List of mayors of South Bend, Indiana

Mayor of South Bend
Incumbent James Mueller since January 1, 2020
Style	The Honorable, Mr. Mayor (informal)
Term length	Four-year term, renewable
Formation	May 22, 1865
Salary	$117,780.24 (2020) [1] [2]

This is a list of mayors of South Bend, Indiana, beginning with South Bend's incorporation as a city on May 22, 1865. ^{[3] [4]} William G. George served as the city's first mayor from 1865 to 1868. ^[5] Joe Kernan was mayor of South Bend from 1988 to 1997 and went on to serve as governor of Indiana. South Bend's 11th mayor was Schuyler Colfax III, son of the 17th Vice President of the United States Schuyler Colfax, and was the youngest mayor of South Bend. Every mayor since 1972 has been a Democrat and the incumbent is James Mueller, having taken office on January 1, 2020.

#	Portrait	Name [4]	Term start	Term end	Terms		Party
1		William G. George	1865	1868	1		Republican
2		Louis Humphreys (1816–1880)	1868	1872	2		Republican
3		William Miller (1821–1901)	1873	1876	2		Republican
4		Alexander N. Thomas	1877	1878	1		Republican
5		Lucius G. Tong (1842–1908)	1878	1880	1		Republican
6		Levi J. Ham (1805–1887)	1880	1884	2		Democratic
7		George W. Loughman (1846–1909)	1884	1888	2		Republican
8		William H. Longley	1888	1892	2		Democratic
9		David R. Leeper (1832–1900)	1892	1894	1		Democratic
10		D. B. J. Schafer	1894	1898	2		Republican
11		Schuyler Colfax III (1870–1925)	1898	1902	2		Republican
12		Edward J. Fogarty	1902	1910	4		Democratic
13		Charles L. Goetz	1910	1914	2		Democratic
14		Fred W. Keller(1893–1955)	1914	1918	2		Independent
15		Franklin R. Carson(1861–1929)	January 1918	1922	2		Republican
16		Eli F. Seebirt(1879–1955)	1922	1926	2		Republican
17		Chester R. Montgomery	1926	1930			Democratic
18		William Riley Hinkle(1874–1964)	1930	1935			Democratic
19		George W. Freyermuth (1868–1958)	1935	1938			Republican
20		Jesse I. Pavey	1938	1945			Democratic
21		F. Kenneth Dempsey(1906–1973)	1945	1947			Democratic
22		George A. Schock	1947	1952			Democratic
23		John Alden Scott (1916–1986)	1952	1956	1		Republican
24		Edward F. Voorde [6] (1910–1960)	January 1, 1956	September 2, 1960 [note 1]	1¼		Democratic
25		Frank J. Bruggner(1891–1972)	September 1960	1964	¾		Democratic
26		Lloyd M. Allen(1919–1989)	1964	1972	2		Republican
27		Jerry Miller	1972	1975	1		Democratic
28		Peter J. Nemeth (born 1942)	1976	1980	1		Democratic
29		Roger O. Parent (born 1938)	January 1980	January 3, 1988	2		Democratic
30		Joe E. Kernan (1946–2020)	January 3, 1988	January 3, 1997	2¼		Democratic
31		Steve Luecke (born 1964)	January 3, 1997	January 1, 2012	3¾		Democratic
32		Pete Buttigieg (born 1982)	January 1, 2012	January 1, 2020	2		Democratic
33		James Mueller (born 1982)	January 1, 2020	Incumbent			Democratic

See also

• Mayoral elections in South Bend, Indiana

Notes

1. Died in office.

References

1. "Presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg says the monthly mortgage payment on his 'one house in Indiana' is $450". April 30, 2019.
2. "Reports: Gateway".
3. "THE MUNICIPAL CODE OF THE CITY OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA". City of South Bend, Indiana. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
4. "List of South Bend Mayors". The History Museum of South Bend. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
5. "A Look Back: A Mayoral Mix". South Bend Tribune. June 22, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2025.
6. "Behind the Name: A local political legacy". South Bend Tribune. November 9, 2015.