List of mayors of Birmingham

This is a list of the mayors and lord mayors of Birmingham in the West Midlands of England. Birmingham has had a mayor (and elected council) since 1838. The office was raised to the dignity of lord mayor when Queen Victoria issued letters patent on 3 June 1896.[1]

Lord Mayor of Birmingham
Incumbent
Ken Wood, Conservative
since May 2024
StyleLord Mayor
Member ofBirmingham City Council
ResidenceBirmingham
AppointerBirmingham City Council
Term length1 Year
Formation1838
SuccessionTBC
DeputyChaman Lal
WebsiteMayor website

By modern convention, the Lord Mayor stands for a year, and is installed into office at the Annual Meeting of the City Council. Lord Mayors are non-political and non-executive during their term of office and act as chair of the council. As the First Citizen of Birmingham, the Lord Mayor represents not only the city but also the people of Birmingham. The honour of being Lord Mayor is now usually alternated between the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat Groups. In normal circumstances the Lord Mayor becomes Deputy Lord Mayor for the following year.[2]

Mayors of Birmingham

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1838–1895

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No. Mayor Image Tenure Terms Notes
1 William Scholefield   1838–1839 1 Second son of Joshua Scholefield, one of Birmingham's first MPs when the town was enfranchised in 1832.
2 Philip Henry Muntz   1839–1840 2 Councillor, alderman, mayor, justice of the peace and representative of Birmingham in Parliament.
3 Samuel Beale   1841 1 MP for Derby between 1857–65. Unitarian.
4 James James 1842 1
5 Thomas Weston 1843 1 Unitarian
6 Thomas Phillips 1844 1
7 Henry Smith 1845 1
8 Robert Martineau 1846 1
9 Charles Geach 1847 1 Founder of the Birmingham & Midland Bank
10 Samuel Thornton 1848 1
11 William Lucy 1849–1850 2
12 Henry Smith 1851 1
13 Henry Hawkes 1852 1
14 James Baldwin 1853 1 Paper manufacturer, owner of James Baldwin & Sons, est. 1829. Unitarian.
15 John Palmer 1854 1 Unitarian
16 T P T Hodgson 1855 1
17 Sir John Ratcliff 1856–1858 3 Also Town Commissioner, Low Baliff, Town Councillor, Alderman
18 Thomas Lloyd 1859 1
19 Arthur Ryland 1860 1
20 Henry Manton 1861 1
21 Charles Sturge 1862 1 Corn merchant, brother of Joseph Sturge
22 William Holliday 1863 1
23 Henry Wiggin   1864 1
24 Edwin Yates 1865 1
25 George Dixon   1866 1 Birmingham MP, was a major proponent of education for all children.
26 Thomas Avery 1866–1867 1 Elected on the resignation of Dixon
27 Henry Holland 1868 1
28 Thomas Prime 1869 1 Silver-plater. Northwood Street. Thomas Prime & Sons.
29 G Braithwaite Lloyd 1870 1
30 John Sadler 1871 1
31 Ambrose Biggs 1872 1 Tobacco product manufacturer and retailer. Declared bankrupt in 1883. Unitarian.
32 Joseph Chamberlain   1873–1876 3 Unitarian.
33 George Baker   1876 1 Elected on the resignation of Chamberlain in June 1876. Second master of Guild of St George.
34 William Kenrick   1877 1
35 Jesse Collings   1878 1
36 Richard Chamberlain   1879–1880 2 Brother of Joseph Chamberlain
37 Thomas Avery 1881 1
38 William White 1882 1
39 William Cook   1883 1 MP for Birmingham East in 1885/1886
40 Sir Thomas Martineau   1884–1886 3
41 Maurice Pollack 1887 1
42 Richard Cadbury Barrow 1888 1
43 Francis Corder Clayton 1889–1890 2
44 Edward Lawley Parker 1891–1892 2
45 George James Johnson 1893 1
46 Thomas Stratton Fallows 1894 1
47 James Smith 1895 2

