Mayor of Tallahassee, Florida

(Redirected from Richard B. Carpenter)

The mayor of Tallahassee is head of the executive branch of the government of Tallahassee, Florida.

Mayor of Tallahassee
Seal of the City of Tallahassee
Flag of the City of Tallahassee
Incumbent
John E. Dailey
since November 19, 2018
StyleThe Honorable
Term length4 years
Inaugural holderCharles Haire
Formation1826
Salary$80,289
Website[1]

For part of the city's history the office of mayor was a rotating position chosen among city commissioners.[1] Tallahassee switched to the direct election of its mayors in 1997.

List

Florida Territory

ImageMayorYearsNotes
Charles Haire1826[2] was elected Intendant
David Ochiltree1827moved to Florida from Fayetteville, North Carolina.[3]
He also served as a justice of the peace.[4]
Ochiltree died in 1834 at his residence on Rocky Comfort Creek (Florida).
He was a colonel and was a member elect of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida
for Gadsden County when he died.[5]
John Y. Gary1828–1829
Leslie A. Thompson1830
Charles Austin1831
Leslie A. Thompson
(2nd term)
1832–1833
Robert J. Hackley1834Hackley was a pioneer settler sent by his father to an area by Tampa Bay.
He was dispossessed of his land for the establishment of Fort Brooke.[6]
A case on behalf of his heirs went to the Supreme Court.[citation needed]
William Wilson1835
John Rea1836
William P. Gorman1837
William Hilliard1838
R. F. Ker1839
Leslie A. Thompson
(3rd term)
1840
Francis W. Eppes1841–1844

Statehood

ImageMayorYearsNotes
James A. Berthelot1845He also served in the General Assembly[7]
and campaigned for another office on a no tax anti bond platform advertised on a poster.[8]
He was a mason and part of the Grand Lodge of Florida
Simon Towle1846He was also a state comptroller.
Owned the Towle House in Tallahassee, Florida[9]
James Kirksey1847Also delegate to the 1861 Secession Convention of Florida
F. H. Flagg1848
Thomas James Perkins1849
David Porter Hogue1850–1851a lawyer[10] who served as Attorney General in Florida.[11]
David S. Walker1852went on to serve as the eighth Governor of Florida from 1866 to 1868.
Richard Hayward1853
Thomas Hayward1854–1855
Francis W. Eppes
(2nd term)
1856–1857
David Porter Hogue
(2nd term)
1858–1860

Civil War era and Reconstruction

ImageMayorYearsNotes
P. T. Pearce1861–1865appointed a trustee of the West Florida Seminary
Francis W. Eppes
(3rd term)
1866grandson of Thomas Jefferson
David Porter Hogue
(3rd term)
1867–1868
Thaddeus Preston Tatum1869–1870Tatum was a druggist and served in the Battle of Natural Bridge.
Lived September 27, 1835 - July 4, 1873 and is buried in the Old City Cemetery.[12]
Charles Edgar Dyke1871a Conservative newspaper editor[13] of the Floridian & Journal
C. H. Edwards1872–1874
David S. Walker Jr.1875Son of David S. Walker
Samuel Walker1876

Post-Reconstruction

After World War I

ImageMayorYearsNotes
Jesse Talbot Bernard1877First Democratic mayor after Reconstruction, which ended the year he was elected.
David S. Walker Jr.
(2nd term)
1878–1879
Henry Bernreuter1880born in Columbus, Georgia to German immigrants, he moved as a child with his family to Florida.
He was a Confederate veteran who later served as sheriff and police chief.[14][15]
Edward Lewis1881
Charles C. Pearce1884–1885
George W. Walker1886
A. J. Fish1887
Robert B. Gorman1888–1889Son of former mayor, William P. Gorman. Served in the Confederate Army and was postmaster in Tallahassee.[16][17]
As mayor, he signed on to a letter from the merchants of Tallahassee to the U.S. Army's Chief of Engineers calling for the St. Marks River to be made navigable to promote trade.[18]
In 1889 he reported on negotiations with a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania company for a water works system.[19]
Richard B. Carpenter1890–1894A shopkeeper, he went into bankruptcy and had a legal case for exemption given individuals declaring bankruptcy, even though the firm was established as a separate entity.
Decided on appeal in his favor.[20]
Jesse Talbot Bernard
(2nd term)
1895–1896a teacher and judge who travelled around Florida to hear cases.
Served in the Confederate Army.[21]
R. A. Shine1897
Robert B. Gorman
(2nd term)
1898–1902
William L. Moor1903–1904[22]
John Ward Henderson1905[23] He also served as a legislator.[24]
Foster Clinton Gilmore1906
William M. McIntosh Jr.1907he also served as Chief Clerk of the state's Comptroller Office.[25]
Foster Clinton Gilmore
(2nd term)
1908
Francis B. Winthrop1909The Florida State Archives have a photo of the family home[26] as well as a photo of Winthrop, age 3.[27]
Florida State University has a photo of him in what appears to be a military uniform c. 1918[28] as well as some of his business documents in a collection of his family's papers.[29]
His family owned the Barrow Hill Plantation and a house at 610 North Magnolia, which he lived in with his wife for years.
Dexter Marvin Lowry1910–1917

