List of mayors of Pittsburgh

Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox Political post The mayor of Pittsburgh is the chief executive of the government of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, as stipulated by the Charter of the City of Pittsburgh.

Prior to the 1816 city charter, the Borough of Pittsburgh had its council elect a chief burgess among themselves. After the borough was rechartered as a city, its first seven mayors were selected in a similar fashion as the chief burgesses had been under borough council. It was not until Mayor Samuel Pettigrew in the 1830s that general elections of popular vote were conducted among all the city's voters to determine who would hold the mayor's office. Pettigrew was both the last mayor selected by council and the first generally elected mayor of Pittsburgh. From 1901 to 1903 the state legislature took control of the city on the grounds of corruption by former Mayor William J. Diehl with the passage of the so-called "ripper bill" and appointed the unelected "recorders" Joseph Brown and Adam Brown, who were answerable only to the state government. Since 1903, all mayors have been popularly elected. The mayor Template:Asof is Democrat Ed Gainey.

Chief burgesses (1794–1813)

No.	Chief Burgess	Term	Party	Notes
1	George Robinson	1794–c. 1800		Arrested on orders from President George Washington for rebel activity during the Whiskey Rebellion.
2	John Park	1800–1801
3	Dr. George Stevenson	1801–1802
4	Isaac Craig	1802–1803	Federalist
5	James O'Hara	1803–1804	Federalist	Formerly 6th Quartermaster General of the United States Army and Revolutionary War veteran.
6	General Pressley Neville	1804–1805		Revolutionary War veteran.
7	General John Wilkins	c. 1805–c. 1812		Formerly 7th and last Quartermaster General of the U.S. Army
8	William Steele	1812–1813

Mayors (since 1816)

