From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
List of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts
none
none
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| post | Mayor |
| body | Lowell |
| flagcaption | Flag of Lowell |
| insigniacaption | Seal of Lowell |
| incumbent | Daniel Rourke |
| acting | no |
| incumbentsince | January 2, 2024 |
| type | Ceremonial |
| style | His/Her Honor |
| member_of | School Committee |
| residence | None official |
| seat | Lowell City Hall |
| appointer | City Council vote |
| termlength | Two years |
| constituting_instrument | Lowell City Charter |
| precursor | Lowell Board of Selectmen |
| (1826-1836) | |
| formation | 1836 |
| first | Elisha Bartlett |
| salary | $30,000 (2017) |
| website |
This is a list of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell became a city in 1836. From 1836 to 1943 the mayor of Lowell was the chief administrative officer of the city. Lowell switched to a Massachusetts "Plan E" form of city government in 1943, since January 1, 1944 the city has been administrated by a professional city manager, the office of mayor, while retained under "Plan E", is strictly a ceremonial one.
Mayors
(1826-1836)
| # | Mayor | Picture | Term | Party | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Elisha Bartlett | [[File:Elisha Bartlett by Thomas Bayley Lawson.jpg | 80px]] | 1836–1838 | Whig | ||
| 2nd | Luther Lawrence | 1838 – April 17, 1839 | Federalist | ||||
| A | Elisha Huntington | [[File:Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg | 80px]] | April 1839 – April 1840 | Whig | Became acting mayor after the death | |
| of Luther Lawrence in April 1839. | |||||||
| 3rd | Elisha Huntington | [[File:Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg | 80px]] | April 1840 – April 1842 | Whig | ||
| 4th | Nathaniel Wright | April 1842 – April 1844 | Citizens ticket, (1842); Whig (1843) | ||||
| 5th | Elisha Huntington | [[File:Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg | 80px]] | April 1844 – January 1846 | Whig | ||
| 6th | Jefferson Bancroft | [[Image:Jefferson Bancroft portrait at Lowell Masonic Temple; Lowell, MA; 2012-05-18.jpg | 80px]] | 1846–1848 | Whig | ||
| 7th | Josiah B. French | 1849–1850 | Coalitionist/Democratic | ||||
| 8th | James H.B. Ayer | [[File:James H. B. Ayer.jpg | 80px]] | 1851 | Whig | ||
| 9th | Elisha Huntington | [[File:Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg | 80px]] | January 1852 – January 1853 | Whig | ||
| 10th | Sewall G. Mack | 1853–1854 | Whig | ||||
| 11th | Ambrose Lawrence | [[File:Thomas Bayley Lawson - Ambrose Lawrence (1816-1893) - H540 - Harvard Art Museums.jpg | 80px]] | 1855 | Native American Party | ||
| 12th | Elisha Huntington | [[File:Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg | 80px]] | 1856 | Whig | ||
| 13th | Stephen Mansur | [[File:Stephen_Mansur.jpg | 80px]] | 1857 | Republican | ||
| 14th | Elisha Huntington | [[File:Thomas Bayley Lawson - Elisha Huntington (restored).jpg | 80px]] | January 1858 – January 1859 | Whig | ||
| 15th | James Cook | 1859 | Republican | ||||
| 16th | Benjamin C. Sargent | 1860–1861 | Republican | ||||
| 17th | Hocum Hosford | 1862–1865 | Citizens ticket (1862–1863), Republican (1864) | ||||
| 18th | Josiah G. Peabody | 1865–1866 | Republican | ||||
| 19th | George F. Richardson | [[Image:George Francis Richardson 1872.png | 80px]] | 1867 – January 4, 1869 | Republican | ||
| 20th | Jonathan P. Folsom | [[Image:1872 Jonathan Philbrick Folsom Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | 80px]] | January 4, 1869 – 1870 | Republican | ||
| 21st | Edward Fay Sherman | 1871 | Republican | ||||
| 22nd | Josiah G. Peabody | 1872 | Republican | ||||
| 23rd | Francis Jewett | 1873–1875 | Republican | ||||
| 24th | Charles A. Stott | January 1, 1876 – 1877 | Republican | ||||
| 25th | John A. G. Richardson | January 7, 1878 – 1879 | Democratic | ||||
