List of mayors of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The Mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania is a political position dating from 1917, arising from the merger of Borough of Bethlehem and the Borough of South Bethlehem, which came together as the city of Bethlehem. J. William Reynolds is the current mayor having been sworn in on January 3, 2021.[1]

Mayor of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
Incumbent
J. William Reynolds
since January 3, 2022
Term lengthFour years
Limited to two
consecutive terms
Inaugural holderArchibald Johnston
Formation1917
WebsiteOffice of the Mayor of Bethlehem

Separate Boroughs

Prior to the unification of Bethlehem and South Bethlehem into a single city, both Bethlehems' executive was known as the Chief Burgess, a title derived from the English office of Burgess which usually denoted the elected official of a municipality. Bethlehem used the title until 1886, while South Bethlehem used the title until 1913. The office would survive in the Borough of Bethlehem, not as the municipalities executive, but rather as the head Magistrate. A Chief Burgess would hold office for a one year term, the length of a session of the city council, and there was no term limits.

Borough of Bethlehem Chief Burgess
Name Party Term Begins Term Ends Term Length Notes
Charles A. Luckenbach  ? 1845 1846 2 years First Chief Burgess[2][3]
John M. Miksch  ? 1847 1848 2 years First term[3]
E.F. Bleck  ? 1849 1850 2 years First term[3]
Jacob Wolle  ? 1851 1851 1 year First term[3]
Jedidiah Weiss  ? 1852 1852 1 year [3]
E.F. Bleck  ? 1853 1853 1 year Second term [3]
Philip H. Goepp  ? 1854 1854 1 year [3]
Benjamin Van Kirk  ? 1855 1856 2 years [3]
Jacob Wolle  ? 1857 1859 3 years Second term[3]
Ira Cortright  ? 1860 1861 2 years [3]
Nathan Bartlett  ? 1862 1862 1 year [3]
John M. Miksch  ? 1863 1863 1 year Second term[3]
Charles F. Beckel  ? 1864 1869 5 years [3]
C.E. Peisert  ? 1870 1870 1 year [3]
Ambrose J. Erwin  ? 1871 1873 (?) 3(?) years [3]
George H. Meyers ? 1880 1887 7 years Lutheran[2]
Jacob B. Kemerer Republican 1887 1893 6 years Local lawyer, later elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate.[4][2]
Paul Kempsmith  ? 1893 1895 2 years Lutheran"[2]
C.M. Dodson  ? 1895 1897 2 years Episcopalian"[2]
William Edward Martin Republican 1908 1914 6 Years Yale educated doctor, active in local trade and industrial boards.[5]
James Yeakel Democrat 1914 1918 4 Years Local coachbuilder and councilmen, later elected the city's 2nd mayor.[5]

Borough of South Bethlehem Chief Burgess
Name Party Term Begins Term Ends Term Length Notes
James McMahon  ? 1865  ?  ? Named the borough's first Chief Burgess during its incorporation.[6]
Elisha P. Wilbur  ?  ?  ? 5 years Sat on South Bethlehem's first borough council for two terms before serving as Chief Burgess for five straight one year terms.[2]
H. Stanley Goodwin Republican 1875 1892 17 years Professor at Lehigh University, general superintendent of the Lehigh Valley railroad. A Republican in a staunchly Democrat borough, local humorists joked the favorite pastime of South Bethlehmites was to stone Republican parades. Died in office in 1892.[7][2]
Henry Coppée  ? 1894  ?  ? Professor and First President of Lehigh University. Has a building named after him.[7]
Robert S. Taylor  ? 1905  ?  ? Professor at Lehigh University.[7]

Borough of Bethlehem Mayors

The Borough of Bethlehem replaced their Chief Burgess with a more traditional mayoral government in 1886.

