List of mayors of Leeds explained

Post:Lord Mayor
Body:Leeds
Insignia:Coat of Arms of Leeds City Council.svg
Insigniasize:120px
Insigniacaption:Coat of arms of Leeds City Council
Incumbent:Cllr Abigail Marshall Katung
Incumbentsince:2024
Style:The Right Worshipful
Status:Lord Mayor
Member Of:Leeds City Council
Termlength:One municipal year ends on 22 May 2025
Precursor:Mayor of Leeds (1661–1897)
Formation:12 July 1897

The Lord Mayor of Leeds (until 1897 known as the Mayor of Leeds) is a ceremonial post held by a member of Leeds City Council, elected annually by the council.

By charter from King Charles I in 1626, the leader of the governing body of the borough of Leeds was an alderman, the first holder being Sir John Savile.[1] A second charter, in 1661 from King Charles II, granted the title Mayor to Thomas Danby, after whom Thomas Danby College was named. In 1893 the County Borough of Leeds was granted city status, and in 1897 Queen Victoria conferred the title of Lord Mayor on James Kitson.

The first woman to have the post was Jessie Beatrice Kitson in 1942: she was elected following the death of Arthur Clarke shortly after his election.[2] [3]

In 2019, the council elected Leeds' first ever black Lord Mayor, Eileen Taylor.[4] After serving as a Labour member of council since 2008, she was elected unanimously by fellow councillors at the authority's annual general meeting. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor's term was extended for another municipal year until May 2021, the first time a Lord Mayor has served for two municipal years since George Brett's original term of office (1947 - 48) was extended for a municipal year until 1949. Under the Representation of the People Act 1948, his term was extended until the first meeting held after the May 1949 council election.[5] [6]

Notable former Mayors include Benjamin Gott (1799), Sir George Goodman (1836), several of the Lupton family, Henry Rowland Marsden (1873) and Alf Cooke of the famous printworks (1890).

List of Lord Mayors

Source:[7]

Municipal yearMayor of Leeds
November 9, 1835Griffith Wright
January 1, 1836George Goodman
November 9, 1836James Williamson, M.D.
1837Thomas William Tottie
1838James Holdfirth
1839William Smith
1840William Smith
1841William Pawson
1842Henry Cowper Marshall
1843Hamer Stansfeld
1844Darnton Lupton
1845John Darnton Luccock
1846C. G. Maclea
1847Francis Carbutt
1848John Hope Shaw
1849Joseph Bateman
1850George Goodman
1851George Goodman

Source:[8]

Municipal yearMayor of Leeds
November 1865Henry Oxley
November 1866Andrew Fairbairn
November 1867Andrew Fairbairn

Source:[9]

