List of mayors of Rogersville, Tennessee

The town of Rogersville, Tennessee is governed by a Board of Mayor and Aldermen, authorized under a charter first enacted by the General Assembly of Tennessee in 1836.

North Carolina Charter, 1786–1836

When Rogersville was first founded, it was as the county seat of Hawkins County, and thus it was called simply Hawkins Court House. The North Carolina General Assembly appointed a Board of Commissioners and Trustees to oversee the town. The legislature appointed the first members of the board. Upon the death, resignation, or removal from the county or state, the board would nominate its own successors.[1]

The first members of the board were:[1]

  • Thomas King
  • Thomas Hutchins
  • Joseph McCulloch
  • Thomas Jackson
  • Elijah Chissom

Tennessee incorporation, 1836–present

48 years after the town was chartered by the State of North Carolina, the State of Tennessee reincorporated the town in 1835. Following the incorporation, Rogersville was granted an elected Board of Mayor and Aldermen. From 1835 to 1883, the officers served two-year terms. When the town was reincorporated by the General Assembly in 1883 to add new property to the corporate limits, the term of office was changed to four years.

Today, mayors of Rogersville serve four-year terms and are eligible to re-election without term limits.

Rogersville's current mayor, Jim Sells, has been re-elected every four years since 1977.

List of mayors

Following is a list of the mayors of Rogersville:[1]

Mayor Term
Nicholas Fain 1836–1838
Dicks Alexander 1838–1840
Stockley D. Mitchell 1840–1846
Robert C. Crawford 1846–1850
William White 1852–1854, 1870–1874
Henry G. Wax 1854–1856
James Pace 1856–1860
James K. Neill 1860–1866
Lewis L. Poates, V 1866–1870
Hugh G. Kyle 1874–1876
A.D. Huffmaster 1876–1880
John Hasson 1880–1884
Henry J. Nelson 1884–1890, 1896–1898
Samuel L. Chesnutt 1890–1894, 1898–1902
Charles M. Harris 1902–1904
William Pierce 1904–1906, 1910–1912
S.F. Powel 1906–1908
E.T. Bettis 1908–1909
Rod Armstrong 1909–1910
Gale P. Kyle 1912–1918, 1922–1924
Fred J. Testerman 1918–1922
J.A. Holston 1924–1926
Roy A. Doty 1926–1932
W.B. Hale, Jr. 1932–1934
James S. Lyons 1934–1948
Lon Bible 1948–1952
J.O. Phillips, Jr. 1952–1954
C.C. Johnson 1954–1956, 1958–1960
Judson J. Harmon 1956–1958
William F. Phipps 1960–1966
W. Henry Lyons 1966–1967
Reid Terry 1967–1973
Charles Dennis 1973–1975
Clyde Willis 1975–1977
Jim Sells 1977–present

References
  1. Price, Henry R (2002). Old Rogersville: An Illustrated History of Rogersville, Tennessee. 1. Rogersville: H R Price. p. 149. OCLC 51158046.
  • Grubb, Bill (November 10, 2004). "Sells wins re-election". The Rogersville Review. 120 (42). p. A1.
  • Zachary, Jim (November 12, 2004). "Long-standing mayor continues to hold public's trust". The Rogersville Review. 120 (43). p. A4.
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