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Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina facts for kids

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Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina
Vi Lyles 2019 (1).jpg
Incumbent
Vi Lyles

since December 2017
Term length 2 years
Formation 1853
First holder William F. Davidson

The office of the Mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina is currently held by Democrat Vi Lyles, who took office in December 2017 after defeating Republican Kenny Smith in the November election.

The office was established in 1853, when William F. Davidson was elected to serve as intendent. In 1861, the title was changed from intendent to mayor. Below is a list of people who have served as the mayor of Charlotte.

Charlotte mayors serve two-year terms and elections take place in off-years. The longest-serving mayor is Pat McCrory, who served from 1995 to 2009.

List of mayors of Charlotte

Mayor Term Political party Notes
William F. Davidson 1853–1857 -
David Parks 1857–1859 -
Jennings B. Kerr 1859–1861 -
William A. Owens 1861–1862 - Resigned after one month in order to command a Confederate regiment. Was killed in battle in 1864.
Robert F. Davidson 1862–1863 - Originally Mayor Pro Tem, served the remainder of Owens' term.
Samuel A. Harris 1864–1865 - Appointed by Provisional Governor William Woods Holden.
H.M. Pritchard 1865–1866 - Appointed by Provisional Governor William Woods Holden.
Samuel A. Harris 1866–1868 - Second appointment.
Frederick W. Ahrens 1867–1868 - Appointed by Provisional Governor William Woods Holden.
H.M. Pritchard 1868–1869 - Second appointment.
Clement Dowd 1869–1871 Democratic Later became a U.S. Representative.
John A. Young 1871–1873 -
William F. Davidson 1873–1875 -
William Johnston 1875–1878 -
Benjamin Rush Smith 1878–1879 -
Frank I. Osborne 1879–1880 Democratic Later became a North Carolina State Senator and North Carolina Attorney General (1893–1897).
Frederick S. DeWolfe 1880–1883 -
William C. Maxwell 1883–1884 -
William Johnston 1884–1887 -
F. Brevard McDowell 1887–1891 -
R.J. Brevard 1891–1895 -
E.B. Spring 1897–1899 -
Johnson D. McCall 1899–1901 Democratic
Peter Marshall Brown 1901–1905 Democratic
Samuel S. McNinch 1905–1907 Democratic
Thomas S. Franklin 1907–1909 Democratic Secured funding for the first public library in Charlotte from the Carnegie Foundation.
Thomas W. Hawkins 1909–1911 Democratic
Charles A. Bland 1911–1915 Democratic
Thomas Leroy Kirkpatrick 1915–1917 Democratic
Frank R. McNinch 1917–1920 Democratic Later became chairman of the Federal Power Commission and chairman of the Federal Communications Commission.
John M. Wilson 1920–1921 Democratic Became Mayor when Frank McNinch stepped down to take a job in Washington, D.C. WBT went on the air.
James O. Walker 1921–1924 Democratic
Harvey W. Moore 1924–1926 Democratic
David M. Abernathy 1926–1927 Democratic Selected after Moore resigned to work in the private sector.
F. Marion Redd 1927–1929 Democratic
George E. Wilson, Jr. 1929–1931 Democratic
Charles E. Lambeth 1931–1933 Democratic
Arthur E. Wearn 1933–1935 Democratic
Ben Elbert Douglas, Sr. 1935–1941 Democratic Charlotte Douglas International Airport was completed under Douglas and carries his name.
E. McA. Currie 1941–1943 Democratic
Herbert Hill Baxter 1943–1949 Democratic Charlotte College, now the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, was established and fluoride was added to the water supply.
Victor Shaw 1949–1953 Democratic
Philip Van Every 1953–1957 Democratic During Van Every's administration the Charlotte Coliseum and Independence Blvd. were completed.
James Saxon Smith 1957–1961 Democratic
Stanford R. Brookshire 1961–1969 Democratic Lake Norman was developed during his administration. Brookshire Freeway and Brookshire Boulevard are named in his honor.
John M. Belk 1969–1977 Democratic The original Charlotte Convention Center was built and SouthPark Mall was developed. John Belk Freeway is named for him.
Kenneth R. Harris 1977–1979 Republican First Republican Mayor. Liquor by the drink approved by voters. Later became a North Carolina State Senator.
H. Edward Knox 1979–1983 Democratic Discovery Place was built.
Harvey Gantt 1983–1987 Democratic First African-American Mayor. The Harvey B. Gantt Center is named in his honor.
Sue Myrick 1987–1991 Republican First female Mayor. Second Charlotte Coliseum completed. Later became a U.S. Representative.
Richard Vinroot 1991–1995 Republican Bank of America Corporate Center is dedicated.
Pat McCrory 1995–2009 Republican Longest-serving mayor with seven terms. First Charlotte mayor to be elected Governor of North Carolina.
Anthony Foxx 2009–2013 Democratic Stepped down to become United States Secretary of Transportation.
Patsy Kinsey 2013 Democratic Served the remainder of Foxx's term.
Patrick Cannon 2013–2014 Democratic Resigned after being arrested on corruption charges.
Dan Clodfelter 2014–2015 Democratic Appointed mayor by the City Council on 7 April 2014.
Jennifer Roberts 2015–2017 Democratic
Vi Lyles 2017– Democratic First African-American female mayor.

See also

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