The Mayor of the City of Dallas is a member of the Dallas City Council and its presiding officer. The current mayor is Eric Johnson, who has served one term since 2019 and is the 60th mayor to serve in the position. Dallas operates under a city charter that designates the mayor as the official head of city government and a council-manager system where a city council-appointed city manager serves as the chief operating officer of the city.

Mayor of Dallas
Seal of the City of Dallas
Incumbent
Eric Johnson
since 2019
StyleThe Honorable
ResidenceDallas, Texas
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Inaugural holderDr. Samuel B. Pryor
1856
FormationDallas City Charter
Salary$80,000
WebsiteCity of Dallas - Mayor Eric Johnson

Duties and powers

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The city of Dallas operates under a council-manager government type, putting the city of Dallas in a unique position as being one of the largest cities in the United States to utilize this municipal government structure. Unlike the more common form of government used by large cities known as the mayor-council government - where the mayor serves the chief-executive position of the city - the council-manager government of the city of Dallas gives the operational responsibility to the appointed City Manager. The mayor presides over city council meetings and official ceremonies and serves as a representative of the City of Dallas at the local, state, national, and international level. Likewise, it is not uncommon for mayors of the city of Dallas to simultaneously serve as members or heads of other committees while in office, further representing the interests of the people and city of Dallas in organizations and committees.

History

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The Office of Mayor was created with the formation of the Dallas City Charter in 1856, also providing for the mayor six aldermen, a treasurer, recorder and a constable. In the charter, it was stated that each office would be elected for a term of one year.[1] In the reorganization of 1876, the mayor was elected to the office for a term of two years.[2] The office was first filled in the election of 1856, in which Dr. Samuel B. Pryor defeated A. D. Rice for the position.[3] A. D. Rice would run for office again and go on to serve as the 4th mayor of the city.

For much of the 19th century, mayors of the city of Dallas served for only one term. This precedence was broken at the end of Winship C. Connor's term, who – after serving three consecutive terms from 1887 to 1894 – would go on to be the city's longest consecutively serving mayor in the 19th century. His success was accredited to the development of the city's first water, power, and streetcar systems.

The municipal government of Dallas underwent two significant structural changes during its history. The first change was made in 1907 where the city voted to change from an alderman system to a commission form of government. Stephen J. Hay was the first mayor elected in this new form of government, demonstrating the success of the highly debated commission form of government and contributing to the development of White Rock Lake in response to a water shortage in 1910. The second major government change was made in 1930, altering the commission form of government to specifically be a council-manager form. The first mayor to serve following this change was Tom Bradford, a successful grocer who was a significant financial contributor to the Bradford Memorial Hospital for Babies, the preliminary institution to the Children's Medical Center Dallas. He died after suffering a major heart attack in 1932 and was the first mayor of Dallas to die in office.

Woodall Rodgers, serving two 4 year terms from 1939 to 1947, was mayor during World War II and served during the rampant manufacturing of aircraft and weapon goods in a rapidly industrializing Dallas. Rodgers oversaw the initial transformation of Dallas Love Field from a USAAF training ground to a commercial airport. He was also mayor when the Mercantile National Bank Building was constructed, which was the only skyscraper built in the United States during World War II and was the tallest building in the city of Dallas until the completion of Republic Center Tower I in 1954. The economic success brought by his contributions in office are commemorated by several namesakes throughout the city, most notably the Woodall Rodgers Freeway that passes underneath Klyde Warren Park and over the Trinity River along the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge.

Earle Cabell served as 48th mayor from 1961 to 1964 and was mayor during the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in the city. In the wake of the assassination, Cabell was the target of multiple death threats and accusations of his involvement in the act.

The image of the city of Dallas was immensely tarnished by the assassination of the President, earning the moniker "City of Hate". Following Earle Cabell was Mayor J. Erik Jonsson who funded and supported the then proposed Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. As mayor, he went on to support public works projects such as developing the new Dallas City Hall, the Dallas Convention Center, and the Dallas Central Library - the last of which is now named in his honor. He was followed by Wes Wise who went on to further improve the city's image during his three terms as mayor from 1971 to 1976. However, he stepped down to pursue a political career in United States Congress before the end of his third term. His pro-term mayoral successor, Adlene Harrison, stepped in and became acting mayor for the remainder of his term. She was the city's first female mayor, and the first female Jewish mayor in the United States. Although Dianne Feinstein is officially recognized as the first female Jewish mayor in the United States, Adlene Harrison's position as acting mayor predates Feinstein's start in office by almost two years; Adlene began serving as acting mayor on February 11, 1976, while Feinstein took office on December 4, 1978. Adlene would go on to serve as a member of several environmental committees and organizations after her short tenure, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ron Kirk was the first African-American mayor of the City of Dallas and served two terms from 1995 to 2002. As mayor, he led several efforts advocating for race equality and social welfare, mitigated tension between City Council and the Dallas School Board, advocated for economic development, and oversaw the construction of the American Airlines Center. He would later step down to pursue a seat in the US Senate, where he lost in the 2002 election to John Cornyn. After his defeat, he went on to become a lobbyist before being nominated and appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as United States Trade Representative from 2009 to 2013.

