The history of Pittsburgh began with centuries of Native American civilization in the modern Pittsburgh region, known as "Dionde:gâ'" in the Seneca language. Eventually, European explorers encountered the strategic confluence where the Allegheny and Monongahela Rivers meet to form the Ohio, which leads to the Mississippi River. The area became a battleground when France and Great Britain fought for control in the 1750s. When the British were victorious, the French ceded control of territories east of the Mississippi.
David Leo Lawrence was an American politician who served as the 37th governor of Pennsylvania from 1959 to 1963. The first Catholic elected as Pennsylvania's governor, Lawrence is the only mayor of Pittsburgh to have also been elected as Governor of Pennsylvania. He served four terms as mayor, from 1946 through 1959. A panel of 69 scholars in 1993 ranked him third among the ten best mayors in American history.
Joseph M. Barr was an American politician who held a variety of positions, including an eleven-year tenure as mayor of Pittsburgh from 1959 to 1970.
Bernard J. McKenna was the Mayor of Pittsburgh from 1893 to 1896. His nickname was "Barney."
Lawrence Cowle Phipps was a United States Senator representing Colorado from 1919 until 1931.
William Mark Peduto is an American politician who was the 60th mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 2014 until 2022. He was a Democratic member of the Pittsburgh City Council from 2002 to 2014.
The mayoral election of 2007 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was a special election held on Tuesday, November 6, 2007. The incumbent mayor, Luke Ravenstahl of the Democratic Party faced Republican challenger Mark DeSantis, a telecommunications executive and adjunct professor at Carnegie Mellon University. The race was notable for the strength of its Republican challenger, rare in Pittsburgh, and the election of such a young mayor, Ravenstahl being 27 years old at the time. Ravenstahl was elected with a comfortable margin in an election marked by unusually cold weather but record voter turnout.
Pittsburgh held a mayoral election on November 3, 2009. Incumbent mayor Luke Ravenstahl, a Democrat, defeated his two independent challengers by a wide margin. The 2009 election was the first regular-cycle election in which Ravenstahl participated; he was originally appointed as an interim mayor to succeed Bob O'Connor and subsequently won a special election in 2007.
The Mayoral election of 1973 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1973. The incumbent mayor, Pete Flaherty of the Democratic Party chose to run for his second full term.
The Mayoral election of 1933 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 6, 1933. In a realigning election, Democrats regained control of the mayor's office for the first time in twenty-eight years; they have not relinquished this position since.
The 1958 Pennsylvania gubernatorial election was held on November 4. Democrat David Lawrence defeated Republican Art McGonigle by a smaller than anticipated margin.
The Mayoral election of 1957 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1957. The incumbent mayor, David Lawrence of the Democratic Party won an unprecedented fourth term. Lawrence defeated former Court of Common Pleas Judge John Drew. For the third straight election, the powerful mayor gained quiet support from the Republican business community for his urban renewal projects, which compromised the GOP candidate's position.
The Mayoral election of 1953 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1953. David Lawrence of the Democratic Party won the right to serve a third term. With a broad base of support among both labor and minority voters, as well as the quiet background support of many GOP business leaders, Lawrence coasted to an election win. His victory came over Leonard Kane, a real estate developer and the brother of the Allegheny County Treasurer.
The Mayoral election of 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 8, 1949. David Lawrence of the Democratic Party was reelected to a second term. Despite commanding a powerful position within both local politics and the state party, Lawrence faced a major primary challenge after he failed to gain the endorsement of the AFL–CIO. However, he achieved a moderate victory over union leader Ed Leonard, in part due to the surprising support of the Republican business community, which championed Lawrence's urban renewal projects. After the primary scare, Lawrence defeated Republican Timothy "Tice" Ryan, an attorney, by what was then the biggest margin in city mayoral history.
The mayoral election of 1941 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was held on Tuesday, November 4, 1941. Incumbent Democratic Party Conn Scully won a second full term by a narrow margin.
The Mayoral election of 1937 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 2, 1937. Incumbent Democrat Conn Scully, the former City Council President who had assumed the executive rank in October 1936, after the resignation of William McNair, was elected to a first full term.
The Mayoral election of 1929 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was held on Tuesday, November 5, 1929. Incumbent Republican mayor Charles H. Kline was re-elected over Thomas A. Dunn, who ran on the Democratic and Good Government party tickets. Until this election, no mayor of Pittsburgh had won consecutive terms since Henry A. Weaver in 1858, owing in part to a prior long-standing law prohibiting a mayor from succeeding himself. As of 2022, this was the last time a Republican was elected mayor of Pittsburgh.
The 2017 Pittsburgh mayoral election took place on November 7, 2017. The primary election was held on May 16, 2017. Incumbent Democratic Mayor Bill Peduto successfully ran for re-election to a second term. Three Democrats, including Peduto, and no Republicans filed petitions to appear on the respective primary ballots before the deadline on March 7, 2017. Peduto won the Democratic primary and was officially unopposed in the general election.
The 2021 Pittsburgh mayoral election took place on November 2, 2021. The primary election was held on May 18, 2021. The Democratic nominee, State Representative Ed Gainey, defeated the Republican nominee, retired police officer Tony Moreno.
The 1921 Pittsburgh mayoral election was held on Tuesday, November 8, 1921. Republican nominee William A. Magee was elected by a large margin over Democratic candidate William N. McNair.