Municipal yearLord Mayor (party nomination - electoral ward if councillor)
1897-1898Sir James Kitson, MP for Colne Valley, 1892 (Lib)
1898-1899Thomas Walter Harding (LUP)
1899-1900John Gordon (Con)
1900-1901Frederick W. Lawson (?)
1901-1902Ambrose Edmund Butler (?)
1902-1903Sir John Ward[10] (?)
1903-1904Arthur Currer Briggs (?)
1904-1905Robert Armitage, MP for Leeds Central, 1906 (Lib)
1905-1906Edwin Woodhouse (?)
1906-1907Joseph Hepworth (?)
1907-1908Wilfred Lawrence Hepton (?)
1908-1909Frederick J Kitson (Lib)
1909-1910William Penrose Green (Con)
1910-1911William Middlebrook, MP for Leeds South, 1908 (Lib)
1911-1912William Nicholson (?)
1912-1913Albert Wellesley Bain (?)
1913-1914Edward Brotherton, 1st Baron Brotherton (Con)
1914-1915James Edward Bedford (?)
1915-1916Sir Charles Lupton (Con)
1916-1917Edmund George Arnold (Lib nominated)
1917-1918Frank Gott (?)
1918-1919Joseph Henry
1919-1920Thomas Beveridge Duncan (?)
1920-1921Albert Braithwaite (Con)
1921-1922Willie Hodgson (?)
1922-1923Frank Fountain (?)
1923-1924Sir Edwin Airey (Con)
1924-1925Charles Granville Gibson (?)
1925-1926John Arnott (Lab)
1926-1927Hugh Lupton (Con)
1927-1928George Ratcliffe (Lib)
1928-1929David Blythe Foster (Lab)
1929-1930Nathaniel George Morrison (?)
1930-1931Arthur Hawkyard (?)
1931-1932Fred Simpson, MP for Ashton-under-Lyne, 1935 (Lab)
1932-1933Robert Holliday Blackburn (Con)
1933-1934Albert Edward Wilkinson (Lib)
1934-1935William Hemingway (Lab)
1935-1936Percival Tookey Leigh (?)
1936-1937Tom Coombs (?)
1937-1938John Badlay (Lab)
1938-1939Rowland Winn (Con)
1939-1940Charles Humphrey Boyle (Lib)
1940-1941Willie Withey (?)
1941-1942Hyman Morris (Con)
1942-1943Arthur Clarke (Lib) died 9 November 1942[11]
Jessie B Kitson (Ind, Lib nominated)[12]
1943-1944Albert Hayes (?)
1944-1945Charles Vivian Walker (?)
1945-1946David Beevers (Labour)[13]
1946-1947Sir George Martin (Con)
1947-1948George Brett (Labour)
1948-1949
1949-1950Norman Vine (?)
1950-1951Francis Hugh O’Donnell (?)
1951-1952Francis Eric Tetley (?)
1952-1953Frank Barlow Burnley (?)
1953-1954Donald George Cowling (?)
1954-1955Henry Sidman Vick (?)
1955-1956Sir James Croysdale (?)
1956-1957Thomas Austin Jessop (?)
1957-1958Joseph Hiley (?)
1958-1959Mary Pearce (?)
1959-1960Gertrude Annie Stevenson (?)
1960-1961Lillian Hammond (?)
1961-1962Percival Arthur Woorward (?)
1962-1963Harold Watson (?)
1963-1964Edwin Wooler (?)
1964-1965Lizzie Naylor (?)
1965-1966William R Hargreave (?)
1966-1967Joshua "Jos" Walsh (Lab)
1967-1968Lawrence Turnbull (?)
1968-1969John Rafferty (?)
1969-1970Allan Roberts Bretherick (?)
1970-1971Arthur Brown (?)
1971-1972John Trevor V Watson (?)
1972-1973Albert Smith (Lab)
1973-1974Kenneth Davison (Con)
1974-1975Joan de Carteret (?)
1975-1976Alan Pedley (Con, Headingley)
1976-1977Ernest Howard Morris (Lab, City & Woodhouse)
1977-1978William Hudson (Con, Aireborough)
1978-1979Harry Booth (Lab, Beeston & Holbeck)
1979-1980Christine Thomas (Con, Chapel Allerton & Scott Hall)
1980-1981Eric Atkinson (Lab, Bramley)
1981-1982Patrick "Paddy" Crotty (Con, Roundhay)
1982-1983Doreen Jenner (Lab, University)
1983-1984Martin Dodgson (Con, Halton)
1984-1985Douglas Gabb (Lab, Seacroft)
1985-1986Sydney Symmonds (Con, Moortown)
1986-1987Rose Lund (Lab, Rothwell)
1987-1988Doreen Wood (Con, Halton)
1988-1989Arthur Vollans (Lab, Seacroft)
1989-1990Leslie "Les" Carter (Con, Cookridge)
1990-1991Bill Kilgallon (Lab, University)
1991-1992Ronald "Ronnie" Feldman (Con, North)
1992-1993Denise Atkinson (Lab, Bramley)
1993-1994Keith Loudon (Con, Cookridge)
1994-1995Christiana Myers (Lab, City & Holbeck)
1995-1996Margaret "Peggy" White (Con, Roundhay)
1996-1997Malcolm Bedford (Lab, Wortley)
1997-1998Linda Middleton (Lab, Middleton)
1998-1999Graham Kirkland (LD, Otley & Wharfedale)
1999-2000Keith Parker (Lab, Barwick & Kippax)
2000-2001Bernard Atha (Lab, Kirkstall)
2001-2002David Hudson (Con, Wetherby)
2002-2003Bryan North (Lab, Morley South)
2003-2004Neil Taggart (Lab, Chapel Allerton)
2004-2005Christopher "Chris" Townsley (LD, Horsforth)
2005-2006William "Bill" Hyde (Con, Temple Newsam)
2006-2007Mohammed Iqbal (Lab, City & Hunslet)
2007-2008Brian Cleasby (LD, Horsforth)
2008-2009Frank Robinson (Con, Calverley & Farsley)
2009-2010Judith Elliott (MBI, Morley South)
2010-2011James "Jim" McKenna (Lab, Armley)
2011-2012Revd Alan Taylor (LD, Gipton & Harehills)
2012-2013Ann Castle (Con, Harewood)
2013-2014Thomas "Tom" Murray (Lab, Garforth & Swillington)
2014-2015David Congreve (Lab, Beeston & Holbeck)
2015-2016Judith Chapman (LD, Weetwood)
2016-2017Gerald "Gerry" Harper (Lab, Hyde Park & Woodhouse)
2017-2018Jane Dowson (Lab, Chapel Allerton)
2018-2019Graham Latty (Con, Guiseley & Rawdon)
2019-2020Eileen Taylor (Lab, Chapel Allerton)
2020-2021
2021-2022Asghar Khan (Lab, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill)
2022-2023Robert "Bob" Gettings (MBI, Morley North)
2023-2024Al Garthwaite (Lab, Headingley and Hyde Park)[14]
2024-2025Abigail Marshall Katung (Lab, Little London and Woodhouse)

