The office of the mayor of Cambridge was created following the granting of a charter by King John in 1207 to the town of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. The charter gave the burgesses of the town the right to elect their own mayors in place of the provosts previously appointed by the crown. The first recorded mayor was Hervey FitzEustace who served in the year 1213.

Mayors of Cambridge

The following have been mayors of Cambridge :

1213: Hervey FitzEustace, 1st recorded mayor
1376–78: John Cotton, MP for Cambridge 6 times between 1379 and 1388^[1]
Sept. 1378-9, 1386–8, 1393–4, 1396–9, 1405–6: Robert Brigham^[2]
1391–92: John Marshall^[3]
1432–33: John Knapton^[4]
1586–87: John Edmonds, MP for Cambridge, 1586 ^[5]
1596–98: Robert Wallis, MP for Cambridge, 1597–1611
1599–1600: John Yaxley, MP for Cambridge, 1597–1611 ^[6]
1605–06: John Edmonds
1619–21: Richard Foxton, MP for Cambridge, 1621
c.1780: John Mortlock, MP for Cambridge, 1784^[7]
1794: John Whittred, magistrate (1697–1778)

19th century

1836–37: Ebenezer Foster, co-founder of Foster's Bank
1837–38: Charles Humfrey, architect
1838–39: Henry Headly
1839–40: Richard Foster, co-founder of Foster's Bank
1840–43: George Fisher, banker (two terms)
1842–43: Thomas Stevwnson, bookseller
1843–44: Rowland M. Fawcett
1844–45: W. Bishop
1845–46: John J. Deighton, bookseller
1846–47: Charles E. Brown
1847–48: Charles F. Foster, miller, corn, coal and timber merchant
1848–49: Charles Finch, iron founder
1849–50: Henry S. Foster
1850–51: William Warren, grocer
1851–52: Elliot Smith, auctioneer and land agent
1852–53: Henry Hemington Harris, auditor
1853–54: Augustin G. Brimley, wholesale grocer and provision merchant
1854–55: Charles F. Foster (2nd term)
1855–56: William Ekin, of Ekin Brewery
1856–57: Patrick Beales, corn and coal merchant
1857–58: Swann Hurrell
1858–59: Charles Balls, auditor and director of Cambridge Water Company
1859–60: Elliot Smith (2nd term)
1860–62: Charles F. Foster (3rd & 4th terms)
1862–63: Henry Smith
1863–64: Henry Hemington Harris (2nd term)
1864–66: Swann Hurrell (2nd & 3rd terms)
1866–67: Patrick Beales (2nd term)
1867–68: Elliot Smith (3rd term)
1868–69: C. E. Brown
1869–70: Charles Balls (2nd term)
1870–72: Samuel Peed, solicitor (2 terms)
1872–73: T. H. Naylor, lawyer
1873–75: John Death (2 terms)
1875–77: Frederic Barlow, solicitor of Barlow, Palmer and Neville (2 terms)
1877–78: T. H. Naylor (2nd term)
1878–80: Henry Rance (2 terms)
1880–82: John Death (3rd & 4th terms)
1882–83: Henry Rance (3rd term)
1883–87: W. B. Redfarn (4 terms)
1887–89: Edward Bell, corn and seed merchant (died in office, replaced by F.C.Wace)
1889–91: F. C. Wace (2 terms)
1891–92: George Kett, builder
1892–93: Samuel L. Young, draper
1893–94: E. H. Parker, vice-chairman of Barclays Bank
1894–95: Thomas Hyde Hills, surgeon
1895–96: William C. Hall
1896–97: Horace Darwin, FRS, son of Charles. Founded Cambridge Instrument Company
1897–98: Samuel R. Ginn, solicitor
1898–99: George Kett (2nd term)
1899–1900: Alfred Tillyard, newspaper editor

