The mayor of the City of Wichita is the head of the executive branch of the Wichita, Kansas city government. The mayor serves a four-year term and is limited to two successive terms.[1]

Mayor of the City of Wichita
Incumbent
Lily Wu
since January 8, 2024
Term lengthFour years, renewable once
Inaugural holderEdwin Bird Allen
Formation1871
WebsiteMayor's Office

List

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Following is a list of mayors of the American city of Wichita, Kansas.[2] As of 2024, there have been 81 people who have served as mayor of Wichita in 103 administrations excluding one honorary mayor.

Number Person Image Mayor Years Notes
1 1 Edwin Bird Allen 1871–1872 Elder brother of mayor Joseph P. Allen[3]
2 2 James G. Hope
(1st term)
1873–1874 [3]
3 3 George E. Harris 1875 [3]
4 (2) James G. Hope
(2nd term)
1876–1877 [3]
5 4 William Greiffenstein
(1st term)
1878 [3]
6 5 Sol H. Kohn 1879 First Jewish mayor of Wichita[3]
7 (4) William Greiffenstein
(2nd term)
1879–1884 [3]
8 6 Benajah W. Aldrich 1885–1886 [3]
9 7 Joseph P. Allen 1887–1888 [3]
10 8 George W. Clement 1889–1890 [3]
11 9 John B. Carey 1891–1892 [3]
12 10 Lindley Murray Cox 1893–1896 [3]
13 11 Finlay Ross
(1st term)
1897–1900 [3]
14 12 Benjamin Franklin McLean
(1st term)
1901–1904 [4][3]
15 (11) Finlay Ross
(2nd term)
1905–1906 [3]
16 13 John H. Graham
(1st term)
1907–1908 [3]
17 14 Charles Lock Davidson 1909–1910 [3]
18 (13) John H. Graham
(2nd term)
April 1911 – Sept 1911 Lost recall election in September 1911[3]
19 15 William Walter Minick 1911–1912 [3]
20 16 William Jasper Babb 1913–1914 [3]
21 17 Orsemus Hills Bentley 1915–1916 [3]
22 18 Lewis William Clapp 1917–1919 Resigned on October 3, 1919 to become City Manager[5]
23 19 John Lee Powell 1919–1920 [5]
24 20 Wallace C. Kemp 1921–1922 [5]
25 21 George Henry Hamilton 1922 [5]
26 22   William Coffin Coleman 1922–1923 [5]
27 (12) Benjamin Franklin McLean
(2nd term)
1923–1924 [5]
28 23 Frank Leslie Dunn
(1st term)
1924–1925 [5]
29 24 Ben F. Copley 1925–1926 [5]
30 25 Frank Nighswonger
(1st term)
1926–1927 [5]
31 26 A.J. Coombs 1927–1928 [5]
32 (23) Frank Leslie Dunn
(2nd term)
1928–1929 [5]
33 27 Charles S. Lawrence
(1st term)
1929–1930 [5]
34 28 Herman A. Hill 1930–1931 [5]
35 (25) Frank Nighswonger
(2nd term)
1931–1932 [5]
36 29 Harry D. Cottman 1932–1933 [5]
37 (27) Charles S. Lawrence
(2nd term)
1933–1934 [5]
38 30 James Schuyler Crawford 1934–1935 [5]
39 (25) Frank Nighswonger
(3rd term)
1935–1936 [5]
40 31 Robert E. Israel 1936–1937 [5]
41 32 T. Walker Weaver 1937–1938 [5]
42 33 Elmer R. Corn
(1st term)
1938–1939 [5]
43 34 Frank W. Coleman
(1st term)
1939–1940 [5]
44 (33) Elmer R. Corn
(2nd term)
1940–1941 [5]
45 35 John I. Dotson 1941–1942 [5]
46 36 Odom Farrell Sullivan 1942–1943 [5]
47 37 Eugene Calendar Moriarty 1943–1944 [5]
48 38 Herman William Beuttel 1944–1945 [5]
49 39 Phil H. Manning 1945–1946 [5]
50 (34) Frank W. Coleman
(2nd term)
1946–1947 [5]
51 40 Charles S. Ritchie 1947–1948 [5]
52 41 Louis August Donnell
(1st term)
1948–1949 [5]
53 42 William Christian Salome, Jr.
(1st term)
1949–1950 [5]
54 43 Earl K. Duke 1950–1951
55 44 Floyd Throckmorton Amsden 1951–1952
56 45 Frank Russell Jump 1952–1953
57 46 Walter M. Keeler 1953–1954
58 (42) William Christian Salome Jr. 1954
(2nd term)
[5]
59 (41) Louis August Donnell
(2nd term)
1954–1955 [5]
60 47 Claude M. DeVorss 1955–1956
61 48 Hugh David Lester 1956
62 49 Alfred E. Howse 1956–1957
63 50 Elzie E. Baird 1957–1958
64 51 James L. Gardner 1958–1959
65 52 Justus H. Fugate 1959–1960
66 53 Levi Budd Rymph 1960–1961
67 54 Herbert Piper Lindsley 1961–1962
68 55 Carl A. Bell, Jr. 1962–1963
69 56 Gerald F. Byrd 1963–1964
70 57 Vincent L. Bogart 1964–1965
71 58 William D. Tarrant 1965–1966
72 59 John S. Stevens 1966–1967
73 60 Clarence Eldert Vollmer 1967–1968
74 61 William D. Anderson Jr. 1968–1969
75 62 Donald K. Enoch 1969–1970
76 63   A. Price Woodard Jr. 1970–1971 First African–American mayor.[6]
77 64 Jack H. Greene 1971–1972
78 65 Glenn J. "Jack" Shanahan 1972–1973
79 66 James M. Donnell
(1st term)
1973–1974
80 67 Garry L. Porter 1974–1975
81 68   Connie Ames Peters Kennard
(1st term)
1975–1976 First woman commissioner and first woman mayor[7]
82 (66) James M. Donnell
(2nd term)
1976–1977
83 69   Antonio F. "Tony" Casado
(1st term)
1977–1978 First Latino (Cuban) mayor of Wichita
84 (68)   Connie Ames Peters Kennard
(2nd term)
1978–1979
85 (69)   Antonio F. "Tony" Casado
(2nd term)
1979–1980
86 70 Robert G. Knight
(1st term)
1980–1981
87 71 Robert C. Brown
(1st term)
1981–1982
88 72   Albert J. Kirk 1982–1983
89 73   Margalee Wright 1983–1984
90 (70) Robert G. Knight
(2nd term)
1984– April 9, 1985
x x Kathlien Edmiston
(honorary)
April 9, 1985 – April 9, 1985 Edmiston was elected in a 3-1 vote to the City Commission on February 12, 1985 to serve the remaining two-month term through April 9
of commissioner Margalee Wright who resigned to serve on the Kansas Corporation Commission.[8]
Mayor Robert Knight resigned on April 2, 1985[9] in order for Edmiston to hold the office of mayor
until the swearing of two new commissioners[10] so that she might have the honor of serving as mayor.
Knight was unaware that he was required to provide a week's notice making April 9 the earliest she could be sworn in,
the same day the new commissioners took office. She was sworn in on April 9.[10]
After the newly elected commissioners were sworn in shortly after,
a vote was held and Robert C. Brown was elected as the next mayor.[10]
Edmiston held the office of mayor for approximately 30 minutes.[10]
91 (71) Robert C. Brown
(2nd term)
1985–1986
92 (69)   Antonio F. "Tony" Casado
(3rd term)
1986–1987
93 (70) Robert G. Knight
(3rd term)
1987–1988
94 74 Sheldon Kamen 1988–1989
95 (70) Robert G. Knight
(4th term)
1989–1992
96 75 Frank M. Ojile 1992–1993
97 76   Elma Broadfoot 1993–1995 [11][12]
98 (70) Robert G. Knight
(5th term)
1995–2003
99 77 Carlos Mayans 2003–2007
100 78   Carl Brewer 2007–2015 First elected African–American mayor
101 79   Jeff Longwell 2015–2020
102 80   Brandon Whipple 2020–2024
103 81   Lily Wu 2024-Present First elected Asian-American mayor

