Wikipedia

Mayor of Galveston

The mayor of Galveston is the official head of the city of Galveston in the U.S. state of Texas. The incumbent mayor is Craig Brown, who was elected in 2020, re-elected in 2022,[1][2] and was re-elected to another three-year term on May 4, 2024.[3] He took office in July 2020, succeeding the previous mayor, Jim Yarbrough.[4]

History

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Local politics in Galveston have a tradition of being nonpartisan. There are no party labels on local ballots.[5]

Commission government

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When Galveston originated the commission form of government, starting the year 1901,[6][7] the mayor officially held the title of "Mayor-President" and was president of the board of commissioners. Galveston's first mayor under the commission system was William T. Austin, who served for four years.[8]

Council-manager government

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The city of Galveston has had a council-manager system of government since its adoption of the form in 1961.[9]

List of mayors and mayor-presidents of the board of commissioners

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Below is a list of Galveston's mayors and presidents of the Board of Commissioners.

No. Image Mayor Term start Term end Party Note
1 John Melville Allen March 1839 June 1840 Democratic[10] First Mayor of Galveston
2 John H. Walton June 1840 May 1841 —
3 John Melville Allen 1841 1842 Democratic
4 James M. Branham 1842 1843 — Announced a curfew for all blacks, free and slave, in the city of Galveston that prohibited being in public after 8pm without a permit and forbade being in public after 10pm in all cases.[11]
5 John Melville Allen 1843 1846 Democratic
6 John Seabrook Sydnor 1846 1847 — Plantation owner that operated "the largest slave market west of New Orleans in the heart of Galveston".[12]
7 Joseph Bates 1848 1848 Whig Fought in the Second Seminole War, was a representative of the Alabama legislature.[13]
8 Hamilton Stuart 1849 1852 Democratic Founder of the Galveston Civilian,[14] once argued "that the products of slave labor sustain the commerce of the world, civilization and Christianity."[12]
9 Michael Seeligson 1853 June 1853 — Resigned in June.
10 Willard B. Richardson 1853 1854 — Mayor pro tempore, editor, partner and proprietor of the Galveston News.[15][16]
11 James Cronican 1854 1855 — Had previously represented the district of Galveston in the First Texas Legislature from February 1846 to December 1847.[17]
12 James Edward Haviland 1855 1856 —
13   John Henry Brown 1856 1857 Democratic Later became the mayor of Dallas.
14 Thomas Miller Joseph 1858 1862 Democratic Leslie A. Thompson was claimed to be the mayor in 1858 in some later sources. However, he is only mentioned as a city alderman in 1856[18] and 1857.[19]
Vacant 1863 1863
15 Charles Henry Leonard 1864 1867 Democratic Former soldier of the Texian Army, fought to suppress the Córdova Rebellion and Native American revolts in 1838 under General Rusk.[20]
16 J. C. Haviland 1867 June 17, 1867 — Major General Charles Griffin, commander of the Fifth Military District, ordered Haviland to disband the city's entire police force. Haviland was removed from office by Griffin as he was considered "an impediment to reconstruction"[21] on June 17, 1867.[18]
17 Isaac G. Williams 1867 1869 — Appointed to fill the vacancy after Haviland was removed from office.
18 James A. McKee 1869 March 6, 1871 Republican
19 Albert Somerville June 5, 1871 1873 —
20 Charles W. Hurley 1873 1875 —
21 Robert L. Fulton 1875 1877 Democratic
22 D. C. Stone 1877 1879 —
23 Charles Henry Leonard 1879 1881 Democratic
24 L. C. Fisher 1881 1883 —
25 Robert L. Fulton 1883 1893 Democratic
26 Ashley Wilson Fly 1893 1899 —
27 Walter Charles Jones 1899 1900 — Mayor during the Great Storm of 1900.[22]
28 William T. Austin 1901 1905 — First mayor under the commission plan.[8]
Died in office.
29 Henry A. Landes 1905 1909 — Elected as mayor-president after Austin's death.
30 Lewis Dallam Fisher 1909 1917 — Under his administration the seawall was first built.[23]
31 Isaac Herbert Kempner 1917 1919 — Early advocate of the commission form of government.[24]
32 Harry O. Sappington 1919 1921 —
33 Charles H. Keenan 1921 1923 —
34 Baylis Earle Harriss 1923 1925 —
35 John Elias Pearce 1925 1935 —
36 Adrian F. Levy 1935 1939 —
37 Brantly Callaway Harris 1939 1942 —
38 Henry W. Flagg 1942 1943 —
39 George W. Frazer 1943 1947 —
40 Herbert Yemon Cartwright Jr. 1947 1955 —
41 George Roy Clough 1955 1959 —
42 Herbert Yemon Cartwright Jr. 1959 1960 —
43 Edward Schreiber 1961 1962 —
44 Theodore B. Stubbs 1962 1963 —
45 Edward Schreiber 1964 1970 —
46 Marcus Lamar Ross 1971 1973 —
47 Ralph Albert Apfell 1973 1977 —
48 Elias "Gus" Manuel 1978 February 2, 1984 — Died in office.
49 Janice Reddig Coggeshall 1984 1989 —
50 Barbara Krantz Crews 1990 1996 —
51 Henry Freudenburg III 1996 1998 —
52 Roger Reuben "Bo" Quiroga 1998 2004 —
53   Lyda Ann Thomas 2004 2010 —
54 Joe Jaworski 2010 2012 Democratic
55 Lewis S. Rosen June 22, 2012 2014 —
56 James D. "Jim" Yarbrough 2014 July 15, 2020 Democratic
57 Craig K. Brown July 2020 Present —

