The mayor of Wilmington is the chief executive of the government of Wilmington, Delaware, as stipulated by the charter. The current mayor of Wilmington is John Carney
| Elections in Delaware |
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The mayor of Wilmington is the chief executive of the government of Wilmington, Delaware, as stipulated by the charter. The current mayor of Wilmington is John Carney
| Rank | Image | Mayor | Start | End | Party | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Richard Bayard [1] | 1832 | 1834 | Whig | Wilmington incorporated in 1832. |
| 2 | Nicholas Williamson | 1834 | 1843 | Whig | ||
| 3 | David C. Wilson | 1843 | 1845 | Whig | ||
| 4 | Alexander Porter | 1845 | 1848 | Whig | ||
| 5 | William Huffington | 1848 | 1850 | Democratic | ||
| 6 | Joshua Driver | 1850 | 1851 | |||
| 7 | Columbus Evans | 1851 | 1852 | Whig | Editor of the Delaware Republican. | |
| 8 | William Hemphill Jones | 1852 | 1853 | First mayor elected by popular vote. | ||
| 9 | John Alderdice | 1853 | 1854 | Publisher of The Journal . | ||
| 10 | Heyward, James F. | 1854 | 1855 | |||
| 11 | William Wiggins | 1855 | 1856 | |||
| 12 | William Huffington | 1856 | 1857 | Democratic | Non-continuous terms. | |
| 13 | George Sparks | 1857 | 1858 | |||
| 14 | Thomas Young | 1858 | 1860 | |||
| 15 | Vincent Glipin | 1860 | 1863 | |||
| 16 | John Turner | 1863 | 1865 | |||
| 17 | Joshua Maris | 1865 | 1867 | |||
| 18 | Joshua Valentine | 1867 | 1872 | |||
| 19 | Joshua Simms | 1872 | 1875 | Democratic | ||
| 20 |  | William G. Whiteley | 1875 | 1878 | Democratic | |
| 21 | John Allmond | 1878 | 1882 | |||
| 22 | John Wales | 1882 | 1885 | Son of Senator John Wales. | ||
| 23 | Calvin Rhoads | 1885 | 1891 | Democratic | Choir director | |
| Sandsbury Wiley | 1891 | 1893 | Republican | Term changed to two years, Saturday election in June. | ||
| E. G. Shortridge | 1893 | 1894 | Republican | |||
| Charles Jefferies | 1895 | ? | Democratic | |||
| John Fahey | 1899 | ? | Democratic | |||
| George Fisher | 1903 | 1903 | ||||
| Charles Bird | 1903 | ? | Democratic | |||
| Horace Wilson | 1905 | 1907 | Republican | |||
| Harrison Howell | 1911 | 1915 | Republican | |||
| John Lawson | 1919 | ? | ||||
| LeRoy Harvey | 1921 | 1923? | Founded Wilmington Music School. | |||
| William Taylor | ? | 1925 | Republican | Lost at Sea | ||
| George Forrest | 1923 | 1931 | First intern at Delaware Hospital. | |||
| Frank Sparks | 1931 | 1933 | Republican | |||
| William Speer | 1933 | 1935 | Democratic | |||
| Walter Bacon | 1935 | 1940 | Republican | Resigned when elected governor. | ||
| Albert James | 1941 | 1944 | Republican | Filled term of Gov. Bacon. | ||
| Thomas Herlihy | 1945 | 1946 | Republican | Resigned when appointed Chief Judge of Municipal Court. | ||
| Joseph Wilson | 1947 | 1949 | Republican | |||
| James Hearn | 1949 | 1953 | Republican | |||
| August Walz | 1954 | 1955 | Republican | |||
| 47 |  | Eugene Lammot | 1957 | 1960 | Democratic | Resigned when elected Lt. Gov. Election Tues. in Nov. |
| 48 | John Baribarz | 1961 | 1969 | Democratic | 1968 Occupation | |
| 49 | Harry Haskell [2] | 1969 | 1973 | Republican | ||
| 50 | Thomas Maloney | 1973 | 1977 | Democratic | ||
| 51 | William McLaughlin | 1977 | 1984 | Democratic | ||
| 52 | Daniel Frawley | 1985 | 1993 | Democratic | Stadium named after. | |
| 53 | James Sills [3] | 1993 | 2001 | Democratic | First African American Mayor | |
| 54 | James Baker | 2001 | 2013 | Democratic | First 3-Term Mayor with 4-year terms | |
| 55 |  | Dennis Williams | 2013 | 2017 | Democratic | Served in the Delaware House of Representatives |
