List of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts
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
[edit]
Mayor of Lowell | |
---|---|
Incumbent since January 2, 2024[1]Daniel Rourke | |
Style | His/Her Honor |
Type | Ceremonial |
Member of | School Committee |
Residence | None official |
Seat | Lowell City Hall |
Appointer | City Council vote |
Term length | Two years |
Constituting instrument | Lowell City Charter |
Precursor | Lowell Board of Selectmen (1826-1836) |
Formation | 1836 |
First holder | Elisha Bartlett |
Salary | $30,000 (2017)[2] |
Website | www |
# | Mayor | Picture | Term | Party | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1st | Elisha Bartlett | ![]() | 1836–1838 | Whig | |
2nd | Luther Lawrence | 1838 – April 17, 1839 | Federalist | ||
A | Elisha Huntington | ![]() | April 1839 – April 1840 | Whig | Became acting mayor after the death of Luther Lawrence in April 1839. |
3rd | Elisha Huntington | ![]() | April 1840 – April 1842 | Whig | |
4th | Nathaniel Wright | April 1842 – April 1844 | Citizens ticket, (1842); Whig (1843) | ||
5th | Elisha Huntington | ![]() | April 1844 – January 1846 | Whig | |
6th | Jefferson Bancroft | ![]() | 1846–1848 | Whig | |
7th | Josiah B. French | 1849–1850 | Coalitionist/Democratic[3] | ||
8th | James H.B. Ayer | ![]() | 1851 | Whig | |
9th | Elisha Huntington | ![]() | January 1852 – January 1853 | Whig | |
10th | Sewall G. Mack | 1853–1854 | Whig | ||
11th | Ambrose Lawrence | ![]() | 1855 | Native American Party | |
12th | Elisha Huntington | ![]() | 1856 | Whig | |
13th | Stephen Mansur | ![]() | 1857 | Republican | |
14th | Elisha Huntington | ![]() | 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[4] | ||
19th | George F. Richardson | ![]() | 1867 – January 4, 1869 | Republican | |
20th | Jonathan P. Folsom | ![]() | January 4, 1869 – 1870 | Republican | |
21st | Edward Fay Sherman | 1871 | Republican | ||
22nd | Josiah G. Peabody | 1872 | Republican | ||
23rd | Francis Jewett | 1873–1875 | Republican[5] | ||
24th | Charles A. Stott | January 1, 1876 – 1877 | Republican | ||
25th | John A. G. Richardson | January 7, 1878 – 1879 | Democratic | ||
26th | Frederic T. Greenhalge | ![]() | 1880 – January 2, 1882 | Republican | |
27th | George Runels | January 2, 1882 | Republican[6] | ||
28th | John J. Donovan | 1883–1884 | Democratic | First Irish-American Mayor of Lowell [7] | |
29th | Edward J. Noyes | 1885 | Republican[8] | ||
30th | James C. Abbott | 1886–1887 | Democratic[9] | ||
31st | Charles Dana Palmer | ![]() | 1888 – January 1891 | Republican[10] | |
32nd | George W. Fifield | ![]() | January 1891 – 1892 | Democratic[11] | |
33rd | John J. Pickman | ![]() | 1893–1894 | Republican | |
34th | William F. Courtney | 1895–1897 | Democratic[12] | ||
35th | Col. James W. Bennett | 1898 | Republican[13] | ||
36th | Jeremiah Crowley | ![]() | 1899–1900 | Democratic | Irish-American |
37th | Charles A. R. Dimon | ![]() | 1901 – May 5, 1902 | Democratic[14] | |
A | William E. Badger | 1902 | Republican | Acting | |
38th | Charles E. Howe | 1903–1904 | Republican | ||
39th | James B. Casey | 1905–1906 | Democratic[15] | 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[16] | Irish-American | |
43rd | James E. O'Donnell | 1912–1913 | Democratic | Irish-American | |
44th | Dennis J. Murphy | 1914–1915 | Democratic[17] | Irish-American | |
45th | James E. O'Donnell | 1916–1917 | Democratic | ||
46th | Perry D. Thompson | ![]() | 1918–1921 | Republican | |
