The first African-American mayors were elected during Reconstruction in the Southern United States beginning about 1867. African Americans in the South were also elected to many local offices, such as sheriff and Justice of the Peace, and state offices such as legislatures as well as a smaller number of federal offices. After this period ended in 1876, it became increasingly difficult for African Americans to compete in elections due to racial discrimination, such as Jim Crow laws. After the end of the 19th century, it generally was not until the 1960s, following the civil rights movement and passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965, that they again began to be elected or appointed to mayoral positions. Achievements in African Americans' being elected mayor in majority-European American and other municipalities made their political participation one of daily life in many localities. In 1970, there were fewer than 50 African American mayors; by 1982, there were 205.

1860s

1867

First African-American appointed mayor of a U.S. town as mayor of St. Martinville, Louisiana: Monroe Baker

List of first African-American mayors

1868

First African American elected mayor of a U.S. town as mayor of Donaldsonville, Louisiana: Pierre Caliste Landry First African-American mayor of Kingstree, South Carolina: Stephen Atkins Swails

List of first African-American mayors

1869

First African-American mayor of Maryville, Tennessee: William Bennett Scott Sr.

List of first African-American mayors

1870s

1870

First African American elected mayor of a Mississippi city: Robert H. Wood, Natchez, Mississippi

1878

First African American to be elected to serve as mayor in the state of New York: Edward "Ned" Sherman, Cleveland, New York

1880s

1887

Founding mayor: Columbus H. Boger, Eatonville, Florida

1888

First African American to be elected to the office of mayor in California and probably the first elected mayor in the Western United States: Edward P. Duplex, Wheatland, California

1899

Founding mayor of Hobson City, Alabama; S.L. David

1900s

1905

Founding mayor of Boley, Oklahoma: T. B. Armstrong

1910s

1918

Founding mayor of Robbins, Illinois: Thomas J. Kellar

1920s

1926

Lawnside, New Jersey became a self-governing community in 1926 and has elected African-American mayors since its inception.

1960s

1964

First African-American mayor of Richmond, California: George D. Carroll

1966

First African-American mayor of Flint, Michigan: Floyd J. McCree

First African-American mayor of Lake Elsinore, California: Thomas R. Yarborough

First African-American mayor of Milpitas, California: Ben F. Gross

First African-American mayor of El Centro, California: DuBois McGee

1967

First elected African-American mayor of Gary, Indiana: Richard G. Hatcher

First African-American mayor of a large U.S. city, Cleveland, Ohio: Carl Stokes

First African-American appointed mayor of Washington, D.C.: Walter Washington (see also: 1975) First African American to be elected mayor of Ypsilanti, Michigan: John Burton

1968

First African American to be elected mayor of Montclair, New Jersey: Matthew G. Carter First African-American mayor of a Kentucky city: Luska Twyman, Glasgow, Kentucky First African American to be elected mayor of a predominantly white Southern city: Howard Nathaniel Lee, Chapel Hill, North Carolina

1969

First African American to be elected mayor of Fayette, Mississippi: Charles Evers First African-American mayor of Compton, California: Douglas Dollarhide First African American to be elected mayor of East Orange, New Jersey: William Stanford Hart Sr. First African American to be elected mayor of Chapel Hill, North Carolina: Howard Nathaniel Lee

1970s

1970

First African American to be elected mayor of Newark, New Jersey: Kenneth A. Gibson First African American to be elected mayor of Dayton, Ohio: James H. McGee First African-American appointed mayor of Wichita, Kansas: A. Price Woodard First African American to be elected mayor of Salina, Kansas: Robert C. Caldwell First African American to be elected mayor of Chesilhurst, New Jersey: George J. Phillips First African American to be appointed mayor of Carson, California: Gilbert D. Smith