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Mayor of St. Louis

Chief executive of St. Louis

Summary

Chief executive of St. Louis

Field	Value
post	Mayor
body	the City of St. Louis
flag	Flag of St. Louis, Missouri.svg
flagsize	155px
flagcaption	Flag of St. Louis, Missouri
insignia	Seal of St. Louis, Missouri.svg
insigniasize	110px
insigniacaption	Seal of St. Louis, Missouri
image	Cara Spencer crop.jpg
incumbent	Cara Spencer
incumbentsince	April 15, 2025
department	Government of St. Louis
style	The Honorable; Ms. Mayor (informal)
residence	Private
seat	St. Louis City Hall
termlength	Four years, no term limits
constituting_instrument	St. Louis City Charter
precursor
formation
inaugural	William Carr Lane
succession	President, Board of Aldermen
salary	$161,881 (2024)
website	{{Office of the Mayor

The mayor of St. Louis is the chief executive officer of St. Louis's city government. The mayor has a duty to enforce city ordinances and the power to either approve or veto city ordinances passed by the Board of Aldermen..

Forty-eight people have held the office, four of whom—William Carr Lane, John Fletcher Darby, John Wimer, and John How—served non-consecutive terms. Lane, the city's first mayor, served the most terms: eight one-year terms plus the unexpired term of Darby. Francis Slay is the longest-serving mayor, having served four 4-year terms. The second-longest-serving mayor was Henry Kiel, who served 12 years and nine days over three terms in office. Two others — Raymond Tucker and Vincent C. Schoemehl — also served three terms, but seven fewer days. The shortest-serving mayor was Arthur Barret, who died 11 days after taking office. The first female mayor was Lyda Krewson, who served from 2017 to 2021.

Duties and powers

The mayor has an office in the St. Louis City Hall

St. Louis was incorporated as a city on December 9, 1822, four months after Missouri was admitted as a state to the Union. In accordance with its new charter, the city changed its governance to a mayor-council format and elected its first mayor, William Carr Lane, on April 7, 1823.

Cabinet

Elections

The mayor is elected for four years during the general municipal election, which is held every two years on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in April. The candidates are selected through a combined approval voting primary, with the top two advancing to the general. The mayor is usually sworn during the first session of the Board of Aldermen two weeks after the election.

Under the original city charter, the mayor was elected to a one-year term. Terms became two years under the 1859 city charter. The mayor's office was extended to its present four-year term after passage of the Charter and Scheme in 1876 which separated the City of St. Louis from St. Louis County.

Succession

If the office of mayor becomes vacant through death, resignation, recall, or removal by the board of aldermen, the president of the board of aldermen becomes mayor until a special mayoral election can be held; if the office is only temporarily vacant due to disability of the mayor, the president only acts out the duties of mayor. Should both offices be vacant, the vice-president of the board of aldermen becomes mayor.

Five people have acted as mayor: Wilson Primm following the resignation of John Darby; Ferdinand W. Cronenbold following the resignation of Chauncey Filley; Herman Rechtien following the death of Arthur Barret; George W. Allen following the resignation of David Francis; and Aloys P. Kaufmann following the death of William Becker.