Lord Mayors of Birmingham

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19th century

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No. Lord Mayor Image Tenure Terms Notes
1 Sir James Smith 1896 2
2 Charles Gabriel Beale   1897–1899 4 depicted in the gowns of the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham
3 Samuel Edwards   1900 1

20th century

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Lord Mayor Image Tenure Terms Notes
John Henry Lloyd 1901-02 1
Sir Hallewell Rogers 1902–04 2 Liberal Unionist[3]
Rowland Hill Berkeley   1904-05 1 Died 13 April 1905; a great-grandfather of Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.[4]
Charles Gabriel Beale 1905 4
Alfred John Reynolds 1905-06 1
Henry James Sayer 1906–1908 2
Sir George Hamilton Kenrick   1908-09 1
William Henry Bowater   1909–1912 4 Knighted in 1916[5]
Ernest Martineau 1912–1914 2
William Henry Bowater 1914–1915 4 Elected on the resignation of Martineau in September 1914
Neville Chamberlain   1915–1917 2 March 1915 – December 1916
Son of Joseph Chamberlain and future Prime Minister
Arthur David Brooks 1917–1919 3
William Adlington Cadbury   1919–1921 2 Second son of Richard Cadbury
Sir David Davis 1921–1923 2
Thomas Oswald Williams 1923–1924 1
Percival Bower 1924–1926 2
Alfred Henry James 1926–1928 2
Wilfred Byng Kenrick 1928–1929 1
Martin Lewis Lancaster 1929–1930 1
Walter Willis Saunders 1930–1931 1
Sir John Bedford Burman 1931–1932 1
Horace Edward Goodby 1932–1934 2
Samuel John Grey 1934–1936 2
Harold Roberts 1936–1937 1
Ernest Robert Canning 1937–1938 1
James Crump 1938–1939 1
Theodore Beal Pritchett 1939–1940 1
Sir Wilfred Martineau 1940–1941 1
Norman Tiptaft 1941–1942 1
Walter Samuel Lewis 1942–1943 1
Lionel George Helmore Alldridge 1943–1944 1
William Theophilus Wiggins-Davies 1944–1945 1
Alan Stewart Giles 1945–1946 1
Albert Frederick Bradbeer 1946–1947 1
John Charles Burman 1947–1949 2 Son of Sir John Bedford Burman
Hubert Humphreys 1949–1950 1
Alfred Paddon-Smith 1950–1951 1
Ralph Cyril Yates 1951–1952 1
William Tegfryn Bowen 1952–1953 1
George Henry Wilson Griffith 1953–1954 1
Joseph Reginald Balmer 1954–1955 1
Arthur Lummis Gibson 1955–1956 1
Ernest William Apps 1956–1957 1
John Joseph Grogan 1957–1958 1
Donald Johnstone 1958–1959 1
John Henry Lewis 1959–1960 1
Garnet Benjamin Boughton 1960–1961 1
Eric Edward Mole 1961–1962 1
Ernest Walter Horton 1962–1963 1
Louis Glass 1963–1964 1
Frank Leslie Price 1964–1965 1
George Corbyn Barrow 1965–1966 1
Harold Edward Tyler 1966–1967 1
James Stephen Meadows 1967–1968 1
Charles Valentine George Simpson 1968–1969 1
Neville Bosworth 1969–1970 1 Leader of Birmingham City Council from 1976 to 1980 and 1982 to 1984
Stanley Bleyer 1970–1971 1
Victor Ernest Turton 1971–1972 1
Frederick Thomas Duncan Hall 1972–1973 1
Marjorie Alice Brown 1973–1974 1 The first woman to be Lord Mayor.
Eric James Eames 1974–1975 1
Albert Leslie Samuel Jackson 1975–1976 1
Harold Powell 1976–1977 1
Freda Mary Cocks 1977–1978 1
Edward Frederick Hanson 1978–1979 1
George Canning 1979–1980 1
Joseph Morris Bailey 1980–1981 1
Kenneth Benjamin Barton 1981–1982 1
Peter Hollingworth 1982–1983 1
William John Hele Sowton 1983–1984 1
Reginald John Hales 1984–1985 1
Frank William Carter 1985–1986 1
Alan Denis Martineau 1986–1987 1
Frederick James Grattidge 1987–1988 1
Harold Charles Blumenthal 1988–1989 1
Frederick John Chapman 1989–1990 1
Sir Bernard Philip Zissman [6] 1990–1991 1
William Henry Turner 1991–1992 1
Peter James Philip Barwell   1992–1993 1
Paul Tilsley   1993–1994 1
Sir Richard Knowles 1994-1995 1 Leader of Birmingham City Council from 1984 to 1993.
David Roy 1995–1996 1
Marion Arnott-Job 1996–1997 1
Sybil Spence 1997–1998 1 The first Black Lord Mayor.
Susan Anderson 1998–1999 1
Ian McArdle 1999–2000 1
Theresa Stewart 2000–2001 1 Leader of Birmingham City Council from 1993 to 1999.

