The following is a list of mayors of San Antonio, Texas.
San Antonio operates under a council–manager form of government.Kriston Capps, Why Julián Castro's Record as Mayor of San Antonio Doesn't Necessarily Tell Us Much About His Future at HUD, CityLab (May 19, 2014).Sharon Navarro, The Latino Mayors: San Antonio Politics and Policies, Research Report No. 52, April 2015, Julian Samora Research Institute, Michigan State University, p. 2. While the mayor presides over meetings of the City Council and is paid $3,000 more than other members of the council, the mayor does not wield executive authority or veto power. Rather, the mayor has one vote (of 11) on the city council, and the city manager, appointed by the City Council, has executive power (the city charter gives the manager the responsibility to "execute the laws and administer the government of the city"). However, the mayor does have additional ceremonial responsibilities, such as issuing proclamations. Additionally, the mayor is the only city-wide elected official, and "a high-profile mayor can wield considerable political influence" in the city. For example, the San Antonio Express-News editorial board wrote that Mayor Julian Castro has "a mastery of political skill that made him a strong force in a weak mayor structure" during his term (2009–14).Castro served our city well as mayor, San-Antonio Express-News (July 9, 2014).
Under Texas law, the mayor, like the city council, is selected in a non-partisan election. When a vacancy occurs, the city council appoints an interim mayor.Van Darden, Mayor Ivy Taylor announces she will run for mayor: Taylor appointed mayor by City Council in July, KSAT (February 16, 2015). The mayor, like the other members of the city council, served a two-year term, with a four-term limit. However, due to the passage of Proposition F in 2024, the winner will receive a four-year term, as term limits were changed from four two-year terms to two four-year terms. From 1975 to 2025, every mayor of San Antonio had previously served on the city council.
Colonial (1731–1821) and Mexican (1821–1836) San Antonio The mayors of colonial San Antonio served one-year terms, although there were exceptions: some mayors, such as José Curbelo, Ignacio Lopez de Armas and Jose Felix Menchaca, held office several times. Juan Leal Goraz became the first mayor of La Villa de San Fernando, the settlement which would later become known as the city of San Antonio, after its founding on March 9, 1731. + Mayors of San Antonio, Texas Years of service Mayor 1731–32 (civil founding of San Antonio) Juan Leal Goraz 1733 Antonio de los Santos 1734 Manuel de Niz 1735 Juan Leal Goraz (2nd term) 1736 Antonio de los Santos (2nd term) 1737 Juan Curbelo 1738 Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas 1739 Juan Curbelo (2nd term) 1740 Juan Delgado 1741 Antonio Rodríguez Medero 1742 Patricio Rodríguez 1743 Antonio Sosa 1744 Antonio López Aguado y Villafuente 1745 Juan José Montes de Oca 1746 José Curbelo 1747 Mateo Pérez 1748 Juan José Padrón 1748 José Leal 1750 Juan José Padrón (2nd term) 1751 José Curbelo (2nd term) 1752–53 Luis Antonio Menchaca 1755 Manuel Delgado 1756 Antonio López Aguado y Villafuente (2nd term) 1757 José Curbelo (3rd term) 1758 Juan José Flores 1759–1760 Martín Lorenzo de Armas 1761 Antonio López Aguado y Villafuente (3rd term) 1762 Juan José Flores (2nd term) 1763 Luis Antonio Menchada (2nd term) 1764 Ignacio Lorenzo de Armas (2nd term) April 1764 – ? Francisco Delgado 1765 Bernabé de Carbajal 1766 Domingo Delgado 1767 Miguel Gortari 1768Jacinto Delgado 1769Francisco Flores de Abrego 1770 Simón de Arocha 1771 José Félix Menchaca 1772–73 Domingo Delgado (2nd term) 1774 Joaquín Menchaca 1775 Amador Delgado 1776Vicente Álvarez Travieso 1777 Manuel Delgado (2nd term) 1778 José Félix Menchaca (2nd term) 1779 Francisco Flores de Abrego (2nd term) 1780 Toribio de la Fuente Fernández 1781 Francisco Flores de Abrego (3rd term) 1782 Juan José de la Santa 1783 Manuel Delgado (3rd term) 1784 Francisco Javier Rodríguez 1785 Salvador Rodríguez 1786 Juan José de la Santa (2nd term) 1787 Simón de Arocha (2nd term) 1788 José Félix Menchaca (3rd term) 1789–90 Ignacio Calvillo 1791 Francisco