List of the youngest mayors in the United States

This is a list of the youngest mayors in the United States. This list is inclusive of individuals nearest to the age of majority at the time of their election; usually under the age of 30.

Youngest mayors

Listed in alphabetical order by last name.

Name	Locale	State	Birth date	Age at appointment	Population (2010 Census)	Term	Notes
Kalvin Vacho	Ladysmith	WI	1997	23	3,414	2020- present	Elected in special election. Won by 27 votes against a long time running opponent.[1]
Quinton Babcock[2]	Oak Harbor	OH		22	2,722	2018–present
William (The Czar) Barlow Jr.	Oswego	NY	1989	26	18,141	2016–present	Elected as a Republican mayor of the City of Oswego, served previously as a city councilor.[3]
Matthew Bogusz	Des Plaines	IL	1986	26	58,364	2013–present	Elected as an alderman at age 22 and mayor at age 26 [4]
Stephen C. Brinlee	Wilburton	OK	1985	22	2,843	2007–present
Aja Brown	Compton	CA	1982	31	96,455	2013–present
Chris Clark	Mountain View	CA	1983	30	74,066	2014–present	Took office on January 7, 2014, as the youngest mayor in Mountain View history.[5][6]
Daniel Corona	West Wendover	NV	1991	25	4,305	2016–Present	Mayor Corona is the youngest mayor ever elected in Nevada. He is also the first openly gay mayor in Nevada's history.
Jasiel Correia	Fall River	MA	1991	23	87,103	2016–2020	Youngest mayor of Fall River. Correia was arrested and charged with wire fraud amounting to $231,000, and filling false tax returns.[7] He has denied the charges and refused to resign.[8]
C. Scott Davis	Colonial Heights	VA	1988	29	17,890	2009–2015
Douglas DeGood	Toledo	OH	1947	30	286,994	1977-1983	Youngest mayor in Toledo's history, and at the time, the youngest mayor of a large city in the United States.[9]
Matt Delligatti	Fairmont	WV	1986	22	18,704	2009–2010	On January 13, 2009, Delligatti became the youngest ever mayor of Fairmont by a five to three vote among council members. Fairmont is West Virginia's seventh largest city.[10]
William A. Egan	Valdez	AK	1914	32	3,977	1946
Enrique A. Fernandez	Woodland	CA	1989	28	55,468	2017–2018	On December 5, 2017, Fernandez became the youngest mayor in Woodland's history by a 4-0-1 vote among the city council members. Fernandez abstained from the vote.[11]
John Tyler Hammons	Muskogee	OK	September 4, 1988	19	39,223	2008–2012	Hammons won 70 percent of the vote over the three-term former mayor, and was a freshman at the University of Oklahoma when elected.[12][13]
Scott Faughn	Poplar Bluff	MO	1980	22	17,023	2002–2004	In 2005, Faughn was found guilty of forgery charges related to a highway project he promoted as mayor.[14]
Kelvin Green	Archer City	TX	1995	18	1,834	2014–present	Green ran unopposed at the age of 18 while in high school. He was re-elected in 2017.[15]
Alexis Hermosillo	El Mirage	AZ	1990	28	31,797	2018–present	Lana Mook, the incumbent opponent during the 2018 election, is 43 years older.[16]
James R. Kern III	Pohatcong	NJ	1988	22	3,339	2011–2018	22 years old when he was inaugurated on July 1, 2011, youngest municipal executive in New Jersey.[17][18]
Arnold R Koehler	Ashland	WI	1947	27	8,216	1974-1976	Youngest Mayor of Ashland WI
Dennis Kucinich	Cleveland	OH	1946	31	396,815 (2010 Census) 750,903 (1970 Census)	1977–1979	"The boy mayor of Cleveland" [19]
Thomas Ashby Laine	Alviso	CA	1937	24	2,128	1961–1964	The youngest mayor ever in Alivso and the youngest mayor of an incorporated city in California.
Katelyn Listek	Yacolt	WA	1987	32	1,556	2019–Present	Town Council member 2016-2017, Mayor Pro-Tempore 2017, Elected in November 2019[20] to serve as Mayor of Yacolt through 2023.
Willie Logan	Opa-locka	FL	1957	23	15,219	1980–1982
Marco A. López Jr.	Nogales	AZ	1978	22	20,837	2000–2003	Immigrated to the United States in 1994.[21]
Seth Low	Brooklyn	NY	1850	31	2,504,700 (2010 Census) 599,495 (1880 Census)	1881–1885	After he was mayor of Brooklyn, Low became the only person to be president of Columbia University and Mayor of New York City.[22]
Byron Mallott	Yakutat	AK	1943	22	662	1965–1966	Elected Lieutenant Governor of Alaska in 2014 at age 71 making him the oldest person elected to that office.
Andy Manar	Bunker Hill	IL	November 15, 1975	25	1,801	2001–2003	Manar was first elected to the Bunker Hill City Council at age 21.[23]
Chris Martin	Logansport	IN	1991	28	18,396	2019–present	Youngest Mayor in the History of Logansport, winning by 51.4%[24] On Record, he is the Youngest mayor elected in Indiana History.
