List of mayors of Kansas City, Missouri


PartyMayors
Democratic37
Republican20
Independent0
Whig1

The Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri is the highest official in the Kansas City, Missouri Municipal Government.
Since the 1920s the city has had a council-manager government in which a city manager runs most of the day-to-day operations of the city. Unlike most cities of its size, by charter Kansas City has a "weak-mayor" system, in which most of the power is formally vested in the city council. However, the mayor is very influential in drafting and guiding public policy. He or she presides over all city council meetings that he attends, and has a casting vote on the council. Due to these combined factors the mayor, in fact, holds a significant amount of de facto power in the city government.
Since 1946 Mayors of Kansas City are elected by the voters of Kansas City to four-year terms, and are limited to two terms under the city's charter. Mayors initially served one-year terms until 1890 when they began serving two-year terms. Technically, according to the City Charter, city elections are non-partisan, meaning that the mayor and city council run without nominal political affiliation. The mayor of Kansas City occupies an office on the 29th floor of the Kansas City City Hall, the building's highest floor. Eleven of Kansas City's mayors are interred in Elmwood Cemetery. The current mayor of Kansas City is Quinton Lucas, who was elected in 2019.

Mayors

#NameTook officeLeft officePartyTerms
1William S. Gregory18531854Whig1
2Johnston Lykins18541855Democratic1
3John Johnson18551855Democratic½
4Milton J. Payne18551860Democratic4½
5George M.B. Maughs18601861Democratic1
6Robert T. Van Horn18611862Republican1
4Milton J. Payne18621863Democratic1
7William Bonnifield18631863Democratic½
6Robert T. Van Horn18631865Republican1½
8Patrick Shannon18651866Democratic1
9Alexander L. Harris18661867Democratic1
10Edward H. Allen18671868Republican1
9Alexander L. Harris18681869Democratic1
11Francis R. Long18691870Republican1
12Elijah M. McGee18701871Democratic1
13William Warner18711872Republican1
14Robert H. Hunt18721873Republican1
15Edward Lowe Martin18731874Democratic1
16Smith D. Woods18741875Democratic1
17Turner A. Gill18751877Democratic2
18James W. L. Slavens18771878Republican1
19George M. Shelley18781880Democratic2
20Charles A. Chace18801881Republican1
21Daniel A. Frink18811882Republican1
22Thomas B. Bullene18821883Republican1
23James Gibson18831884Democratic1
24Leander J. Talbott18841885Democratic1
25John W. Moore18851886Democratic1
26Henry C. Kumpf18861889Republican3
27Joseph J. Davenport18891890Republican1
28Benjamin Holmes18901892Democratic1
29William S. Cowherd18921894Democratic1
30Webster Davis18941896Republican1
31James M. Jones18961900Republican2
32James A. Reed19001904Democratic2
33Jay H. Neff19041906Republican1
34Henry M. Beardsley19061908Republican2
35Thomas T. Crittenden Jr.19081910Democratic1
36Darius A. Brown19101912Republican1
37Henry L. Jost19121916Democratic2
38George H. Edwards19161918Republican1
39James Cowgill19181921Democratic1½
40Sam B. Strother19211922Democratic½
41Frank H. Cromwell19221924Democratic1
42Albert I. Beach19241930Republican3
43Bryce B. Smith1930January 5, 1940Democratic4½
44Charles S. Keith19401940Democratic½
45John B. Gage19401946Democratic3
46William E. Kemp19461955Democratic3
47H. Roe Bartle19551963Democratic2
48Ilus W. Davis19631971Democratic2
49Charles B. Wheeler, Jr.19711979Democratic2
50Richard L. Berkley19791991Republican3
51Emanuel Cleaver19911999Democratic2
52Kay Barnes19992007Democratic2
53Mark Funkhouser20072011Democratic1
54Sly James20112019Democratic2
55Quinton Lucas2019CurrentDemocratic

Living former mayors

, five former mayors were alive, the oldest being Charles B. Wheeler, Jr.. The most recent death of a former mayor was that of Ilus W. Davis, on September 4, 1996.
NameMayoral termDate of birth
Charles B. Wheeler, Jr.1971-1979
Richard L. Berkley1979-1991
Emanuel Cleaver1991-1999
Kay Barnes1999-2007
Mark Funkhouser2007-2011
Sly James2011-2019