The Mayor of Indianapolis is the head of the executive branch of the consolidated city-county government of Indianapolis and Marion County. As the chief executive, the mayor has the duty to oversee city-county government's various departments, agencies, and municipal corporations. They also have the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Indianapolis City-County Council, the legislative branch. The mayor serves a four-year term and has no limit to the number of terms they may serve.[2]
| Mayor of the City of Indianapolis | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the Office of the Mayor of the City of Indianapolis | |
| Term length | Four years |
| Inaugural holder | Samuel Henderson |
| Formation | 1847 |
| Salary | $95,317.60 annually[1] |
| Website | Office of the Mayor |
As of 2016, the mayor was paid an annual salary of $95,317.60.[1] The Mayor's Office is on the twenty-fifth floor of the City-County Building.[3]
Elections
The mayor of Indianapolis is elected every four years; elections take place one year before United States presidential elections on election day in November. The mayor is usually sworn in at noon on January 1 following the election. The next election for the mayor will be in 2027.
Indianapolis city elections are partisan, with party affiliations listed alongside candidates' names on the ballot.[4] Primary elections are held on the first Tuesday of May in a mayoral election year. Candidates for mayor secure their party's nominations to campaign in the general election, held on Election Day the following November.
Lists
To date, 43 individuals have served as mayor. There have been 49 mayoralties due to six individuals who served nonconsecutive terms. John Caven, Caleb S. Denny, Charles A. Bookwalter, Samuel L. Shank, Reginald H. Sullivan, and Philip L. Bayt served two nonconsecutive terms each. The longest term was that of William "Bill" Hudnut, who served four consecutive terms for 16 years.[5] The shortest term was that of Claude E. Negley, who served 13 days.
Pre-Unigov
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Henderson (1800–1883; aged 83) | May 1, 1847 | 1849 | Whig | ||
| 2 | Horatio C. Newcomb (1821–1882; aged 61) | 1849 | November 7, 1851[6] | Whig | ||
| 3 | Caleb Scudder (1795–1866; aged 71) | November 1851 | 1854 | Whig | ||
| 4 | James McCready (1816–1909; aged 93) | 1854 | 1856 | Democratic | ||
| 5 | Henry F. West (1796–1856; aged 60) | 1856 | November 8, 1856[7] | Democratic | ||
| 6 | Charles G. Coulon (1825–1881; aged 56) | November 8, 1856 | November 22, 1856 | Democratic | ||
| 7 | William J. Wallace (1814–1894; aged 80) | 1856 | May 5, 1858[6] | Republican | ||
| 8 | Samuel D. Maxwell (1803–1873; aged 70) | May 5, 1858 | January 1, 1863 | Republican | ||
| 9 |  | John Caven (1st) (1824–1905; aged 81) | 1863 | 1867 | Republican | |
| 10 |  | Daniel McCauley (1839–1894; aged 55) | 1867 | 1873 | Republican | |
| 11 | James L. Mitchell (1834–1894; aged 60) | 1873 | 1875 | Democratic | ||
| 12 | | John Caven (2nd) | 1875 | 1881 | Republican | |
| 13 | Daniel W. Grubbs (1835–1917; aged 82) | May 12, 1881 | January 1, 1884 | Republican | ||
| 14 | John L. McMaster (1843–1914; aged 71) | January 1, 1884 | January 1, 1886 | Republican | ||
| 15 | Caleb S. Denny (1st) (1850–1926; aged 76) | January 1, 1886 | January 1, 1890 | Republican | ||
| 16 | Thomas L. Sullivan (1846–1936; aged 90) | 1890 | 1893 | Democratic | ||
| 17 | Caleb S. Denny (2nd) | October 12, 1893 | October 10, 1895 | Republican | ||
| 18 | .jpg) | Thomas Taggart (1856–1929; aged 73) | January 1, 1895 | December 31, 1901 | Democratic | |