| 26th | Frederic T. Greenhalge | [[Image:Frederick T. Greenhalge.jpg | 80px]] | 1880 – January 2, 1882 | Republican | ||
| 27th | George Runels | January 2, 1882 | Republican | ||||
| 28th | John J. Donovan | 1883–1884 | Democratic | First Irish-American Mayor of Lowell | |||
| 29th | Edward J. Noyes | 1885 | Republican | ||||
| 30th | James C. Abbott | 1886–1887 | Democratic | ||||
| 31st | Charles Dana Palmer | [[Image:Charles Dana Palmer.png | 80px]] | 1888 – January 1891 | Republican | ||
| 32nd | George W. Fifield | [[Image:George W. Fifield.png | 80px]] | January 1891 – 1892 | Democratic | ||
| 33rd | John J. Pickman | [[Image:John J. Pickman.png | 80px]] | 1893–1894 | Republican | ||
| 34th | William F. Courtney | 1895–1897 | Democratic | ||||
| 35th | Col. James W. Bennett | 1898 | Republican | ||||
| 36th | Jeremiah Crowley | [[Image:Jeremiah Crowley (politician),.png | 80px]] | 1899–1900 | Democratic | Irish-American | |
| 37th | Charles A. R. Dimon | [[Image:Charles A.R. Dimon.jpg | 80px]] | 1901 – May 5, 1902 | Democratic | ||
| A | William E. Badger | 1902 | Republican | Acting | |||
| 38th | Charles E. Howe | 1903–1904 | Republican | ||||
| 39th | James B. Casey | 1905–1906 | Democratic | Irish-American | |||
| 40th | Frederick W. Farnham | 1907–1908 | Republican | ||||
| 41st | George H. Brown | January 1, 1909-January, 1910 | Republican | ||||
| 42nd | John F. Meehan | 1910–1911 | Democratic | Irish-American | |||
| 43rd | James E. O'Donnell | 1912–1913 | Democratic | Irish-American | |||
| 44th | Dennis J. Murphy | 1914–1915 | Democratic | Irish-American | |||
| 45th | James E. O'Donnell | 1916–1917 | Democratic | ||||
| 46th | Perry D. Thompson | [[Image:Perry D. Thompson.png | 80px]] | 1918–1921 | Republican | ||
| 47th | George H. Brown | 1922 | Republican | ||||
| 48th | John J. Donovan | 1923–1926 | Democratic | ||||
| 49th | Thomas J. Corbett | 1927–1928 | Democratic | ||||
| 50th | Thomas H. Braden | 1929–1931 | Republican | ||||
| 52nd | Charles H. Slowey | 1932–1933 | Democratic | ||||
| 53rd | James J. Bruin | [[Image:James J. Bruin.png | 80px]] | 1934–1935 | Democratic | ||
| 54th | Dewey G. Archambault | 1936–1939 | Republican | First Franco-American Mayor of Lowell | |||
| 55th | George T. Ashe | [[Image:1935 George Ashe Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | 80px]] | 1940–1943 | Democratic | ||
| A | Joseph J. Sweeney | 1943 | Democratic | Acting mayor. | |||
| Last mayor before the City Manager form of government was established under a Massachusetts Plan E Charter. | |||||||
| 56th | Woodbury F. Howard | 1944–1945 | Republican | First ceremonial mayor. | |||
| Beginning of the weak mayor system. | |||||||
| City manager form of government | |||||||
| established on January 1, 1944. | |||||||
| 57th | Leo A. Roy | 1946–1947 | Republican | ||||
| 58th | George A. Ayotte | 1948–1949 | Republican | ||||
| 59th | William C. Geary | 1950 | Democratic | ||||
| 60th | George C. Eliades | 1951–1952 | Democratic | First Greek-American Mayor of Lowell | |||
| 61st | Henry Beaudry | [[Image:Henri Henry Beaudry, 1896-1969.jpg | 80px]] | 1952–1953 | Republican | ||
| 62nd | John Janas | [[File:1967 John Janas Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | 80px]] | 1954–1955 | Republican | First Polish-American Mayor of Lowell | |
| 63rd | Samuel S. Pollard | 1956–1959 | Democratic | ||||
| 64th | Raymond J. Lord | 1960–1961 | Republican | ||||
| 65th | Joseph M. Downes | 1962–1963 | Democratic | ||||
| 66th | Ellen A. Sampson | [[File:Ellen Anastos Sampson.jpg | 80px]] | 1964–1965 | Republican | First Female Mayor of Lowell | |
| 67th | Edward J. Early Jr. | 1966–1967 | Democratic | ||||
| 68th | Robert G. Maguire | 1968–1969 | Democratic | ||||
| 69th | Richard P. Howe | 1970–1971 | Democratic | ||||
| 70th | Ellen A. Sampson | [[File:Ellen Anastos Sampson.jpg | 80px]] | 1972–1973 | Republican | ||
| 71st | Armand W. LeMay | 1974–1975 | Democratic | ||||