| 56 |  | Mike Purzycki [4] | 2017 | 2025 | Democratic | Spearheaded successful Riverfront redevelopment |
| 57 |  | John Carney [5] | 2025 | Incumbent | Democratic | First Mayor to previously serve as State Governor |
| Rank | Chief Burgess | Year | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shipley, William | 1739 | William Penn granted charter on November 16, 1739. |
| 2 | Way, Joseph | 1742 | |
| 3 | Shipley, William | 1743 | 2nd non-consecutive term. |
| 4 | Hannum, Robert | 1744 | |
| 5 | Peters, Joseph | 1745 | |
| 6 | Stapler, John | 1748 | Stapler Park named after |
| 7 | Few, James | 1750 | |
| 8 | Littler, Joshua | 1751 | |
| 9 | Stapler, John | 1752 | 2nd non-consecutive term. |
| 10 | Littler, Joshua | 1753 | 2nd non-consecutive term. |
| 11 | Littler, Joshua | 1754 | 3rd term. |
| 12 | Dawes, Edward | 1755 | |
| 13 | Stapler, John | 1756 | 3rd non-consecutive term. |
| 14 | Gilpin, Thomas | 1757 | |
| 15 | Stapler, John | 1758 | 4th non-consecutive term. |
| 16 | McKinly, John | 1759 | |
| 17 | Dawes, Edward | 1762 | |
| 18 | Lea, John | 1764 | Lea Blvd. named after. |
| 19 | Way, Joseph | 1765 | |
| 20 | McKinly, John | 1767 | |
| 21 | Bennet, Joseph | 1770 | Bennet Street named after. |
| 22 | McKinly, John | 1771 | |
| 23 | Robinson, Nicholas | 1774 | |
| 24 | McKinly, John | 1775 | |
| 25 | Bennett, Joseph | 1777 | |
| 26 | Stidham, Joseph | 1778 | |
| 27 | Broom, Jacob | 1783 | Broom Street named after. |
| 28 | Kean, Thomas | 1784 | |
| 29 | Broom, Jacob | 1785 | |
| 30 | Gibbson, James | 1786 | |
| 31 | Way, Thomas | 1788 | |
| 32 | Shallcross, Joseph | 1790 | Shallcross Avenue named after. |
| 33 | Bush, David | 1792 | |
| 34 | Broom, Jacob | 1794 | |
| 35 | Brynberg, Peter | 1796 | |
| 36 | Warner, Joseph | 1798 | |
| 37 | Tilton, Hehemiah | 1799 | |
| 38 | Brobson, James | 1801 | |
| 39 | Hendrickson, Isaac | 1802 | |
| 40 | Brobson, James | 1803 | |
| 41 | Lea, James | 1806 | |
| 42 | Dixon, Isaac | 1807 | |
| 43 | Brobson, James | 1808 | |
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John Charles Carney Jr. is an American politician who has served since 2025 as the 57th Mayor of Wilmington, Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party, Carney was the 74th Governor of Delaware from 2017 to 2025, the U.S. representative for Delaware's at-large congressional district from 2011 to 2017, the 24th lieutenant governor of Delaware from 2001 to 2009, and Delaware's secretary of finance from 1996 to 2000.
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The 2016 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware was held on November 8, 2016, to elect the U.S. representative from the state of Delaware from Delaware's at-large congressional district. The election coincided with the 2016 U.S. presidential election, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives, elections to the United States Senate and various state and local elections. The primaries were held on September 13.
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The 2024 United States Senate election in Delaware was held on November 5, 2024, to elect a member of the United States Senate to represent the state of Delaware. Democratic congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester won her first term in office, defeating Republican businessman Eric Hansen. She succeeded Democratic incumbent Tom Carper, who declined to seek a fifth term.
Tamika Renee Montgomery-Reeves is an American lawyer who serves as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She previously served as an Associate Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court.
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