# Mayor of Portland, Maine

The mayor of Portland is the official head of the city of Portland, Maine, United States, as stipulated in the Charter of the City of Portland. This article is a listing of past (and present) mayors of Portland.

## History of the office

Before 1923, the city's leader was known as the mayor. From 1923 to 1969, the position was named "Chairman of the City Council." In 1969, the "Mayor" title was reinstated, but the office continued to be held by the leader of the city council, chosen by a vote of its members.
In 2011, the city returned to the practice of popularly electing a mayor for the first time since 1923. Subsequent elections were held in 2015, 2019 and 2023.

## List of mayors

This is a list of mayors of Portland, Maine. This information is obtained from the website of the city council.
| # | Mayor | Party | Term | Notes |
| 1 | Andrew L. Emerson | | 1832 | |
| 2 | Jonathan Dow | | 1832 | |
| 3 | John Anderson | Democrat | 1833 | |
| 4 | Levi Cutter | | 1834–1840 | |
| 5 | James C. Churchill | | 1841 | |
| 6 | John Anderson | Democrat | 1842 | |
| 7 | Eliphalet Greeley | Whig | 1843–1848 | |
| 8 | James B. Cahoon | Whig | 1849–1850 | |
| 9 | Neal Dow | Whig | 1851–1852 | came up with the Maine law |
| 10 | Albion K. Parris | Democrat | 1852–1853 | Preiviously Senator and Governor of Maine |
| 11 | James B. Calhoon | Democrat | 1853–1854 | |
| 12 | Neal Dow | Republican | 1855–1856 | later served in the Maine House |
| 13 | James T. McCobb | | 1856 | |
| 14 | William Willis | Republican | 1857 | Previously served in the Maine Senate. |
| 15 | Jedediah Jewett | | 1858–1859 | |
| 16 | Joseph Howard | | 1860 | Previously a Justice of the Maine Supreme Judicial Court from 1848 to 1855 and future Democratic nominee for Governor in 1865. |
| 17 | William W. Thomas | | 1861–1862 | |
| 18 | Jacob McLellan | | 1863–65 | |
| 19 | Augustus E. Stevens | | 1866–1867 | |
| 20 | Jacob McLellan | | 1868 | |
| 21 | William Lebaron Putnam | Democrat | 1869–1870 | Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit from 1892-1917. |
| 22 | Benjamin Kingsbury Jr. | | 1870–1872 | |
| 23 | George P. Wescott | | 1873–1874 | |
| 24 | Roswell M. Richardson | | 1875 | |
| 25 | Francis Fessenden | Republican | 1876 | Major general in the 25th and 30th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiments during the Civil War. |
| 26 | Moses M. Butler | | 1877–1878 | |
| 27 | George Walker | | 1879 | |
| 28 | William Senter | | 1880–1881 | |
| 29 | Charles F. Libby | | 1882 | |
| 31 | John W. Deering | Democrat | 1883 | Formerly a Republican. Commissioner of the Port of Portland under President Grover Cleveland. |
| 32 | Marquis F. King | | 1884 | |
| 33 | John W. Deering | Democrat | 1885 | Formerly a Republican. Commissioner of the Port of Portland under President Grover Cleveland. |
| 34 | Charles J. Chapman | | 1886–1888 | |
| 35 | Holman S. Melcher | Republican | 1889–1890 | Captain in the 20th Maine Volunteer Infantry Regiment during the Civil War. |
| 36 | George W. True | | 1891 | |
| 37 | Darius H. Ingraham | | 1892 | |
| 38 | James Phinney Baxter | Republican | 1893–1896 | |
| 39 | Charles H. Randall | | 1897–1898 | |
| 40 | Frank W. Robinson | | 1899–1900 | Previously Cumberland County District Attorney and judge of the Portland Municipal Court from 1893-1899. |
| 41 | Frederic E. Boothby | Republican | 1901–1903 | |
| 42 | James Phinney Baxter | Republican | 1904–1905 | |
| 43 | Nathan Clifford | Democrat | 1906–1907 | |
| 44 | Adam P. Leighton | Republican | 1908–1909 | |
| 45 | Charles A. Strout | Republican | 1910 | |
| 46 | Oakley C. Curtis | Democrat | 1911–1914 | Governor of Maine from 1915-1917. |
| 47 | William Moulton Ingraham | Democrat | 1915 | |
| 48 | Wilford G. Chapman | Republican | 1916–1917 | |
| 49 | Charles B. Clarke | Republican | 1918–1921 | |
| 50 | Carroll S. Chaplin | Republican | 1922–1923 | |
