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List of mayors of Yazoo City, Mississippi

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The mayor of Yazoo City, Mississippi is elected every four years by the population at large. Being the chief executive officer of the city, the mayor is responsible for administering and leading the day-to-day operations of city government. The current mayor of the city is David "Mel" Starling, who was elected in 2022.[1]

City Hall is located at 128 East Jefferson Street.

List of mayors

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Nineteenth century

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Mayor name Term Notes
C. H. Williams 1884–1888
W. G. Deles 1888–1892
Theodore Schmitt 1892–1894[2]
John C. Henderson 1894–1897
John H. Murphy 1897 Interim mayor upon the resignation of Henderson. Died in office.
George M. Powell 1897–1900[2]

Twentieth Century

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Mayor name Term Notes
Edward Luke 1900–1904[2]
Edwin R. Holmes 1904–1908[2]
Edward Luke 1908–1911 Returned to office.
Thomas H. Campbell, Jr. 1911–1920
E. P. Swain 1920–1928[2]
J. O. Stricklin, Sr. 1928–1930[2] Died in office shortly after winning decisively for a second term. Committed suicide on Tuesday, April 1, 1930, after shooting and seriously wounding F. R. Birdsall, editor of the Yazoo Sentinel newspaper.[3] The shooting occurred after Birdsall published a story of a grand jury indictment against Stricklin. Birdsall died from his injuries the following day.[4]
R. M. Middleton 1930[2] Interim mayor after the death of Stricklin. Finished a distant second in special election to complete remainder of Stricklin's unexpired term.
Dewitt M. Love 1930–1942[2]
Nathan L. Swayze 1942–1945 Died in office
R. M. Middleton 1945 Interim mayor after the death of Swayze.
Charles L. Graeber 1945–1947
J. B. Smith 1947–1948[2]
William Sidney Perry 1948–1954[2]
Harry Applebaum 1954–1968
J. F. Barbour III 1968–1972[5] Elected as an Independent, Barbour was one of the first Mississippi politicians to successfully challenge the Democratic Party in the state in the modern era.
Floyd E. Johnson 1972-1978[6]
Charles E. Fulgham 1978–1990[2]
Hugh J. McGraw 1990–1998[2]

Twenty-first century

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Mayor name Term Notes
Wardell Leach 1998–2006[2][7] First African American mayor. Brother of Herman Leach (1937-2023), who in 1979 became the first African American county supervisor in Yazoo County.[7]
McArthur Slaughter 2006–2014[2]
Diana Delaware 2014–2022[8] First female mayor
David "Mel" Starling 2022–[1]

References

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  1. ^ a b Patterson, Jamie (16 April 2022). "Starling sworn in as Yazoo City's new mayor". Yazoo Herald. Yazoo City, Mississippi. Retrieved 11 December 2022. And after being presented with a gavel and sworn in by Federal Judge Carlton Reeves, David "Mel" Starling began his tenure as Yazoo City's new mayor.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "List of Mayors of Yazoo City". City of Yazoo City. Retrieved January 17, 2023.
  3. ^ "Yazoo editor shot down by Mayor Stricklin". The Yazoo City Herald. Yazoo City, Mississippi. April 1, 1930. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via newspapers.com. F. R. Birdsall, editor of the Ya[z]oo Sentinel and member of the State Tax Commission was shot and seriously wounded and J. O. Stricklin, Mayor of Ya[z]oo City, is dead of a self-inflicted wound, as the result of a shooting affray on Main street this afternoon about 1:30 o'clock in which Mayor Stricklin did all the shooting, according to eye witnesses.
  4. ^ "Editor given final honors in Yazoo City". Clarion-Ledger. Jackson, Mississippi. April 4, 1930. pp. 1, 15. Retrieved January 17, 2023 – via newspapers.com. Mr. Birdsall died early Wednesday morning from three pistol wounds inflicted by J. O. Stricklin, Sr., mayor of Ya[z]oo City, Tues[d]ay afternoon after which Mr. Stricklin calmly drove his car to the undertaking establishment of his son and shot himself, death ensuing instantly.
  5. ^ "His Honor sworn to duty by mother". The Yazoo City Herald. April 11, 1968. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via newspapers.com. Mayor J. F. Barbour III was sworn into office Monday night by his mother, Mrs. J. F. Barbour, Jr. and became one of the youngest chief executive officers in the history of the city.
  6. ^ "Floyd Johnson elected mayor". The Yazoo City Herald. Yazoo City, Mississippi. April 6, 1972. p. 1. Retrieved January 16, 2023 – via newspapers.com. Alderman Floyd E. Johnson, who was elected Mayor of Yazoo City by polling 1581 votes will take office at regular Council meeting Monday, April 10.
  7. ^ a b "First Black Mississippi county supervisor dies in house fire". Fox News. January 17, 2023. Retrieved January 17, 2023. His brother Wardell Leach was Yazoo City's first Black mayor from 1998 through 2006.
  8. ^ "Delaware cruises to a second term as Mayor - Yazoo Herald Retrieved on April 29, 2021"
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