List of longest-serving mayors in the United States

Some of the longest-serving mayors in the United States are listed according to their length of service in that office. The office of mayor is the highest ranking local official and responsibilities may vary from ceremonial (see weak mayor) to full-time responsibility for city operations (see strong mayor).

Current serving mayors

A list of mayors still in office and ordered by their length of continuous service in that office. (If there is a break in their service, then this length is measured from their return to the office.)

Years in Office Mayor Municipality Notes
56–57 years Charles E. Long Booneville, Kentucky Entered office in 1959.[1]
53 years, 235 days Robert L. Butler Marion, Illinois Entered office in April 1963.
52 years, 321 days John B. Arnold, Jr. Valparaiso, Florida Entered office on January 21, 1964.
47 years, 94 days Leonard Scarcella Stafford, Texas Entered into office on September 4, 1969.
45 years, 341 days H. Ford Gravitt Cumming, Georgia Entered office on January 1, 1971. Served four years on City Council (1967-1970)
45 years, 341 days Robert Blais Lake George, New York Began current term on April 5, 1971.
43–44 years Richard A. Mola Elmwood Park, New Jersey Entered office in 1972.
39–40 years Harold Rainwater Wilmore, KY Entered office in 1976.
37–38 years Robert Chatfield Prospect, Connecticut Entered office in 1978.
36–37 years Noel B. Cummings Hodgkins, Illinois Entered office in 1979.
34–35 years Jeffery D. Schielke Batavia, Illinois Entered office in 1981.

Current and former mayors

A list of mayors in order of their total length of service in that office. (If there is a break in their service, then this length is measured as the sum of their terms.) John M. Coyne (born 1916) was the mayor of Brooklyn, Ohio from 1948 to 2000, making his term the longest consecutive term of any mayor in the United States until 2008 when Hilmar Moore took over the top spot.

Total length
of term
 Mayor Municipality Notes
63 years, 73 days Hilmar Moore Richmond, Texas Served from September 22, 1949 to December 4, 2012.
61 years, 111 days John H. Land Apopka, Florida Served from January 1, 1971 to April 22, 2014. Also served from January 1, 1950 to January 1, 1968.
58 years, 233 days Robert Linn Beaver, Pennsylvania Served from January 2, 1946 to August 22, 2004.
56–57 years Charles E. Long Booneville, Kentucky Entered office in 1959.
53 years, 235 days Robert L. Butler Marion, Illinois Entered office in April 1963, still serves as mayor today.
52 years John M. Coyne Brooklyn, Ohio Served from 1948 until January 2000.[2][Notes 1]
52 years, 321 days John B. Arnold, Jr. Valparaiso, Florida Entered office on January 21, 1964, still serves as mayor today.
50 years Leonard T. Connors Surf City, New Jersey Entered office in 1966, served until January 5, 2016.
48 years, 352 days Frank E. Rodgers Harrison, New Jersey Served from September 4, 1946 to August 22, 1995.
47 years, 115 days Nicholas B. Blase Niles, Illinois Served from May 2, 1961 to his resignation on August 25, 2008.[3]
47 years, 94 days Leonard Scarcella Stafford, Texas Entered into office on September 4, 1969.
45 years, 341 days H. Ford Gravitt Cumming, Georgia Entered office on January 1, 1971. Served four years on City Council (1967-1970)
45 years, 341 days Robert Blais Lake George, New York Began current term on April 5, 1971.
43–44 years Richard A. Mola Elmwood Park, New Jersey Entered office in 1972.
41 years, 146 days Erastus Corning II Albany, New York Served from January 2, 1942 to May 28, 1983.
40 years, 27 days Joseph P. Riley, Jr. Charleston, South Carolina Served from December 15, 1975 to January 11, 2016.[4]
40 years Louis Bay 2nd Hawthorne, New Jersey Entered into office in 1947, served until 1987.
40 years,   0 days Harold Rainwater Wilmore, Kentucky Entered into office in 1976.
35 years, 220 days Edward J. Zabrocki Tinley Park, Illinois Entered into office on May 1, 1981.

References

  1. ↑ Tribute To Mayor Charles Long, Booneville, Kentucky
  2. ↑ Iallonardo, Tony (November 15, 1999). "U.S. Has New "Longest-Serving Mayor". United States Conference of Mayors. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  3. ↑ Schneider, Andrew (2012). Nick Blase: The Prince of Niles, Illinois. Charleston, SC: The History Press. ISBN 9781609495497.
  4. ↑ Seabrook, Andrea (January 19, 2008), Charleston Mayor Reflects on 30 Years in Office, NPR, retrieved April 29, 2015

Notes

  1. ↑ The date of inauguration for Mayor John Coyne is not clear. It is clear that his successor, Kenneth Patton, took office in January 2000. References appear to confuse the 1999 election defeat with the day he left office. Most references state that he served 52 years, some from 1947-1999, a few from 1948 to 1999, and others from 1948 to 2000.
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