Edge Rewrite
restyle Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

Jump to content

List of mayors of Buffalo, New York

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Mayor of Buffalo)

Mayor of the City of Buffalo
City seal
City flag
Incumbent
Sean Ryan
since January 1, 2026
Government of Buffalo
StyleThe Honorable[1]
SeatBuffalo City Hall
Term length
  • Four years; renewable
Constituting instrument
Buffalo City Charter
Inaugural holderEbenezer Johnson
Formation1832
SuccessionDeputy Mayor of Buffalo
DeputyDeputy Mayor of Buffalo
Salary$178,519 (2024)[2]
Websitewww.buffalony.gov/490/Mayor

The mayor of Buffalo is the head of government and chief executive for the city of Buffalo, New York, the second-largest city in New York State.[3] The city was officially chartered in 1832, with Ebenezer Johnson, a local doctor, serving as its first mayor.[4]

List of mayors

[edit]
Mayors of the City of Buffalo
No. Mayor Term in office Party
1   Ebenezer Johnson
(1786–1849)
[5]		 May 28, 1832[5]
–
March 12, 1833[6]
(re-elected, declined)[a]		 Democratic-Republican
2 Major Andre Andrews[b]
(1792–1834)
[7]		 March 12, 1833[6]
–
1834[7][c]
(re-elected, declined)[8]		 Independent
3   Ebenezer Johnson
(1786–1849)
[5]		 August 19, 1834[9]
–
1835		 Democratic-Republican
4   Hiram Pratt
(1800–1840)
[10]		 March 1835[11]
–
March 8, 1836[12]
 Whig[11]
5 Samuel Wilkeson
(1781–1848)
[13]		 March 8, 1836[12]
–
March 14, 1837		 Independent
6   Josiah Trowbridge
(1785–1862)
[14]		 March 14, 1837[15]
–
December 22, 1837[14][d]
(resigned)[14]		 Whig[14][e]
7 Pierre A. Barker
(1790–1870)
[17]		 January 5, 1838[16][f]
–
March 14, 1838		 Independent
8   Ebenezer Walden March 13, 1838
–
1839		 Whig
9 Hiram Pratt
(1800–1840)
[10]		 March 12, 1839[19]
–
1840		 Whig[11]
10 Sheldon Thompson 1840
–
March 2, 1841		 Whig
11 Isaac R. Harrington March 2, 1840
–
March 8, 1841		 Whig
12   George W. Clinton
(1807–1885)
[20]		 March 1, 1842[20]
–
1843		 Democratic[20]
13 Joseph G. Masten
(1807–1871)
[21]		 March 14, 1843[22]
–
1844		 Democratic
14   William Ketchum
(1798–1876)
[23]		 1844
–
1845
(did not seek re-election)[24]		 Whig
15   Joseph G. Masten
(1811–1871)
[21]		 1845
–
1846		 Democratic
16   Solomon G. Haven
(1810–1861)
[25]		 1846
–
1847		 Whig
17 Elbridge G. Spaulding
(1809–1897)
[26]		 1847
–
1848		 Whig[g]
18 Orlando Allen
(1803–1874)
[27]		 February 28, 1848[28]
–
1849		 Whig
19 Hiram Barton 1849
–
1850		 Whig
20   Henry K. Smith 1850
–
March 4, 1851		 Democratic
21 James Wadsworth March 4, 1851
–
1850		 Democratic
22   Hiram Barton March 9, 1852
–
1853		 Whig
23   Eli Cook 1853
–
1855		 Democratic
24 Frederick P. Stevens 1856
–
1857		 Democratic
25 Timothy T. Lockwood 1858
–
January 2, 1860		 Democratic[29]
26   Franklin A. Alberger
(1825–1877)
[30]		 January 2, 1858
–
January 6, 1862		 Republican[30][h]