List of mayors

No.	Mayor	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Election	1
[[File:William Carr Lane (St. Louis Mayor, New Mexico Territory Governor).jpg	100px]]	William Carr Lane
(1789–1863)
1st time				1823	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
1824
1825
1826
1827
1828
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Daniel Page
(1790–1869)				1829	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
1830
1831
1832
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Samuel Merry
(TBA–TBA)
Disputed	*Ruled ineligible;
did not serve*	Apr.
1833	Unknown
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	John W. Johnston
(1774–1854)				Nov.
1833	Whig Party (US)}};"		Whig
1834
[[File:JohnFletcherDarby.jpg	100px]]	John Fletcher Darby
(1803–1882)
1st time				1835	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
1836
Apr.
1837
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Wilson Primm
(TBA–TBA)
Acting				–	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
[[File:William Carr Lane (St. Louis Mayor, New Mexico Territory Governor).jpg	100px]]	William Carr Lane
(1789–1863)
2nd time				Nov.
1837	Whig Party (US)}};"		Whig
1838
1839
[[File:JohnFletcherDarby.jpg	100px]]	John Fletcher Darby
(1803–1882)
2nd time				1840	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
[[File:John D. Daggett.jpg	100px]]	John D. Daggett
(1793–1874)				1841	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	George Maguire
(1796–1882)				1842	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:John M Wimer.jpg	100px]]	John Wimer
(1810–1863)
1st time				1843	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Bernard Pratte, esq.jpg	100px]]	Bernard Pratte
(1803–1886)				1844	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
1845
[[File:Peter G. Camden (1801–1873).png	100px]]	Peter G. Camden
(1801–1873)				1846	Know Nothing}};"	American
[[File:Portrait of Bryan Mullanphy.jpg	100px]]	Bryan Mullanphy
(1809–1851)				1847	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:John Krum.jpg	100px]]	John M. Krum
(1810–1883)				1848	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Photograph of James G. Barry.jpg	100px]]	James G. Barry
(1800–1880)				1849	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Luther Martin Kennett (St. Louis, Missouri Mayor and Congressman).jpg	100px]]	Luther Martin Kennett
(1807–1873)				1850	Whig Party (US)}};"	Whig
1851
1852
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	John How
( 1813–1885)
1st time				1853	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
1854
[[File:Washington King (1815–1861).png	100px]]	Washington King
(1815–1861)				1855	Know Nothing}};"	American
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	John How
( 1813–1885)
2nd time				1856	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:John M Wimer.jpg	100px]]	John Wimer
(1810–1863)
2nd time				1857	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Oliver Filley.jpg	100px]]	Oliver Filley
(1806–1881)				1858	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
1859
[[File:Daniel G. Taylor (1819–1878).jpg	100px]]	Daniel G. Taylor
(1819–1878)				1861	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:Chauncey Ives Filley 001.jpg	100px]]	Chauncey Ives Filley
(1829–1923)				1863	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Ferdinand W. Cronenbold
(TBA–TBA)
Acting				–	Unknown
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	James S. Thomas
(1802–1874)				1864 special	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
1865
1867
[[File:NathanCole.jpg	100px]]	Nathan Cole
(1825–1904)				1869	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Joseph Brown
(1823–1899)				1871	Democratic Party (US)}};"	War Democrat
1873
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Arthur Barret
(1836–1875)				Apr.
1875	Democratic Party (US)}};"		Democratic
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Herman Rechtien
(TBA–TBA)
Acting				–	Unknown
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	James H. Britton
(1817–1900)				May
1875	Democratic Party (US)}};"		Democratic
[[File:Henry Clemens von Overstolz (1821–1887).png	100px]]	Henry Overstolz
(1821–1887)				May
1875	Independent politician}};"		Independent
1877
[[File:William L. Ewing (1843–1905).png	100px]]	William L. Ewing
(1843–1905)				1881	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:DRFrancis.jpg	100px]]	David R. Francis
(1850–1927)				1885	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	George W. Allen
(TBA–TBA)
Acting				–	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Edward A. Noonan
(1852–1927)				1889	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Cyrus Walbridge 1904.jpg	100px]]	Cyrus Walbridge
(1849–1921)				1893	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:Henry Ziegenhein June 1902.jpg	100px]]	Henry Ziegenhein
( 1845–1910)				1897	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:Rolla Wells 1906.jpg	100px]]	Rolla Wells
(1856–1944)				1901	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
1905
[[File:Frederick H Kreismann 1909.jpg	100px]]	Frederick Kreismann
(1869–1944)				1909	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:Kiel-mhm.jpg	100px]]	Henry Kiel
(1871–1942)				1913	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
1917
1921
[[File:Victor J. Miller LCCN2014713012.jpg	100px]]	Victor J. Miller
(1888–1955)				1925	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
1929
[[File:Mayor Bernard Dickmann speaking (cropped).jpg	100px]]	Bernard F. Dickmann
(1888–1971)				1933	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
1937
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	William D. Becker
(1876–1943)				1941	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Aloys P. Kaufmann
(1902–1984)		TBA	TBA	–	Republican Party (US)}};"	Republican
TBA		TBA	1944 special
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Joseph Darst
(1889–1953)				1949	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Raymond Tucker
(1896–1970)				1953	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
1957
1961
[[File:Alfonso J. Cervantes, mayor of St. Louis.jpg	100px]]	Alfonso J. Cervantes
(1920–1983)				1965	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
1969
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	John Poelker
(1913–1990)				1973	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	James F. Conway
(1932–2025)				1977	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Vincent C. Schoemehl
(born 1946)				1981	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
1985
1989
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Freeman Bosley Jr.
(born 1954)				1993	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:No image.png	100px]]	Clarence Harmon
(born 1940)				1997	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Francis Slay 2015.jpg	100px]]	Francis Slay
(born 1955)				2001	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
2005
2009
2013
[[File:Lyda Krewson (325034).jpg	100px]]	Lyda Krewson
(born 1953)				2017	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Tishaura Jones tight crop.jpg	100px]]	Tishaura Jones
(born 1972)				2021	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic
[[File:Cara Spencer crop.jpg	100px]]	Cara Spencer
(born 1978)		Incumbent		2025	Democratic Party (US)}};"	Democratic

Notes

References

;General

;Charters

;Specific

References

"St. Louis City Charter, Article VII". [[St. Louis Public Library]].
Conard, Howard Louis. (1901). "Encyclopedia of the History of Missouri". The Southern History Company.
Schlinkmann, Mark. (2021-03-01). "St. Louis mayoral candidates, voters deal with new rules in Tuesday’s primary". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
"St. Louis Mayors: Oliver D. Filley". [[St. Louis Public Library]].
"St. Louis Mayors: Henry Overstolz". [[St. Louis Public Library]].
{{cite court. (1833). link
"St. Louis Mayors: John W. Johnston". [[St. Louis Public Library]].
Shepard, Elihu Hotchkiss. (1870). "The Early History of St. Louis and Missouri". Southwestern Book and Publishing Company.
Stevens, Walter Barlow. (1911). "St. Louis: The Fourth City, 1764-1911". The S. J. Clarke Publishing Co..
(1837-12-02). "Proceedings of the Board of Aldermen of the City of St. Louis". Daily Commercial Bulletin and Missouri Literary Register.
"St. Louis Mayors: Chauncey I. Filley". [[St. Louis Public Library]].
. (1864-03-16). ["Resignation of the Mayor"](https://shsmo.newspapers.com/image/571012255/?terms=filley&match=1). *St. Louis Globe-Democrat*.
(1875-04-24). "Arthur B. Barret. The Mayor's Illness Results in Death This Morning". [[St. Louis Post-Dispatch]].
(1875-05-19). "A Municipal Row". [[Chicago Inter Ocean.
"St. Louis Mayors: James H. Britton". [[St. Louis Public Library]].
(2 January 1889). "The City Hall Change". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
(2 January 1889). "Next Municipal Chief". St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
(1984-02-15). "Aloys P. Kaufmann". [[The New York Times]].

Wikipedia Source

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