Login
Login

List of mayors of Richmond, Virginia

{{Short description|None}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}}

{{Infobox Political post

|post = Mayor

|body = Richmond

|insignia =

|insigniasize = 100px

|insigniacaption = Seal of the City of Richmond

|image = Danny Avula 2024 (cropped).jpg

|incumbent = Danny Avula

|incumbentsince = January 1, 2025

|style = The Honorable

|residence =

|appointer =

|termlength = Four years (since 2005)

|formation = July 2, 1782

|succession =

|inaugural = William Foushee, Sr.

|website = [https://www.rva.gov/mayors-office/ Office of the Mayor]

}}

{{ElectionsVA}}

The Mayor of Richmond, Virginia is the chief executive of the government of Richmond, Virginia, as stipulated by the city's charter.

This list includes mayors who were appointed by the Richmond City Council as well as those who were elected by popular vote.

The current Mayor of Richmond, Virginia and 81st in the sequence of regular officeholders is Democrat Danny Avula, who has served in the office since January 1, 2025.

History

File:Richmond, Virginia City Hall (1814-1874).jpg

The City of Richmond was founded in 1737 by William Byrd II.

In May 1782, the Virginia General Assembly expressed desire to move inland, to a place less exposed to British incursions than Williamsburg. Richmond had been made the temporary capital after urging from Thomas Jefferson years earlier, and it was soon decided to make the move permanent.

Two months later, on July 2, a charter was written up, and the city was incorporated. Twelve men were to be elected from the City at-large and were to select one of their own to act as Mayor, another to serve as Recorder and four to serve as Aldermen. The remaining six were to serve as members of the Common Council. All positions had term limits of three years, with the exception of the mayor who could only serve one year consecutively. A vote was held at a meeting the following day and Dr. William Foushee, Sr. was chosen as the first mayor.

In March 1851, the decision was made to replace the original Richmond City Charter. It was decided that all city officials were to be popularly elected. After the 12-year tenure of William Lambert and his short-term replacement by recorder Samuel T. Pulliam,{{Cite web|title=11 May 1852, 4 - Richmond Enquirer at Newspapers.com|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/339044292/?terms=S+T+PULLIAM+RECORDER|access-date=2020-07-14|website=Newspapers.com|language=en}} elections were held, with Joseph C. Mayo coming out on top. Mayo was deposed in April 1865, weeks before the end of the American Civil War, when Union forces captured the city.

The system set forth by the Second City Charter worked as long as the city was small and most voters knew personally, the qualifications of the men for whom they were voting and the requirements for the jobs to which they were elected. Beginning in 1948, Richmond eliminated the popularly elected mayor's office, and instituted a council-manager form of government. This lasted until 2004, when the City Charter was changed once again, bringing back the popularly elected mayor. Former Virginia Gov. L. Douglas Wilder was elected mayor that year. Of Virginia's 38 cities, only Richmond does not have a council-manager form of government.

List of mayors

=Appointed mayors (1782–1853)=

File:William Foushee crop.jpg

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! width="5%"|

! width="25%"|Mayor

! width-"15%"|Political party

! width="20%"|Term start

! width="20%"|Term end

1

| William Foushee, Sr.

| No party

| July 3, 1782

| June 30, 1783

2

| John J. Beckley

| No party

| July 1, 1783

| July 6, 1784

3

| Robert Mitchell

| No party

| July 7, 1784

| 1785

4

| John Harvie

| No party

| 1785

| 1786

5

| William Pennock

| No party

| December 10, 1786

| 1786

6

| Richard Adams, Jr.

| No party

| 1786

| February 21, 1788

7

| John J. Beckley

| No party

| February 22, 1788

| March 9, 1789

8

| Alexander McRobert

| No party

| March 10, 1789

| March 9, 1790

9

| Robert Boyd

|

| March 10, 1790

| 1790

10

| George Nicolson

|

| 1790

| December 12, 1790

11

| Robert Mitchell

|

| December 13, 1790

| 1791

12

| John Barrett

|

| 1791

| 1792

13

| Robert Mitchell

|

| 1792

| 1793

14

| John Barrett

|

| 1793

| 1794

15

| Robert Mitchell

|

| 1794

| 1795

16

| Andrew Dunscomb

|

| 1795

| 1796

17

| Robert Mitchell

|

| 1796

| 1797

18

| James McClurg

|

| 1797

| 1798

19

| John Barrett

|

| 1798

| 1799

20

| George Nicholson

|

| 1799

| 1800

21

| James McClurg

|

| 1800

| 1801

22

| William Richardson

|

| 1801

| 1802

23

| John Foster

|

| 1802

| 1803

24

| James McClurg

|

| 1803

| 1804

25

| Robert Mitchell

|

| 1804

| 1805

26

| William DuVal

|

| 1805

| 1806

27

| Edward Carrington

|

| 1806

| 1810

28

| David Bullock

|

| 1810

| 1811

29

| Benjamin Tate

|

| 1811

| 1812

30

| Thomas Wilson

|

| 1812

| 1813

31

| Robert Greenhow{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/richmondherpastp01chri/page/546/mode/2up |title=Richmond: Her Past and Present |last=Christian |first=W. Asbury |year=1912 |page=546 |via=Archive.org |access-date=2024-09-08}}{{Open access}}

|

| 1813

| 1814

32

| Thomas Wilson

|

| 1814

| 1815

33

| Robert Gamble

|

| 1815

| 1816

34

| Thomas Wilson

|

| 1816

| 1817

35

| William H. Fitzwhylson

|

| 1817

| 1818

36

| Thomas Wilson

|

| 1818

| May 4, 1818

37

| Francis Wicker (acting)

|

| May 5, 1818

| 1819

38

| John Adams

|

| 1819

| 1826

39

| Joseph Tate

|

| 1826

| 1839

40

| Francis Wicker

|

| 1839

| 1840

41

| William Lambert

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1840

| March 24, 1852

42

| Samuel T. Pulliam

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| March 25, 1852

| 1853

{{Clear}}

=Popularly elected mayors (1853–1948)=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! width="5%"|

