Mayor of Lakeland, Florida

The following is a list of mayors of the city of Lakeland, Florida, United States. The City of Lakeland was incorporated on January 1, 1885. The mayor is one of seven members of the City Commission, acting as the board chair and performing mostly ceremonial and procedural duties beyond the powers of the other six. Prior to 1988, Lakeland's mayor was selected by the City Commission among its members. Mayors can be on the board for up to 12 years in a lifetime, or 16 years in combination with holding a regular commission position. Since 1988 the mayor is elected by the citizens of the city.

Former city hall of Lakeland, built 1913 (photo 2011)

The first female mayor was Lois Q. Searl, who served in 1965. Carrie R. Oldham was the first female African American mayor.

List of Mayors

Image	Mayor	Years	Notes
	John W. Trammell	1885
	John D. Torrence	1885
	Eppes C. Tucker Sr.	1886–1888	3 terms
	Napoleon B. Bowyer	1889–1890	2 terms
	Herbert J. Drane	1888–1892	[1]
	?	–
	J. T. Park	1894
	Clarence A. Boswell	1894–1896
	James P. Thompson	1897
	Samuel L.A. Clonts	1898
	C. M. Marsh	1898
	James P. Thompson	1899
	Park Trammell	1900–1902	[1]
	Samuel L.A. Clonts	1903–1904	[1]
	John F. Cox	1905–1907
	?	1908
	John S. Edwards	1909
	William K. Jackson	1910
	John F. Cox	1911
	Samuel L.A. Clonts	1912
	Oscar M. Eaton	1913–1915
	John F. Cox	1916–1917
	Edwin C. Flanagan	1918–1919
	Frank H. Thompson	1920
	Hubert C. Petteway	1921
	J.T. Hodges	1922–1923	[2]
	Daniel C. Boswell	1924
	John W. Buchanan Jr.	1925
	J. Bunyan Smith	1926
	William S. Rodgers	1927
	Jesse F. Council	1927–1928
	William S. Rodgers	1927
	William F. Reid	1928
	Charles I. Dwiggins	1929
	H. Dean Grady	1930–1931
	William F. Reid	1931
	H. Dean Grady	1930–1931
	Benjamin M. Pulliam	1932
	Elijah A. Godwin	1933
	Edward L. Mack	1934
	Elijah A. Godwin	1935
	George W. Mershon	1936
	H. Clay Haynes	1937	[1]
	Lutie M. Koons	1938
	Thomas D. Conter	1939
	Ira C. Hopper	1940
	George J. Tolson	1941
	Elmer E. Kelly Jr.	1942
	Horace W. Gibson	1943
	George J. Tolson	1944
	William Cade	1945
	Edwin C. Flanagan Jr.	1946
	George J. Tolson	1947
	William Cade	1948
	Clinton V. McClurg	1948
	Ernest B. Sutton	1949
	Guerry L. Dobbins	1950
	Clayton Logan	1951	[1]
	James J. Musso	1952	[1]
	Norman T. Kent	1953	[1]
	Wilbur Y. Wooten	1954	[1]
	S. Scott Kelly	1955	[1]
	Mac H. Cunningham	1956
	Earl W. Bowen	1957
	James J. Musso	1958
	William M. Hollis	1958
	R. Tom Joyner Jr.	1959	[1]
	William G. Cooper Jr.	1960
	Reuben H. Gibson	1961
	Morris J. Pritchard	1962
	William H. Lofton	1963
	R. Harold Grizzard	1964
	James R. West	1965
	Lois Q. Searl	1965
	John H. Woodall Jr.	1966
	W. Jack Day	1967
	George W. Trask	1968–1969
	Marvin H. Henderson Jr.	1970
	Joe P. Ruthven	1971
	Charles E. Whitten	1972
	John S. Jackson	1972–1974	a surgeon and city commissioner, he was the city's first African American mayor
	W. Carl Dicks	1975
	Peggy C. Brown	1976
	Charles A. Coleman	1977	Second African American mayor, a community center is named for him[3]
	John Tolson	1977
	Curtis I. Walker	1978
	George R. Burt	1979
	Carrie R. Oldham	1980	First African America female mayor 3rd African American mayor
	R. Larry Turnipseed	1981	[4]
	J. Larry Durrence	1982
	Frank J. O'Reilly	1983
	Peggy C. Brown	1984
	Thomas R. Shaw	1985	Former owner of owned Shaw House Bed & Breakfast[3]
	J. Larry Durrence	1986
	Frank J. O'Reilly	1987
	Willie J. Williams	1988	Pastor[3] Elected at age 32[5]
	Frank J. O'Reilly	1989–1993	Accountant and City Commissioner
	Ralph "Buddy" Fletcher	1993–2009
	Gow Fields	2009–2013	First African American elected mayor[3][6]
	R. Howard Wiggs	2014–2018	[7][8]
	Bill Mutz	2018–present	[9][3]

See also

• Timeline of Lakeland, Florida