The earliest recorded mayor of Oxford in England was Laurence Kepeharm (1205–1207?).[1]
On 23 October 1962 the city was granted the honour of electing a Lord Mayor.[2] Notable figures who have been Lord Mayor of Oxford include J. N. L. Baker (1964–65), Air-Vice-Marshal William Foster MacNeece Foster (1966–67) and Olive Gibbs (1974–75 and 1981–82).[2]
| Year | Name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1392/1393 | Thomas Somerset[3] | MP for Oxford, 1379, 1388 | |
| 1395/1396 | John Shawe[4] | MP for Oxford, 1388 | |
| 1400/01 | John Merston[5] | MP for Oxford, 1393, 1404 and 1414 | |
| 1401/1402 | Edmund Kenyan[6] | MP for Oxford, 9 times between 1379 and 1394 | |
| 1403/1404 | |||
| 1412 | |||
| 1420/1423 | William Brampton[7] | MP for Oxford, 1416, 1419, 1421 and 1425 | |
| 1424/1425 | William Offord[8] | MP for Oxford, 1420, 1421, 1422 and 1426 | |
| 1425/1426 | |||
| 1426/1427 | |||
| 1430/1432 | |||
| 1436/1437 | |||
| 1438/1439 | |||
| 1527/1529 | William Fleming[9] | MP for Oxford, 1529 and ?1536 | |
| 1556/1557 | William Tylcock[10] | MP for Oxford, 1554 | |
| 1557/1558 | Thomas Williams[11] | MP for Oxford, 1553 | |
| 1560/1561 | William Tylcock | ||
| 1563/1564 | Roger Taylor[12] | MP for Oxford, 1559 | |
| 1565/1566 | Thomas Williams | ||
| 1568/1569 | William Tylcock | ||
| 1569/1570 | |||
| 1574/1575 | |||
| 1575/1576 | William Tylcock | ||
| 1576/1577 | |||
| 1636 | MP for Oxford, 1646 | ||
| 1646/1648 | |||
| 1654 | |||
| 1698 | Clockmaker | ||
| 1710 | |||
| 1836 (Jan–Oct) | Wine merchant | ||
| 1851/1852 | Coal merchant | ||
| 1859/1860 | Magistrate, Hatter of Randall & Nichols[13] | ||
| 1861/1862 | |||
| 1865/1866 | Draper of Elliston & Cavell Ltd | ||
| 1874/1875 | Coal merchant | ||
| 1875/1876 | Jason Saunders[14] | ||
| 1877/1888 | |||
| 1879/1880 (part) | |||
| 1891/1892 | Frederick William Ansell | Music Seller (shop proprietor) | |
| 1900/1901 | George Claridge Druce | Botanist | |
| 1901/1902 | Walter Gray | Alderman | |
| 1902/1903 | John H. Salter[15] | Alderman, Liberal | |
| 1907/1908 | Frederick William Ansell | Music Seller (shop proprietor) & Alderman | |
| 1909 | Arthur Salter, 1st Baron Salter | Academic. MP for Oxford University, 1937 and Ormskirk, 1951 | |
| 1933/1934 | Lily Sophia Tawney | First woman | |
| 1938/1939 | Henry Tregelles Gillett[16] | Doctor and prominent Quaker | |
| 1959/1960 | Research chemist at the University of Oxford |
By modern convention, Oxford City Council elects the longest-serving councelor (not having served already) as Lord Mayor. The term of the office is for one year and can only be held once.[17]
| Year | Name | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962/1963 | Evan Owen Roberts | First Lord Mayor | |
| 1963/1964 | Alec Percival Parker | ||
| 1964/1965 | John Leonard Norman Baker | University Councillor | |
| 1965/1966 | First woman Lord Mayor | ||
| 1966/1967 | William Foster MacNeece Foster | Air Vice-Marshal | |
| 1967/1968 | Francis (Frank) Vincent Pickstock | ||
| 1968/1969 | Peter Spencer Spokes | ||
| 1969/1970 | Percy Dudley Bromley | ||
| 1970/1971 | Michael Maclagan | University Councillor | |
| 1971/1972 | Thomas James Meadows | ||
| 1972/1973 | Arthur Bernard Connors | ||
| 1973/1974 | Frederick George Ingram | ||
| 1974/1975 | |||
| 1975/1976 | William George Robert Fagg | ||
| 1976/1977 | Ann Hazel Spokes | Later Ann Spokes Symonds | |
| 1977/1978 | Dora Minnie Carr | ||
| 1978/1979 | William Eaton Simpson | ||
| 1979/1980 | John Arundell Hamilton | ||
| 1980/1981 | Gordon Woodward | ||
| 1981/1982 | |||
| 1982/1983 | Anthony William Williamson | ||
| 1983/1984 | Janet Gillespie Todd | ||
| 1984/1985 | Frank Arnold Garside | ||
| 1985/1986 | |||
| 1986/1987 | John George William Parker | ||
| 1987/1988 | Elizabeth Florence Mary Standingford | In place of her husband Bert who died on 19 May 1987 when Lord Mayor Elect | |
| 1988/1989 | Nellie Dorothy Whorley | Later Nellie Comfort | |
| 1989/1990 | Patricia Anne Tempest Yardley | ||
| 1990/1991 | Queenie Lewingdon Hamilton | ||
| 1991/1992 | Alan David Pope | ||
| 1992/1993 | Barbara May Gatehouse | ||
| 1993/1994 | John Gordon Power | ||
| 1994/1995 | William Walker Buckingham | ||
| 1995/1996 | Joseph Charles Blewitt | ||
| 1996/1997 | Beryl Ivy Keen | ||
| 1997/1998 | William John Baker | ||
| 1998/1999 | Carol Roberts | ||
| 1999/2000 | Valerie Smith | ||
| 2000/2001 | Maureen Christian | ||
| 2001/2002 | Peter Moss | ||
| 2002/2003 | Gillian Ann Sanders | ||
| 2003/2004 | Patrick Stannard | ||
| 2004/2005 | Bryan Keen | ||
| 2005/2006 | Robert John Price | ||
| 2006/2007 | Jim Campbell | ||
| 2007/2008 | John Tanner | ||
| 2008/2009 | Susanna Pressel | ||
| 2009/2010 | Mary Clarkson | ||
| 2010/2011 | John Goddard | ||
| 2011/2012 | Elise Benjamin | ||
| 2012/2013 | Alan Armitage resigned 4 March 2012 and replaced 13 March 2013 by Mohammed Abbasi | ||
| 2013/2014 | Dee Sinclair | ||
| 2014/2015 | Mohammed Abbasi[18] | ||
| 2015/2016 | Rae Humberstone[19] | ||
| 2016/2017 | Mohammed Altaf-Khan[20] | ||
| 2017/2018 | Jean Fooks[21] | ||
| 2018/2019 | Colin Cook[22] | ||
| 2019/2020 | Craig Simmons | ||
| 2020/2022 | Mark Lygo | ||
| 2022/2023 | James Fry | ||
| 2023/2024 | Lubna Arshad[23] | ||
| 2024/2025 | Mike Rowley[24] | First openly gay Lord Mayor.[25] |