || || 1928–1929 ||

|-

|55|| Ralph D. Brooks || || 1930 ||

|-

|56|| Arthur W. Jordan || || 1931 ||

|-

|57|| Ralph D. Brooks || || 1932 ||

|-

|58|| Arthur E. Craig || || 1933 ||

|-

|59|| Philip J. Deering || Democrat || 1934–1935 ||

|-

|60|| Edward C. Berry || || 1936 ||

|-

|61|| Adam P. Leighton, Jr. || || 1937 ||

|-

|62|| Edward C. Berry || || 1938 ||

|-

|63|| Arthur E. Craig || || 1939 ||

|-

|64|| Harry E. Martin || || 1940 ||

|-

|65|| Edward C. Berry || || 1941 ||

|-

|66|| Adam P. Leighton Jr. || || 1942 ||

|-

|67|| Herman B. Libby || || 1943 ||

|-

|68|| George A. Harrison || || 1944 ||

|-

|69|| Harry C. Libby || || 1945 ||

|-

|70|| Helen C. Frost || || 1946 ||

|-

|71|| Herman B. Libby || || 1947 ||

|-

|72|| Robert L. Getchell || || 1948–1949 ||

|-

|73|| Edward T. Colley || || 1950 ||

|-

|74|| Helen C. Frost || || 1952 ||

|-

|75|| H. Merrill Luthe || || 1953 ||

|-

|76|| Edward T. Colley || || 1954 ||

|-

|77|| Ben B. Wilson || || 1955 ||

|-

|78|| H. Merrill Luthe || || 1956 ||

|-

|79|| Carleton G. Lane || || 1957 ||

|-

|80|| Perley J. Lessard || || 1958 ||

|-

|81|| Sumner S. Clark || || 1959 ||

|-

|82|| Mitchell Cope || || 1960 ||

|-

|83|| Harold E. Frank || || 1961 ||

|-

|84|| Daniel B. Felix || || 1962 ||

|-

|85|| Ralph Amerigan || || 1963 ||

|-

|86|| J. Weston Walch || || 1964–1965 ||

|-

|87|| Charles W. Allen || || 1966 ||

|-

|88|| Harold G. Loring || || 1967 ||

|-

|89|| Donald Slipp || || 1969–1970 ||

|-

|90|| William L. MacVane || Democrat || 1970–1971 ||

|-

|91|| Gerard Conley Sr. || Democrat || 1971–1972 ||

|-

|92|| Edward I. Bernstein || Republican || 1973 ||

|-

|93|| William B. Troubh || Democrat || 1974–1975 ||

|-

|94|| Harold G. Loring || || 1975–1976 ||

|-

|95|| Matthew I. Barron || || 1976–1978 ||

|-

|96|| Bruce Taliento || || 1978||

|-

|97|| Edward I. Bernstein || Republican || 1978–1979 ||

|-

|98|| Llewellyn Smith || || 1979–1980 ||

|-

|99|| John O'Leary || Democrat || 1980–1981 ||

|-

|100|| Pamela P. Plumb || || 1981–1982 ||

|-

|101|| Linda Abromson || Democrat || 1982–1983 ||

|-

|102|| William B. Troubh || Democrat || 1983–1984 ||

|-

|103|| David H. Brenerman || Democrat || 1984–1985 ||

|-

|104|| Joseph D. Casale || Democrat || 1985–1986 ||

|-

|105|| Philip J. Dawson || || 1986–1987 ||

|-

|106|| Ronald J. Dorler || || 1987–1988 ||

|-

|107|| Cheryl A. Leeman || Republican || 1988–1989 ||

|-

|108|| Esther Clenott || Democrat || 1989–1990 ||

|-

|109|| Peter O'Donnell || Democrat || 1990–1991 ||

|-

|110|| Thomas H. Allen || Democrat || 1991–1992 ||

|-

|111|| Charles Harlow || Democrat || 1992–1993 ||

|-

|112|| Anne B. Pringle || Democrat || 1993–1994 ||

|-

|113|| Richard W. "Dick" Paulson Jr. || Democrat || 1994–1995 ||

|-

|114|| Philip "Jack" Dawson || Democrat || 1995–1996 ||

|-

|115|| John F. McDonough || Democrat || 1996–1997 ||

|-

|116|| George N. Campbell || || 1997–1998 ||

|-

|117|| Thomas V. Kane || Democrat || 1998–1999 ||

|-

|118|| Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. || Democrat || 1999–2000 ||

|-

|119|| Cheryl A. Leeman || Republican || 2000–2001 ||

|-

|120|| Karen Geraghty || Democrat || 2001–2002 ||

|-

|121|| James F. "Jim" Cloutier || Democrat || 2002–2003 ||

|-

|122|| Nathan Smith || Democrat || 2003–2004 ||

|-

|123|| Jill Duson || Democrat || 2004–2005 || First African-American mayor

|-

|124|| James I. Cohen || Democrat || 2005–2006 ||

|-

|125|| Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. || Democrat || 2006–2007 ||

|-

|126|| Edward Suslovic || Democrat || 2007–2008 ||

|-

|127|| Jill Duson || Democrat || 2008–2010 ||

|-

|128|| Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. || Democrat || 2010–2011 ||

|}

Elected mayors (since 2011)

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

! scope=col |

! scope=col class=unsortable |Portrait

! scope=col |Name

! scope=col colspan=2 |Party

! scope=col class=unsortable |Term

! scope=col class=unsortable |Election

! scope=col class=unsortable |Notes

|-

| 87

| 100px

| Michael F. Brennan

| style="background:" |  

| Democrat

| 2011<br>–<br>2015

| 2011

| First popularly elected mayor of Portland since 1923. Previously served in the Maine House of Representatives 1992–2000 and in the Maine Senate 2002–2006.

|-

| 88

| 100px

| Ethan Strimling

| style="background:" | &nbsp;

| Democrat

| 2015<br>–<br>2019

| 2015

|

|-

| 89

| 100px

| Kate Snyder

| style="background:" | &nbsp;

| Democrat

| 2019<br>–<br>2023

| 2019

|

|-

| 90

| 100px

| Mark Dion

| style="background:" | &nbsp;

| Democrat

| 2023<br>–<br>Incumbent

| 2023

|

|}

See also

  • Old City Hall (Portland, Maine)
  • Timeline of Portland, Maine

References