27   William G. Fargo
(1818–1881)
[31]		 January 6, 1862
–
1866
(lost election)[32]		 Democratic[31]
28   Chandler J. Wells
(1814–1887)
[33]		 October 17, 1866
–
1867		 National Union[32]
29   William Findlay Rogers
(1820–1899)
[34]		 1868
–
1869		 Democratic[34]
30   Alexander Brush 1870
–
1873
(declined nomination)[35]		 Republican[36]
  Lewis P. Dayton 1874
–
1875		 Democratic
32   Philip Becker 1876
–
January 7, 1878		 Republican
33   Solomon Scheu January 7, 1878
–
January 1880		 Democratic
34   Alexander Brush January 1, 1880[35]
–
January 2, 1882		 Republican[36]
35   Grover Cleveland
(1837–1908)
[37]		 January 2, 1882[38]
–
November 20, 1882[37]
(resigned)[39]		 Democratic[37]
36   Marcus M. Drake
(1835–1907)
[39]		 November 20, 1882[39]
–
December 29, 1882[40][i]
(resigned)[42]		 Republican[39]
37   Harmon S. Cutting
(1830–1884)
[40]		 December 29, 1882[43]
–
January 9, 1883[42]
(did not seek election)[42]		 Democratic[42]
38 John B. Manning January 16, 1883
–
January 6, 1884		 Democratic
39 Jonathan Scoville January 6, 1884
–
1885		 Democratic
40   Philip Becker 1886
–
1890		 Republican
41   Charles F. Bishop 1890
–
1894		 Democratic
42   Edgar B. Jewett
(1843–1924)
[44]		 January 7, 1895[45]
–
January 1, 1898[46]
(did not seek re-election)[44]		 Republican[44]
43   Conrad Diehl January 1, 1898[46]
–
1901		 Democratic
44   Erastus C. Knight 1902
–
1905		 Republican
45   James N. Adam 1906
–
1909		 Democratic
46 Louis P. Fuhrmann 1910
–
1917		 Democratic
47   George S. Buck 1918
–
1921
(lost election)[47]		 Republican[48]
48 Frank X. Schwab January 2, 1922[49]
–
1929		 Republican[50]
49 Charles E. Roesch 1930
–
1933		 Republican
50   George J. Zimmermann January 1, 1934[51][j]
–
December 31, 1937[52]		 Democratic[53]
51 Thomas L. Holling
(1899–1966)
[54]		 January 1, 1938[52]
–
1941
(declined to run)[54][k]		 Democratic[55][l]
52 Joseph J. Kelly
(1897–1963)
[57]		 January 1, 1942[58][m]
–
December 31, 1945[57]		 Democratic[57]
53   Bernard J. Dowd
(1891–1971)
[59]		 January 1, 1946[60]
–
January 1, 1950[61]
(ineligible for re-election)[62][n]		 Republican[59]
54 Joseph Mruk
(1903–1995)
[63]		 January 1, 1950[64]
–
December 31, 1953[63]
(ineligible for re-election)[65][o]		 Republican[67]
55   Steven Pankow January 1, 1954[68]
–
December 31, 1957		 Democratic[68][p]
56 Frank A. Sedita
(1907–1975)
[70]		 January 1, 1958
–
December 31, 1961
(lost primary)[71]		 Democratic[71]
57   Chester Kowal[q]
(1907–1966)
[76]		 January 1, 1962[77]
–
December 31, 1965		 Republican[78]
58 Frank A. Sedita
(1907–1975)
[70]		 January 1, 1966
–
March 5, 1973
(resigned)[79]		 Democratic[71]
59 Stanley Makowski
(1923–1981)
[80]		 March 5, 1973[81]
–
December 31, 1977[82]
(declined to run)[83]		 Democratic[83]
60   James D. Griffin
(1929–2008)
[84]		 January 1, 1978[85]
–
December 31, 1993
(retired)[86]		 Democratic[r]
 