No. Mayor Party Term Begins Term Ends Term Length Notes
1st Andrew Harford Boyle Democratic 1886 1913 27 years First Mayor of Bethlehem. Born in 1839 in Burtonport, Ireland. He was a successful merchant and engineer before being elected mayor in 1886. He would die in office in 1913.[8]
2nd Archibald Johnston Republican 1913 1917 4 years A Roosevelt Republican and Vice President of Bethlehem Steel, Johnston was the last mayor of the borough of Bethlehem.[9]

Borough of South Bethlehem Mayors

In 1913 the Borough of South Bethlehem was incorporated as the City of South Bethlehem in an effort to stave off merger with the rest of Bethlehem. With the new municipal government the Chief Burgess was done away with and replaced with a mayoral government. However, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania determined that the incorporation was unconstitutional and in 1915 the borough of South Bethlehem, and the Chief Burgess, was restored.[10]

No. Mayor Party Term Begins Term Ends Term Length Notes
1st Mitchell Walter  ? 1913 1915 2 years The only mayor of South Bethlehem, Dr Mitchell Walter was not a politician, rather coming from a long line of notable local physicians.[11]

Term limits

In October 1973, just before the 15th mayoral election as the city was about to elect its 6th mayor, the council voted in favor of an ordinance limiting Bethlehem mayors to two full four-year terms (in addition to a partial term as an interim mayor if applicable). The ordinance was never submitted to, or challenged by, the voters. At the time, Bethlehem was the only city in Pennsylvania outside of Philadelphia that had term limits for mayor. This ordinance was ruled illegal by the Northampton County Court shortly after and mayor Paul Marcincin, who had voted in favor of the ordinance in 1973 when he was on the city council, used the court ruling to run for a third term in 1985. However, the city council challenged the legality of his third term and the case was brought before the Pennsylvania Supreme Court which, in 1987, struck down the Northampton County Court ruling and restored the 1973 ordinance. Marcincin would step down resulting in the first interim mayor in Bethlehem's history, as well as solidifying the two term limit for mayors.

Mayors of Bethlehem
Number Mayor Party Term Begins Term Ends Term Length Notes
1st Archibald Johnston Republican 1917 1921 4 years A Roosevelt Republican and Vice President of Bethlehem Steel, Johnston was the first mayor of the city of Bethlehem.[12]
2nd James Yeakel Democratic 1922 1930 8 years During Yeakel's term, crime ran rampant in the south side and his indifference resulted in his defeat when seeking a third term.[13]
3rd Robert Pfeifle Democrat 1930 1950 20 years Pennsylvania Dutch and the city's first Democrat mayor, Pfeifle launched a massive campaign to close speakeasies, brothels, and confiscate illegal liquor during Prohibition.[14]
4th Earl E. Schaffer Democrat 1950 1962 12 years Mayor Schaffer planned the construction of a new City Hall complex, expansion of recreation facilities and laid the groundwork for the strong-mayor government, however, none of these would be finished before he left the office.[15]
5th H. Gordon Payrow, Jr. Republican 1962 1974 12 years Mayor Payrow was the first mayor to serve under Bethlehem's strong mayor form of government. Oversaw the construction of the new City Hall and library.[16]
6th Gordon Mowrer Democrat 1974 1978 4 years Mayor Mowrer has been credited with restoring the historic character of Bethlehem and preserving the city's downtown. Under his term Victorian streetlights were introduced.[17]
7th Paul Marcincin Democrat 1978 January 14, 1987 9 years Mayor Marcinin was elected mayor in November 1977 after being a member of city council for 12 years. In 1985 he ran for a third term due to the ambiguity of the legality of the city's term limits. After a lengthy legal battle his third term was deemed illegal and he stepped down.[18]
(Interim) Gordon Mowrer Democrat January 14, 1987 November 1987 10 months Former Mayor Mowrer was appointed interim mayor by the council when it was determined that Mayor Marcincin's third election was illegal.[16]
8th Kenneth Smith Republican 1988 October 1997 9 years Mayor Smith bore the brunt of the unemployment crisis that followed Bethlehem Steel closing its steel mill. He accepted the post of vice president of public affairs at Lehigh University and resigned four months early.[19]
(Interim) Paul Marcincin Democrat October 1997 January 1998 4 months Former Mayor Marcincin was appointed interim mayor for the remainder of Smith's term.[18]
9th Don Cunningham Democrat 1998 March 2003 5 years Mayor Cunningham oversaw over $1,000,000,000 in redevelopment of the former Bethlehem Steel plant. He resigned to become Secretary of the Department of General Services under Governor Ed Rendell. He also served as Executive of Lehigh County, Pennsylvania.[20]
(Interim) James Delgrosso Democrat March 12, 2003 January 5, 2004 10 months James Delgrosso was appointed by the council to serve until a special election could be held. During said election he would be defeated in the Democratic primary.[21]
10th John B. Callahan Democrat January 5, 2004 January 7, 2014 10 years Mayor Callahan was remembered as "uncompromising" and "abrasive" often clashing with the city council. He was credited with bringing the city 5,000 new jobs and reducing crime by 25%.[22]
11th Robert Donchez Democrat January 6, 2014 January 3, 2022 8 years Mayor Donchez ran a Technocratic mayoralty, hiring professionals in fields to head specific departments as opposed to staffing his office with politicians.[23]
12th J. William Reynolds Democrat January 3, 2022 Current A former high school history teacher and city council president, incumbent mayor Reynolds has centered his mayoralty off increasing the standard of living in Bethlehem.[24]