After World War I

ImageMayorYearsNotes
J. R. McDaniel1918
Guyte P. McCord1919–1921played on the 1904 Florida State College football team and scored a touchdown in the state championship game against Stetson
A. P. McCaskill1922–1923
Ben A. Meginniss1924–1925
W. Theo Proctor1926(b.1892, d.1986)
Ben A. Meginniss
(2nd term)
1927
W. Theo Proctor
(2nd term)
1928–1929
G. E. Lewis1930
Frank D. Moor1931
W. L. Marshall1932–1933
John L. Fain1934
Leonard A. Wesson1935
H. J. Yaeger1936[30] (H. Jack Yaeger)
Leonard A. Wesson
(2nd term)
1937
J. R. Jinks1938
Samuel A. Wahnish1939First Jewish mayor
Frank D. Moor
(2nd term)
1940
Charles Saxon Ausley1941
Jack W. Simmons1942
A. R. Richardson1943
Charles Saxon Ausley
(2nd term)
1944
Ralph E. Proctor1945

Post-World War II

ImageMayorYearsNotes
Fred S. Winterle1946He and his son were involved in the oil distribution business.[31]
George I. Martin1947
Fred N. Lowry1948Younger brother of former mayor Dexter Marvin Lowry[32]
Robert C. Parker1949–1950
William H. Cates1951
B. A. Ragsdale1952
William T. Mayo1953
H. C. Summitt1954
J. T. Williams1955–1956Died November 24, 1970[33]
Fred S. Winterle
(2nd term)
1956
John Yaeger Humphress1956–1957
J. W. Cordell1957
Davis H. Atkinson1958
Hugh E. Williams Jr.1959
George Stanton Taff1960
J. W. Cordell
(2nd term)
1961
Davis H. Atkinson1962
Samuel E. Teague Jr.1963
Hugh E. Williams, Jr.
(2nd term)
1964
George Stanton Taff
(2nd term)
1965
William Haywood Cates
(2nd Term)
1966Longest-serving city commissioner in history of Tallahassee.
In 1971, he was defeated by the first African American elected as commissioner, James R. Ford.
His son drowned in a hunting accident.
Was a religion professor at Florida State University and helped found religious organizations in Tallahassee.[34]
John A. Rudd, Sr.1967
Gene Berkowitz1968[35] He also served as a City Commissioner in Tallahassee[36]
His wife was a schoolteacher.[37]
As a commissioner he voted to reopen the city's pools in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King in 1968.[35]
Spurgeon Camp1969
Lee A. Everhart1970founder and president of building company Everhart Construction Company[38]
Gene Berkowitz
(2nd term)
1971
James R. Ford1972First African-American mayor
Joan Heggen1973First female mayor
Russell R. Bevis1974
Earl Yancey1974His wife Lucy was the granddaughter of Florida politician Robert Flournoy Hosford.
Johnny Jones1975
James R. Ford
(2nd term)
1976
Ben W. Thompson1977
Neal D. Sapp1978He was a paratrooper in the U.S. Army and graduated from Florida State University.
He was a software developer and businessman. He died March 26, 2004.
Sheldon E. Hilaman1979Former school principal.[39]
Known as "Shad".
Hillaman Golf Course is named for him.[40]
Richard P. Wilson1980
Hurley W. Rudd1981also served as a city commissioner and multiple terms in the Florida legislature[41]
James R. Ford
(3rd term)
1982
Carol Bellamy1983
Kent Spriggs1984Civil Rights lawyer who also edited a book about Civil Rights leaders in the deep south.
Appeared on C-Span while mayor discussing his duties.[42]
Hurley W. Rudd
(2nd term)
1985
Jack L. McLean Jr.1986Second African-American mayor
Betty Harley1987
Frank Visconti1988
Dorothy Inman-Crews1989First female African-American mayor
Steve Meisberg1990
Debbie Lightsey1991
Bob Hightower[43]1992
Dorothy Inman-Crews
(2nd term)
1993
Penny Herman1994
Scott Maddox1995
Ron Weaver (mayor)19964th African American mayor[44][45]
Scott Maddox
(2nd term)
1997–2003first directly elected mayor[46]
John Marks2003–2014
Andrew Gillum2014–2018Ran for governor in 2018 but lost narrowly to Ron DeSantis[47]
John E. Dailey2018–present

See also

References