de Arocha 1792 Vicente Ferrer Enriquez de Amador 1793 Manuel de Arocha 1794 Ramón de las Fuentes 1795 José Félix Menchaca (4th term) 1796 Salvador Rodríguez (2nd term) 1797 José Roberto Núñez 1798 Manuel de Arocha (2nd term) 1799 Juan José de la Garza 1800 Manuel Delgado (4th term) 1801 Manuel María Barrera 1802 José Antonio Saucedo 1803 José Félix Menchaca (5th term) 1804 Tomás de Arocha 1805 Ignacio Pérez 1806–07 José Antonio Saucedo (2nd term) 1807 Ángel Navarro 1808 Ignacio Pérez 1809 Manuel María Barrera (2nd term) 1810 Manuel Delgado (5th term) January–February 1811 Gaspar Flores de Abrego March 1811 – ? Francisco Travieso 1812 Clemente Delgado 1813 (until October) José Antonio de la Garza 1813–14 José Antonio Saucedo (3rd term) 1815 José María Zambrano 1816 Domingo Bustillos 1817 Francisco Flores 1818 Juan María Zambrano (2nd term) 1819 Francisco Montes de Oca 1820 Francisco Flores (2nd term) 1820 Erasmo Seguín (from July 25)City of San Antonio Alcaldes 1821 José Ángel Navarro 1822 José María Salinas 1823 Manuel Yturri Castillo 1824 Gaspar Flores de Abrego (2nd term) 1825 Juan Martín de Veramendi 1826 Juan José Zambrano 1827 José María Salinas (2nd term) 1828 Juan Martín de Veramendi (2nd term) 1829 Gaspar Flores de Abrego (3rd term) 1830 Jose Miguel de Arciniega 1831 José María Salinas (3rd term) 1832 José Antonio de la Garza (2nd term) 1833 Jose Miguel de Arciniega (2nd term) 1834 Juan Seguín 1835 José Ángel Navarro (2nd term) January–February 1836 Francisco Antonio Ruíz April 1836 – 1837 José María Salinas (4th term)
San Antonio in the Republic of Texas (1836–1844) and U.S. State of Texas (1844–present)
+ Mayors of San Antonio, Texas Years of service Image Mayor 1837–38 John W. Smith 1838 William H. Daingerfield 1838–39 Antonio Menchaca (Pro Tem) 1839–40 Samuel Maverick 1840–41 John W. Smith (2nd) 1841–42 Juan Seguín (2nd) 1841 Francis Guilbeau (Pro Tem) 1842–44 John W. Smith (3rd) 1844–46 Edward Dwyer 1846–47 Bryan Callaghan, Sr. 1847 Charles F. King 1847–48 S. S. Smith 1848 Charles F. King (2nd) 1848–49 S. S. Smith (2nd) 1849–51 J. M. Devine 1849–51 J. S. McDonald 1852–53 Charles F. King (3rd) 1853–54 J. M. Devine (2nd) 1854–55 John M. Carolan 1855–56 James R. Sweet 1856–57 J. M. Devine (3rd) 1857 J. H. Beck (Pro Tem) 1857–59 A. A. Lockwood 1859–62 James R. Sweet (2nd) 1862–63 Samuel Maverick (2nd) 1863–65 P.L. Buquor 1865 J. H. Lyons 1865–66 Daniel Cleveland 1866–67 J. H. Lyons (2nd) 1867–72 Wilhelm Carl August Thielepape 1872 S. G. Newton 1872–75 Francois P. Giraud 1875–85 James H. French 1885–92 Bryan Callaghan, Jr. 1892–93 A. I. Lockwood (Pro Tem) 1893–94 George Paschal 1894 Henry Elmendorf (Pro Tem) 1894–97 Henry Elmendorf 1897–99 Bryan Callaghan, Jr. (2nd) 1899–03 Marshall Hicks 1903 Frederick Terrell (Pro Tem) 1903–05 John P. Campbell 1905–12 Bryan Callaghan, Jr. (3rd) 1912 William L. Richter (Pro Tem) 1912–1913 A. H. Jones 1913 Albert Steves (Pro Tem) 1913–1917 Clinton G. Brown 1917–21 Sam C. Bell 1921–23 O. B. Black (Orlando Bacon Black) 1923–27 John W. Tobin 1927 Phil Wright (Pro Tem) 1927–33 C. M. Chambers 1933 C. K. Quin (Pro Tem) 1933–39 C. K. Quin 1939–41 Maury Maverick 1941–43 C. K. Quin (2nd) 1943–47 Gus B. Mauerman 1947–49 Alfred Callaghan 1949–52 A. C. (Jack) White 1952–53 Sam Bell Steves 1953–54 A. C. (Jack) White (2nd) 1954 R. L. Lester 1954–55 R. N. White, Sr. May 1, 1955 – May 1, 1961 J. Edwin Kuykendall May 1, 1961 – May 1, 1971 Walter W. McAllister May 1, 1971 – May 1, 1973 John Gatti May 1, 1973 – May 1, 1975 Charles L. Becker May 1, 1975 – May 1, 1981 Lila Cockrell May 1, 1981 – June 1, 1989 Henry G. Cisneros June 1, 1989 – June 1, 1991 Lila Cockrell (2nd) June 1, 1991 – June 1, 1995 Nelson Wolff June 1, 1995 – June 1, 1997 William E. "Bill" Thornton June 1, 1997 – June 1, 2001 Howard W. Peak June 1, 2001 – June 7, 2005 Edward D. Garza June 7, 2005 – June 1, 2009 Phil Hardberger June 1, 2009 – July 22, 2014 Julian Castro July 22, 2014 – June 21, 2017 Ivy Taylor June 21, 2017 – June 18, 2025 Ron Nirenberg June 18, 2025 – present Gina Ortiz Jones
See also Timeline of San Antonio
References
External links List of Mayors and Alcaldes of San Antonio, 1836–present, from the City of San Antonio Municipal Archives