| 19 | Charles A. Bookwalter (1st) (1860–1926; aged 66) | 1901 | November 1903 | Republican | ||
| 20 | John W. Holtzman (1858–1942; aged 84) | November 1903 | 1906 | Democratic | ||
| 21 | Charles A. Bookwalter (2nd) | 1906 | 1910 | Republican | ||
| 22 |  | Samuel L. Shank (1st) (1872–1927; aged 55) | 1910 | November 28, 1913[6] | Republican | |
| 23 | Henry R. Wallace (1869–1915; aged 46) | November 28, 1913 | January 5, 1914 | Republican | ||
| 24 | Joseph E. Bell (1865–1923; aged 58) | 1914 | 1918[6] | Democratic | ||
| 25 | Charles W. Jewett (1884–1961; aged 77) | 1918 | 1922 | Republican | ||
| 26 | | Samuel L. Shank (2nd) | 1922 | 1926 | Republican | |
| 27 | _(a).jpg) | John L. Duvall (1874–1962; aged 88) | January 4, 1926 | October 27, 1927[6] | Republican | |
| 28 | Claude E. Negley (1873–1943; aged 70) | October 27, 1927[8] | November 9, 1927 | Republican | ||
| 29 |  | Lemuel Ertus Slack (1874–1952; aged 78) | November 9, 1927 | 1930 | Democratic | |
| 30 |  | Reginald H. Sullivan (1st) (1876–1980; aged 103) | 1930 | 1935 | Democratic | |
| 31 | John W. Kern (1900–1971; aged 71) | 1935 | September 2, 1937[6] | Democratic | ||
| 32 | Walter C. Boetcher (1881–1951; aged 70) | 1937 | 1939 | Democratic | ||
| 33 | | Reginald H. Sullivan (2nd) | 1939 | 1943 | Democratic | |
| 34 |  | Robert Tyndall (1877–1947; aged 70) | 1943 | July 9, 1947[7] | Republican | |
| 35 | George L. Denny (1878–1958; aged 80) | July 9, 1947 | January 1, 1948 | Republican | ||
| 36 | Albert G. Feeney (1892–1950; aged 58) | January 1, 1948 | November 12, 1950[7] | Democratic | ||
| 37 | Philip L. Bayt (1st) (1910–1989; aged 79) | November 12, 1950 | November 24, 1951[6] | Democratic | ||
| 38 | Christian J. Emhardt (1883–1971; aged 88) | November 24, 1951 | January 1, 1952 | Democratic | ||
| 39 |  | Alex M. Clark (1916–1991; aged 75) | January 1, 1952 | January 1, 1956 | Republican | |
| 40 | Philip L. Bayt (2nd) | January 1, 1956 | January 1, 1960[6] | Democratic | ||
| 41 | Charles H. Boswell (1909–2006; aged 97) | January 1, 1960 | August 6, 1962[6] | Democratic | ||
| 42 | Albert H. Losche (1891–1966; aged 75) | August 6, 1962 | January 1, 1964 | Democratic | ||
| 43 | John J. Barton (1906–2004; aged 98) | January 1, 1964 | January 1, 1968 | Democratic |
Unigov
Unigov, the city-county consolidation of Indianapolis and Marion County governments, was enacted on January 1, 1970, exactly two years into Richard Lugar's first term as mayor.[2] The new governance structure, codified in Indiana Code, mandates that the Mayor of Indianapolis is the chief executive of both the city and Marion County. Due to this structure, all Marion County residents are permitted to vote for the Mayor of Indianapolis, regardless if they live within the city or an excluded city or town.[9] For example, residents of Beech Grove, which is an entirely independent municipality in Marion County, have the ability to vote for the Mayor of Indianapolis as well as their own mayor.[2]
| No. | Portrait | Name | Term start | Term end | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 44 |  | Richard Lugar (1932–2019; aged 87) | January 1, 1968 | January 1, 1976 | Republican | |
| 45 |  | William H. Hudnut (1932–2016; aged 84) | January 1, 1976 | January 1, 1992 | Republican | |
| 46 | .jpg) | Stephen Goldsmith (born in 1946; age 77) | January 1, 1992 | January 1, 2000 | Republican | |
| 47 | _(1).jpg) | Bart Peterson (born in 1958; age 65) | January 1, 2000 | January 1, 2008 | Democratic | |
| 48 | .jpg) | Greg Ballard (born in 1954; age 69) | January 1, 2008 | January 1, 2016 | Republican | |
| 49 | .jpg) | Joe Hogsett (born in 1956; age 67) | January 1, 2016 | incumbent | Democratic |