Mayors of Indianapolis

The following is a list of 48 mayors of Indianapolis, Indiana. The mayor is the chief executive in the Government of Indianapolis, and is elected to a four-year term beginning January 1 following the general election. Six mayors have had non-consecutive terms. There are no term limits for mayor; the longest-serving mayor was William H. Hudnut III, who served four terms. The office of the mayor is on the top floor of the Indianapolis City-County Building.

Mayor Term Began Term Ended Political Party
Samuel Henderson 1847 1849 Whig
Horatio C. Newcomb 1849 1851 Whig
Caleb Scudder 1851 1854 Whig
James McCready 1854 1856 Democratic
Henry F. West 1856 1856 Democratic
Charles G. Coulon 1856 1856 Democratic
William J. Wallace 1856 1858 Republican
Samuel D. Maxwell 1858 1863 Republican
John Caven (first term) 1863 1867 Republican
Daniel McCauley 1867 1873 Republican
James L. Mitchell 1873 1875 Democratic
John Caven (second term) 1875 1881 Republican
Daniel W. Grubbs 1881 1884 Republican
John L. McMaster 1884 1886 Republican
Caleb S. Denny (first term) 1886 1890 Republican
Thomas L. Sullivan 1890 1893 Democratic
Caleb S. Denny (second term) 1893 1895 Republican
Thomas Taggart 1895 1901 Democratic
Charles A. Bookwalter (first term) 1901 1903 Republican
John W. Holtzman 1903 1906 Democratic
Charles A. Bookwalter (second term) 1906 1910 Republican
Samuel L. Shank (first term) 1910 1913 Republican
Henry R. Wallace 1913 1914 Republican
Joseph E. Bell 1914 1918 Democratic
Charles W. Jewett 1918 1922 Republican
Samuel L. Shank (second term) 1922 1926 Republican
John L. Duvall 1926 1927 Republican
Claude E. Negley 1927 1927 Republican
Ert Slack 1927 1930 Democratic
Reginald H. Sullivan (first term) 1930 1935 Democratic
John W. Kern, Jr. 1935 1937 Democratic
Walter C. Boetcher 1937 1939 Democratic
Reginald H. Sullivan (second term) 1939 1943 Democratic
Robert Tyndall 1943 July 9, 1947 Republican
George L. Denny July 9, 1947 January 1, 1948 Republican
Albert G. Feeney January 1, 1948 November 12, 1950 Democratic
Philip L. Bayt, Jr. (first term) November 12, 1950 November 24, 1951 Democratic
Christian J. Emhardt November 24, 1951 January 1, 1952 Democratic
Alex M. Clark January 1, 1952 January 1, 1956 Republican
Philip L. Bayt, Jr. (second term) January 1, 1956 January 1, 1959 Democratic
Charles H. Boswell January 1, 1959 August 6, 1962 Democratic
Albert H. Losche August 6, 1962 January 1, 1964 Democratic
John J. Barton January 1, 1964 January 1, 1968 Democratic
Richard G. Lugar January 1, 1968 January 1, 1976 Republican
William H. Hudnut III January 1, 1976 January 1, 1992 Republican
Stephen Goldsmith January 1, 1992 January 1, 2000 Republican
Bart Peterson January 1, 2000 January 1, 2008 Democratic
Greg Ballard January 1, 2008 Present Republican