This is a list of mayors of Gary, Indiana. The first mayor, Thomas Knotts, served as Town Board president from 1906 to 1909, when Gary officially became a city. Every mayor since 1943 has served as a member of the Democratic Party.
| Portrait | Mayor | Term start | Term end | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thomas Knotts (1861–1921; aged 60) |
1906[1] | 1914 | Democratic[2] | ||
| 2 | Roswell O. Johnson (1st) (1872–1938; aged 66) |
1914 | 1918 | Republican | ||
| 3 | William F. Hodges | 1918 | 1922 | Republican | ||
| 4 | Roswell O. Johnson (2nd) | 1922 | March 1925[3] | Republican | ||
| 5 | William J. Fulton | March 1925 | 1926 | Republican | ||
| 6 | Floyd E. Williams | 1926 | 1930 | Republican | ||
| 7 | Roswell O. Johnson (3rd) | 1930 | 1935 | Republican | ||
| 8 | Lee B. Clayton | 1935 | 1939 | Democratic | ||
| 9 | Ernst Schaible (1879–?) |
1939 | 1943 | Republican | ||
| 10 | Joseph E. Finerty (1905–07.11.1992; aged 87) |
1943 | 1948 | Democratic | ||
| 11 | Eugene Swartz | 1948 | 1952 | Democratic | ||
| 12 | Peter Mandich | 1952 | July 15, 1958[4] | Democratic | ||
| 13 | George Chacharis (11.02.1908–17.08.1983; aged 75) |
July 16, 1958 | December 12, 1962[4] | Democratic | ||
| 14 | John S. Visclosky (26.12.1915–01.04.2017; aged 101) |
December 13, 1962 | 1963 | Democratic | ||
| 15 | A. Martin Katz (1917–1995; aged 78) |
1964 | 1968 | Democratic | ||
| 16 | 
|
Richard Hatcher (1933–2019; aged 86) |
January 1, 1968 | December 31, 1987 | Democratic | |
| 17 | Thomas V. Barnes (born in 1936; age 87–88) |
January 1, 1988 | December 31, 1995 | Democratic | ||
| 18 | Scott L. King (born in 1951; age 72–73) |
January 1, 1996 | March 23, 2006[4] | Democratic | ||
| – | Dozier Allen Jr. (born in 1931; age 92–93) |
March 24, 2006[5] | April 6, 2006 | Democratic | ||
| 19 | 
|
Rudy Clay (1935–2014; aged 78) |
April 7, 2006 | December 31, 2011 | Democratic | |
| 20 | 
|
Karen Freeman-Wilson (born in 1960; age 63) |
January 1, 2012 | December 31, 2019 | Democratic | |
| 21 |  |
Jerome A. Prince (born in 1964; age 59) |
January 1, 2020 | December 31, 2023[6] | Democratic
| |
| 22 | 
|
Eddie Melton (born in 1980; age 44) |
January 1, 2024 | incumbent[7] | Democratic |
References
- ^ President of the Town Board until 1909.
- ^ John C. Trafny & Stephen G. McShane (2002). Gary's East Side. p. 60. ISBN 0-7385-1953-7.
- ^ Robert A. Hill (1991). The Marcus Garvey and Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers, Vol. VII. p. 65. ISBN 0-520-07208-1.
- ^ a b c Resigned.
- ^ Interim.
- ^ Dalton, Alex (May 3, 2023). "Eddie Melton declares victory in Democratic primary for Gary mayor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2023.
- ^ Dalton, Alex (May 3, 2023). "Eddie Melton declares victory in Democratic primary for Gary mayor". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 9, 2023.