List of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts explained

This is a list of mayors and city managers of Lowell, Massachusetts. Lowell became a city in 1836. From 1836 to 1943 the mayor of Lowell was the chief administrative officer of the city. Lowell switched to a Massachusetts "Plan E" form of city government in 1943, since January 1, 1944 the city has been administrated by a professional city manager, the office of mayor, while retained under "Plan E", is strictly a ceremonial one.

Mayors

Post:Mayor
Body:Lowell
Flagcaption:Flag of Lowell
Insigniacaption:Seal of Lowell
Incumbent:Daniel Rourke
Acting:no
Incumbentsince:January 2, 2024[1]
Type:Ceremonial
Style:His/Her Honor
Member Of:School Committee
Residence:None official
Seat:Lowell City Hall
Appointer:City Council vote
Termlength:Two years
Constituting Instrument:Lowell City Charter
Precursor:Lowell Board of Selectmen
(1826-1836)
Formation:1836
First:Elisha Bartlett
Salary:$30,000 (2017)[2]
Mayor Picture Term PartyNotes
1st1836–1838Whig
2nd1838 – April 17, 1839 Federalist
AElisha HuntingtonApril 1839 – April 1840 WhigBecame acting mayor after the death
of Luther Lawrence in April 1839.
3rdApril 1840 – April 1842 Whig
4thApril 1842 – April 1844 Citizens ticket, (1842); Whig (1843)
5thApril 1844 – January 1846 Whig
6th1846–1848Whig
7th1849–1850 Coalitionist/Democratic[3]
8thJames H.B. Ayer1851 Whig
9thJanuary 1852 – January 1853 Whig
10thSewall G. Mack 1853–1854 Whig
11th1855Native American Party
12thElisha Huntington1856Whig
13thStephen Mansur1857
14thElisha HuntingtonJanuary 1858 – January 1859Whig
15thJames Cook1859
16thBenjamin C. Sargent1860–1861
17th Hocum Hosford 1862–1865 Citizens ticket (1862–1863), Republican (1864)
18thJosiah G. Peabody1865–1866 Republican[4]
19th 1867 – January 4, 1869
20thJanuary 4, 1869 – 1870
21st Edward Fay Sherman1871
22nd Josiah G. Peabody 1872
23rdFrancis Jewett1873–1875Republican[5]
24thJanuary 1, 1876 – 1877
25th John A. G. RichardsonJanuary 7, 1878 – 1879Democratic
26th 1880 – January 2, 1882 Republican
27thGeorge RunelsJanuary 2, 1882Republican[6]
28th John J. Donovan 1883–1884 DemocraticFirst Irish-American Mayor of Lowell [7]
29th Edward J. Noyes1885 Republican[8]
30th James C. Abbott 1886–1887 Democratic[9]
31stCharles Dana Palmer1888 – January 1891Republican[10]
32nd George W. FifieldJanuary 1891 – 1892 Democratic[11]
33rd 1893–1894 Republican
34th William F. Courtney 1895–1897Democratic[12]
35th Col. James W. Bennett 1898 Republican[13]
36th 1899–1900 DemocraticIrish-American
37th Charles A. R. Dimon1901 – May 5, 1902Democratic[14]
A William E. Badger1902 RepublicanActing
38th1903–1904Republican
39thJames B. Casey 1905–1906 Democratic[15] Irish-American
40th 1907–1908Republican
41st January 1, 1909-January, 1910Republican
42nd John F. Meehan 1910–1911 Democratic[16] Irish-American
43rdJames E. O'Donnell 1912–1913 DemocraticIrish-American
44th Dennis J. Murphy 1914–1915 Democratic[17] Irish-American
45th James E. O'Donnell 1916–1917 Democratic
46th1918–1921Republican
47th 1922 Republican
48th John J. Donovan 1923–1926 Democratic
49th Thomas J. Corbett 1927–1928 Democratic[18]
50th 1929–1931 Republican
52nd Charles H. Slowey1932–1933 Democratic
53rd James J. Bruin1934–1935 Democratic
54th Dewey G. Archambault 1936–1939 RepublicanFirst Franco-American Mayor of Lowell[19]
55th 1940–1943 Democratic
A Joseph J. Sweeney 1943 DemocraticActing mayor.
Last mayor before the City Manager form of government was established under a Massachusetts Plan E Charter.
56th Woodbury F. Howard1944–1945 Republican[20] First ceremonial mayor.
Beginning of the weak mayor system.
City manager form of government
established on January 1, 1944.
57th Leo A. Roy 1946–1947 Republican
58th George A. Ayotte 1948–1949 Republican
59th William C. Geary 1950 Democratic[21]
60th George C. Eliades1951–1952DemocraticFirst Greek-American Mayor of Lowell [22]
61st Henry Beaudry1952–1953 Republican[23]
62nd John Janas1954–1955 Republican[24] First Polish-American Mayor of Lowell [25]
63rd Samuel S. Pollard 1956–1959 Democratic[26]
64th Raymond J. Lord 1960–1961 Republican[27]
65th 1962–1963 Democratic[28]
66th Ellen A. Sampson 1964–1965 RepublicanFirst Female Mayor of Lowell[29]
67th Edward J. Early Jr.1966–1967 Democratic
68th Robert G. Maguire 1968–1969 Democratic
69th Richard P. Howe 1970–1971 Democratic[30]
70th Ellen A. Sampson 1972–1973 Republican[31]
71st Armand W. LeMay 1974–1975 Democratic[32]
72ndLeo J. Farley1976–1977 Democratic
73rd 1978–1979 Democratic
74th Robert C. Maguire 1980–1981 Democratic[33]
75th M. Brendan Fleming1982–1983 Democratic[34]
76th Brian J. Martin1984–1985 Democratic[35]
77th Robert B. Kennedy1986–1987 Democratic
78th Richard P. Howe 1988–1991 Democratic
79th Tarsy T. Poulios1992–1993 Democratic
80th Richard P. Howe 1994–1995 Democratic
81st Edward "Bud" Caulfield 1996–1997
82nd 1998–2001 Democratic
83rd Rita Mercier 2002–2003 Democratic[36]
84th 2004–2005
85thWilliam F. Martin2006–2007Democratic
86thEdward "Bud" Caulfield2008–2009Democratic
87thJames L. Milinazzo2010–2011DemocraticItalian-American
88thPatrick O. Murphy2012–2013Independent[37] Inaugurated at age 29,
youngest mayor in Lowell history
89thRodney Elliott2014–2016Democratic
90thEdward J. Kennedy2016–2018Democratic
91stWilliam Samaras2018–2020Democratic
92ndJohn Leahy2020–2022Independent
93rdSokhary Chau2022-2024DemocraticFirst Cambodian mayor in the United States.
94thDaniel Rourke2024–present