Art Martinez de Vara	Von Ormy	TX	April 29, 1975	32	1,085	2008–2015	While a volunteer fire fighter and law student at St. Mary's University School of Law Art Martinez de Vara led the effort to incorporate his community when he was 28 years old. He was subsequently elected the town's first mayor.[25]
Steve McAlpine	Valdez	AK	1949	31	3,977	1980–1982
Andrew J. Meredith	Galt	CA	-	27	23,647	2007-2008	Meredith was elected by a margin of just 27 votes in 2006, upsetting two sitting Council-members for the third and final seat on the Galt City Council. Served from 2006-2010.
Marcus Molinaro	Tivoli	NY	1975	19	1,118	1995–2007	[26][27]
Alex B. Morse	Holyoke	MA	1989	22	39,880	2012–present	The youngest mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts.[28] Youngest openly gay mayor to elected.[29]
Svante Myrick	Ithaca	NY	1987	24	30,014	2012–present	The youngest mayor of Ithaca, New York.[30] The first mayor of African-American heritage for the city.[31][32] Popularly elected in citywide general election, defeating three other candidates, winning 18 of 18 voting districts, and earning 54.9% of the total vote.[33]
Victoria Napolitano	Moorestown	NJ	August 16, 1988	26	20,726	2015–2016	First won election to Moorestown Town Council in 2012 at the age of 24. The youngest mayor of Moorestown, New Jersey, and presumed to be the youngest woman to ever take the oath of office as mayor in New Jersey history.[34][35]
Justin Nickels	Manitowoc	WI	1987	22	33,736	2009–present	Elected mayor of Manitowoc on April 7, 2009. Took office April 21, 2009.[36]
Freddie Odom	Bluffton	GA	1982	30	103	2012–present	First autistic mayor in the United States.
Guy Padgett	Casper	WY	1977	27	55,316	2005–2006
Samantha Paradis	Belfast	ME	1990	26	6,647	2017–Present	First queer and second woman mayor.[37] Popularly elected in a citywide vote. She ran against a four term incumbent and received 54.7% of the vote.[38]
Sarah Palin	Wasilla	AK	1964	32	7,831	1996–2002
Brandon Presley	Nettleton	MS	July 21, 1977	21	1,932	2001–2007	He is currently a member of the Mississippi Public Service Commission.[39]
Romaine Quinn	Rice Lake	WI	July 30, 1990	19	8,438	2010–2012	[40]
Luke Ravenstahl	Pittsburgh	PA	February 6, 1980	27	305,704	2006–2014	The youngest mayor of a major American city.[41] He was 26 when as City Council President, he assumed the vacant mayoral office upon the death of Bob O'Connor, his predecessor, before being elected to the position to serve out O'Connor's term the following year.
Josh Roberts	West Union	SC	September 2, 1980	24	315	2004–2006	The youngest mayor ever in South Carolina.
Michael Sessions	Hillsdale	MI	September 22, 1987	18	8,305	[42]
Nick Shelton	Niles	MI	1986	30	11,599	2016–present	Elected mayor on November 8, 2016, with approximately 75% of the vote. Shelton is the youngest mayor in the history of Niles, Michigan.[43]
Erin Stewart	New Britain	CT	May 4, 1987	26	73,206	2013– Present	First female mayor to get re-elected.
Tye Thomas	Gun Barrel City	TX	1979	21	5,672	2000–2001	The youngest mayor in both Gun Barrel City and Texas histories.
Bennie Thompson	Bolton	MS	1948	25	567	1973–1979
Alex Torpey	South Orange	NJ	August 10, 1987	23	16,198	2011–2015	Youngest in the village's history. Won by 13 votes.
JR Trevino	Castle Hills	TX	1986	32	4,460	2019–present	First elected to office as an Alderman in 2016 at the age of 29. Went on to win to become at the youngest and first Hispanic Mayor at 32.
Michael Tubbs	Stockton	CA	1990	26	315,592	2017–present	He went on to win the election, receiving 70.6% of the vote and becoming both the city's first black mayor and at 26 the youngest person to ever hold that office.[44]
Ryan Toussaint	Solvang	CA	1987	31	5,245	2018–present	Elected councilman at age of 29 in 2016 then ran for mayor and received 61.47% of the vote and became both the city's second directly elected mayor after 10 years of the prior incumbent and at the age of 31.
Chris Via	Holly Hill	FL	1989	28	12,316	2018–present	First elected to office as City Commissioner in 2016 at age 26.
C. L. 'Skip' Wagner	Manchester	OH	1985	32	2012	2018–present
Bill Walker	Valdez	AK	1951	27	3,977	1979–1980	Youngest mayor of Valdez.[45]
Nick Wasicsko	Yonkers	NY	May 13, 1959	28	195,976	1988–1990	Defeated 6-term incumbent Angelo R. Martinelli
Jason West	New Paltz	NY	1977	26	6,818	2003–2007; 2011–2015	West made headlines by solemnizing same-sex marriages in New York.[46]
William Dakota "Kota" Young	Princeton	KY	1994	24	6,108	2018–Present	Princeton, Kentucky's youngest mayor to ever be elected.
Don Young	Fort Yukon	AK	1933	31	583	1964–1968
Matthew Godfrey	Ogden	UT	1970	29	83,048	1999–2011	Youngest mayor of Ogden.[47]

