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The mayor of Baltimore is the head of the executive branch of the government of the City of Baltimore, Maryland. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills, ordinances, or resolutions passed by the unicameral Baltimore City Council. In addition, the Mayor oversees all city services, public property, police and fire protection, most public agencies, and shares with the Governor of Maryland, responsibilities for the public school system within the city limits. As of December 8, 2020, the Office of the mayor of the City of Baltimore has changed hands 62 times with 53 different individuals in assuming office in the 223 years of city government, 1797–2020. The Office of the Mayor is located in the historic Baltimore City Hall located at 100 Holliday Street in downtown Baltimore.

History

James Calhoun was first elected in 1794 under the old Baltimore Town government with a group of town commissioners, and continued as the first mayor under the new City Charter in 1796–97, when the city was incorporated as the "City of Baltimore" under the authority of the Maryland General Assembly, which had originally authorized the port in 1706 and the creation of a town in 1729 and its laying out in early 1730. Calhoun continued to serve for another seven years until 1804.

Baltimore had been the county seat of surrounding Baltimore County, which had been "erected" (authorized) in 1659 as the fifth county designated in the Province of Maryland and first county in northern Maryland, since finagling a scheme to move the courthouse from old Joppa in 1767. The city was separated from the adjacent County by the provisions of the new second Maryland Constitution of 1851 and became an independent city with the same status as the other 22 (later 23) counties of Maryland. Then the seat for Baltimore County was moved after a referendum to Towsontown (later Towson), a few miles north of Baltimore, with the building there in 1854 of its first courthouse structure.

Six individuals are credited with multiple, non-consecutive returns to the office after completing an initial term, and are counted as separate mayoralties. These are: Edward Johnson (twice), John Montgomery, Ferdinand C. Latrobe (elected four times), Howard W. Jackson, William F. Broening, and Theodore R. McKeldin.

The mayor was originally elected to a term of two years under the original City Charter of 1796–1797. In 1920, the charter was amended so the mayor serves a term of four years.[1] There are no limits on the number of terms a mayor may serve.

For years, the mayor was elected in the year immediately preceding the presidential election. However, in 2012, the 2015 election was postponed to 2016 in order to better align with national elections. As a result, incumbent Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had her term extended an additional year. An earlier attempt to move the mayoral election to the same year as presidential elections was made in 1999, but went awry when the General Assembly refused to move the primary election. As a result, then-incumbent Martin O'Malley was nominated for a second term in 2003, then had to wait over a year to run in and win the general election.[2]

Baltimore has experienced major turnover in the mayor's office in recent years, in large part due to corruption scandals. In September 2015, incumbent mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced she would not seek re-election, setting up a hotly-contested primary election in the heavily Democratic city in 2016.[3] Maryland State Senator Catherine Pugh defeated former mayor Shelia Dixon, who resigned from office in 2010 after pleading guilty to misappropriating holiday gift cards intended to serve poor Baltimore residents. Pugh easily defeated Republican Alan Walden and Green Party candidate Joshua Harris to become the 50th Mayor of Baltimore, and was sworn in on December 6, 2016. Pugh resigned on May 2, 2019, amid a scandal in which Pugh was accused of, and eventually pled guilty to charges of fraud, conspiracy, and tax evasion regarding a scheme to sell copies of a self-published children's book series, known as Healthy Holly, to the University of Maryland Medical System without competition.[4] Upon Pugh's resignation, then-City Council President Jack Young took over as Mayor. In the 2020 Democratic primary, Young went up against Dixon, his successor as City Council President Brandon Scott, former T. Rowe Price executive and Obama administration Treasury Department official Mary Miller, former federal prosecutor and deputy Attorney General of Maryland Thiruvendran Vignarajah. Scott narrowly edged out Dixon, with Young finishing a distant fifth. Brandon Scott was elected with more than 70% of the vote in the November general election, and was sworn in as the city's 52nd Mayor on December 8, 2020.

Some well-known political and historical figures to have held the office of Mayor of Baltimore include:

