| Post: | Mayor |
| Body: | Bethlehem, Pennsylvania |
| Incumbent: | J. William Reynolds |
| Incumbentsince: | January 3, 2022 |
| Termlength: | Four years |
| Termlength Qualified: | Limited to two consecutive terms |
| Formation: | 1917 |
| Inaugural: | Archibald Johnston |
| Website: | Office of the Mayor of Bethlehem |
The Mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a political position dating from 1917, arising from the merger of Borough of Bethlehem and the Borough of South Bethlehem, which came together as the city of Bethlehem. J. William Reynolds is the current mayor having been sworn in on January 3, 2021.[1]
Prior to the unification of Bethlehem and South Bethlehem into a single city, both Bethlehems' executive was known as the Chief Burgess, a title derived from the English office of Burgess which usually denoted the elected official of a municipality. Bethlehem used the title until 1886, while South Bethlehem used the title until 1913. The office would survive in the Borough of Bethlehem, not as the municipalities executive, but rather as the head Magistrate. A Chief Burgess would hold office for a one year term, the length of a session of the city council, and there was no term limits.
Bethlehem, or North Bethlehem, is the traditional core of Bethlehem, where the original Moravian settlement stood. The oldest of the Bethlehems, its politics was dominated by Moravians until 1880. It was separated from South Bethlehem and Northampton Heights by the Lehigh River and West Bethlehem by the Monocacy Creek.
| Name | Party | Term Begins | Term Ends | Term Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charles A. Luckenbach | 1845 | 1846 | 2 years | First Chief Burgess[2] [3] | ||
| John M. Miksch | 1847 | 1848 | 2 years | First term | ||
| E.F. Bleck | 1849 | 1850 | 2 years | First term | ||
| Jacob Wolle | 1851 | 1851 | 1 year | First term | ||
| Jedidiah Weiss | 1852 | 1852 | 1 year | |||
| E.F. Bleck | 1853 | 1853 | 1 year | Second term | ||
| Philip H. Goepp | 1854 | 1854 | 1 year | |||
| Benjamin Van Kirk | 1855 | 1856 | 2 years | |||
| Jacob Wolle | 1857 | 1859 | 3 years | Second term | ||
| Ira Cortright | 1860 | 1861 | 2 years | |||
| Nathan Bartlett | 1862 | 1862 | 1 year | |||
| John M. Miksch | 1863 | 1863 | 1 year | Second term | ||
| Charles F. Beckel | 1864 | 1869 | 5 years | |||
| C.E. Peisert | 1870 | 1870 | 1 year | |||
| Ambrose J. Erwin | 1871 | 1873 (?) | 3(?) years | |||
| George H. Meyers | 1880 | 1887 | 7 years | Lutheran, first non-Moravian to hold the office. | ||
| Jacob B. Kemerer | Democrat | 1887 | 1893 | 6 years | Presbyterian and local lawyer, later elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate.[4] | |
| Paul Kempsmith | 1893 | 1895 | 2 years | Lutheran | ||
| C.M. Dodson | 1895 | 1897 | 2 years | Episcopalian | ||
| William Edward Martin | Republican | 1908 | 1914 | 6 Years | A Yale University-educated doctor, active in local trade and industrial boards.[5] | |
| James Yeakel | Democrat | 1914 | 1918 | 4 Years | Local coachbuilder and councilman, later elected the city's second mayor. |
During the period of Moravian dominance until 1846, South Bethlehem was where the Moravians housed non-Moravian travelers, building an inn south of the river, allowing outsiders to engage in trade and rest, but also keeping them separated from the settlement. The Moravians also allowed several Huguenot farmers to settle on the south side. It would not be until the end of the American Civil War in 1865 when South Bethlehem would be incorporated as its own borough, expanding southward several times until it bordered Hellertown. It was separated from North and West Bethlehem by the Lehigh River, and was bordered in the northeast by Northampton Heights.
