# List of mayors of Des Moines, Iowa

The following is a list of the mayors of Des Moines, Iowa.

## List of mayors

| Mayor | Term start and end | Political party | Notes |
| Thompson Bird | 1851 – 1852 | | |
| Benjamin Luce | October 1853 – 1854 | | |
| Lampson P. Sherman | 1854–1855 | | |
| Barlow Granger | November 1855 – 1856 | | |
| William DeFord | November 1856 – 1857 | | |
| Charles W. Nash | 1857 – May 1, 1857 | | |
| William H. McHenry | May 1, 1857 – 1858 | Democratic | |
| H. E. Lemoreaux | 1858–1859 | | |
| R. L. Tidrick | 1859–1860 | | |
| P. H. W. Latshaw | 1860–1861 | Republican | |
| Ira Cook | 1861 | Republican | Resigned from office |
| W. S. Barnes | 1861–1862 | Republican | |
| Thomas Cavanagh | 1862–1863 | Democratic | |
| William H. Leas | 1863–1865 | Republican | |
| George W. Cleveland | 1865–1868 | Republican | |
| Sumner F. Spofford | 1868–1869 | | |
| J. H. Hatch | 1869–1871 | Republican | |
| Martin Tuttle | 1871–1872 | | |
| J. P. Foster | 1872–1873 | Republican | |
| Giles H. Turner | 1873 – March 16, 1874 | Republican | |
| A. Newton | March 16, 1874 – 1876 | Republican | |
| Giles H. Turner | March 1876 – 1877 | Republican | Resigned from office |
| George Sneer | 1877–1880 | | |
| William H. Merritt | 1880–1882 | | |
| P. V. Carey | 1882 – March 15, 1886 | Republican | |
| James Harvey Phillips | March 15, 1886 – 1888 | | |
| William Lytle Carpenter | 1888 – March 17, 1890 | Democratic | |
| John H. Campbell | March 17, 1890 – April 18, 1892 | Republican | |
| C. C. Lane | April 18, 1892 – April 16, 1894 | Republican | |
| Isaac L. Hillis | April 16, 1894 – 1896 | Republican | |
| John MacVicar | 1896 – April 2, 1900 | | |
| Jeremiah J. Hartenbower | April 2, 1900 – 1902 | | |
| James M. Brenton | 1902–1904 | | |
| George W. Mattern | 1904 – April 6, 1908 | | |
| Adoniram Judson Mathis | April 6, 1908 – April 4, 1910 | | |
| James R. Hanna | April 4, 1910 – April 3, 1916 | | |
| John MacVicar | April 3, 1916 – 1918 | | |
| Thomas Fairweather | 1918–1920 | | |
| H. H. Barton | 1920–1922 | | |
| C. M. Garver | 1922 – April 5, 1926 | | |
| Fred H. Hunter | April 5, 1926 – April 2, 1928 | | |
| John MacVicar† | April 2, 1928 – November 15, 1928 | | Died in office |
| E. H. Mulock | November 24, 1928 – 1930 | | |
| Parker L. Crouch | 1930–1932 | | |
| Dwight N. Lewis | 1932–1936 | | |
| Joseph Holmes Allen | 1936–1938 | | |
| Dwight N. Lewis† | 1938 – May 1, 1938 | | Died in office |
| Mark L. Conkling | 1938–1942 | | |
| John MacVicar Jr. | 1942–1948 | | |
| Heck Ross | 1948–1950 | | |
| A. B. Chambers | 1950–1952 | | |
| Allan W. Denny | 1952–1954 | | |
| Joseph Van Dresser | 1954–1956 | | |
| Ray Mills | 1956–1958 | | |
| Charles F. Iles | 1958–1960 | | |
| Reinhold O. Carlson | 1960–1962 | | |
| Charles F. Iles | 1962–1966 | | |
| George C. Whitmer | 1966–1968 | | |
| Thomas N. Urban | 1968–1972 | | |
| Richard E. Olson | 1972–1980 | | |
| Pete Crivaro† | 1980 – December 24, 1986 | | Died in office |
| George Nahas | January 7, 1987 – April 15, 1987 | | Long term former councilmember appointed by the city council on January 7, 1987, to serve as mayor until the November election but citizens secured sufficient votes to force a special election. Nahas served four months as mayor. First Lebanese mayor. |
| John "Pat" Dorrian | April 15, 1987 – 1995 | | Won a special election on April 14, 1987, and sworn on April 15, 1987. Reelected in the November 1987 general election. |
| Arthur Davis† | 1995–1997 | | Died in office |
| Robert D. Ray | 1997 | Republican | Former governor Ray served as interim mayor after the death of Davis |
| Preston Daniels | 1997–2004 | Democratic | First African American mayor |
| Frank Cownie | 2004–2024 | | |
| Connie Boesen | January 2, 2024 – Present | | |