No.	Mayor	Term	Party	Notes	Opposition
1	Ebenezer Denny #	1816–1817	Federalist	First "appointed" mayor after city charter, resigned from office with health concerns, Revolutionary War veteran.
2	John Darragh	1817–1825	Federalist	Appointed by City Council, formerly president of the bank of Pittsburgh.
3	John M. Snowden	1825–1828	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Democratic-Republican, Jacksonian	Appointed by City Council, formerly president of the bank of Pittsburgh and county treasurer, edited the Pittsburgh Mercury.
4	Magnus Miller Murray	1828–1830	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Jacksonian, Democrat	Appointed by City Council
5	Matthew B. Lowrie	1830–1831	Anti-Masonic	Appointed by City Council, brother was a U.S. Senator and son became Chief Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.
6	Magnus Miller Murray	1831–1832	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Appointed by City Council
7	Samuel Pettigrew	1832–1836	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Appointed by City Council, later won the first mayoral election
			Template:Party shading/Fusion|Jackson and Clay (1834–35)
			Template:Party shading/Fusion|Democratic and Workingmen's (1835–36)
8	Dr. Jonas R. McClintock	1836–1839	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat (1836–37)	Elected mayor at the age of 28, became the first man to assume the office from a general election. Later led a Union company in the American Civil War.
			Template:Party shading/Independent|City (1837–38)
			Template:Party shading/Independent|City Improvement (1838–39)
9	William Little	1839–1840	Template:Party shading/Independent|IndependentTemplate:Efn
10	William W. Irwin	1840–1841	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig (and Anti-Masonic)Template:Efn	Elected to congress and appointed United States Ambassador to Denmark after leaving office.
11	James Thomson	1841–1842	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig
12	Alexander Hay	1842–1845	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig (1842–43)	After office he was commander in the Mexican War, and captain in the Civil War.
			Template:Party shading/Other|Volunteer (1843–44)
			Template:Party shading/Other|Independent/Volunteer (1844–45)
13	William J. Howard	1845–1846	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig	Longtime president of the "Guardians of the Poor", forerunner of the Salvation Army
14	William Kerr	1846–1847	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat
15	Gabriel Adams	1847–1849	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig	After office was appointed state judge
16	John Herron	1849–1850	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig	Before office was a captain in the Mexican War, hero of the Siege of Veracruz.
17	Joseph Barker	1850–1851	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|People's and Anti-Catholic	Elected while in jail for inciting anti-Catholic and anti-Masonic riots. The itinerant preacher was released to serve his one-year mayoral term. Barker repeatedly sought re-election, but failed. Later, he was decapitated when he got too close to a train.
18	John B. Guthrie	1851–1853	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Father of future mayor George W. Guthrie, served in Mexican War, was the longtime Customs Collector for Pittsburgh
19	Robert M. Riddle	1853–1854	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig	Formerly Postmaster of Pittsburgh, edited the Commercial Journal
20	Ferdinand E. Volz	1854–1856	style="background-color:Template:Party color"|Whig (1854–55)	Oversaw cholera epidemic response
			Template:Party shading/Fusion|Whig-Democratic fusion (anti-Know Nothing) (1855–56)
21	William Bingham	1856–1857	Template:Party shading/Know-Nothing|American
22	Henry A. Weaver	1857–1860	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	After office served as U.S. Collector of Revenue for Pittsburgh
23	George Wilson	1860–1862	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Formerly Pittsburgh Public Schools Director
24	Benair C. Sawyer	1862–1864	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	After office moved to Colorado then to California making a fortune in mining
25	James Lowry, Jr.	1864–1866	Template:Party shading/Other|Union City
26	William C. McCarthy	1866–1868	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Formerly a legend as a City fire fighter and commander, during administration ended the police practice of assuring "All is Well" on the hour, later served as city controller.
27	James Blackmore	1868–1869	Template:Party shading/Other|Workingmen's	Formerly Chief Clerk of City
28	Jared M. Brush	1869–1872	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Formerly city councilor, served as a minister during the Civil War.
29	James Blackmore	1872–1875	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Formerly Chief Clerk of City
30	William C. McCarthy	1875–1878	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Formerly a legend as a Pittsburgh Fire Fighter and commander, during administration ended the police practice of assuring "All is Well" on the hour, later served as city controller.
31	Robert Liddell	1878–1881	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Before and after office was a brewer and liquor dealer.	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Miles S. Humphreys
32	Robert W. Lyon	1881–1884	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Earned two Purple Hearts in the Civil War, oil businessman before being elected, worked in a steel mill after leaving office.	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Miles S. Humphreys
33	Andrew Fulton	1884–1887	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former city councilman; temporarily retired to breed horses in Colorado; later served as county director of the Division of Weights and Measures	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Robert Liddell
34	William McCallin	1887–1890	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former County Coroner and County Sheriff	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Bernard J. McKenna
35	Henry I. Gourley	1890–1893	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former city councilman; became city clerk after office	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|John H. Bailey
36	Bernard J. McKenna	1893–1896	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former city councilman and firefighter	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|John S. Lambie & F.C. Beinhauer
37	Henry P. Ford	1896–1899	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Industrialist, with interests in knife manufacturing.	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|George W. Guthrie
38	William J. Diehl #	1899–1901	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former Deputy Sheriff; impeached on corruption charges	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|John C. O'Donnell
39	Adam M. Brown	1901	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former Court of Common Pleas judge; California Gold Rush speculator; earned the nickname of "Major" due to his military service	non-elected
40	Joseph O. Brown †	1901–1903	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former Allegheny County Prothonotary and city Director of Public Safety; died in office of a heart attack	non-elected
