List of mayors of Trenton, New Jersey

Background

In 1837, following the absorption of Trenton Township, the population of Trenton was too large for government by city council. A new mayoral government was adopted, with by-laws that remain in operation to this day.^[1]

Today, Trenton is governed under the Faulkner Act of 1950 within the mayor-council system of municipal government.^[2] The governing body is comprised of a mayor and a seven-member city council. Three city council members are elected at-large, and four come from each of four wards. The mayor and council members are elected concurrently on a non-partisan basis to four-year terms of office as part of the November general election.^[3][4][5]

List of mayors

#	Image	Mayor	Term in office	Length of service	Party affiliation		Previous office
1		Moore Furman[6] (1728–1808)	1792 – 1794	2 years		[data missing]	Deputy Quartermaster-General and Forage Master of New Jersey
2		Aaron Woodruff[6] (1762–1817; aged 54)	1794 – 1797	3 years		Federalist	Member of the General Assembly
3		James Ewing[6] (1744–1823)	1797 – 1803	6 years		[data missing]	New Jersey Assemblyman
4		Joshua Wright[6]	1803 – 1806	3 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
5		Stacy Potts[6]	1806 – 1814	8 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
6		Robert McNealy[6]	1814 – 1832	18 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
7		Charles Burroughs[6]	1832 – 1847	15 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
8		Samuel R. Hamilton[6]	1847 – 1849	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
9		William C. Howell[6]	1849 – 1850	1 year		[data missing]	[data missing]
10		William Napton[6]	1850 – 1852	2 years		[data missing]	New Jersey Assemblyman
11		John R. Tucker[6]	1852 – 1854	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
(10)		William Napton[6]	1854 – 1855	1 year		[data missing]	Former Mayor of Trenton
12		William P. Sherman[6]	1855 – 1855	under 1 year		[data missing]	[data missing]
(11)		John R. Tucker[6]	1855 – 1856	1 year		[data missing]	Former Mayor of Trenton
13		Joseph Wood[6]	1856 – 1859	3 years		Democratic	[data missing]
14		Franklin S. Mills[6]	1859 – 1861	2 years		[data missing]	New Jersey Assemblyman
15		William R. McKean[6]	1861 – 1863	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
(14)		Franklin S. Mills[6]	1863 – 1867	4 years		[data missing]	Former Mayor of Trenton
16		Alfred Reed[6] (1839–1918)	1867 – 1868	1 year		[data missing]	[data missing]
(10)		William Napton[6]	1868 – 1871	3 years		Republican	Former Mayor of Trenton
17		John Briest[6]	1871 – 1875	4 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
18		Wesley Creveling[6]	1875 – 1877	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
19		Daniel R. Bodine[6]	1877 – 1879	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
20		William Rice[6]	1879 – 1881	2 years			[data missing]
21		Garrett D. W. Vroom[6] (b. 1843)	1881 – 1884	3 years		Democratic	[data missing]
22		Richard Grant Augustus Donnelly[7] (1841–1905; aged 63)	1884 – 1886	2 years		Democratic	New Jersey Assemblyman
23		John Woolverton[6][8]	1886 – 1887	1 year		Democratic	Former New Jersey Senator
24		Frank A. Magowan[9][10][11]	April 17, 1887 – 1889	2 years		Republican	Rubber manufacturer
25		Anthony A. Skirm[6]	1889 – 1891	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
26		Daniel J. Bechtel[6]	1891 – 1893	2 years		Democratic	[data missing]
27		Joseph B. Shaw[12] (1857/58–1936; aged 61)	1893 – 1895	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
28		Emory Neal Yard[6]	1895 – 1897	2 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
29		Welling G. Sickel[13][14] (1858–1911; aged 52)	1897 – 1899	2 years		Republican	Vice President of United Globe Rubber Co.
30		Frank O. Briggs[15][16] (1851–1913; aged 61)	1899 – 1902(lost re-election)	3 years		Republican	Member of the Trenton School Board
31		Frank S. Katzenbach[16][17] (1868–1929; aged 60)	1902 – 1906	4 years		Democratic	Alderman At-large
32		Frederick W. Gnichtel[6] (b. 1860)	1906 – 1908	2 years		Republican	City Councilman[18]
33		Walter Madden[6] (b. 1873)	1908 – 1911	3 years		Democratic	[data missing]
In 1911, Trenton adopted the commission form of government.[19] The mayor was elected by the commissioners and typically the most popular member at the previous election.[19][20]
34		Frederick W. Donnelly[7][21][22] (1866–1935; aged 68)	1911 – November 1, 1932(resigned)	21 years		Democratic	Businessman, president of the Trenton Harbor Board, and son of former mayor R.G.A. Donnelly
35		Edward W. Lee[23] (1876/77–1942; aged 65)	November 1, 1932 – November 18, 1932	18 days		[data missing]	Member of the Trenton City Commission[20]
36		George B. LaBarre[24]	November 18, 1932 – 1934	2 years		[data missing]	Member of the Trenton City Commission[20]
In 1935, Trenton adopted the council-manager form of government.[19]
37		William J. Connor[25]	May 14, 1935 – 1939	4 years		[data missing]	[data missing]
In 1939, Trenton reverted to the commission form of government.[19][23]
38		Leo Rogers[19][26] (1896/97–1941; aged 44)	May 23, 1939 – March 7, 1941(died in office)	2 years		Democratic	Assistant Mercer County Prosecutor and candidate for New Jersey Senate (1937)
39		Ward Lee	1941 – 1941	under 1 year		[data missing]	[data missing]
40		John Anthony Hartmann I	1941 – 1943	2 years		[data missing]	Member of the Trenton City Commission[19]
41		Andrew Duch	May 1943 – May 19, 1947	4 years		[data missing]	Mercer County Prosecutor, Director of Public Safety
42		Donal J. Connolly[27] (1909–1995; aged 86)	May 20, 1947 – 1959	12 years		Democratic	State Assemblyman
43		Arthur J. Holland (1918–1989; aged 71)	1959 – 1966	6 years		Democratic	City Councilman
44		Carmen J. Armenti (1929–2001; aged 72)	1966 – 1970	4 years		Democratic	City Councilman, North Ward
(43)		Arthur J. Holland (1918–1989; aged 71)	1970 – November 9, 1989	19 years		Democratic	Former Mayor of Trenton
(44)		Carmen J. Armenti (1929–2001; aged 72)	November 9, 1989 – July 1, 1990	234 days		Republican	City Council President
45		Douglas Palmer[28][29][a] (born in 1951; aged 73)	July 1, 1990 – July 1, 2010	20 years		Democratic	Mercer County Freeholder
46		Tony F. Mack[28] (born in 1966; aged 59)	July 1, 2010 – February 26, 2014(removed from office)	3 years, 67 days		Democratic	Mercer County Freeholder
47		George Muschal[30]	February 26, 2014 – July 1, 2014	125 days		Unaffiliated	City Councilman, South Ward
48		Eric Jackson (born in 1959; aged 65–66)	July 1, 2014 – July 1, 2018	4 years		Democratic	Trenton Director of Public Works
49		W. Reed Gusciora (born in 1960; aged 65)	July 1, 2018 (incumbent)	7 years		Democratic	New Jersey Assemblyman

Notes

1. Palmer was the first African-American mayor in the city's history.