47th | George H. Brown | 1922 | Republican | ||
48th | John J. Donovan | 1923–1926 | Democratic | ||
49th | Thomas J. Corbett | 1927–1928 | Democratic[18] | ||
50th | Thomas H. Braden | 1929–1931 | Republican | ||
52nd | Charles H. Slowey | 1932–1933 | Democratic | ||
53rd | James J. Bruin | 1934–1935 | Democratic | ||
54th | Dewey G. Archambault | 1936–1939 | Republican | First Franco-American Mayor of Lowell[19] | |
55th | George T. Ashe | ![]() | 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[20] | 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[21] | ||
60th | George C. Eliades | 1951–1952 | Democratic | First Greek-American Mayor of Lowell [22] | |
61st | Henry Beaudry | ![]() | 1952–1953 | Republican[23] | |
62nd | John Janas | ![]() | 1954–1955 | Republican[24] | First Polish-American Mayor of Lowell [25] |
63rd | Samuel S. Pollard | 1956–1959 | Democratic[26] | ||
64th | Raymond J. Lord | 1960–1961 | Republican[27] | ||
65th | Joseph M. Downes | 1962–1963 | Democratic[28] | ||
66th | Ellen A. Sampson | ![]() | 1964–1965 | Republican | First Female Mayor of Lowell[29] |
67th | Edward J. Early Jr. | 1966–1967 | Democratic | ||
68th | Robert G. Maguire | 1968–1969 | Democratic | ||
69th | Richard P. Howe | 1970–1971 | Democratic[30] | ||
70th | Ellen A. Sampson | ![]() | 1972–1973 | Republican[31] | |
71st | Armand W. LeMay | 1974–1975 | Democratic[32] | ||
72nd | Leo J. Farley | 1976–1977 | Democratic | ||
73rd | Raymond F. Rourke | ![]() | 1978–1979 | Democratic | |
74th | Robert C. Maguire | 1980–1981 | Democratic[33] | ||
75th | M. Brendan Fleming | ![]() | 1982–1983 | Democratic[34] | |
76th | Brian J. Martin | ![]() | 1984–1985 | Democratic[35] | |
77th | Robert B. Kennedy | ![]() | 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 | ![]() | 1998–2001 | Democratic | |
83rd | Rita Mercier | 2002–2003 | Democratic[36] | ||
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 | ![]() | 2012–2013 | Independent[37] | Inaugurated at age 29, youngest mayor in Lowell history |
89th | Rodney Elliott | ![]() | 2014–2016 | Democratic | |
90th | Edward J. Kennedy | ![]() | 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
[edit]# | 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 | |
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 | |
15th | Bernard F. Lynch | 2006–2014 | 1st Town Manager of Chelmsford (1989–2006)[38] |
A | Michael Geary | 2014 | |
16th | Kevin J. Murphy | 2014–2018 | former State Representative (1997–2014) |
17th | Eileen Donoghue | 2018–2022 | former Mayor (1998–2002) and State Senator (2011–2018) |
A | Michael Geary | 2022 | |
18th | Thomas Golden Jr. | 2022–present | former State Representative (1995–2022) |
References
[edit]- ^ Gilbert, Melanie (January 2, 2024). "Hail to the new Lowell City Council". Lowell Sun. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
- ^ Siefer, Ted (October 12, 2016). "In Lowell, higher salaries for a higher purpose". CommonWealth Magazine. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
- ^ 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, "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, "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
- ^ "Looking good, mayors". Lowell Sun. April 14, 2011. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
- ^ 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) "GOP, Lowell Mayor Spar Over His 'Independent' Warren Endorsement", The Lowell Sun.
- ^ "Former Lowell manager Lynch to lead Winchendon on interim basis". June 3, 2015.