41	William B. Hays	1903–1906	Template:Party shading/Fusion|Citizens / Democrat	Industrialist, with interests in coal and lumber	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|John C. Haymaker
42	George W. Guthrie	1906–1909	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Attorney; son of former mayor John B. Guthrie; served as United States Ambassador to Japan after office.	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Alexander M. Jenkinson
43	William A. Magee	1909–1914	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former Allegheny County Assistant District Attorney and city councilman
44	Joseph G. Armstrong	1914–1918	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|RepublicanTemplate:Efn	Former city councilman and Allegheny County Coroner; nicknamed "Joe the Builder" for his extensive public works projects	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Stephen G. PorterTemplate:Efn
45	Edward V. Babcock	1918–1922	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|RepublicanTemplate:Efn	Former city councilman; later served as Allegheny County Commissioner; personally purchased for county parklands. Purchased thousands of acres of south Florida timberland, estate sold to the state for conservation in the 1990s.	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|William A. MageeTemplate:Efn
46	William A. Magee	1922–1926	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former City Council President	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|William N. McNair
47	Charles H. Kline #	1926–1933	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former State Representative and State Senator; convicted in 1932 by jury on 49 counts of corruption, but charges later overturned on appeal; resigned due to party pressure over corruption charges	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"| James F Malone, Tom Dunn
48	John S. Herron	1933–1934	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Republican	Former City Council President	non-elected
49	William N. McNair #	1934–1936	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Idealistic attorney; commended for his honesty, but criticized for his inability to get along with city council or the bureaucracy; arrested in 1935 for failing to authorize the return of a fine to an illegal gambler whose conviction had been overturned; resigned due to political infighting	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| John Herron
50	Cornelius D. Scully	1936–1946	rowspan="2" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former City Council President	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Bob Waddell
			Harmar Denny
51	David L. Lawrence #	1946–1959	rowspan="4" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Named one of the all-time 50 greatest American mayors; elected governor in 1958; former Pennsylvania Democratic Party Chairman, Secretary of the Commonwealth, and U.S. Collector of Revenue; considered a "king maker" by Democratic Party Conventions due to his crafting of compromise candidates of U.S. Presidents Truman and the Kennedy/Johnson tickets.	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Bob Waddell
			Tice Ryan
			Leo Kane
			John Drew
52	Thomas Gallagher	1959	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former State Representative and City Council President; became mayor at age 75	non-elected
53	Joseph M. Barr	1959–1970	rowspan="2" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former State Senator	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Will Crehan
			Vince Rovitto
54	Peter F. Flaherty #	1970–1977	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former city councilman; resigned after he was appointed Deputy U.S. Attorney General by President Carter; Democratic nominee for governor in 1978, and for U.S. Senate in 1974 and 1980, losing all three races by close margins	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| John Tabor
			Template:Party shading/Fusion|"Fusion" DemocratTemplate:Efn		Unopposed
55	Richard Caliguiri †	1977–1988	Template:Party shading/Independent Democratic|Independent Democrat	Former City Council President; won 1978 election as an independent, after initially deciding not to run due to a lack of support from party leaders; died in office from amyloidosis	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Tom Foerster & Vince Cosetti
			rowspan="2" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat		style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Fred Goehringer
			style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"|Henry Sneath
56	Sophie Masloff	1988–1994	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former City Council President; began her career in Pittsburgh politics as a Court secretary in 1938 at age 18	Uncontested
57	Thomas J. Murphy, Jr. ♥	1994–2006	rowspan="3" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former State Representative; lectures internationally on cities as a senior fellow at Washington, DC–based Urban Land Institute	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Duane Darkins & Kathy Matta
			Harry Frost
			James Carmine
58	Bob O'Connor †	2006	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former City Council President; died in office from a brain tumor.	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Joe Weinroth & Titus North
59	Luke Ravenstahl ♥	2006–2014	rowspan="2" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former City Council President; became mayor at age 26, making him the youngest mayor of a top 100 city.	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Mark DeSantis
			Dok Harris & Kevin Acklin
60	Bill Peduto ♥	2014–2022	rowspan="2" style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former city councilman	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Joshua Wander
			Unopposed
61	Ed Gainey ♥	2022–present	style="color:black;background-color:Template:Democratic Party (US)/meta/shading"|Democrat	Former state representative; became the first African-American mayor of the city	style="background-color:Template:Republican Party (US)/meta/shading"| Tony Moreno

† Died in office; # Resigned from office ; ♥ Still living

Longest tenures

• 13 years (1946–1959) – David L. Lawrence
• 12 years (1994–2006) – Thomas J. Murphy, Jr.
• 11 years and 1 month (1977–1988) – Richard Caliguiri
• 10 years and 1 month (1959–1970) – Joseph M. Barr
• 9 years and 3 months (1936–1946) – Cornelius D. Scully
• 8 years and 9 months (1909–1914, 1922–1926) – William A. Magee
• 8 years (2014–2022) – Bill Peduto
• 7 years and 11 months (1817–1825) – John Darragh
• 7 years and 4 months (2006–2014) – Luke Ravenstahl
• 7 years and >3 months (1970–1977) – Peter F. Flaherty
• 7 years and <3 months (1926–1933) – Charles H. Kline

The listed terms are rounded to the nearest month.

See also

• History of Pittsburgh
• List of mayors of Allegheny, Pennsylvania
• Pittsburgh City Council
• Pittsburgh Mayoral Chief of Staff

Sources

• Office of Prothonotary; Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
• Historic Pittsburgh Collection
• Political Graveyard: Pittsburgh

External links

• Mayors in crisis through history
• Pittsburgh mayoral election results
• Pittsburgh mayors