List

# Portrait Mayor Term start Term end Terms   Party Notes
1
James Calhoun (Baltimore Mayor).jpg
James Calhoun 1797 1804 5 None
2
Thorowgood Smith (Baltimore Mayor).jpg
Thorowgood Smith 1804 1808 2 None
3
Edward Johnson Mayor of Baltimore by Rembrandt Peale.jpg
Edward Johnson 1808 1816 4 Democratic-Republican
4 George Stiles 1816 1819 1 12 Democratic-Republican Resigned during second term, died shortly after.
(3)
Edward Johnson Mayor of Baltimore by Rembrandt Peale.jpg
Edward Johnson 1819 1820 Partial Democratic-Republican Elected by the 1818 electors to finish out Mayor Stiles' term.
5 John Montgomery 1820 1822 1 Democratic-Republican
(3)
Edward Johnson Mayor of Baltimore by Rembrandt Peale.jpg
Edward Johnson 1822 1824 1 Democratic-Republican
(5) John Montgomery 1824 1826 1 Democratic-Republican
6 Jacob Small 1826 1831 2 12 Democratic-Republican Resigned from office.
7
WilliamSteuartMayorBaltimore.jpg
William Steuart 1831 1832 Partial Democratic-Republican Elected by the 1830 electors to finish out Mayor Small's term.
8
Portrait of Jesse Hunt (RP-F-2001-7-926-27).jpg
Jesse Hunt 1832 1835 1 12 Whig Resigned from office.
9
General Samuel Smith Rembrandt Peale.jpeg
Samuel Smith 1835 1838 1 12 Democratic First elected in a special election to finish out Mayor Hunt's term, elected to a full term in 1836.
10
Gen. Sheppard C. Leakin (cropped).png
Sheppard C. Leakin 1838 1840 1 Whig
11 Samuel Brady 1840 1842 Partial Whig Resigned from office.
12
Solomon Hillen, Jr (cropped) (cropped).jpg
Solomon Hillen Jr. 1842 1843 Partial Democratic First elected in a special election to finish out Mayor Brady's term, elected to a full term in 1842. Resigned from office.
13 James O. Law 1843 1844 Partial Democratic Elected in a special election to finish out Mayor Hillen's term.
14 Jacob G. Davies 1844 1848 2 Whig
15
Portrait of Elijah Stansbury Jr (cropped).png
Elijah Stansbury Jr. 1848 1850 1 Democratic
16 John H.T. Jerome 1850 1852 1 Democratic
17
JohnSmithHollins.jpeg
John S. Hollins 1852 1854 1 Whig
18
SamuelHinks.jpeg
Samuel Hinks 1854 1856 1 American
19
Thomas Swann of Maryland - photo portrait seated.jpg
Thomas Swann 1856 1860 2 American
20
Gabrielle D. Clements, Hon. George William Brown, 1901, City of Baltimore Circuit Court.jpg
George W. Brown 1860 1861 Partial Constitutional Union Arrested and removed from office by the Union Army for Confederate sympathies.
21 John C. Blackburn 1861 1861 Partial None President of the First Branch of the City Council and served as Mayor Ex Officio from Mayor Brown's arrest until October 1861.
22
Charles Joseph Baker (1821–1894).png
Charles J. Baker 1861 1862 Partial None Served as Mayor Ex Officio from October 1861 to January 1862, when Chapman was elected until the new First Branch organized and elected a President in January 1862. He was not recognized as an acting mayor until 1989.[5][6]
23 John L. Chapman 1862 1867 3 12 Republican President of the First Branch of the City Council and served as Mayor Ex Officio from January to November 1862. Elected to three terms. His final term was reduced from two years to one year per the new Maryland Constitution.
24 Robert T. Banks 1867 1871 1 Democratic The Maryland Constitution of 1867 extended the term of office from two to four years. The term was reduced back to two years in 1870.
25
Joshua Van Sant (Baltimore mayor).jpg
Joshua Van Sant 1871 1875 2 Democratic
26
Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe.jpg
Ferdinand C. Latrobe 1875 1877 1 Democratic
27
George Proctor Kane.jpg
George P. Kane 1877 1878 Partial Democratic Died in office.
(26)
Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe.jpg
Ferdinand C. Latrobe 1878 1881 1 12 Democratic First elected in a special election to finish out Mayor Kane's term, elected to a full term in 1879.
28
William Pinkney Whyte 1865-1880 Maryland politician.jpg
William P. Whyte 1881 1883 1 Democratic
(26)
Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe.jpg
Ferdinand C. Latrobe 1883 1885 1 Democratic
29
Sketch of Ex Mayor Hodges (cropped).png
James Hodges 1885 1887 1 Republican
(26)
Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe.jpg
Ferdinand C. Latrobe 1887 1889 1 Democratic
30 Robert C. Davidson 1889 1891 1 Democratic
(26)
Ferdinand Claiborne Latrobe.jpg
Ferdinand C. Latrobe 1891 1895 2 Democratic
31
Mr. Alcaeus Hooper (1903) (cropped).png
Alcaeus Hooper 1895 1897 1 Republican
