List of mayors of Des Moines, Iowa

The following is a list of the mayors of Des Moines, Iowa.

List of mayors

Image Mayor Term start and end[1] Political party[2] Notes
Thompson Bird 1851 – 1852
Benjamin Luce October 1853 – 1854
Lampson P. Sherman 1854–1855
Barlow Granger November 1855 – 1856
William DeFord November 1856 – 1857
Charles W. Nash 1857 – May 1, 1857
William H. McHenry May 1, 1857 – 1858 Democratic[3]
H. E. Lemoreaux 1858–1859
R. L. Tidrick 1859–1860
P. H. W. Latshaw 1860–1861 Republican
Ira Cook 1861 Republican Resigned from office[4]
W. S. Barnes 1861–1862 Republican
Thomas Cavanagh 1862–1863 Democratic[5]
William H. Leas 1863–1865 Republican
George W. Cleveland 1865–1868 Republican
Sumner F. Spofford 1868–1869
J. H. Hatch 1869–1871 Republican
Martin Tuttle 1871–1872
J. P. Foster 1872–1873 Republican
Giles H. Turner 1873 – March 16, 1874 Republican
A. Newton March 16, 1874 – 1876[6] Republican
Giles H. Turner March 1876 – 1877 Republican Resigned from office[7]
George Sneer 1877–1880
William H. Merritt 1880–1882
P. V. Carey 1882 – March 15, 1886 Republican
James Harvey Phillips March 15, 1886 – 1888[8]
William Lytle Carpenter[9] 1888 – March 17, 1890 Democratic[10]
John H. Campbell March 17, 1890 – April 18, 1892[11] Republican
C. C. Lane April 18, 1892 – April 16, 1894[12] Republican
Isaac L. Hillis April 16, 1894 – 1896[13] Republican
John MacVicar 1896 – April 2, 1900
Jeremiah J. Hartenbower April 2, 1900 – 1902[14]
James M. Brenton 1902–1904
George W. Mattern 1904 – April 6, 1908
Adoniram Judson Mathis April 6, 1908 – April 4, 1910[15]
James R. Hanna April 4, 1910 – April 3, 1916[16]
John MacVicar April 3, 1916 – 1918[17]
Thomas Fairweather 1918–1920
H. H. Barton 1920–1922
C. M. Garver 1922 – April 5, 1926
Fred H. Hunter April 5, 1926 – April 2, 1928[18]
John MacVicar† April 2, 1928 – November 15, 1928[19][20] Died in office
E. H. Mulock November 24, 1928 – 1930[21]
Parker L. Crouch 1930–1932
Dwight N. Lewis 1932–1936
Joseph Holmes Allen[22] 1936–1938
Dwight N. Lewis† 1938 – May 1, 1938[23] Died in office
Mark L. Conkling 1938–1942
John MacVicar Jr. 1942–1948
Heck Ross 1948–1950
A. B. Chambers 1950–1952
Allan W. Denny 1952–1954
Joseph Van Dresser 1954–1956
Ray Mills 1956–1958
Charles F. Iles 1958–1960
Reinhold O. Carlson 1960–1962
Charles F. Iles 1962–1966
George C. Whitmer 1966–1968
Thomas N. Urban 1968–1972[24]
Richard E. Olson 1972–1980
Pete Crivaro† 1980 – December 24, 1986[25] Died in office
George Nahas January 7, 1987 – April 15, 1987 Long term former councilmember appointed by the city council on January 7, 1987, to serve as mayor until the November election[26] but citizens secured sufficient votes to force a special election.
Nahas served four months as mayor.[27] First Lebanese mayor.[27]
John "Pat" Dorrian April 15, 1987 – 1995 Won a special election on April 14, 1987, and sworn on April 15, 1987. Reelected in the November 1987 general election.
Arthur Davis† 1995–1997 Died in office
Robert D. Ray 1997 Republican Former governor Ray served as interim mayor after the death of Davis
Preston Daniels 1997–2004 Democratic First African American mayor
Frank Cownie 2004–2024
Connie Boesen January 2, 2024 – Present

