Janet Gray Hayes (July 12, 1926 – April 21, 2014) was the 60th mayor of San Jose, California, elected to two consecutive, four-year terms from 1975 to 1983. She was both the first woman to be elected mayor San Jose, and the first woman elected mayor of a major U.S. city with a population of more than 500,000 people.[2][3]

Janet Gray Hayes
60th Mayor of San Jose, California
In office
January 9, 1975 – January 9, 1983
Preceded byNorman Mineta
Succeeded byTom McEnery
Vice Mayor of San Jose
In office
1973–1974
San Jose City Councilor[1]
In office
1971–1974
Personal details
Born(1926-07-12)July 12, 1926
Rushville, Indiana, U.S.
DiedApril 21, 2014(2014-04-21) (aged 87)
Saratoga, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationIndiana State University
Alma materCrown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice

Born in Rushville, Indiana, Hayes went to University of Chicago and then received her bachelor's degree from Indiana University.[4] In 1956, Hayes and her husband moved to San Jose, California where her husband practiced medicine.

Hayes was elected to the San Jose City Council in 1971[5] In 1973, she was voted by the city council to serve as the city's vice mayor, becoming the first woman to hold that position.[6] In 1974, she was elected mayor of the city. She was reelected in 1978. She was a Democrat and campaigned as an environmentalist and wanted to fight Urban sprawl in San Jose.[4]

She died of a stroke on April 26, 2014, in Saratoga, California.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Heppler, Jason (5 April 2016). "San Jose City Council Members". notebook.jasonheppler.org.
  2. ^ San Jose State University's Online Archive of California, "Guide to the Janet Gray Hayes Papers," (retrieved August 20, 2010).
  3. ^ a b Lundstrom, Mack (2014-04-21). "San Jose's first female mayor, Janet Gray Hayes, has died at 87". San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on 2014-04-24. Retrieved 2014-05-11.
  4. ^ a b "Janet Gray Hayes". Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  5. ^ West, Don (21 Oct 1974). "San Jose's fight for mayor It's the lady and the cop". Newspapers.com. The San Francisco Examiner at Newspapers.com. Retrieved 4 July 2021.
  6. ^ "R-ville Woman San Jose Vice Mayor". Newspapers.com. Rushville Republican. 20 Jul 1973. Retrieved 5 July 2021.