List of mayors of Charleston, South Carolina


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. In 2012, the annual mayoral salary was $162,815.90.

Intendants and Mayors of Charleston, South Carolina

#MayorPartySworn inLeft officeComments
1Richard Hutson17831785
2Arnoldus Vanderhorst17851786
3John Faucheraud Grimké17861788
4Rawlins Lowndes17881789
5Thomas Jones17891790
Arnoldus Vanderhorst17901792
6John Huger17921794
7John Bee Holmes17941795
8John Edwards17951797
9Henry William de SaussureFederalist17971799Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1791
Attorney, indigo planter and slave owner
10Thomas Roper17991801
11John Ward18011802
12David Deas18021803
13John Drayton18031804
14Thomas Winstanley18041805
15Charles Cochran18051806
16John Dawson Jr.18061808
17Benjamin Boyd18081808
18William Rouse18081810
19Thomas H. McCalla18101812
20Thomas Bennett Jr.18121813
21Thomas Rhett SmithFederalist18131815
22Elias Horry18151817
23John GeddesDemocratic-Republican18171818Once a Member of the South Carolina State Legislature
Governor of South Carolina from 1818 to 1820
24Daniel Stevens18191820
Elias Horry18201821
25James Hamilton Jr.Democratic-Republican18211822U.S. Representative from 1822 to 1829
Governor of South Carolina from 1830 to 1832
John GeddesDemocratic-Republican18231824
26Samuel Prioleau18241825Huguenot
27Joseph Johnson18251827
28John Gadsden18271829Once a Member of the South Carolina State Legislature
29Henry L. PinckneyDemocrat 18291830
30James R. PringleDemocrat 18301831
Henry L. PinckneyDemocrat 18311833
31Edward W. North18331836
32Robert Young HayneDemocrat 18361837U.S. Senator from 1823 to 1832
Governor of South Carolina from 1832 to 1834
First chief executive officer of Charleston known as Mayor of Charleston
Henry L. PinckneyDemocrat 18371840
33Jacob F. MintzingDemocrat 18401842Once a Member of the South Carolina State Legislature
34John SchnierleDemocrat184218462nd German-American mayor
Attorney
Major General with the 16th Regiment of South Carolina Militia
35Thomas Leger HutchinsonDemocrat18461850
John SchnierleDemocrat18501852
Thomas Leger HutchinsonDemocrat18521855
36William Porcher MilesDemocrat18551857
37Charles MacbethDemocrat18571865
38Peter Charles GaillardDemocrat18651868Huguenot
Gaillard was a Lieutenant Colonel in the Confederate Army.
He was removed from office by Federal authorities.
39William Wallace BurnsMilitary appointment18681868
40Milton CogswellMilitary appointment18681868
41George Washington ClarkMilitary appointment18681868
42Gilbert PillsburyRepublican18681871Pillsbury was Charleston's Reconstruction mayor.
He made career with the Freedmen's Bureau.
43Johann Andreas WagenerDemocrat18711873German-American and Lutheran mayor
Wagener 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. CunninghamRepublican18731877
45William W. SaleDemocrat18771879
46William Ashmead CourtenayDemocrat18791887
47George D. BryanDemocrat18871891
48John F. FickenDemocrat18911895
49James Adger SmythDemocrat18951903
50R. Goodwyn RhettDemocrat19031911
51John P. GraceDemocrat191119151st Irish-American and Catholic mayor
The John P. Grace Memorial Bridge was named to honor him.
52Tristram T. HydeDemocrat19151919
John P. GraceDemocrat19191923
53Thomas Porcher StoneyDemocrat19231931
54Burnett Rhett MaybankDemocrat19311938Governor of South Carolina from 1939 to 1941
U.S. Senator from 1941 to 1954
55Henry Whilden LockwoodDemocrat19381944
56E. Edward Wehman Jr.Democrat19441947
57William McG. MorrisonDemocrat19471959
58J. Palmer Gaillard Jr.Democrat19591975
59Arthur B. Schirmer Jr.Democrat19751975
60Joseph P. Riley Jr.Democrat19752016Riley was the city's longest serving executive and second Irish Catholic mayor.
61John TecklenburgDemocrat2016present

Footnotes