List of mayors of Memphis, Tennessee

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.

Mayor	Years	Notes
Marcus B. Winchester	1827–1829
Isaac Rawlings	1829–1831
Seth Wheatley	1831–1832
Robert Lawrence	1832–1833
Isaac Rawlings (2nd term)	1833–1836
Enoch Banks	1836–1837
John H. Morgan	1837–1838
Enoch Banks (2nd term)	1838–1839
Thomas Dixon	1839–1841
William Spickernagle	1841–1842
Edwin Hickman	1842–1845
Jesse J. Finley	1845–1846
Edwin Hickman (2nd term)	1846–1847
Enoch Banks (3rd term)	1847–1848
Gardner E. Locke	1848–1849
Edwin Hickman (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 (2nd term)	1865–1866
William Lofland	1866–1868
Edgar M. McDavitt	1868
John W. Leftwich	1868–1869
John T. Swayne	1869
John W. Leftwich (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. 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.
Walker L. Clapp	1895–1898
Joseph John "JJ" Williams	1898–1906
James H. Malone	1906–1910
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
E. H. "Boss" Crump (2nd term)	1940
Joseph P. Boyle	1940
Walter Chandler	1940–1946
Joseph P. Boyle (2nd term)	1946
Sylvanus W. Polk, Sr.	1946–1947
James J. Pleasants, Jr.	1947–1949
Watkins Overton	1949–1953
Frank T. Tobey	1953–1955
Walter Chandler	1955
Edmund Orgill	1956–1959
Henry Loeb	1960–1963
Claude Armour	1963
William B. Ingram	1963–1967
Henry Loeb (2nd term)	1968–1971
J. Wyeth Chandler	1972–1982	Resigned from office to accept a circuit court judgeship
J.O. Patterson, Jr.	1982	Served as interim mayor. First African-American mayor. Former State Representative (one term) and former State Senator (two terms).^[1]
Wallace Madewell	1982
Richard C. Hackett	1982–1991
W. W. Herenton	1992–2009	First elected African-American mayor
Myron Lowery	2009 (Mayor pro tem)	3rd African-American mayor
A C Wharton	2009–2015
Jim Strickland	2016–2024
Paul Young	2024–present	5th African-American mayor