61 Anthony Masiello
(born c. 1947)
[89]		 January 1, 1994[90]
–
December 31, 2005
(declined to run)[91]		 Democratic[92]
62 Byron Brown
(born 1958)
[93]		 December 31, 2005[94]
–
October 15, 2024[95]
(resigned)[95]		 Democratic[96]
63 Christopher Scanlon[s]
(born 1981)
[99]		 October 15, 2024
–
December 31, 2025
(lost primary)[100]		 Democratic[101]
64 Sean Ryan
(born 1960)
[101]		 January 1, 2026[100]
–
Incumbent		 Democratic[101]

History

[edit]

In 1853, the charter of the city was amended to include the town of Black Rock and the city proper was divided into thirteen wards. In addition, the term of city offices, including mayor changed from a one-year term to a two-year term and was elected directly by the people.[102]

Mayoral elections

[edit]

(winners are in bold)

DateCandidates 
November 8, 1881Grover ClevelandMilton Beebe
 15,12011,528
January 9, 1883John B. ManningRobert R. Hefford
 11,0367,321
November 6, 1973Stanley M. MakowskiStewart M. LevyJohn A. WestraPatrick W. GiagnacovaIra Liebowitz
 77,56924,4232,6401,147597
November 2, 1993Anthony MasielloRichard A. GrimmEugene Fahey
 36,0929,2777,566
November 8, 2005Byron BrownKevin HelferJudith EinachCharles Flynn
 46,61319,8533,5253,082
November 3, 2009Byron BrownMichael P. Kearns
 17,728158
November 5, 2013Byron BrownSergio Rodriguez
 26,12010,733
November 7, 2017Byron BrownMark J F SchroederAnita HowardTerrence RobinsonTaniqua Simmons
 29,68811,4461,3571,276102
November 2, 2021 Byron Brown India Walton Ben Carlisle Jaz Miles William O'Dell
  38,338 25,773 219 23 8

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Johnson was unanimously re-elected by the Board of Aldermen on March 12, 1833, but turned down the position.[6]
  2. ↑ Major was not his rank, but his given name. His granddaughter recounted that he "did not like his name and always signed it M. A. Andrews".[7]
  3. ↑ No later than August 18, when he died of cholera.[7]
  4. ↑ Trowbridge reportedly resigned on December 21, but it was not submitted to the Common Council until the following day.[16]
  5. ↑ Earlier in his life, Trowbridge was member of the Federalist Party.[14]
  6. ↑ Barker was appointed acting mayor immediately following Trowbridge's resignation, but was not confirmed full mayor until January.[18]
  7. ↑ Spaulding later changed his affiliation to the Republican Party.[26]
  8. ↑ Formerly a Whig[30]
  9. ↑ Bullard (1981c) erroneously states that the date of resignation was December 22,[39] but other sources, including Buffalo Courier Express (1882), Buffalo Courier (1882), and even Bullard himself in Bullard (1981a), uniformly cite December 29.[41]
  10. ↑ Zimmermann's signed oath of office erroneously states the date as January 1, 1933, which was lampooned in the Buffalo Evening News.[51]
  11. ↑ Holling ran for mayor again in the 1945 election, but lost in a three-way race between Bernard J. Dowd, the Republican victor, and former mayor Frank X. Schwab, who ran on the People's Party ticket.[54]
  12. ↑ Holling was an independent who ran in the Democratic primary.[56] He is typically referred to as an Independent Democrat.[54]
  13. ↑ Kelly was administered the oath of office the day before, but officially became mayor on January 1, 1942.[58]
  14. ↑ At the time, mayors could only serve for one four-year term.[62]
  15. ↑ At the time, mayors could only serve for one four-year term.[66]
  16. ↑ Pankow switched his registration from Republican to Democratic sometime shortly before 1948.[69]
  17. ↑ Kowal's original surname was Kowalczewski, which his father shortened in order to avoid anti-Polish discrimination while seeking employment.[72] At least three different initials have been given for his middle name: A,[73] W,[74] and C.[75]
  18. ↑ Despite running on other parties' tickets, Griffin was a registered Democrat for his entire life. In 1977, he lost the Democratic primary, but ran on the Conservative Party ticket which went on to win.[87] During the 1981 mayoral election, Griffin ran on the Democratic, Republican, and Conservative lines, as is allowed in New York.[88] For his final two terms in office, he served as a Republican.[87]
  19. ↑ Scanlon became acting mayor following the resignation of Byron Brown on October 15, 2024.[97] However, he is listed as mayor on the City of Buffalo's History of Mayors list.[98]