! width="8%"|Portrait

! width="25%"|Mayor

! width-"15%"|Political party

! width="20%"|Term start

! width="20%"|Term end

43

| 100px

| Joseph C. Mayo

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1853

| April 3, 1865

colspan=6 style="text-align:center;" |Fall of Richmond (April 3, 1865) - City under federal authority until appointment of David Saunders as mayor
44

|

| David J. Saunders

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 3, 1865

| April 6, 1866

45

| 100px

| Joseph C. Mayo

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| April 7, 1866

| May 4, 1868

46

| 100px

| George Chahoon

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| May 6, 1868

| March 15, 1870

47

|

| Henry K. EllysonAfter Ellyson's election, Mayor Chahoon challenged the new administration's legitimacy and refused to step down. The courts ruled in Ellyson's favor, and he was declared victor of the May election but refused the office because it was tainted by skullduggery. See Richmond's Municipal War.

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| March 16, 1870

| June 30, 1871

48

| 100px

| Anthony M. Keiley

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1871

| June 30, 1876

49

|

| William C. Carrington

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1876

| June 30, 1888

50

| 100px

| James Taylor Ellyson

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1888

| June 30, 1894

51

|

| Richard M. Taylor

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1894

| 1904

52

|

| Carlton McCarthy

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| September 1, 1904

| August 31, 1908

53

|

| David C. Richardson

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| September 1, 1908

| September 3, 1912

54

| 100px

| George Ainslie

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| September 4, 1912

| 1924

55

|

| John Fulmer Bright

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1924

| 1940

56

|

| Gordon Barbour Ambler

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1940

| 1944

57

|

| William C. Herbert

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1944

| September 10, 1946

58

|

| Horace H. Edwards

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| September 11, 1946

| 1948

{{Clear}}

=City Council appointed mayors (1948–2005)=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! width="5%"|

! width="8%"|Portrait

! width="25%"|Mayor

! width-"15%"|Political party

! width="20%"|Term start

! width="20%"|Term end

59

|

| W. Stirling King

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1948

| 1950

60

| 100px

| T. Nelson Parker

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1950

| 1952

61

|

| Edward E. Haddock

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1952

| 1954

62

| 100px

| Thomas P. Bryan

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1954

| 1956

63

|

| F. Henry Garber

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1956

| 1958

64

|

| A. Scott Anderson

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1958

| 1960

65

|

| Claude W. Woodward

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| 1960

| 1962

66

|

| Eleanor P. SheppardSheppard was the first female City Council member in Richmond as well as the first female mayor.

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1962

| June 30, 1964

67

|

| Morrill Martin Crowe

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1964

| June 30, 1968

68

|

| Philip J. Bagley, Jr.

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1968

| June 30, 1970

69

| 100px

| Thomas J. Bliley, Jr.

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1970

| March 7, 1977Between 1972 and 1976, city council elections were not held by order of the United States Department of Justice. See City of Richmond v. United States.

70

|

| Henry L. Marsh, IIIMarsh was the first African-American mayor of Richmond.

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| March 8, 1977

| June 30, 1982

71

|

| Roy A. West

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1982

| June 30, 1988

72

|

| Geline B. Williams

| {{Party shading/Republican}} | Republican

| July 1, 1988

| June 30, 1990

73

|

| Walter T. Kenney, Sr.

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1990

| June 30, 1994

74

|

| Leonidas B. Young, II

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1994

| June 30, 1996

75

|

| Larry E. Chavis

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1996

| June 30, 1998

76

| 100px

| Timothy M. Kaine

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| July 1, 1998

| September 10, 2001

77

|

| Rudolph C. McCollum, Jr.

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| September 11, 2001

| January 1, 2005

{{Clear}}

=Popularly-elected mayors (since 2005)=

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! width="5%"|

! width="8%"|Portrait

! width="25%"|Mayor

! width-"15%"|Political party

! width="20%"|Term start

! width="20%"|Term end

78

| 90px

| Douglas Wilder

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| January 2, 2005

| January 1, 2009

79

| 90px

| Dwight C. Jones

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| January 1, 2009

| December 31, 2016

80

| 90px

| Levar Stoney

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| January 1, 2017

| December 31, 2024

81

| 90px

| Danny Avula

| {{Party shading/Democratic}} | Democratic

| January 1, 2025

| Incumbent

{{Clear}}

Notes

{{History of Virginia}}

{{Reflist|group=note}}

References

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20061011054645/http://www.ci.richmond.va.us/citizen/docs/Members1948toPresent.pdf City of Richmond: City Council 1948-Present]
  • [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/VA/ofc/richmond.html Political Graveyard: Mayors of Richmond]

{{RichmondVAMayors}}

{{Richmond, Virginia}}

Richmond, Virginia