| 51 | Philip J. Deering | Democrat | 1924 | |
| 52 | Neal W. Allen | | 1925–1926 | |
| 53 | Philip J. Deering | Democrat | 1927 | |
| 54 | Lester F. Wallace | | 1928–1929 | |
| 55 | Ralph D. Brooks | | 1930 | |
| 56 | Arthur W. Jordan | | 1931 | |
| 57 | Ralph D. Brooks | | 1932 | |
| 58 | Arthur E. Craig | | 1933 | |
| 59 | Philip J. Deering | Democrat | 1934–1935 | |
| 60 | Edward C. Berry | | 1936 | |
| 61 | Adam P. Leighton, Jr. | | 1937 | |
| 62 | Edward C. Berry | | 1938 | |
| 63 | Arthur E. Craig | | 1939 | |
| 64 | Harry E. Martin | | 1940 | |
| 65 | Edward C. Berry | | 1941 | |
| 66 | Adam P. Leighton Jr. | | 1942 | |
| 67 | Herman B. Libby | | 1943 | |
| 68 | George A. Harrison | | 1944 | |
| 69 | Harry C. Libby | | 1945 | |
| 70 | Helen C. Frost | | 1946 | |
| 71 | Herman B. Libby | | 1947 | |
| 72 | Robert L. Getchell | | 1948–1949 | |
| 73 | Edward T. Colley | | 1950 | |
| 74 | Helen C. Frost | | 1952 | |
| 75 | H. Merrill Luthe | | 1953 | |
| 76 | Edward T. Colley | | 1954 | |
| 77 | Ben B. Wilson | | 1955 | |
| 78 | H. Merrill Luthe | | 1956 | |
| 79 | Carleton G. Lane | | 1957 | |
| 80 | Perley J. Lessard | | 1958 | |
| 81 | Sumner S. Clark | | 1959 | |
| 82 | Mitchell Cope | | 1960 | |
| 83 | Harold E. Frank | | 1961 | |
| 84 | Daniel B. Felix | | 1962 | |
| 85 | Ralph Amerigan | | 1963 | |
| 86 | J. Weston Walch | | 1964–1965 | |
| 87 | Charles W. Allen | | 1966 | |
| 88 | Harold G. Loring | | 1967 | |
| 89 | Donald Slipp | | 1969-1970 | |
| 90 | William L. MacVane | Democrat | 1970–1971 | |
| 91 | Gerard Conley Sr. | Democrat | 1971–1972 | |
| 92 | Edward I. Bernstein | Republican | 1973 | |
| 93 | William B. Troubh | Democrat | 1974–1975 | |
| 94 | Harold G. Loring | | 1975–1976 | |
| 95 | Matthew I. Barron | | 1976–1978 | |
| 96 | Bruce Taliento | | 1978 | |
| 97 | Edward I. Bernstein | Republican | 1978–1979 | |
| 98 | Llewellyn Smith | | 1979–1980 | |
| 99 | John O'Leary | Democrat | 1980–1981 | |
| 100 | Pamela P. Plumb | | 1981–1982 | |
| 101 | Linda Abromson | Democrat | 1982–1983 | |
| 102 | William B. Troubh | Democrat | 1983–1984 | |
| 103 | David H. Brenerman | Democrat | 1984–1985 | |
| 104 | Joseph D. Casale | Democrat | 1985–1986 | |
| 105 | Philip J. Dawson | | 1986–1987 | |
| 106 | Ronald J. Dorler | | 1987–1988 | |
| 107 | Cheryl A. Leeman | Republican | 1988–1989 | |
| 108 | Esther Clenott | Democrat | 1989–1990 | |
| 109 | Peter O'Donnell | Democrat | 1990–1991 | |
| 110 | Thomas H. Allen | Democrat | 1991–1992 | |
| 111 | Charles Harlow | Democrat | 1992–1993 | |
| 112 | Anne B. Pringle | Democrat | 1993–1994 | |
| 113 | Richard W. "Dick" Paulson Jr. | Democrat | 1994–1995 | |
| 114 | Philip "Jack" Dawson | Democrat | 1995–1996 | |
| 115 | John F. McDonough | Democrat | 1996–1997 | |
| 116 | George N. Campbell | | 1997–1998 | |
| 117 | Thomas V. Kane | Democrat | 1998–1999 | |
| 118 | Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. | Democrat | 1999–2000 | |
| 119 | Cheryl A. Leeman | Republican | 2000–2001 | |
| 120 | Karen Geraghty | Democrat | 2001–2002 | |
| 121 | James F. "Jim" Cloutier | Democrat | 2002–2003 | |
| 122 | Nathan Smith | Democrat | 2003–2004 | |
| 123 | Jill Duson | Democrat | 2004–2005 | First African-American mayor |
| 124 | James I. Cohen | Democrat | 2005–2006 | |
| 125 | Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. | Democrat | 2006–2007 | |
| 126 | Edward Suslovic | Democrat | 2007–2008 | |
| 127 | Jill Duson | Democrat | 2008–2010 | |
| 128 | Nicholas "Nick" Mavodones Jr. | Democrat | 2010–2011 | |
| 129 | Michael F. Brennan | Democrat | 2011–2015 | First popularly elected Mayor of Portland since 1923. Previously served in the Maine House of Representatives from 1992 to 2000 and in the Maine Senate from 2002 to 2006. |
| 130 | Ethan Strimling | Democrat | 2015–2019 | |
| 131 | Kate Snyder | Democrat | 2019–2023 | |
| 132 | Mark Dion | Democrat | 2023–Incumbent | |