Mayors’ Portrait Gallery These portraits are located in the atrium area on Get to Know C E A the 5th floor of the City County Building. Knoxville’s Mayors D F B M This portrait is located in the Mayor’s Office Suite 691 Knoxville’s Mayors Birth of the Knoxville Mayor Use this diagram to aid in locating a specific Mayor’s Throughout its history beginning in 1815, Knoxville The city of Knoxville operated under the portrait. A letter code has been assigned to each listing X Portrait currently has been led by 66 different mayors. Several commission form of government from 1791 to below to help in locating the portrait on these four display walls. not available mayors have served multiple terms - some in 1815. Knoxville commissioners were popularly succession, some not in succession. In one year, elected until adoption of the city’s first charter in 1858, Knoxville had five different mayors! 1815. The charter provided for a board of aldermen elected annually, with the mayor elected 1924-1927 Ben A. Morton (1875-1952) F April 1959 Cas Walker (1903-1998) D Grocery jobber; capitalist; civic leader; born in Blount County Grocery store owner; born in Sevier County; served as Acting Portraits on Display by the board of aldermen from among its members. Mayor April 1959; also served as Mayor in 1946 1928-1929 James A. Fowler (1863-1955) To aid in learning the history of Knoxville and its Today the mayor is chosen in a popular election for D Lawyer; U.S. Assistant Attorney General; born in Knox County May 1959-Nov. 1964 John J. Duncan (1919-1988) mayors, portraits of most of the previous mayors of a four-year term and may not serve more than two F Lawyer; U.S. Representative; born in Scott County; resigned Knoxville have been gathered together for viewing consecutive terms. 1930-1931 James A. Trent (1885-1974) from office Dec. 1, 1964 when elected to Congress F Printing business owner; born in Knox County enjoyment in the atrium on the 5th floor of the City Dec. 1964 Robert L. Crossley (1928-2006) County Building. Not all of the Mayors are repre- Mayor’s Job Duties 1932-1935 John T. O’Connor (1881-1968) F Lawyer - partner in the law firm of Baker, Worthington, F Machinist; business leader; City Welfare Director; born in Crossley, Stansberry & Woolf; born in Cleveland, Ohio; Acting sented in portraiture, but all of them are listed in this The mayor is responsible for the administration of Knoxville Mayor for Dec. 1964 brochure as well as a few facts about each one of all city government programs and services. 1936-1937 James W. Elmore (1876-1938) 1965-1971 Leonard R. Rogers (1912-1996) them. In addition to the 5th floor exhibit, a portrait Administrative oversight, constituent response and F Businessman; born in Knoxville F Executive Director of Tennessee Valley Fair; born in Shelby of the city’s first Mayor Thomas Emmerson is appointments to regulatory boards are some of the County 1938-1939 Walter W. Mynatt (1898-1979) available on display in the Mayor’s Office on the important duties of this office. F Public Service official; born in Knoxville 1972-1975 Kyle C. Testerman (1935- ) 6th floor Suite 691. F Lawyer and businessman; elected member of City Council; born Current Mayor 1940-1941 Fred L. Allen (1866-1957) in Knoxville; also served as Mayor 1984-1987 F Standard Oil businessman; born in Alabama Visit the The current mayor of 1976-1983 Randall Tyree (1940- ) Knoxville is Bill Haslam 1942-1943 Fred R. Stair (1892-1972) F Lawyer; born in Carthage; Mayor during the 1982 World’s Fair Mayors’ Portrait Gallery F Lumber company executive; City School Board member for 12 who was elected in 2003 years; founder of Stair Technical School (now Fulton High F 1984-1987 Kyle C. Testerman (1935- ) and won re-election in School); born in Knoxville Lawyer and businessman; elected member of City Council; born City County Building 2007. Mayor Haslam’s in Knoxville; also served as Mayor 1972-1975 5th Floor Atrium 1944-1945 E.E. Patton (1874-1961) strategic plan for the city is F Educator and legislator; born in Carter County 1988-2003 Victor Ashe (1945- ) 400 Main Street F State Representative 1968-1974; State Senator 1975-1984; Knoxville, Tennessee 37902 aimed at making Knoxville 1946 Cas Walker (1903-1998) Mayor 1988-2003; U.S. Ambassador to Poland 2004-present America’s premier city in F Grocery store owner; born in Sevier County; Recalled Dec. 3, Available online at which to live, work and 1946; also served as Acting Mayor in 1959 2004-Present Bill Haslam (1958- ) www.CityOfKnoxville.org/Mayors X Served as president and director of Pilot Corp.; raise a family. You can MAYOR BILL HASLAM Dec. 1946-1947 Edward L. Chavannes (1907-1990) Born in Knoxville contact him at 865-215- F Lumber business owner; born in Knoxville 2040, Fax at 865-215-2085 or email 1948-1951 James W. Elmore, Jr. (1906-1983) [email protected]. His office is located F Businessman; born in Knoxville; son of Mayor James W. Elmore in Suite 691, City County Building, 400 Main 1952-1955 George R. Dempster (1887-1964) Street, Knoxville, TN 37902 F Industrialist; inventor (Dempster Dumpster); City Manager; Democratic party leader; humanitarian; born in Knoxville Sources: • Mary U. Rothrock (ed.