External links

Notes and References

  1. http://www.leedscivictrust.org.uk/view.aspx?id=65 Leeds Civic Trust
  2. http://www.jessiebeatricekitson.org/lordMayor.html Leeds' first woman Lord Mayor
  3. Margaret Drinkall (2013) The Leeds Book Of Days: 17 November 1942 (The History Press)
  4. News: Leeds to get first black Lord Mayor. 16 January 2019. 29 August 2019. en-GB.
  5. News: Update from Leeds City Council regarding the Lord Mayor and this year's Mayor Making ceremony . leeds.gov.uk . . 21 May 2020.
  6. Web site: VERBATIM REPORT OF PROCEEDINGS OF LEEDS CITY COUNCIL ANNUAL MEETING ON MONDAY, 28TH JUNE 2004 . leeds.gov.uk . . 22 May 2020.
  7. Book: Schroeder . Henry . The annals of Yorkshire . 1852 . 15 . en.
  8. Book: Taylor . Richard Vickerman . Supplement to the Biographia leodiensis; . 1867 . London, Simpkin, Marshall, and co.; [etc., etc.] .
  9. Web site: Lord Mayors & Aldermen of Leeds since 1626. https://web.archive.org/web/20171107025631/http://www.leeds.gov.uk/docs/List%20of%20Lord%20Mayors.pdf. Leeds City Council. 1 November 2017. 7 November 2017.
  10. Election of Mayors . 11 November 1902 . 12 . 36922.
  11. News: NEW MAYOR DROPPED DEAD . . 1942-12-03 . 2019-01-04.
  12. News: Fantastic photo flashback to year Leeds had its first female Lord Mayor . 22 May 2020 . leedsstar.co.uk . Leeds Star Media . 6 November 2019.
  13. Web site: Friday flashback: The man behind the name . facebook.com . Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust . 16 January 2015.
  14. News: New Lord Mayor of Leeds takes up role with 'great pride'. Hayle. Coyle. BBC News. Leeds. 18 January 2024. 18 January 2024.

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "List of mayors of Leeds".

Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2024, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.