See also

Notes

Works cited

  • The History of Polk County, Iowa. Union Historical Company. 1880. pp. 670–676. Retrieved 16 June 2020.
  • Dixon, J. M (1876). Centennial history of Polk County, Iowa. Des Moines State Register, Print. p. 259.
  • Revised Ordinances of the City of Des Moines. Register & Tribune Company. 1916. pp. 43–60.
  • "Local goverment [sic]; Mayors of noteworthy cities of the United States". Notable names in American history; a tabulated register. James T. White & Co. 1973. p. 453. ISBN 0-88371-002-1.

References

  1. ^ "The Rev. Bird named D.M.'s first mayor". The Des Moines Register. 20 May 1993. pp. 2Q–5Q. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
  2. ^ Porter, Will (1898). Annals of Polk County, Iowa, and City of Des Moines. Geo. A. Miller printing Company. p. 650. Retrieved 6 August 2020.
  3. ^ Andrews, Lorenzo F. (1908). Pioneers of Polk County, Iowa: And Reminiscences of Early Days, Volume 1. Baker-Trisler Company. pp. 322–323.
  4. ^ Andrews 1908, p. 418.
  5. ^ Andrews 1908, p. 286.
  6. ^ "City Council.; Last Session of Old Council—First Regular Meeting of New Council". The Iowa State Register. 17 March 1874. Retrieved 18 August 2022.
  7. ^ Porter 1898, p. 715.
  8. ^ "Our New Servants.; Mayor Phillips Assumed Reins of Government Yesterday". The Des Moines Register. 16 March 1886. Retrieved 14 June 2022.
  9. ^ Portrait and biographical album of Polk County, Iowa. Chicago: Lake City Publishing. 1890. p. 264. OL 23326400M.
  10. ^ Porter 1898, p. 487.
  11. ^ "Des Moines' New City Government". Sioux City Journal. 18 March 1890. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Mayor Lane of Des Moines Appoints his Officers". Ceder Repids Gazette. 19 April 1892. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
  13. ^ "Des Moines' New Council Goes In". Sioux City Journal. 17 April 1894. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  14. ^ "The city has new mayor". The Des Moines Register. 3 April 1900. Retrieved 1 July 2022.
  15. ^ "New Officials at Des Moines remove police; First act of new administration is to discharge Chief of Police, Captain and two Detectives". Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. 7 April 1908. Retrieved 26 June 2022.
  16. ^ "New Council Organizes; Mathis out". Des Moines Tribune. 4 April 1910. Retrieved 8 July 2022.
  17. ^ "New Council Sworn in". Sioux City Journal. 4 April 1916. Retrieved 26 February 2024.
  18. ^ "Hunter Regime in Power With Few Changes". The Des Moines Register. 6 April 1926. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  19. ^ Churchill, G. W. (2 April 1928). "Test of Mayor's Pact With Mitchell May Come Thursday". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved 25 February 2024.
  20. ^ Beam, Patrice K. "John MacVicar – The Biographical Dictionary of Iowa". uipress.lib.uiowa.edu. University of Iowa Press. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  21. ^ "Mayor is Appointed". The Evening Star. Washington, D.C. Associated Press. 24 November 1928. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Senator Joseph Holmes Allen". Iowa Legislators Past and Present. Iowa Legislative Services Agency.
  23. ^ "Mayor Dwight N. Lewis dies; Heart Attack fatal at Home". The Des Moines Register. 1 May 1938. Retrieved 5 August 2022.
  24. ^ Yin, Victoria (12 July 2020). "Former Des Moines Mayor Thomas Urban dead at age 86". Des Moines Register. Retrieved 6 August 2022.
  25. ^ "Des Moines Mayor Dead at 73". Associated Press. 25 December 1986. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Newly Appointed Mayor George Nahas". Ottumwa Courier. January 7, 1987 – via Newspaperarchive.com.
  27. ^ a b Osher, Chris (February 2, 1994). "Former City Council member Nahas dies". The Des Moines Register – via Newspapers.com.