(: The French Broad - Holston Country 1956-Mar. 1959 Jack W. Dance (1897-1959) (Knoxville, TN: East Tennessee Historical Society, 1946). F County official; Republican party leader; born in Knoxville; died • East Tennessee Historical Society, Heart of the Valley: A in office Mar. 12, 1959 History of Knoxville, Tennessee. • City of Knoxville Ordinance CITY OF KNOXVILLE MAYORS 1882 Reuben S. Payne (1844-1896) Numbers in parenthesis are (year of birth - year of death) X Born in Davidson County, TN; enlisted in the 2nd Tennessee Infantry at the beginning of the war and served until its end; became a hat merchant, first in New York City, then Knoxville; 1816-1817 Thomas Emmerson (1773-1837) elected president of the East Tennessee National Bank in 1884 M First mayor of Knoxville; judge, editor; born at Lawrenceville, Brunswick County, VA. 1883-1884 William C. Fulcher (1850-1926) E Building contractor; realtor; born near Abingdon, VA 1818-1821 James Park (1770-1853) X Born in Ireland; came to U.S. in 1796 and Knoxville in 1798; in the 1885-1887 James C. Luttrell, Jr. (1841-1914) Mercantile business; built one of 1st homes (was at one time the E Civil War officer; hardware merchant; born in Knoxville; son of Knoxville Academy of Medicine, Cumberland Ave.) and Andrew Mayor James Churchwell Luttrell Jackson entertained there; also served as Mayor 1824-26 1888-1889 Martin J. Condon (1857- unknown) 1822-1823 William C. Mynatt (1787-1837) E Wholesale grocery businessman; born in Hawkins County X Aid-de-camp to General Cocke, War of 1812; hotel keeper, Mynatt’s Hotel on the site of the present Knox County courthouse; also served 1890-1891 Peter Kern (1835-1907) as Mayor 1827 and 1835-36 E Civil War soldier; businessman (Kern’s Bread); born near Heidelberg, Germany 1824-1826 James Park (1770-1853) X Born in Ireland; came to U.S. in 1796 and Knoxville in 1798; in the 1892-1895 M.E. Thompson (unknown -1906) Mercantile business; built one of 1st homes (was at one time the E Built the Palace Hotel; livery stable owner; realtor Knoxville Academy of Medicine, Cumberland Ave.) and Andrew 1843 Matthew M. Gaines (1807-1893) 1858 James M. White (unknown) X Knoxville merchant; served as alderman in 1840, 1841, 1842; his X City Alderman in 1857; served as mayor from January 9 to April Jackson entertained there; also served as Mayor 1818-21 1896-1897 Samuel G. Heiskell (1858-1923) granddaughter, Mary Gaines, in 1893 laid the first brick in the sand 8, 1858 when he resigned; one of the five mayors in 1858 C Lawyer; historian; State Representative; born in Monroe on Gay Street near Main - she was accorded the honor as the 1827 William C. Mynatt (1787-1837) County; also served as Mayor 1900-01, 1906-07, and 1910-15 X Aid-de-camp to General Cocke, War of 1812; hotel keeper, Mynatt’s granddaughter of oldest living ex-mayor 1858 Charles J. McClung (1826-1908) X Merchant, founding partner of Cowan, McClung & Co.; civic Hotel on the site of the present Knox County courthouse; also served 1898-1899 William Rule (1839-1928) 1844-1845 Samuel Bell (1798-1882) leader; never really served as mayor - according to Board of as Mayor 1822-23 and 1835-36 E 1873 Civil War officer; postmaster; editor of the Knoxville X Silversmith; jeweler; born in Washington County, Pennsylvania; at Alderman minutes for 1858 he was elected by the Board on May Journal and Tribune; born in Knox County; also served as age 14 worked in arms factory making swords for use in War of 1812; 6, but declined the office - A.M. Piper, another alderman, was 1828-1831 Joseph C. Strong (1775-1844) Mayor 1873 X Physician; surgeon; civic leader; born in Bolton, Conn.; was a great made a pair of handsome silver spurs for Gen. Sam Houston who elected mayor May 20 and served the remaining year; one of the wore them at the battle of San Jacinto; also served as Mayor 1940-41 five mayors in 1858 economist; his residence was built by the architect, Thomas Hope 1900-1901 Samuel G. Heiskell (1858-1923) C Lawyer; historian; State Representative; born in Monroe 1846 Joseph L. King (1810-unknown) 1858 A.M.