32
WilliamT_Malster.jpg
William T. Malster 1897 1899 1 Republican
33
Thomas Gordon Hayes.png
Thomas G. Hayes 1899 1903 1 Democratic
34
Robert McLane Mayor of Baltimore Maryland.jpg
Robert McLane 1903 1904 Partial Democratic Died in office.
35
E. Clay Timanus.jpg
E. Clay Timanus 1904 1907 Partial Republican President of the Second Branch. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Mayor McLane's death.
36
John Barry Mahool (1870–1935).png
J. Barry Mahool 1907 1911 1 Democratic Lost reelection.
37
James H. Preston.jpg
James H. Preston 1911 1919 2 Democratic Lost reelection.
38
Wm. F. Browning (i.e. Broening) LCCN2014708999.tif
William F. Broening 1919 1923 1 Republican Lost reelection.
39 Howard W. Jackson 1923 1927 1 Democratic Did not run for reelection.
(38)
Wm. F. Browning (i.e. Broening) LCCN2014708999.tif
William F. Broening 1927 1931 1 Republican Did not run for reelection.
(39) Howard W. Jackson 1931 1943 3 Democratic Lost reelection in 1943.
40
MarylandGovnr (cropped).jpg
Theodore McKeldin 1943 1947 1 Republican Did not run for reelection.
41
Thomas D'Alesandro Jr.jpg
Thomas D'Alesandro Jr. 1947 1959 3 Democratic Lost reelection in 1959.
42 J. Harold Grady 1959 1962 Partial Democratic Resigned following appointment as a Judge to the Supreme Bench of Baltimore City (Circuit Court).
43 Philip H. Goodman 1962 1963 Partial Democratic City Council President. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Grady's resignation. Lost reelection to a full term.
(40)
MarylandGovnr (cropped).jpg
Theodore McKeldin 1963 1967 1 Republican Did not run for reelection.
44
1d'alesandro.jpg
Thomas D'Alesandro III 1967 1971 1 Democratic Did not run for reelection.
45
William Donald Schaefer.jpg
William D. Schaefer 1971 1987 4 Democratic Baltimore's longest-serving mayor. Resigned following his election as governor.
46
Clarence Burns former mayor of Baltimore ...no wiki pic (48591893316).jpg
Clarence H. Burns 1987 1987 Partial Democratic City Council President. First African-American mayor of Baltimore. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Schaefer's resignation. Lost reelection to a full term.
47
Schmoke.JPG
Kurt Schmoke 1987 1999 3 Democratic First African-American elected Mayor of Baltimore. Did not run for reelection in 1999.
48
Martin O'Malley.jpg
Martin O'Malley 1999 2007 2 Democratic Resigned following his election as governor.
49
Sheliadixon07 (1).jpg
Sheila Dixon 2007 2010 Partial Democratic City Council President. First female Mayor of Baltimore and first female elected Mayor of Baltimore. Succeeded to the mayoralty following O'Malley's resignation. Elected to a full term in 2007. Resigned from office in January 2010.
50
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake1 (1).jpg
Stephanie Rawlings-Blake 2010 2016 1 12 Democratic City Council President. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Dixon's resignation. Elected to a full term in 2011. Did not run for reelection in 2016.
51
Baltimore Mayor Pugh (1).jpg
Catherine Pugh 2016 2019 Partial Democratic Resigned from office May 2, 2019.[7]
52
Jack Young (349349237).jpg
Jack Young 2019 2020 Partial Democratic City Council President. Succeeded to the mayoralty following Pugh's resignation.
53
Brandon Scott Oct23 (53269715478).jpg
Brandon Scott 2020 Incumbent Democratic Inaugurated on December 8, 2020

See also

References

  1. ^ "Baltimore City Charter" (PDF). legislativereference.baltimorecity.gov. City of Baltimore. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  2. ^ Annie Linskey; Julie Scharper (April 2, 2012). "Next Baltimore election delayed for 1 year". The Baltimore Sun.
  3. ^ Stolberg, Sheryl Gay (2015-09-11). "Baltimore's Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Won't Seek Re-election (Published 2015)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  4. ^ "Ex-Baltimore Mayor Gets 3 Years In Prison For 'Healthy Holly' Children's Book Scheme". NPR.org. Retrieved 2020-12-09.
  5. ^ "Archivist clears space for one of city's forgotten fathers". The Baltimore Sun. 1989-01-03. p. 4. Retrieved 2022-09-04 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  6. ^ Biographical dictionary of American mayors, 1820-1980. 1981. p. 13. Retrieved 2022-09-04.
  7. ^ Waldman, Tyler (May 2, 2019). "Mayor Pugh Resigns Amid Cloud Of Scandal, Investigations Into Business Dealings". WBAL (AM).

External links