List of mayors of Houston

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Mayor of Houston
Seal of Houston, Texas.png
Seal of the City of Houston
Flag of Houston, Texas.svg
Flag of the City of Houston
John Whitmire speaking at Veterans Day Ceremony, 2024 (5366) (cropped).jpg
Incumbent
John Whitmire
since January 1, 2024
Style The Honorable
Term length Four years, renewable once (effective 2016)
Inaugural holder James S. Holman
1837
FormationHouston City Charter
Salary$236,189 (2019)
Website Official website

The following is a list of people who have served as mayor of the city of Houston in the U.S. state of Texas.

Contents

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.TermMayorParty affiliation
632024–present John Whitmire  Democratic
622016–2024 Sylvester Turner  Democratic
612010–2016 Annise Parker  Democratic
602004–2010 Bill White  Democratic
591998–2004 Lee Brown  Democratic
581992–1998 Bob Lanier  Democratic
571982–1992 Kathy Whitmire [3]  Democratic
561978–1982 Jim McConn  Republican
551974–1978 Fred Hofheinz  Democratic
541964–1974 Louie Welch  Republican
531958–1964 Lewis Cutrer  Democratic
521956–1958 Oscar F. Holcombe (5th) Democratic
511953–1956 Roy Hofheinz  Democratic
501947–1953 Oscar F. Holcombe (4th) Democratic
491943–1947 Otis Massey  Democratic
481941–1943 Neal Pickett  Democratic
471939–1941 Oscar F. Holcombe (3rd) Democratic
461937–1939 Richard H. Fonville
451933–1937 Oscar F. Holcombe (2nd) Democratic
441929–1933 Walter E. Monteith
431921–1929 Oscar F. Holcombe  Democratic
421918–1921 A. Earl Amerman
411917–1918 Joseph Chappell Hutcheson Jr.
401917 J. J. Pastoriza (died in office)
391913–1917 Ben Campbell
381905–1913 H. Baldwin Rice (2nd)
371904–1905 Andrew L. Jackson
361902–1904 O. T. Holt
351901–1902 John D. Woolford
341898–1901 Samuel H. Brashear
331896–1898 Horace Baldwin Rice
321892–1896 John T. Browne
311890–1892 Henry Scherffius
301886–1890 Daniel C. Smith
291880–1886 William R. Baker
281879–1880 Andrew Jackson Burke
271877–1878 James T. D. Wilson (2nd)
261875–1876 I. C. Lord
251874 James T. D. Wilson
241870–1873 Thomas H. Scanlan
231868–1870 Joseph Robert Morris
221867–1868 Alexander McGowan (2nd)
211866 Horace D. Taylor
201863–1865 William Anders
191862 Thomas W. House
181861 William J. Hutchins
171860 Thomas W. Whitmarsh
161859 William King
151858 Alexander McGowan
141856–1857 Cornelius Ennis
131855–1856 James H. Stevens
121853–1854 Nathan Fuller
111849–1852 Francis W. Moore Jr. (3rd)
101847–1848 Benjamin P. Buckner
91846 James Bailey
81845 William Swain
71844 Horace Baldwin
61843 Francis W. Moore Jr. (2nd)
51841–1842 John Day Andrews
41840 Charles Bigelow
31839 George W. Lively
21838–1839 Francis W. Moore Jr.
11837 James S. Holman

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "ARTICLE V. - OFFICERS AND ELECTION". CODE OF ORDINANCES CITY OF HOUSTON, TEXAS. Municode. Retrieved February 25, 2025.
  2. 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.
  3. "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.