List of mayors of Manchester, New Hampshire

This is a list of mayors of Manchester, New Hampshire. Throughout history, the people of Manchester have chosen leaders to guide the city. Mayors are important because they help make decisions for the city and oversee many of its activities.

In the past, elections for mayor were held in odd-numbered years, and mayors served for two years at a time. The first city election in Manchester happened on August 19, 1846. The mayor plays a key role in running the city, supervising its affairs, and leading important meetings.

Over time, the length of the mayor's term has changed. It started with one-year terms and later became two years. The mayor must live in Manchester for at least a year before running for office. This list shows the people who have helped lead Manchester through many years of change.

List

No.	Mayor		Took office	Left office	Tenure	Party		Election
1		Hiram Brown (1801–1890)	1846	1847	1 year		Whig	1846
2		Jacob F. James (1817–1892) 1st time	1847	1849	2 years		Whig	1847
								1848
3		Warren L. Lane (1805–1861)	1849	1850	1 year		Democratic	1849
4		Moses Fellows (1803–1879)	1850	1852	2 years	Unknown		1850
								1851
5		Frederick Smyth (1819–1899) 1st time	1852	1855	3 years	Unknown		1852
								1853
								1854
6		Theodore T. Abbott (1799–1886) 1st time	1855	1857	2 years		American	1855
								Mar. 1856
7		Jacob F. James (1817–1892) 2nd time	1857	1858	1 year		Whig	Nov. 1856
8		Alonzo Smith (1808–1865)	1858	1859	1 year	Unknown		1857
9		Edward W. Harrington (TBA–TBA)	1859	1861	2 years	Unknown		1858
								1859
10		David A. Bunton (1805–1890)	1861	1863	2 years		Republican	1860
								1861
11		Theodore T. Abbott (1799–1886) 2nd time	1863	1864	1 year		American	1862
12		Frederick Smyth (1819–1899) 2nd time	1864	1865	1 year		Republican	1863
13		Darwin J. Daniels (?–1865)	1865	August 15, 1865	8 months	Unknown		1864
–		F. W. Harrington (TBA–TBA) Acting	August 15, 1865	August 1865	1 month	Unknown		–
14		John Hosley (TBA–TBA) 1st time	August 1865	1867	1 year, 4 months	Unknown		1865
15		Joseph B. Clark (TBA–TBA)	1867	1868	1 year		Republican	1866
16		James A. Weston (1827–1895) 1st time	1868	1869	1 year		Democratic	1867
17		Isaac W. Smith (1825–1898)	1869	1870	1 year		Republican	1868
18		James A. Weston (1827–1895) 2nd time	1870	1871	1 year		Democratic	1869
								1870
19		Person Colby Cheney (1828–1901)	1872	1873	1 year		Republican	1871
20		Charles H. Bartlett (1833–1900)	1873	February 18, 1873	2 months	Unknown		1872
21		John P. Newell (TBA–TBA)	1873	1874	10 months	Unknown		App.
22		James A. Weston (1827–1895) 3rd time	1874	1875	1 year		Democratic	1873
23		Alpheus Gay (TBA–TBA)	1875	1876	1 year		Republican	1875
24		Ira Cross (1833–1914)	1876	1877	1 year		Republican	1876
								1877
25		John L. Kelly (TBA–TBA)	1877	1881	4 years	Unknown		Mar. 1878
								Nov. 1878
26		Horace B. Putnam (1825–1888)	1881	1885	4 years	Unknown		1880
								1882
27		George H. Stearns (1838–1929)	1885	1887	2 years	Unknown		1884
28		John Hosley (TBA–TBA) 2nd time	1887	1889	2 years	Unknown		1886
29		David B. Varney (TBA–TBA)	1889	1891	2 years	Unknown		1888
30		Edgar J. Knowlton (TBA–TBA)	1891	May 10, 1894	3–4 years	Unknown		1890
								1892
–		David B. Varney (TBA–TBA) De facto	July 1894	June 1895	11 months	Unknown		–
31		William C. Clarke (TBA–TBA)	1895	1903	8 years		Republican	1894
								1896
								1898
								1900
32		Eugene E. Reed (1866–1940)	1903	1911	8 years		Democratic	1902
								1904
								1906
								1908
33		Edward Clarke Smith (1864–1926)	1911	1913	2 years		Republican	1910
34		Charles C. Hayes (TBA–TBA)	1913	1915	2 years		Democratic	1912
35		Harry W. Spaulding (TBA–TBA)	1915	1918	3 years		Republican	1914
								1915
36		Moise Verrette (TBA–TBA)	1918	1922	4 years		Democratic	1917
								1919
37		George E. Trudel (TBA–TBA)	1922	1926	4 years		Republican	1921
								1923
38		Arthur E. Moreau (TBA–TBA)	1926	1932	6 years		Republican	1925
								1927
								1929
39		Damase Caron (TBA–TBA)	1932	1942	10 years		Democratic	1931
								1933
								1935
								1937
								1939
40		Wilfred A. LaFlamme (TBA–TBA)	1942	1944	2 years		Republican	1941
41		Josephat T. Benoit (1900–1976)	1944	1962	18 years		Democratic	1943
								1945
								1947
								1949
								1951
								1953
								1955
								1957
								1959
42		John C. Mongan (1925–2013) 1st time	1962	1964	2 years		Republican	1961
43		Roland S. Vallee (1929–1997)	1964	1968	4 years		Democratic	1963
								1965
44		John C. Mongan (1925–2013) 2nd time	1968	1970	2 years		Republican	1967
45		Henry J. Pariseau (1918–1970)	1970	May 30, 1970	5 months		Republican	1969
46		Charles R. Stanton (1929–1985) 1st time	1970	1972	1 year, 6 months		Democratic	App.
47		Sylvio L. Dupuis (born 1934)	1972	May 1975	3 years, 5 months		Democratic	1971
								1973
48		Charles R. Stanton (1929–1985) 2nd time	May 1975	1982	6 years, 7 months		Democratic	App.
								1975
								1977
								1979
49		Emile Beaulieu (1931–2016) 1st time	1982	1984	2 years		Democratic	1981
50		Robert F. Shaw (1934–2004)	1984	1988	4 years		Republican	1983
								1985
51		Emile Beaulieu (1931–2016) 2nd time	1988	1990	2 years		Democratic	1987
52		Raymond Wieczorek (1928–2022)	1990	2000	10 years		Republican	1989
								1991
								1993
								1995
								1997
53		Robert A. Baines (1946–2026)	2000	2006	6 years		Democratic	1999
								2001
								2003
54		Frank Guinta (born 1970)	January 3, 2006	January 5, 2010	4 years, 2 days		Republican	2005
								2007
55		Ted Gatsas (born 1950)	January 5, 2010	January 2, 2018	7 years, 362 days		Republican	2009
								2011
								2013
								2015
56		Joyce Craig (born 1967)	January 2, 2018	January 2, 2024	6 years, 0 days		Democratic	2017
								2019
								2021
57		Jay Ruais (born 1985)	January 2, 2024	Incumbent	2 years, 137 days		Republican	2023
								2025