City Managers

City Manager Term Notes
1stJohn J. Flannery1944–1952
2ndUlysses J. Lupien1952–1953former Massachusetts Director of Civil Service (1939–1944)
AWilliam Sullivan1953
3rdFrank E. Barrett1953–1962
4thCornelius Desmond1962–1963former State Representative (1941–1962)
5thP. Harold Ready1963–1966
6thCharles Gallagher1966–1970
ALeo Morris1970
7thJames Sullivan1970–1974former and future City Manager of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1968–1970, 1974–1981)
ARobert W. Healy1974future City Manager of Cambridge, Massachusetts (1981–2013)
8thPaul J. Sheehy1974–1975former State Representative (1965–1972)
AWilliam Busby1975
9thWilliam S. Taupier1975–1979former Mayor of Holyoke (1968–1975)
AVictor Normand1979
10thB. Joseph Tully1979–1987former State Senator (1971–1979)
11thJames Campbell1987–1991
AJames Kennedy1991
12thRichard Johnson1991–1995former Mayor of Taunton (1982–1992)
13thBrian J. Martin1995–2000former Mayor (1984–1985)
14thJohn F. Cox2000–2006former State Representative (1983–1995)
AJames Kennedy2006
15thBernard F. Lynch2006–20141st Town Manager of Chelmsford (1989–2006)[38]
AMichael Geary2014
16thKevin J. Murphy2014–2018former State Representative (1997–2014)
17thEileen Donoghue2018–2022former Mayor (1998–2002) and State Senator (2011–2018)
AMichael Geary2022
18thThomas Golden Jr.2022–presentformer State Representative (1995–2022)