| Name | Party | Term Begins | Term Ends | Term Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James McMahon | ? | 1865 | Named the borough's first Chief Burgess during its incorporation.[6] | |||
| Elisha P. Wilbur | 5 years | Sat on South Bethlehem's first borough council for two terms before serving as Chief Burgess for five straight one year terms. | ||||
| H. Stanley Goodwin | Republican | 1875 | 1892 | 17 years | Professor at Lehigh University, general superintendent of the Lehigh Valley Railroad. A Republican in a staunchly Democrat borough, local humorists joked the favorite pastime of South Bethlehmites was to stone Republican parades. Died in office in 1892.[7] | |
| Henry Coppée | 1894 | Professor and First President of Lehigh University. Has a building named after him. | ||||
| Robert S. Taylor | 1905 | Professor at Lehigh University. |
Separated from North Bethlehem by the Monocacy Creek and South Bethlehem by the Lehigh River, during the early history of Bethlehem, the area known as West Bethlehem consisted of the sole chapel and burial ground for non-Moravians, mostly consisting of soldiers from the American Revolutionary War, who died while being treated in the Brothers house when it was repurposed into a hospital. However, starting in 1830, industries such as lumber mills and coal furnaces where constructed by local businessman Timothy Weiss, as well as housing for workers. The community would continue to grow, with a school being built in 1860, and a rail station in 1867, finally by 1886 residents where fed up with paying for taxes to North Bethlehem, and receiving little in return. As such they elected their own rival municipal government on September 16, 1886, and secured incorporation as West Bethlehem on October 25. Until the Borough's annexation by North Bethlehem on August 16, 1904, they too would use the Chief Burgess as their municipal executive.[8]
Northampton Heights was incorporated on February 20, 1901 and at its peak consisted of 280 houses with a population of 1,000. The borough was adamantly against joining a unified Bethlehem, remaining an independent municipality until March 2, 1920, nearly 3 years after the city of Bethlehem was incorporated.[9] In 1918 the borough attempted to be annexed by Hellertown, Pennsylvania in order for the new combined municipalities to become a city, however, Bethlehem annexed land between Northampton Heights and Hellertown to prevent this.[10] After being incorporated the neighborhood remained a distinct community until the 60's consisting of a mix of Windish, Hungarian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Pennsylvania Dutch. In 1963 Bethlehem Steel purchased the entire neighborhood and razed it to make an oxygen furnace.[11] Like the other boroughs, Northampton Heights also used the Chief Burgess system.
The Borough of Bethlehem replaced their Chief Burgess with a more traditional mayoral government in 1886.
| No. | Mayor | Party | Term Begins | Term Ends | Term Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Andrew Harford Boyle | Democratic | 1886 | 1913 | 27 years | First Mayor of Bethlehem. Born in 1839 in Burtonport, Ireland. He was a successful merchant and engineer before being elected mayor in 1886. He would die in office in 1913.[13] | |
| 2nd | Archibald Johnston | Republican | 1913 | 1917 | 4 years | A Roosevelt Republican and Vice President of Bethlehem Steel, Johnston was the last mayor of the borough of Bethlehem.[14] |
In 1913 the Borough of South Bethlehem was incorporated as the City of South Bethlehem in an effort to stave off merger with the rest of Bethlehem. With the new municipal government the Chief Burgess was done away with and replaced with a mayoral government. However, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania determined that the incorporation was unconstitutional and in 1915 the borough of South Bethlehem, and the Chief Burgess, was restored.[15]
In October 1973, just before the 15th mayoral election as the city was about to elect its 6th mayor, the council voted in favor of an ordinance limiting Bethlehem mayors to two full four-year terms (in addition to a partial term as an interim mayor if applicable). The ordinance was never submitted to, or challenged by, the voters. At the time, Bethlehem was the only city in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia that had term limits for mayor. This ordinance was ruled illegal by the Northampton County Court shortly after and mayor Paul Marcincin, who had voted in favor of the ordinance in 1973 when he was on the city council, used the court ruling to run for a third term in 1985. However, the city council challenged the legality of his third term and the case was brought before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which, in 1987, struck down the Northampton County Court ruling and restored the 1973 ordinance. Marcincin would step down resulting in the first interim mayor in Bethlehem's history, as well as solidifying the two term limit for mayors.
