List of mayors of Houston
| Mayor of Houston | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the City of Houston | |
 Flag of the City of Houston | |
_(cropped).jpg) | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once (effective 2016) |
| Inaugural holder | James S. Holman 1837 |
| Formation | Houston City Charter |
| Salary | $236,189 (2019) |
| Website | Official website |
| Elections in Texas |
|---|
 |
 Government |
The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.
Qualifications, election, and terms
To file to run for mayor, a person must be a qualified voter of the city of Houston, and have has resided in the city for at least 12 months immediately preceding the election day; to serve, the person must continue to be a qualified voter and resident.[1] Elections for mayor are held every other odd-numbered year. To serve as mayor of Houston, a person must be a qualified voter and resident of the City.[1] To win the election, a candidate is required to receive the majority of votes; if no candidate receives a majority, a run-off election between the top two [2]
Until 2015, the term of the mayor was two years.[1] Beginning with the tenure of Bob Lanier, the city charter imposed term limits on officeholders of no more than three terms (six years total).[1] On November 3, 2015, voters approved Proposition 2, which extended the terms of the Mayor, City Controller and City Councilmembers to four years, while imposing a limit of two terms.
List of mayors of Houston
| No. | Term | Mayor | Party affiliation | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | 2024–present | John Whitmire | Democratic | |
| 62 | 2016–2024 | Sylvester Turner | Democratic | |
| 61 | 2010–2016 | Annise Parker | Democratic | |
| 60 | 2004–2010 | Bill White | Democratic | |
| 59 | 1998–2004 | Lee Brown | Democratic | |
| 58 | 1992–1998 | Bob Lanier | Democratic | |
| 57 | 1982–1992 | Kathy Whitmire[3] | Democratic | |
| 56 | 1978–1982 | Jim McConn | Republican | |
| 55 | 1974–1978 | Fred Hofheinz | Democratic | |
| 54 | 1964–1974 | Louie Welch | Republican | |
| 53 | 1958–1964 | Lewis Cutrer | Democratic | |
| 52 | 1956–1958 | Oscar F. Holcombe (5th) | Democratic | |
| 51 | 1953–1956 | Roy Hofheinz | Democratic | |
| 50 | 1947–1953 | Oscar F. Holcombe (4th) | Democratic | |
| 49 | 1943–1947 | Otis Massey | Democratic | |
| 48 | 1941–1943 | Neal Pickett | Democratic | |
| 47 | 1939–1941 | Oscar F. Holcombe (3rd) | Democratic | |
| 46 | 1937–1939 | Richard H. Fonville | ||
| 45 | 1933–1937 | Oscar F. Holcombe (2nd) | Democratic | |
| 44 | 1929–1933 | Walter E. Monteith | ||
| 43 | 1921–1929 | Oscar F. Holcombe | Democratic | |
| 42 | 1918–1921 | A. Earl Amerman | ||
| 41 | 1917–1918 | Joseph Chappell Hutcheson Jr. | ||
| 40 | 1917 | J. J. Pastoriza (died in office) | ||
| 39 | 1913–1917 | Ben Campbell | ||
| 38 | 1905–1913 | H. Baldwin Rice (2nd) | ||
| 37 | 1904–1905 | Andrew L. Jackson | ||
| 36 | 1902–1904 | O. T. Holt | ||
| 35 | 1901–1902 | John D. Woolford | ||
| 34 | 1898–1901 | Samuel H. Brashear | ||
| 33 | 1896–1898 | Horace Baldwin Rice | ||
| 32 | 1892–1896 | John T. Browne | ||
| 31 | 1890–1892 | Henry Scherffius | ||
| 30 | 1886–1890 | Daniel C. Smith | ||
| 29 | 1880–1886 | William R. Baker | ||
| 28 | 1879–1880 | Andrew Jackson Burke | ||
| 27 | 1877–1878 | James T. D. Wilson (2nd) | ||
| 26 | 1875–1876 | I. C. Lord | ||
| 25 | 1874 | James T. D. Wilson | ||
| 24 | 1870–1873 | Thomas H. Scanlan | ||
| 23 | 1868–1870 | Joseph Robert Morris | ||
| 22 | 1867–1868 | Alexander McGowan (2nd) | ||
| 21 | 1866 | Horace D. Taylor | ||
| 20 | 1863–1865 | William Anders | ||
| 19 | 1862 | Thomas W. House | ||
| 18 | 1861 | William J. Hutchins | ||
| 17 | 1860 | Thomas W. Whitmarsh | ||
| 16 | 1859 | William King | ||
| 15 | 1858 | Alexander McGowan | ||
| 14 | 1856–1857 | Cornelius Ennis | ||
| 13 | 1855–1856 | James H. Stevens | ||
| 12 | 1853–1854 | Nathan Fuller | ||
| 11 | 1849–1852 | Francis W. Moore Jr. (3rd) | ||
| 10 | 1847–1848 | Benjamin P. Buckner | ||
| 9 | 1846 | James Bailey | ||
| 8 | 1845 | William Swain | ||
| 7 | 1844 | Horace Baldwin | ||
| 6 | 1843 | Francis W. Moore Jr. (2nd) | ||
| 5 | 1841–1842 | John Day Andrews | ||
| 4 | 1840 | Charles Bigelow | ||
| 3 | 1839 | George W. Lively | ||
| 2 | 1838–1839 | Francis W. Moore Jr. | ||
| 1 | 1837 | James S. Holman |
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "ARTICLE V. - OFFICERS AND ELECTION". CODE OF ORDINANCES CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. Municode. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ Aguilar, Julián (February 27, 2024). "What triggers a runoff election in Texas? Here's what you need to know". KERA News. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
- ^ "Timeline". Women in Texas History. Austin: Ruthe Winegarten Memorial Foundation for Texas Women's History. Archived from the original on March 23, 2017. Retrieved April 14, 2017.
External links
- "Mayor of Houston Biography". Mayor's Office, City of Houston.
- "Mayoral History - List of Houston Mayors". Mayor's Office, City of Houston.
- "Rulers: U.S. Cities- Houston". rulers.org.