Honorary mayors

Some small communities without local governments will anoint an honorary mayor that hold no official duties. The unincorporated community of Dorset, Minnesota "elected" 3-year-old Robert "Bobby" Tufts mayor. The honorary title is decided at the annual Taste of Dorset Festival in August where the winner's is chosen from drawing a name from a hat. Tufts was "re-elected" in 2013, but lost to 16-year-old Eric Mueller in 2014.[48][49][50][51]

Brian Zimmerman was elected mayor of Crabb, a small community of about 200 in Fort Bend County, Texas, in 1985 at the age of 11. As mayor, Zimmerman campaigned to have Crabb incorporated as a town, but was unsuccessful in this feat. His story was made into a movie called Lone Star Kid.[52][53][54][55]

See also

• Youth politics
• Youth rights
• Youth vote in the United States

References

1. "Vacho over West for Ladysmith Mayor". The Ladysmith News. Retrieved January 6, 2021.
2. September 12, Beth Jensen; Reply, 2019 (January 3, 2019). "Quinton Babcock, 22, new mayor of Oak Harbor". The Beacon. Retrieved November 6, 2019.CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
3. "Billy Barlow wins Oswego mayor's seat to become youngest mayor in NY".
4. Madhu Krishnamurthy (December 4, 2013). "Des Plaines mayor-elect young, not inexperienced". Dailyherald.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
5. Daniel DeBolt (January 6, 2014). "Chris Clark in line to be 2014 mayor | News | Mountain View Online |". Mv-voice.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
6. Jason Green (January 7, 2014). "Chris Clark named mayor of Mountain View – The Mercury News". Mercurynews.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
7. Farzan, Antonia Noori (October 12, 2018). "Elected mayor at 23 in struggling Fall River, Jasiel Correia had the makings of a rising star". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 13, 2018 – via Boston.com.
8. "Fall River mayor says he's innocent of fraud charges, won't be resigning".
9. Zaborney, Mark (December 5, 2019). "Doug DeGood (1947-2019): Toledo Mayor oversaw Portside, One SeaGate projects". The Blade. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved January 19, 2020.
10. Panuska, M. (2009) "Delligatti Fairmont’s youngest mayor wins by 5–3 vote in fourth round of balloting." Retrieved 7/29/10.
11. "Woodland's new mayor looks ahead for a new year". Retrieved June 17, 2018.
12. Youth trumps experience: 19-year-old wins mayoral race over former Muskogee mayor Muskogee Phoenix. May 14, 2008. Retrieved May 14, 2008.
13. Associated Press. "U. of Okla. freshman, 19, elected mayor of Muskogee", The Olympian. May 12, 2008. Retrieved 5/12/08.
14. Cassidy, CJ. "Former mayor of Poplar Bluff fined $1500 – no jail time," KFVS12.
15. https://abc13.com/politics/texas-youngest-mayor-barely-old-enough-to-drink/2613615/
16. https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/surprise/2018/10/22/arizona-elections-el-mirage-mayoral-candidates-split-philosophy-43-years-lana-mook-alexis-hermosillo/1696496002/
17. "Twenty-somethings take N.J. political offices by storm". Star-Ledger. July 15, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011.
18. "Youngest New Jersey mayor James R. Kern III of Pohatcong sworn into office today". Warren Reporter. July 1, 2011. Retrieved October 25, 2011. James R. Kern III was sworn in today as mayor of Pohatcong Township. Kern is the youngest mayor in New Jersey at the age of 22.
19. The Plain Dealer, August 1, 1999. Our Century: 'Boy Mayor' Leads Battle Into Default by Fred McGunagle.
20. "Clark County November 5, 2019 General Election". results.vote.wa.gov. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
21. Eppinga, J. (2002) Nogales: Life and Times on the Frontier. Arcadia Publishing. p 155.
22. Ellis, E.R. (2004) The Epic of New York City: A Narrative History. Carroll & Graf Publishers. p 374.
23. Wrausmann, Thomas (April 4, 2001). "New Mayors Elected by Wide Margin in Bunker Hill, Brighton". Alton Telegraph. Retrieved September 9, 2015.
24. Wolf Jr., James (November 5, 2019). "Youngest mayor in Logansport history narrowly wins election". PharosTribune.com. Pharos-Tribune. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