20th century

1900–01: Henry Martyn Taylor, barrister
1901–02: George Kett (3rd term)
1902–03: Philip Henry Young, grocer, Liberal^[8]
1903–04: James H. C. Dalton, physician
1904–05: Algernon S. Campkin, pharmacist
1905–06: Sir Walter Durnford, Provost of King's College 1918–26
1906–07: George Stace, ladies' outfitter
1907–08: H. G. Whibley
1908–10: William P. Spalding, stationer (2 terms)
1910–11: George Stace (2nd term)
1911–12: Algernon S. Campkin
1912–13: Walter H. Francis, solicitor
1913–14: Joseph A. Sturton, pharmacist
1914–15: W. Luard Raynes
1915–16: George Turner
1916–17: Lt. Col. Barnet W. Beales, tailor
1918–19: Ralph Starr
1919–20: George P. Hawkins
1920–21: Benjamin C. Jolley
1921–22: George P. Hawkins (2nd term)
1922–23: George H. Lavender, draper
1923–24: Harold B. Bailey, brewer of Bailey and Tebbutt
1924–25: Eva Hartree, first woman Mayor of Cambridge
1925–26: Edward O. Brown
1926–27: John S. Conder
1927–28: Edward W. Amies
1928–29: John E. Purvis
1929–30: Harry Franklin
1930–31: Edwin Jackson, jeweller
1931–32: W. Luard Raynes (2nd term)
1932–33: Florence Ada Keynes, author
1933–34: Alexander A. Spalding
1934–35: Ralph Starr (2nd term)
1935–36: Herbert T. Wing
1936–37: William L. Briggs, 1st Labour mayor
1937–38: Ernest Saville Peck, pharmacist
1938–39: Alexander A. Spalding (2nd term)
1939–40: W. J. Wing
1940–41: Edward O. Brown (2nd term)
1941–43: Sir Montagu Butler, Governor of Central Provinces, 1925–33; Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man, 1933 (2 terms)
1943–44: William L. Briggs (2nd term)
1944–45: George Wilding
1945–46: Lady Alice Bragg, wife of Sir William Lawrence Bragg
1946–47: Francis Doggett, draughtsman
1947–49: Geoffrey F. Hickson (18 month term due to change of appointment date from November to May)
1949–50: William G. James, Managing Director of Coulson builders
1950–51: Archibald C. Taylor, Managing Director of Cambridge Daily News
1951–52: Henry O. Langdon
1952–53: Stewart T. Bull, dairy farmer
1953–54: Thomas H. Amey, railwayman
1954–55: Howard R. Mallett, librarian
1955–56: Edward T. Halnan, animal nutrionist
1956–57: C. Elliot Ridgeon of builders merchants Cyril Ridgeon and Son
1957–58: Bertram J. S. White, director of Joshua Taylor's departmental store
1958–59: Leonard D. V. Wordingham, railwayman
1959–60: Wallace Cole
1960–61: Cecil A. Mole, director of Johnson's men's outfitters
1961–62: Arthur Halcrow, librarian
1962–63: Geoffrey F. Hickson (2nd term)
1963–64: John B. Collins
1964–65: P. Jack Warren, university technician
1965–66: Horace G. Ives, road safety lecturer
1966–67: Marcus N. N. Bradford, hotelier
1967–68: Ernest A. Gill, insurance agent
1968–69: Herbert C. Finbow, director of removal firm
1969–70: George Dean, Cambridge University Press
1970–71: Brian Cooper, university lecturer in mechanical engineering
1971–72: Jean Barker (later Baroness Trumpington)
1972–73: Peter C. Wright of Dept of the Animal Physiology of Agricultural Research Council
1973–74: Stanley C. Bowles, engineer, Cambridge Water Company
1974–75: P. Jack Warren (2nd term)
1975–76: Robert May
1976–77: Robert E. Wright, confectioner
1977–78: Maurice J. Garner, legal executive
1978–79: Alec Molt
1979–80: Donald R. H. MacKay, managing director of Donald MacKay Engineering (Cambridge) Ltd
1980–81: Doris M. Howe
1981–82: Percy O. Reed, managing director of P.O. Reed Ltd, Hairdressers
1982–83: Peter J. Cowell, postman
1983–84: Millicent A. "Betty" Suckling
1984–85: Edward G. Cowell
1985–86: A. James Johnson, chef
1986–87: John Woodhouse, telecomms engineer
1987–88: Terry Sweeney (resigned Summer 1987 and replaced by Peter Cowell)
1988–89: Lavena A. D. Hawes, librarian
1989–90: John Woodhouse (2nd term)
1990–91: Dr George A. Reid, mathematics lecturer
1991–92: Peter Cowell (3rd term)
1992–93: Barry Gardiner, elected MP for Brent North in 1997
1993–94: Alec MacEachern, manager of Psychiatric Services, Fulbourn Hospital
1994–95: Joye Rosenstiel, charity administrator
1995–96: Sonja Froggett, medical practitioner
1996–97: John Durrant
1997–98: Daphne Roper, book seller
1998–99: Peter Cowell (4th term)
1999–2000: Richard Smith, schoolteacher

21st century

2000–01: Evelyn Knowles
2001–02: Chris Lakin
2002–03: Philippa Slatter, teacher
2003–04: David White
2004–05: Robert Dryden (mayor)
2005–06: John Hipkin
2006–07: Robert Dryden (mayor) (2nd term)
2007–08: Jenny Bailey, telecoms engineer
2009–09: Mike Dixon, teacher
2009–10: Russ McPherson
2010–11: Sheila Stuart, accountant
2011–12: Ian Nimmo-Smith, mathematician
2012–13: Sheila Stuart (2nd term)
2013–14: Paul Saunders
2014–15: Gerri Bird
2015–16: Robert Dryden (mayor) (3rd term)
2016–17: Jeremy Benstead
2017–18: George Pippas
2018–19: Nigel Gawthrope (died in office and was replaced by Gerri Bird)^[9]
2019: Gerri Bird (2nd term)
2020–22: Russ McPherson (2nd term)
2022–23: Mark Ashton

Mayors of Cambridge

19th century

20th century

21st century

References

Further reading