The Mayor of Easton, Pennsylvania is a political position dating from 1887, arising from the ascension of the Borough of Easton into the city of Easton. In 1972 the city adopted a strong mayor government, and in 2007 the people of Easton voted to give the mayor a seat on the city council.[1]
| Mayor | Term Begins | Term Ends | Affiliation | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles F. Chidsey | April 4, 1887 | 1890 | Republican | Former Union soldier and borough councilor, active in state Republican politics, representative in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, elected city commissioner in 1913. | [2] |
| William Beidelman | 1890 | 1894 | Democrat | Former Union soldier, active in state Democrat politics, served in Pennsylvania State Senate from 1878 to 1882, was solicitor of Easton (borough) from 1885 to 1887. | [3] |
| Benjamin Rush Field | 1894 | 1896 | Democrat | First of his two non-consecutive terms. A Shakespearian scholar and bon vivant. He ordered and oversaw the creation of the "Easton City Guard" as a volunteer force in the Spanish–American War of which he was elected its major. | [4] [5] |
| Howard Hartzell | 1896 | 1900 | Republican | Local confectionery and early pioneer in ice cream. Later elected to the Easton city council. Congratulated by the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 50 years of service to the Republican party. | [6] [7] |
| Benjamin Rush Field | 1900 | 1902 | Democrat | Second of his two non-consecutive terms. He would retire in 1902 to pursue personal ventures. He would go on to be one of the first elected city commissioners in 1914 as director of Public safety and proposed outlawing Christmas trees over safety concerns. | |
| Horace Lehr | 1903 | 1906 | Democrat | Local businessmen, member of the Easton board of trade. Elected mayor at the age of 33 and served one term. Went on to be elected board of trade president in 1914 and named postmaster of Easton in 1916 | |
| Francis March | 1906 | 1909 | Republican | Noted polymath, academic, philologist, lexicographer, and professor at Lafayette College for 56 years who is considered the principal founder of modern comparative linguistics in Old English | [8] |
| David W. Nevin | 1912 | 1920 | Republican | Replaced the old "Select and Common" councils municipal government with a commission system in 1913. Renown for shutting down the 27 'bawdy houses' in the city and dozens of speakeasies. | [9] |
| Samuel S. Horn | 1920 | 1924 | Republican | Former Controller of Easton from 1912 to 1919. Elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives from 1924 to 1927. | [10] |
| Wesley M. Heiberger | 1924 | 1927 | Democrat | Prominent local businessman, President of the Easton board of trade in 1920. Was an elector for Pennsylvania in 1916 and a Four Minute Man. | [11] |
| Samuel S. Horn | 1927 | 1929 | Republican | Resigned from the Pennsylvania House in 1927 and became mayor again until 1929 | |
| Frederick C. Roberts | 1933 | 1936 | Republican | Local surgeon and leader of the Jewish community, frequently spoke in favor of U.S. entry into World War II after leaving office. | [12] [13] |
| Joseph Morrison | 1936 | 1953 | Democrat | Led the city through WWII. Lit the first Peace Candle on December 21, 1951. | [14] [15] |
| Robert W. Morse | 1953 | 1955 | Democrat | Dartmouth College graduate, World War II veteran, named Easton's Young Man of the year in 1951. Elected to a single term, worked for the Union Camp Corporation for 20 years. | [16] |
| Orion H. Reeves | 1955 | 1960 | Republican | Defeated during re-election to Smith. Founded the Easton Emergency Squad after Hurricane Diane. | [17] |
| George S. Smith | 1960 | 1968 | Democrat | A physician and World War II veteran. Served two terms as mayor and then served on the city council until his death in 1986. | [18] |
| Fred Ashton | 1968 | 1976 | Republican | Former City Councilmen, became the first mayor under the Strong Mayor system of government. Infamous for his Urban Renewal program which demolished the historic Lebanese American and Syrian American quarter of the city to make way for fast food chains and gas stations. | [19] |
| Henry J. Schultz | 1976 | 1980 | Democrat | Former city councilmen, lost his re-election campaign in one of the biggest upsets in Lehigh Valley political history. | [20] |
| Phil Mitman | 1980 | 1984 | Republican | First of his two non-consecutive terms. | [21] |
| Salvatore J. Panto, Jr. | 1984 | 1992 | Democrat | The first two of his six non-consecutive terms. At the time he was 31 and the youngest mayor in Easton's history. | [22] |
| Thomas F. Goldsmith | 1993 | April 29, 2003 | Republican | A long time Republican Perennial candidate, Goldsmith narrowly defeated incumbent mayor Sal Panto Jr in a shocking upset. He would resign as mayor before end of his term when he was appointed to the state liquor control board by governor Ed Rendell. | [23] |
| Michael McFadden | May 14, 2003 | January 5, 2004 | Democrat | Goldsmith's business administrator. Switched parties and was appointed as acting mayor by the Democratic city council to serve out the rest of Goldsmith's term. | [24] |
| Phil Mitman | January 5, 2004 | January 2, 2008 | Republican | Had retired from politics for 20 years before returning to the mayoral office. In 2007 the city voted to replace the strong-mayor municipal government with a mayor-on-council government. | |
| Salvatore J. Panto, Jr. | January 2, 2008 | Current | Democrat | Currently serving his fifth consecutive, and seventh non-consecutive term. | |