25. Rosa, Barbara (January 1, 2011). "His Town: Firefighter/lawyer, l now Mayor of the city he helped incorporate". ABA Journal. American Bar Association. Retrieved February 6, 2012.
26. Voting Comes Alive! Archived October 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine TeenWire. Retrieved 11/11/07.
27. "Assembly Member Marcus 'Marc' Molinaro (NY)", Project Vote Smart. Retrieved 11/21/08.
28. Boston Globe. (2011) "Alex Morse, 22, elected Holyoke mayor" Retriever 11/9/11
29. Glaad. (2011) "HOLYOKE, MASS., ELECTS AMERICA'S YOUNGEST OPENLY GAY MAYOR" Retriever 12/2/11.
30. http://www.theithacajournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2011111090342%5B%5D
31. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on November 16, 2011. Retrieved November 21, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
32. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on April 4, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2011.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
33. Teri Weaver (November 20, 2011). "Svante Myrick: How a child of modest means became Ithaca's youngest mayor-elect". syracuse.com. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
34. Bauma, Brigit. "Moorestown Township Council decides Mayor and Deputy Mayor", The Moorestown Sun, January 12, 205. Accessed January 16, 2015. "On that night, Councilwoman Victoria Napolitano, at the age of 26, became the youngest Moorestown mayor, and perhaps the youngest female New Jersey mayor ever, while newly-elected Councilman Manuel Delgado became the council’s first member of Hispanic descent."
35. McHale, Todd. "Municipal reorganizatons continue with some firsts", Burlington County Times, January 6, 2015. Accessed January 16, 2015. "Moorestown appointed the youngest mayor ever to serve in the post, and swore in the first Hispanic council member to serve on the Township Council during the annual reorganization meeting Tuesday night. By a majority vote, the Township Council appointed 26-year-old Victoria Napolitano as mayor."
36. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
37. "Paradis defeats longtime Mayor Ash – By Ethan Andrews". Retrieved July 25, 2018.
38. "City Clerks Return and Certificate as to Results of Voting". City of Belfast, Maine.
39. "About Commissioner Presley". Psc.state.ms.us. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
40. Peterson, Megan (April 8, 2010). "Rice Lake elects youngest mayor in city's history". WEAU News. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved July 3, 2011.
41. Ravenstahl, Retrieved 11/11/07.
42. Quintanilla, C. (2005) "Michigan town elects teen mayor: High-schooler wins write-in campaign thanks to friends at fire department", NBC News. November 9, 2005. Retrieved 11/11/07.
43. "Shelton is New Mayor in Niles | City of Niles". southbendtribune.com. November 8, 2016. Retrieved May 31, 2019.
44. Phillips, Roger. "'This is history now': Michael Tubbs becomes city's first black mayor". recordnet.com. Retrieved January 9, 2017.
45. Revis, Lee (May 1, 2013). "Walker running for governor 2014: Second run for Valdez city attorney and Port Authority backer". Valdez Star (18 ed.). Retrieved September 5, 2014.
46. Justin Silverman (February 28, 2004). "N.Y. village mayor jumps into same-sex marriage fray". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
47. https://www.ksl.com/?sid=38051577
48. Frank Vascellaro (May 9, 2013). "Meet The World's Youngest (And Cutest) Mayor". CBS-Minneapolis. Retrieved May 24, 2015.
49. Wilcoxen, William (May 9, 2012). "Dorset's mayor brings 4 years of life experience to the job". Retrieved May 10, 2013.
50. Memmott, Mark (August 5, 2013). "4-Year-Old Re-Elected 'Mayor' Of Minnesota Town". National Public Radio. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
51. "5-year-old mayor ousted". Politico. August 14, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
52. "Boy mayor may lose if he wins campaign", Associated Press, August 10, 1985
53. "Boy mayor may lose if he wins campaign," The New York Times. August 10, 1985. Retrieved 5/16/08.
54. "People", Time magazine. Retrieved 5/16/08.
55. "Lone Star Kid", IMDB.com. Retrieved 5/16/08.