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "City of Wichita City Council". City of Wichita. Archived from the original on October 20, 2023. Retrieved November 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 6, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2012.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Previous Wichita Mayors 1871–1916". wichitagov.org. Archived from the original on July 6, 2008 – via Wayback Machine.
  4. ^ "A Woodstock boy who has Prospered in the West". Dispatch Newspaper. August 20, 1902.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah "Previous Wichita Mayors 1917–1950". wichitagov.org. Archived from the original on February 20, 2013 – via Wayback Machine.
  6. ^ "A. Price Woodard Elected Wichita's First Negro Mayor". The Catholic Advance . April 23, 1970 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Kirk, Wright, Gerling, Kennard In The City Commission Primary". The Wichita Eagle. March 1, 1981 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Kathlien Edmiston to fill unexpired term". The Wichita Eagle. February 13, 1985 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Polczinski, Al (April 3, 1985). "She May Be Mayor for a Day". The Wichita Eagle – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ a b c d "Wichita Mayors Steal the Show - Gavel passed from Knight to Edmiston, Then Brown". The Wichita Eagle. April 10, 1985. pp. 1D, 9D – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ Kempin, Sarah (May 14, 1987). "She's Boss of the River - Broadfoot Says Festival Has Personality". The Wichita Eagle. pp. 14A, 15A – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Ks. Newman gives awards to two alumni June 16". The Catholic Advance . June 21, 1984 – via Newspapers.com.

Further reading

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