21st century

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No. Lord Mayor Image Tenure Terms Notes
92 Jim Whorwood 2001–2002 1
93 Mahmood Hussain 2002–2003 1
94 John Alden 2003–2004 1
95 Mike Nangle 2004–2005 1
96 John Hood   2005–2006 1
97 Mike Sharpe 2006–2007 1
98 Randal Brew 2007–2008 1
99 Chauhdry Abdul Rashid 2008–2009 1
100 Michael Wilkes 2009–2010 1
101 Len Gregory 2010–2011 1
102 Anita Ward   2011–2012 1
103 John Lines   2012–2013 1
104 Mike Leddy   2013–2014 1
105 Shafique Shah   2014–2015 1
106 Ray Hassall   2015–2016 1
107 Carl Rice 2016–2017 1
108 Anne Underwood   2017–2018 1
109 Yvonne Mosquito   2018–2019 1
110 Mohammed Azim   2019–2021 2 Served an extra year due to the COVID-19 pandemic
111 Muhammad Afzal 2021–2022 1 Sworn in 25 May 2021.[7] He was chosen in 2020, but delayed a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic[8]
112 Maureen Cornish 2022–2023 1 Mayor making 24 May 2022.[9]
113 Chaman Lal   2023–2024 1 The first Indian and Sikh descent mayor. Term started 23 May 2023[10]
114 Ken Wood 2024–2025 1 Sworn in on the 21st May 2024.[11]

References

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  1. ^ "No. 26746". The London Gazette. 4 June 1896. p. 3314.
  2. ^ "Lord Mayor's Parlour". Birmingham City Council. 22 December 2009. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  3. ^ "Election of Mayors". The Times. No. 36922. London. 11 November 1902. p. 12.
  4. ^ "Bill Mason". The British Entertainment History Project. Retrieved 11 December 2021. my grandfather was lord mayor of Birmingham
  5. ^ "No. 29483". The London Gazette. 22 February 1916. pp. 1946–1947.
  6. ^ Zissman, Bernard. "Sir Bernard Zissman". Retrieved 4 May 2011.
  7. ^ "British-Pakistani Muhammad Afzal becomes Birmingham's new Lord Mayor". Geo News. 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  8. ^ "Next Birmingham Lord Mayor named - four years after huge controversy that scuppered his bid". Birmingham Mail. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  9. ^ "Behind the scenes at today's mayor making ceremony, as Lord Mayor Cllr Maureen Cornish, is helped into her robes". Twitter Lord Mayor of Bham. 24 May 2022. Retrieved 24 May 2022.
  10. ^ Rhi Storer (15 January 2023). "New Birmingham lord mayor named for 2023 after secret ballot". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  11. ^ Alexander Brock (21 May 2024). "Birmingham's new Lord Mayor takes up office amid hope for city's future". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 21 May 2024.