The mayor is the highest elected official in Charleston, South Carolina. Since the city's incorporation in 1783, Charleston's chief executive officer has been elected directly by qualified voters, except for the years 1867–1868, when mayors were appointed by Federal officials. The position was known as intendant until 1836, and has been known as "mayor" since that time.Charleston's Intendants and Mayors . In 2012, the annual mayoral salary was $162,815.90.
Intendants and mayors of Charleston, South Carolina
#MayorPartySworn inLeft officeComments1Richard Hutson178317852Arnoldus Vanderhorst178517863John Faucheraud Grimké178617884Rawlins Lowndes178817895Thomas Jones17891790(2)Arnoldus Vanderhorst179017926John Huger179217947John Bee Holmes179417958John Edwards179517979Henry William de SaussureFederalist17971799Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1791Attorney, indigo planter and slave owner DeSaussure and Ford: A Charleston Law Firm of the 1790s, Sally Hadden, Florida State University10Thomas Roper1799180111John Ward1801180212David Deas1802180313John DraytonDemocratic-Republican1803180414Thomas Winstanley1804180515Charles Cochran1805180616John Dawson Jr.1806180817Benjamin Boyd1808180818William Rouse1808181019Thomas H. McCalla1810181220Thomas Bennett Jr.Democratic-Republican1812181321Thomas Rhett SmithFederalist1813181522Elias Horry1815181723John GeddesDemocratic-Republican18171818Once a Member of the South Carolina State LegislatureGovernor of South Carolina from 1818 to 182024Daniel Stevens18191820(22)Elias Horry1820182125James Hamilton Jr.Democratic-Republican18211822U.S. Representative from 1822 to 1829Governor of South Carolina from 1830 to 1832(23)John GeddesDemocratic-Republican1823182426Samuel PrioleauFederalist 1824182527Joseph JohnsonWhig1825182728John Gadsden18271829Once a Member of the South Carolina State Legislature29Henry L. PinckneyDemocrat (Nullifier)1829183030James R. PringleDemocrat (Unionist)18301831(29)Henry L. PinckneyDemocrat (Nullifier)1831183331Edward W. North1833183632Robert Young HayneDemocrat (Nullifier)18361837U.S. Senator from 1823 to 1832Governor of South Carolina from 1832 to 1834First chief executive officer of Charleston known as Mayor of Charleston(29)Henry L. Pinckney Democrat (Nullifier)1837184033Jacob F. MintzingDemocrat (Unionist)18401842Once a Member of the South Carolina State Legislature34John SchnierleDemocrat184218462nd German-American mayorAttorneyMajor General with the 16th Regiment of South Carolina Militia35Thomas Leger HutchinsonDemocrat18461850(34)John SchnierleDemocrat18501852(35)Thomas Leger HutchinsonDemocrat1852185536William Porcher MilesDemocrat1855185737Charles MacbethDemocrat1857186538Peter Charles GaillardDemocrat18651868Gaillard was a lieutenant colonel in the Confederate Army.He was removed from office by Federal authorities.39William Wallace BurnsMilitary appointment1868186840Milton CogswellMilitary appointment1868186841George Washington ClarkMilitary appointment1868186842Gilbert PillsburyRepublican18681871Pillsbury was Charleston's Reconstruction mayor.He made career with the Freedmen's Bureau.43Johann Andreas WagenerDemocrat18711873German-American and Lutheran mayorWagener had been a Confederate General. He founded St. Matthew's German Evangelical Lutheran Church in 1840 and is buried in its Bethany Cemetery.44George I. CunninghamRepublican1873187745William W. SaleDemocrat1877187946William Ashmead CourtenayDemocrat1879188747George D. BryanDemocrat1887189148John F. FickenDemocrat1891189549James Adger SmythDemocrat1895190350R. Goodwyn RhettDemocrat1903191151John P. GraceDemocrat191119151st Irish-American and Catholic mayorThe John P. Grace Memorial Bridge was named to honor him.52Tristram T. HydeDemocrat19151919(51)John P. GraceDemocrat1919192353Thomas Porcher StoneyDemocrat1923193154Burnet Rhett MaybankDemocrat19311938Governor of South Carolina from 1939 to 1941U.S. Senator from 1941 to 195455Henry Whilden LockwoodDemocrat1938194456E. Edward Wehman Jr.Democrat1944194757William McG. MorrisonDemocrat1947195958J. Palmer Gaillard Jr.Democrat1959197559Arthur B. Schirmer Jr.Democrat1975197560Joseph P. Riley Jr.Democrat19752014Riley was the city's longest serving executive and second Irish Catholic mayor.61John TecklenburgDemocrat2014202362William S. Cogswell Jr.Republican2023Present William was the first Republican mayor of Charleston since 1877.
See also Timeline of Charleston, South Carolina
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