| 72nd | Leo J. Farley | 1976–1977 | Democratic | ||||
| 73rd | Raymond F. Rourke | [[Image:1967 Raymond Rourke Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | 80px]] | 1978–1979 | Democratic | ||
| 74th | Robert C. Maguire | 1980–1981 | Democratic | ||||
| 75th | M. Brendan Fleming | [[Image:Mayor Brendan Fleming photographed in 1973.jpg | 80px]] | 1982–1983 | Democratic | ||
| 76th | Brian J. Martin | [[Image:Master of Ceremonies Brian Martin (500094508) (cropped).jpg | 80px]] | 1984–1985 | Democratic | ||
| 77th | Robert B. Kennedy | [[Image:1975 Robert B Kennedy Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | 80px]] | 1986–1987 | Democratic | ||
| 78th | Richard P. Howe | 1988–1991 | Democratic | ||||
| 79th | Tarsy T. Poulios | 1992–1993 | Democratic | ||||
| 80th | Richard P. Howe | 1994–1995 | Democratic | ||||
| 81st | Edward "Bud" Caulfield | 1996–1997 | |||||
| 82nd | Eileen Donoghue | [[Image:Eileen Donoghue.jpg | 80px]] | 1998–2001 | Democratic | ||
| 83rd | Rita Mercier | 2002–2003 | Democratic | ||||
| 84th | Armand Mercier | 2004–2005 | |||||
| 85th | William F. Martin | 2006–2007 | Democratic | ||||
| 86th | Edward "Bud" Caulfield | 2008–2009 | Democratic | ||||
| 87th | James L. Milinazzo | 2010–2011 | Democratic | Italian-American | |||
| 88th | Patrick O. Murphy | [[Image:PatrickOMurphy.jpg | 80px]] | 2012–2013 | Independent | Inaugurated at age 29, | |
| youngest mayor in Lowell history | |||||||
| 89th | Rodney Elliott | [[Image:Rodney Elliot.jpg | 80px]] | 2014–2016 | Democratic | ||
| 90th | Edward J. Kennedy | [[Image:Edward J Kennedy MA government photo.jpg | 80px]] | 2016–2018 | Democratic | ||
| 91st | William Samaras | 2018–2020 | Democratic | ||||
| 92nd | John Leahy | 2020–2022 | Independent | ||||
| 93rd | Sokhary Chau | 2022-2024 | Democratic | First Cambodian mayor in the United States. | |||
| 94th | Daniel Rourke | 2024–present |
City Managers
| # | City Manager | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | John J. Flannery | 1944–1952 | |
| 2nd | Ulysses J. Lupien | 1952–1953 | former Massachusetts Director of Civil Service (1939–1944) |
| A | William Sullivan | 1953 | |
| 3rd | Frank E. Barrett | 1953–1962 | |
| 4th | Cornelius Desmond | 1962–1963 | former State Representative (1941–1962) |
| 5th | P. Harold Ready | 1963–1966 | |
| 6th | Charles Gallagher | 1966–1970 | |
| A | Leo Morris | 1970 | |
| 7th | James Sullivan | 1970–1974 | former and future City Manager of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1968–1970, 1974–1981) |
| A | Robert W. Healy | 1974 | future City Manager of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1981–2013) |
| 8th | Paul J. Sheehy | 1974–1975 | former State Representative (1965–1972) |
| A | William Busby | 1975 | |
| 9th | William S. Taupier | 1975–1979 | former Mayor of Holyoke (1968–1975) |
| A | Victor Normand | 1979 | |
| 10th | B. Joseph Tully | 1979–1987 | former State Senator (1971–1979) |
| 11th | James Campbell | 1987–1991 | |
| A | James Kennedy | 1991 | Assistant City Manager |
| 12th | Richard Johnson | 1991–1995 | former Mayor of Taunton (1982–1992) |
| 13th | Brian J. Martin | 1995–2000 | former Mayor (1984–1985) |
| 14th | John F. Cox | 2000–2006 | former State Representative (1983–1995) |
| A | James Kennedy | 2006 | Assistant City Manager |
| 15th | Bernard F. Lynch | 2006–2014 | 1st Town Manager of Chelmsford (1989–2006) |
| A | Michael Geary | 2014 | City Clerk (Dec. 2011-present) & former City Councilor (1994–1996) |
| 16th | Kevin J. Murphy | 2014–2018 | former State Representative (1997–2014) |
| 17th | Eileen Donoghue | 2018–2022 | former Mayor (1998–2002) & State Senator (2011–2018) |
| A | Michael Geary | 2022 | City Clerk (Dec. 2011-present) & former City Councilor (1994–1996) |
| 18th | Thomas Golden Jr. | 2022–present | former State Representative (1995–2022) |
References
References
- (January 2, 2024). "Hail to the new Lowell City Council". Lowell Sun.