References

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  1. ^ "Galveston Mayor - Craig Brown". City of Galveston, Texas. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Galveston Mayor Craig Brown announces third bid". The Daily News. June 14, 2023.
  3. ^ Grunau, Sarah (May 6, 2024). "Galveston County elections: city council candidate considering calling recount after loss by one vote". Houston Public Media.
  4. ^ "Galveston interim Mayor Brown seeks to stave off challenges from ex-mayor, three other candidates". Houston Chronicle. October 21, 2020.
  5. ^ "In unusual move, county GOP backs Quiroga for mayor". The Daily News. November 25, 2020.
  6. ^ Rice, Bradley R. (April 1975). "The Galveston Plan of City Government by Commission: The Birth of a Progressive Idea". The Southwestern Historical Quarterly. 78 (4): 365–408. JSTOR 30238355.
  7. ^ Rice, Bradley R. "Commission Form of City Government". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association.
  8. ^ a b Hornady, J. R. (1911). "Amazing Growth of a New Idea; How Four Cities Found Freedom and Prosperity in the Commission Plan Initiated by Galveston, Texas". Uncle Remus's Home Magazine. Atlanta, Georgia: Georgia State University. p. 10.
  9. ^ "City History". City of Galveston. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  10. ^ Wheeler, Kenneth W. (1968). To Wear a City's Crown; the Beginnings of Urban Growth in Texas, 1836-1865. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 74 – via The Wayback Machine. The incumbent mayor, John B. Allen,[sic] a professional revolutionist who had been with Lord Byron when he died in Greece and who had been a military hero at the Battle of San Jacinto, was a dedicated democrat.
  11. ^ Torget, Andrew J. ""Mayor's Office," Civilian and Galveston Gazette, April 16, 1842". Texas Slavery Project. University of Virginia. Retrieved December 25, 2023.
  12. ^ a b Wheeler, Kenneth W. (1968). To Wear a City's Crown; the Beginnings of Urban Growth in Texas, 1836-1865. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press. p. 108 – via The Wayback Machine.
  13. ^ Ragan, Cooper K. (November 1, 1994). "Joseph Bates". Texas State Historical Association.
  14. ^ Anonymous (June 9, 2020) Galveston Civilian Texas State Historical Association
  15. ^ Darst, Maury (1995) Galveston News Texas State Historical Association
  16. ^ City of Galveston Planning Commission. "19P-016 Staff Report". City of Galveston.
  17. ^ "James Cronican". Texas Legislators: Past & Present. Texas Legislative Reference Library.
  18. ^ a b Fayman, W. A.; Reilly, T. W. (1875). Fayman & Reilly's Galveston City Directory for 1875-76. Galveston: Strickland & Clark, Stationers, Printers and Lithographers – via University of North Texas Libraries.
  19. ^ Richardson, W. D. (1859). Galveston Directory for 1859--60: with a Brief History of the Island, Prior to the Foundation of the City. The Successive Mayoralties of the City to the Present Time–Provisions of the Present Charter and Ordinances Now in Force. Also Some Account of the Various Public Institutions, Improvements, Commerce, &c., of the City. Galveston: The "News" Book and Job Office – via University of North Texas Libraries.
  20. ^ "PGM Charles H. Leonard". Grand Lodge Independent Order of Odd Fellows of Texas. Retrieved November 30, 2023.
  21. ^ Galveston Police Department. "2012 Annual Report - History of the Department". City of Galveston. p. 9.
  22. ^ Various (January 7, 2021) [1900]. Coulter, John (ed.). The Complete Story of the Galveston Horror. United Publishers of America – via Project Gutenberg.
  23. ^ Fisher, Lewis (December 15, 1912). "Galveston's Splendid System". San José, California: San Jose Mercury and Herald. p. 17 – via University of California, Riverside Center for Bibliographical Studies and Research.
  24. ^ Hyman, Harold M. (1988). "I.H. Kempner and the Galveston Commission Government" (PDF). The Houston Review. 10 (2): 68 – via Houston History Magazine - University of Houston.
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