Citations

[edit]
  1. ↑ Donohue 1904, p. 165.
  2. ↑ Kelly 2024, § The ever-expanding executive.
  3. ↑
  4. ↑
  5. 1 2 3 Carew Sheldon, Johnson 1919, p. 32.
  6. 1 2 3 Buffalo Patriot and Commercial Advertiser 1833.
  7. 1 2 3 4 Carew Sheldon, Andrews 1919, p. 32.
  8. ↑ Densmore 1981, p. 8.
  9. ↑ Buffalo Patriot and Commercial Advertiser 1834.
  10. 1 2 Carew Sheldon, Pratt 1919, p. 36.
  11. 1 2 3 Densmore & Eberle 1981, p. 292.
  12. 1 2 Daily Commercial Advertiser 1836.
  13. ↑ National Cyclopædia of American Biography 1893, p. 414.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Densmore 1981b, p. 368.
  15. ↑ Daily Commercial Advertiser 1837.
  16. 1 2 Carew Sheldon, Barker 1919.
  17. ↑ Densmore 1981a, p. 16.
  18. ↑ Densmore 1981a, p. 17.
  19. ↑ Carew Sheldon, Pratt 1919a, p. 32.
  20. 1 2 3 Eberle 1981, p. 68.
  21. 1 2
  22. ↑ Carew Sheldon, Masten 1919, p. 15.
  23. ↑ Karin 1981, p. 195.
  24. ↑ Karin 1981, p. 196.
  25. ↑ House of Representatives – Haven n.d.
  26. 1 2 House of Representatives – Spaulding n.d.
  27. ↑ The Buffalo Times 1924.
  28. ↑ Carew Sheldon, Allen 1919, p. 38.
  29. ↑ Gerber 1989, p. 45.
  30. 1 2 3 Milligan 1981, p. 4.
  31. 1 2 John 2000.
  32. 1 2 Carew Sheldon, Wells 1919, p. 69.
  33. ↑
  34. 1 2 House of Representatives – Rogers n.d.
  35. 1 2 Fitch 1911, p. 182.
  36. 1 2 Fitch 1911, p. 183.
  37. 1 2 3 Bullard 1981, p. 68.
  38. ↑ Przepasniak 2026.
  39. 1 2 3 4 5 Bullard 1981c, p. 106.
  40. 1 2 Bullard 1981a, p. 89.
  41. ↑
  42. 1 2 3 4 Bullard 1981a, p. 90.
  43. ↑ Buffalo Courier Express 1882.
  44. 1 2 3 Bullard 1981e, p. 182.
  45. ↑ Buffalo Evening News 1895, p. 5.
  46. 1 2 Buffalo Sunday Morning News 1898, p. 3.
  47. ↑ Lay 1995, p. 23.
  48. ↑ Lay 1995, p. 21.
  49. ↑ The Buffalo Times 1922, p. 1.
  50. ↑ Lay 1995, p. 19.
  51. 1 2 Bermingham 1934, p. 13.
  52. 1 2 Buffalo Evening News 1937.
  53. ↑ Buffalo Evening News 1933, p. 16.
  54. 1 2 3 4 Bullard 1981d, p. 167.
  55. ↑ Buffalo Evening News 1937a.
  56. ↑ Buffalo Evening News 1937b.
  57. 1 2 3 Buffalo Evening News 1963, p. 21.
  58. 1 2 Buffalo Courier Express 1942.
  59. 1 2 Bullard 1981b, p. 105.
  60. ↑ Tranter 1946, p. 17.
  61. ↑ Meddoff 1949.
  62. 1 2 Buffalo Evening News 1971.
  63. 1 2 House of Representatives – Mruk n.d.
  64. ↑ Meddoff 1950.
  65. ↑ Mullen 1953, p. 25.
  66. ↑ The Buffalo News 1995, p. B4.
  67. ↑ Leckie 1949, p. 9.
  68. 1 2 Zubler 1954, p. 7.
  69. ↑ Tarapacki 2017.
  70. 1 2 Buffalo Evening News 1975, pp. 1, 14.
  71. 1 2 3 Buffalo Evening News 1975, p. 1.
  72. ↑ Buffalo Challenger 1966.
  73. ↑ Buffalo Courier Express 1962, p. 21.
  74. ↑ Bullard 1981f, p. 202.
  75. ↑ Buffalo Challenger 1966, p. 9.
  76. ↑
  77. ↑ Gross 1962, p. 19.
  78. ↑ Buffalo Evening News 1966, p. 1.
  79. ↑ Gates 1973, p. 1.
  80. ↑
  81. ↑ Gates 1973a, p. 21.
  82. ↑ Allan 1977, p. 1.
  83. 1 2 Buffalo Evening News 1981.
  84. ↑ Brady & McCarthy 2008.
  85. ↑ Goldberg 1978.
  86. ↑ Fairbanks 1993, p. A-7.
  87. 1 2 Staba 2003.
  88. ↑ Borrelli 1981, p. 1.
  89. ↑ Schulman & Ciotta 1993, p. A7.
  90. ↑ Buffalo News 1994.
  91. ↑ Staba 2005.
  92. ↑ Williams 2019.
  93. ↑ Watson 2008, § 50 is the new 50.
  94. ↑ Kantz 2015.
  95. 1 2 Whalen 2024.
  96. ↑ Thompson 2024.
  97. ↑
  98. ↑ History of Mayors n.d.
  99. ↑
  100. 1 2 Baiano 2026.
  101. 1 2 3 Kelly 2025.
  102. ↑ Fargo, Francis F. (1876). Memorial of the City and County Hall Opening Ceremonies. Buffalo, N.Y.: Courier Company, printers. p. 142. Retrieved August 16, 2016. Elbridge G. Spaulding mayor of buffalo term.

Sources

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_mayors_of_Buffalo,_New_York&oldid=1378895020"