- (12 October 2016). "In Lowell, higher salaries for a higher purpose". CommonWealth Magazine.
- Duane Hamilton Hurd, History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches, Volume 2, 1890
- The Lowell Sun, The Latest Combination for a Republican Ticket, July 23, 1887
- The Lowell Sun, The Spellbinder – A Sensitive Politician, August 1, 1914
- The Granite Monthly: A New Hampshire Magazine, Volumes 43–44, Concord, NH, 1911
- Marie, [http://richardhowe.com/2014/01/05/some-mayoral-history/ "Some Mayoral History"], RichardHowe.com, January 5, 2014.
- The Boston Daily Globe, In Smaller Cities – Lowell, December 10, 1884
- The Lowell Sun, A Democratic Duty, December 11, 1886
- The Lowell Sun, Senter and Drury – These Are the Gentlemen the Democrats Elect Aldermen, December 15, 1888
- Frederick William Coburn, History of Lowell and Its People, Volume 1, 1920, p. 361
- The Lowell Sun, William F. Courtney for Mayor – Renominated with Great Enthusiasm at the Democratic Convention, November 27, 1895
- The Granite Monthly: A New Hampshire Magazine, Volumes 34–35, Concord, NH, 1903
- The Lowell Sun, The Spellbinder – The Next Election, April 29, 1916
- The Lowell Sun, Many Surprises, December 9, 1908
- The Lowell Sun, Results of Last Night's Contests in the Primaries, November 24, 1909
- The Lowell Sun, Big Caucuses – Democrats Turn Out Strongly in all Wards, November 16, 1901
- The Lowell Sun, Four Members of Present City Government Give Up Posts, September 9, 1939
- The Lowell Sun, The Archambault Family, June 24, 1982
- The Lowell Sun, Bitter Battle on City's Next Mayor, November 7, 1947
- The Lowell Sun, Reception to Governor Here Tomorrow, April 29, 1950
- Lowell Historical Society, [http://www.lowellhistoricalsociety.org/lowell_history2.htm "Lowell History Chronology"], 2013
- The Lowell Sun, Roy, Beaudry, Sullivan and Sweeney Gain on Transfers, November 10, 1951
- Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, Politics, January 10, 1951
- The Lowell Sun, Council Elects Janas Mayor, April 14, 1954
- The Lowell Sun, How Vote Went in City Precincts, November 5, 1953
- The Lowell Sun, Raymond J. Lord Dies at 59, February 7, 1972
- Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, Janas, Pollard, Hockmeyer, McMahon, Ayotte, Beaudry 'In', November 5, 1953
- (2011-04-14). "Looking good, mayors".
- Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, Councilor and Former Mayor Howe Eyes Challenge to Sen. Joseph Tully, April 23, 1972
- The Lowell Sun, Voters: Sheehy, Sampson to Win, September 14, 1972
- Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, High Hopes for Advisory Cabinet Plan, July 15, 1979
- The Lowell Sun, Maguire Endorses Hatem for Congress, September 15, 1980
- The Lowell Sun, Who Goofed on Fleming Endorsement?, August 29, 1982
- The Lowell Sun, Election-Watcher's Program for the Races, September 14, 1986
- City Councilor and former Mayor Rita Mercier endorsed Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown over Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren in 2012; Lyle Moran, The Lowell Sun, Mercier, a Democrat, endorses Republican Brown, September 14, 2012
- Camire, Chris (August 29, 2012) [http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_21416023/gop-lowell-mayor-spar-over-his-independent-warren#ixzz4oBcbSaYz "GOP, Lowell Mayor Spar Over His 'Independent' Warren Endorsement"], ''The Lowell Sun''.
- (June 3, 2015). "Former Lowell manager Lynch to lead Winchendon on interim basis".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about List of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report