| Number | Mayor | Party | Term Begins | Term Ends | Term Length | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Archibald Johnston | Republican | 1917 | 1921 | 4 years | A Roosevelt Republican and Vice President of Bethlehem Steel, Johnston was the first mayor of the city of Bethlehem.[17] | |
| 2nd | James Yeakel | Democratic | 1922 | 1930 | 8 years | During Yeakel's term, crime ran rampant in the south side and his indifference resulted in his defeat when seeking a third term.[18] | |
| 3rd | Democrat | 1930 | 1950 | 20 years | Pennsylvania Dutch, Pfeifle launched a massive campaign to close speakeasies, brothels, and confiscate illegal liquor during Prohibition.[19] | ||
| 4th | Earl E. Schaffer | Democrat | 1950 | 1962 | 12 years | Mayor Schaffer planned the construction of a new City Hall complex, expansion of recreation facilities and laid the groundwork for the strong-mayor government, however, none of these would be finished before he left the office.[20] | |
| 5th | H. Gordon Payrow, Jr. | Republican | 1962 | 1974 | 12 years | Mayor Payrow was the first mayor to serve under Bethlehem's strong mayor form of government. Oversaw the construction of the new City Hall and library.[21] | |
| 6th | Gordon Mowrer | Democrat | 1974 | 1978 | 4 years | Mayor Mowrer has been credited with restoring the historic character of Bethlehem and preserving the city's downtown. Under his term Victorian streetlights were introduced.[22] | |
| 7th | Paul Marcincin | Democrat | 1978 | January 14, 1987 | 9 years | Mayor Marcinin was elected mayor in November 1977 after being a member of city council for 12 years. In 1985 he ran for a third term due to the ambiguity of the legality of the city's term limits. After a lengthy legal battle his third term was deemed illegal and he stepped down.[23] | |
| (Interim) | Gordon Mowrer | Democrat | January 14, 1987 | November 1987 | 10 months | Former Mayor Mowrer was appointed interim mayor by the council when it was determined that Mayor Marcincin's third election was illegal. | |
| 8th | Republican | 1988 | October 1997 | 9 years | Mayor Smith bore the brunt of the unemployment crisis that followed Bethlehem Steel closing its steel mill. He accepted the post of vice president of public affairs at Lehigh University and resigned four months early.[24] | ||
| (Interim) | Paul Marcincin | Democrat | October 1997 | January 1998 | 4 months | Former Mayor Marcincin was appointed interim mayor for the remainder of Smith's term. | |
| 9th | Don Cunningham | Democrat | 1998 | March 2003 | 5 years | Mayor Cunningham oversaw over $1,000,000,000 in redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. He resigned to become Secretary of the Department of General Services under Governor Ed Rendell. He also served as Executive of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.[25] | |
| (Interim) | James Delgrosso | Democrat | March 12, 2003 | January 5, 2004 | 10 months | James Delgrosso was appointed by the council to serve until a special election could be held. During said election he would be defeated in the Democratic primary.[26] | |
| 10th | John B. Callahan | Democrat | January 5, 2004 | January 7, 2014 | 10 years | Mayor Callahan was remembered as "uncompromising" and "abrasive" often clashing with the city council. He was credited with bringing the city 5,000 new jobs and reducing crime by 25%.[27] | |
| 11th | Robert Donchez | Democrat | January 6, 2014 | January 3, 2022 | 8 years | Mayor Donchez ran a Technocratic mayoralty, hiring professionals in fields to head specific departments as opposed to staffing his office with politicians.[28] | |
| 12th | Democrat | January 3, 2022 | Current | A former high school history teacher and city council president, incumbent mayor Reynolds has centered his mayoralty off increasing the standard of living in Bethlehem.[29] |