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Gilbert . Melanie . Hail to the new Lowell City Council . 7 February 2024 . Lowell Sun . January 2, 2024.
  2. News: Siefer . Ted . In Lowell, higher salaries for a higher purpose . 29 April 2023 . CommonWealth Magazine . 12 October 2016.
  3. Duane Hamilton Hurd, History of Middlesex County, Massachusetts: With Biographical Sketches, Volume 2, 1890
  4. The Lowell Sun, The Latest Combination for a Republican Ticket, July 23, 1887
  5. The Lowell Sun, The Spellbinder – A Sensitive Politician, August 1, 1914
  6. The Granite Monthly: A New Hampshire Magazine, Volumes 43–44, Concord, NH, 1911
  7. Marie, "Some Mayoral History", RichardHowe.com, January 5, 2014.
  8. The Boston Daily Globe, In Smaller Cities – Lowell, December 10, 1884
  9. The Lowell Sun, A Democratic Duty, December 11, 1886
  10. The Lowell Sun, Senter and Drury – These Are the Gentlemen the Democrats Elect Aldermen, December 15, 1888
  11. Frederick William Coburn, History of Lowell and Its People, Volume 1, 1920, p. 361
  12. The Lowell Sun, William F. Courtney for Mayor – Renominated with Great Enthusiasm at the Democratic Convention, November 27, 1895
  13. The Granite Monthly: A New Hampshire Magazine, Volumes 34–35, Concord, NH, 1903
  14. The Lowell Sun, The Spellbinder – The Next Election, April 29, 1916
  15. The Lowell Sun, Many Surprises, December 9, 1908
  16. The Lowell Sun, Results of Last Night's Contests in the Primaries, November 24, 1909
  17. The Lowell Sun, Big Caucuses – Democrats Turn Out Strongly in all Wards, November 16, 1901
  18. The Lowell Sun, Four Members of Present City Government Give Up Posts, September 9, 1939
  19. The Lowell Sun, The Archambault Family, June 24, 1982
  20. The Lowell Sun, Bitter Battle on City's Next Mayor, November 7, 1947
  21. The Lowell Sun, Reception to Governor Here Tomorrow, April 29, 1950
  22. Lowell Historical Society, "Lowell History Chronology", 2013
  23. The Lowell Sun, Roy, Beaudry, Sullivan and Sweeney Gain on Transfers, November 10, 1951
  24. Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, Politics, January 10, 1951
  25. The Lowell Sun, Council Elects Janas Mayor, April 14, 1954
  26. The Lowell Sun, How Vote Went in City Precincts, November 5, 1953
  27. The Lowell Sun, Raymond J. Lord Dies at 59, February 7, 1972
  28. Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, Janas, Pollard, Hockmeyer, McMahon, Ayotte, Beaudry 'In', November 5, 1953
  29. Web site: 2011-04-14. Looking good, mayors. 2021-12-27. Lowell Sun. en-US.
  30. Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, Councilor and Former Mayor Howe Eyes Challenge to Sen. Joseph Tully, April 23, 1972
  31. The Lowell Sun, Voters: Sheehy, Sampson to Win, September 14, 1972
  32. Frank Barrett, The Lowell Sun, High Hopes for Advisory Cabinet Plan, July 15, 1979
  33. The Lowell Sun, Maguire Endorses Hatem for Congress, September 15, 1980
  34. The Lowell Sun, Who Goofed on Fleming Endorsement?, August 29, 1982
  35. The Lowell Sun, Election-Watcher's Program for the Races, September 14, 1986
  36. City Councilor and former Mayor Rita Mercier endorsed Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown over Democratic challenger Elizabeth Warren in 2012; Lyle Moran, The Lowell Sun, Mercier, a Democrat, endorses Republican Brown, September 14, 2012
  37. Camire, Chris (August 29, 2012) "GOP, Lowell Mayor Spar Over His 'Independent' Warren Endorsement", The Lowell Sun.
  38. Web site: Former Lowell manager Lynch to lead Winchendon on interim basis . June 3, 2015 .

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