List of mayors of Laurel, Maryland

This is a list of mayors of Laurel, Maryland,[1][2][3] a city in the central part of the U.S. state of Maryland. Before the city's (nonpartisan) office of Mayor was established, a similar role was that of President of the Board of Commissioners. Officials elected to multiple consecutive terms have the number of terms noted after their names. The term length changed from one year to two years in 1904, and from two years to four years in 1974.


Presidents

Order
 Presidents of the Laurel Board of Commissioners
President Served Notes
1 James Curley 1870–1872 grandfather of James P. Curley[3]
2 James A. Crandle 1872–1873
3 Walter Brown 1873–1874
4 William H. Diven 1874–1875
5 John A. Talbott 1875–1876
6 Edward J. Phelps (2) 1876–1878 father of Edward Phelps[3]
7 John Haslup 1878–1879
8 John W. Whitesides (2) 1879–1881
9 Lawrence A. Ellis 1881–1882
10 John Cronmiller (4) 1882–1886
11 A.M. Bond (2) 1886–1888
12 Jesse Smallwood 1888–1889

Mayors

Years
per term
Order
Person
number
 Mayors of Laurel, Maryland
Mayor Served Notes
1 1 1 Judson T. Cull 1890–1891
2 2 Charles H. Stanley (2) 1891–1893
3 3 J.R. Huntt 1893–1894
4 4 Gustavus B. Timanus 1894–1895
5 5 Edward Phelps (7) 1895–1902 Son of Edward J. Phelps;[3] most-elected mayor
6 6 Gustavus Timanus (3) 1902–1905 3rd term had a two-year length
2
7 7 T. Watts Byerly 1905–1906 July 1905, completed Timanus' 3rd term
8 8 William E. Gilbert (3) 1906–1910 Also served in 1920
9 9 George McCeney 1910–1912 December 1910, completed Gilbert's 3rd term
10 10 George W. Waters Jr. (3) 1912–1918
11 11 George P. McCeney 1918–1920
12 8 William E. Gilbert 1920 Also served 1906–1910
13 12 Edward F. Tolson 1920–1922 December 1920, completed Gilbert's term; also served 1940–1946
14 13 Charles E. Little 1922–1924
15 14 Thomas D. Roberts 1924–1925
16 15 DeWilton H. Donaldson 1925–1928 October 1925, completed Roberts' term
17 16 James P. Curley[4] 1928–1930 Grandson of James Curley[3]
18 17 John H. Fetty 1930–1934 Also served 1946–1948
19 18 Julian B. Anderson 1934–1936
20 19 Everard Enos Hatch (2) 1936–1940
21 12 Edward F. Tolson (3) 1940–1946 Also served 1920–1922
22 17 John H. Fetty 1946–1948 Also served 1930–1934
23 20 Merrill L. Harrison (3) 1948–1954 Also served 1964–1972
24 21 Harry Hardingham Jr. (2) 1954–1958
25 22 Hiram J. Soper (2) 1958–1962
26 23 P.G. Melbourne III 1962–1964
27 20 Merrill L. Harrison (4) 1964–1972 Also served 1948–1954
28 24 Leo E. Wilson (2) 1972–1978 2nd term had a four-year length
4
29 25 Robert J. DiPietro (2) 1978–1986
30 26 Doris A. (Dani) Duniho 1986–1990 Laurel's first woman mayor[5][6]
31 27 Joseph R. Robison 1990–1994
32 28 Frank P. Casula (2) 1994–2001 Died in office[7]
33 29 Michael R. Leszcz 2001–2002 October 2001, completed Casula's 2nd term[8]
34 30 Craig A. Moe (5) 2002–2023 Election moved to odd years (starting 2011);[9] longest-tenured mayor[10]
35 31 Keith Sydnor 2023–present Laurel's first Black mayor[11]

References

  1. ^ "History of the City of Laurel, Maryland". www.laurel.md.us. City of Laurel, Maryland. Archived from the original on August 1, 2008. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  2. ^ "Laurel Mayors, Prince George's County, Maryland". msa.maryland.gov. Maryland State Archives. Retrieved November 29, 2008.
  3. ^ a b c d e "About Laurel/History of Laurel". www.cityoflaurel.org. City of Laurel, Maryland. Retrieved April 28, 2011.
  4. ^ Wotanis, Lindsey Lee (2011). Community journalism as ritual: A case study of community and weekly newspapers in Laurel, Maryland (PDF) (Ph.D.). University Microfilms International. pp. 199–200. 3461429. Retrieved January 1, 2013. [Curley] became Laurel's mayor in 1928
  5. ^ "Former Ocalan Elected Mayor of Laurel, Md". Ocala Star-Banner. Ocala, Florida. March 20, 1986. Retrieved January 1, 2013. [Duniho] will be Laurel's first woman mayor.
  6. ^ "FY2010 Adopted Operating Budget" (PDF). City of Laurel, Maryland. 2009. p. 141. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 1, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2013. The park was renamed ... after Laurel's first woman mayor, Dani Duniho
  7. ^ Scarcella, Michael (October 23, 2001). "Laurel Mayor Frank P. Casula, respected politician, dies at 81". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 1, 2013. [Casula] was elected mayor in 1994 and reelected in 1998.
  8. ^ Glenn, Gwendolyn (October 12, 2011). "Leszcz seeks eighth term on Laurel City Council". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved January 1, 2013. Leszcz ... served for five months as Laurel's mayor after Mayor Frank Casula died in 2001.
  9. ^ "Laurel: Candidate Endorsements". Baltimore Sun. October 19, 2011. Retrieved January 1, 2013. The current mayor and council members had 14 months added to their four- and two-year terms when Laurel's election day was moved to the first November in odd-numbered years
  10. ^ Friend, Richard (February 2017). "Laurel History Boys Connect Woman to Lost Family Memorabilia" (PDF). The Laurel Light. Vol. XVIII, no. I. Laurel Historical Society. p. 1. Retrieved October 22, 2021.
  11. ^ Lockman, JeanneTyler Moodee (November 8, 2023). "Keith Sydnor makes history as first Black mayor of Laurel, Maryland". WJLA-TV. Retrieved November 9, 2023.