References
  1. "J. William Reynolds sworn in as Bethlehem mayor". wfmz.com. wfmz news. January 3, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
  2. Vadasz, Thomas Patrick (1975). The history of an industrial community, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, 1741-1920. College of William & Mary.
  3. Doster., W.E. "General borough law, acts of incorporation, acts of assembly pertaining to the borough of Bethlehem, and ordinances and resolutions of Town Council : compiled in pursuance of the following resolution passed April 25, 1873". HathiTrust. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Retrieved 18 May 2023.
  4. "Jacob B Kemerer". Pennsylvania State Senate. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  5. JORDAN, JOHN W. ""Encyclopedia of Pennsylvania biography"". Wayback Machine. Hillman Library. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  6. "The Borough of South Bethlehem". Lehighvalleyhistory.com. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  7. Drinker Bowen, Catherine. "A History of Lehigh University". Google Books. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  8. "BETHLEHEM CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday, March 15, 2022". Bethlehem Municipal Government. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  9. "Bethlehem Mayor Johnston Biography".
  10. "Semi-Centennial: The Borough of South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania - Souvenir History, Issued in Connection with the Semi-Centennial Celebration Oct 3-9, 1915" (PDF). Bethlehem Public Library. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  11. Shankweiler, Fred L.; Boyle, Frank T. "Men of Bethlehem" (PDF). Bethlehem Public Library. Retrieved 14 May 2023.
  12. "Bethlehem Mayor Johnston Biography".
  13. "Roaring 20s Cop Killing Remembered in Bethlehem".
  14. Radzievich, Nicole. "'Crime buster' mayor honored from Bethlehem's bawdy days". www.mcall.com. The Morning Call. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  15. "Bethlehem renames ice rink for late Mayor Earl Schaffer".
  16. Radzievich, Nicole. "Former Bethlehem Mayor Payrow dies ** Built city government complex. His "vision' is remembered". www.mcall.com. Retrieved 2 November 2022.
  17. "Gordon Mowrer retires as Councilman".
  18. "Mayor's Invocation".
  19. "Whatever became of ... former Bethlehem Mayor Ken Smith". www.mcall.com. Retrieved 31 October 2022.
  20. "Ad Watch: Lehigh County Executive". The Morning Call. October 8, 2005. p. B3.
  21. Olanoff, Lynn (2009-10-09). "James Delgrosso, former interim Bethlehem mayor and longtime councilman, remembered for Bethlehem Steel rezoning, fiscal responsibility". The Express-Times. Archived from the original on 2009-10-11. Retrieved 2009-10-11.
  22. Radzievich, Nicole (October 2, 2010). "Bethlehem's 'closer' tries to seal the deal with voters". The Morning Call. p. A1. Retrieved October 31, 2015.
  23. Sara, Satullo (February 2, 2017). "Bethlehem mayor seeks another 4 years". lehighvallylive.com. Advance Publications. Retrieved October 2, 2022.
  24. "J. William Reynolds". Lehigh Valley Business. Bridge Tower Media. March 14, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2022.
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