Laura Miller - the city's third female mayor, following Adlene Harrison and Annette Strauss - was instrumental in renegotiating the Wright Amendment to revise flight restrictions at Love Field Airport, as well as implementing a citywide smoking ban and an ordinance prohibiting sex-based discrimination. The following mayor Tom Leppert would impose a staunch crime-fighting policy, promote the economic development of a modern inland port, and was a vocal supporter of a controversial convention center hotel project at the peak of the 2008 recession. He would later vacate the office to pursue a US Senate campaign in 2012, of which he would place third in the runoff. Following the four-month incumbency of acting mayor Dwaine Caraway, mayor Mike Rawlings would be known for his vocal leadership during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, the 2016 shooting of Dallas police officers, and the removal of confederate monuments following the Charlottesville riots.

List

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Samuel B. Pryor, the first mayor of Dallas.
 
Stephen J. Hay, the first mayor elected under commission government and advocate for the White Rock Lake project.
 
Earle Cabell, son and grandson of former mayors Ben E. Cabell and William Lewis Cabell respectively, was mayor of Dallas at the time of President Kennedy's assassination.
 
Incumbent mayor Eric Johnson.

This is the list of people who have held the office of Mayor. Note: municipal elections in Texas are non-partisan. The party affiliation of the Mayor is listed here for informational purposes only. [a]

# Mayor Term start Term end Terms   Party
1 Samuel B. Pryor 1856 1857 1 None
2 John McClannahan Crockett 1857 1858 1 Democratic
3 Isaac Naylor 1858 1858 1 None
4 A. D. Rice 1858 1859 1 None
5 John M. Crockett (Second term) 1859 1861 1 Democratic
6 Joshua Lafayette Smith 1861 1861 1 None
7 Thos. E. Sherwood 1861 1862 1 None
- Military governor (American Civil War). 1862 1865 None None
8 John M. Crockett (Third term) 1865 1866 1 Democratic
9 John W. Lane 1866 1866 1 Democratic
10 George W. Guess 1866 1868 1 None
11 Benjamin Long 1868 1870 1 None
12 Henry Ervay 1870 1872 1 None
13 Benjamin Long (Second term) 1872 1874 1 None
14 William Lewis Cabell 1874 1876 1 None
15 John D. Kerfoot 1876 1877 ½ None
16 William Lewis Cabell (Second term) 1877 1879 1 None
17 J. M. Thurmond 1879 1880 1 None
18 J. J. Good 1880 1881 ½ Democratic
19 J. W. Crowdus 1881 1883 1 None
20 William Lewis Cabell (Third term) 1883 1885 1 None
21 John Henry Brown 1885 1887 1 None
22 Winship C. Connor 1887 1894 3 None
23 Bryan T. Barry 1894 1895 ½ None
24 F. P. Holland 1895 1897 1 None
25 Bryan T. Barry (Second term) 1897 1898 1 None
26 John H. Traylor 1898 1900 2 None
27 Ben E. Cabell 1900 1904 4 None
28 Bryan T. Barry (Third term) 1904 1906 2 None
29 Curtis P. Smith 1906 1907 1 Democratic
30 Stephen J. Hay 1907 1911 2 Democratic
31 W. M. Holland 1911 1915 2 None
32 Henry D. Lindsley 1915 1917 1 Democratic
33 Joe E. Lawther 1917 1919 1 Democratic
34 Frank W. Wozencraft 1919 1921 1 Democratic
35 Sawnie R. Aldredge 1921 1923 1 Democratic
36 Louis Blaylock 1923 1927 2 None
37 R. E. Burt 1927 1929 1 None
38 J. Waddy Tate 1929 1931 1 None
39 Tom Bradford 1931 1932 ½ None
40 Charles E. Turner 1932 1935 Democratic
41 George Sergeant 1935 1937 1 Democratic
42 George Sprague 1937 1939 1 Democratic
43 Woodall Rodgers 1939 1947 4 None
44 J. R. Temple 1947 1949 1 Democratic
45 Wallace H. Savage 1949 1951 1 Democratic
46 Jean Baptiste Adoue 1951 1953 1 None
47 Robert L. Thornton 1953 1961 4 Democratic
48 Earle Cabell 1961 1964 Democratic
49 J. Erik Jonsson 1964 1971 None
50 Wes Wise 1971 1976 None
Acting (51) Adlene Harrison 1976 1976 less than 1 Democratic
51 (52) Robert Folsom 1976 1981 None
52 (53) Jack Wilson Evans 1981 1983 1 Republican
53 (54) Starke Taylor 1983 1987 2 Republican
54 (55) Annette Strauss 1987 1991 2 None
55 (56) Steve Bartlett 1991 1995 2 Republican
56 (57) Ron Kirk 1995 2001 Democratic
Acting (58) Mary Poss 2001 2002 less than 1 None
57 (59) Laura Miller 2002 2007 Democratic
58 (60) Tom Leppert 2007 2011 2 Republican
Acting (61) Dwaine Caraway 2011 2011 less than 1 Democratic
59 (62) Mike Rawlings 2011 2019 2 Democratic
60 (63) Eric Johnson 2019 2023 less than 2 Democratic
2023 incumbent Republican

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Term lengths changed many times during the multiple reorganizations of the Dallas City Charter.[4]

References

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  1. ^ "01Chartr (1).pdf" (PDF). City of Dallas. p. 5.
  2. ^ "01Chartr (1).pdf" (PDF). City of Dallas. p. 6.
  3. ^ "ElectMasterList.pdf" (PDF). City of Dallas. p. 5.
  4. ^ "01Chartr (1).pdf" (PDF). City of Dallas. p. 6.
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