List of mayors of Indianapolis

Mayor of the City of Indianapolis
Mayor of the City of Indianapolis
	Seal of the Office of the Mayor of the City of Indianapolis
	Incumbent; Joe Hogsett; since January 1, 2016
Term length	Four years
Inaugural holder	Samuel Henderson
Formation	1847
Salary	$95,317.60 annually
Website	Office of the Mayor

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]

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.	Name	Term start	Term end	Party
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	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	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.	Name	Term start	Term end	Party
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	Stephen Goldsmith (born in 1946; age 78)	January 1, 1992	January 1, 2000	Republican
47	Bart Peterson (born in 1958; age 66)	January 1, 2000	January 1, 2008	Democratic
48	Greg Ballard (born in 1954; age 70)	January 1, 2008	January 1, 2016	Republican
49	Joe Hogsett (born in 1956; age 68)	January 1, 2016	incumbent	Democratic

Notes

^ ^a ^b "Report Builder: Employee Compensation Report". Indiana Gateway for Government Units. State of Indiana. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Unigov Handbook: A Citizen's Guide to Local Government" (PDF). League of Women Voters of Indianapolis. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
^ Price, Nelson (2004). Indianapolis Then & Now. San Diego, California: Thunder Bay Press. p. 38. ISBN 1-59223-208-6.
^ "Partisan vs. Nonpartisan Elections". National League of Cities. Retrieved November 10, 2017.
^ Mack, Justin; Higgins, Will (December 18, 2016). "Former Indianapolis Mayor Bill Hudnut dies at 84". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Resigned.
^ ^a ^b ^c Died in office.
^ Appointed by Council.
^ "IC 36-3-3-2". iga.in.gov. Retrieved November 8, 2017.