Elections in Kentucky
Federal government Presidential elections 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 2024 Presidential primaries Democratic 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020 Republican 2008 2012 2016 U.S. Senate elections 1792 1793 1794 1798 1800 1804 1805 sp 1806 1806 sp 1811 1813 1814 sp 1815 sp 1816 1816 sp 1818 1819 sp 1820 sp 1823 1824 sp 1829 1831 sp 1835 1836 1841 1842 1842 sp 1843 1848 1849 1849 sp 1851 1851 sp 1854 1858 1859 1861 sp 1865 1867 1868 sp 1871 1872 1873 sp 1876 1879 1882 1884 1888 1890 1890 sp 1893 sp 1894 1897 1900 1902 1906 1908 1912 1914 1914 sp 1918 1920 1924 1926 1930 1930 sp 1932 1936 1938 1940 sp 1942 1944 1946 sp 1948 1950 1950 sp 1952 sp 1954 1956 1956 sp 1960 1962 1966 1968 1972 1974 1978 1980 1984 1986 1990 1992 1996 1998 2002 2004 2008 2010 2014 2016 2020 2022 2026 2028 U.S. House of Representatives elections 1792 1793 1795 1797 1799 1801 1803 1804 1806 1808 1810 5th sp 1812 1813 8th sp 1814 2nd sp 1815 2nd sp 1816 1st sp 1818 1820 1821 8th sp 1822 1824 1825 3rd sp 1826 5th sp 12th sp 1827 11th sp 1828 2nd sp 1829 1831 1833 1834 5th sp 1835 1837 1839 1841 1843 1845 1847 1849 1851 1853 1854 3rd sp 1855 1857 1859 1861 1862 2nd sp 1863 1865 1866 3rd sp 5th sp 6th sp 1867 3rd sp 1868 1870 3rd sp 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 6th sp 1892 1894 9th sp 10th sp 1896 1898 1899 7th sp 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1923 7th sp 1924 9th sp 1925 3rd sp 1926 1928 1929 3rd sp 1930 2nd sp 1932 1934 1935 4th sp 1936 1937 2nd sp 1938 1940 1942 1943 4th sp 1944 1946 1948 2nd sp 9th sp 1950 1951 6th sp 1952 2nd sp 1953 2nd sp 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1971 6th sp 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 2nd sp 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 6th sp 2006 2008 2010 2012 4th sp 2014 2016 1st sp 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government State elections 2007 2010 2011 2015 2018 2019 2020 2022 2023 2024 Gubernatorial elections 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1851 1855 1859 1863 1867 1868 sp 1871 1875 1879 1883 1887 1891 1895 1899 1900 sp 1903 1907 1911 1915 1919 1923 1927 1931 1935 1939 1943 1947 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015 2019 2023 Secretary of State elections 2011 2015 2019 2023 Attorney General elections 2011 2015 2019 2023 State Treasurer elections 2011 State Auditor elections 2011 Senate elections 1996 2020 2022 2024 House of Representatives elections 2004 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
Ballot measures 2004 Amendment 1 2022 Amendment 2
Lexington Mayoral elections 2014 2018
Louisville Mayoral elections 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Government
v t e

The history of Louisville, Kentucky, United States, as a city is considered to have started on February 13, 1828, the date of the first city charter. From the time of its first organization as a village, on February 7, 1781, until its incorporation as a city, it was governed by a board of trustees. At the time when its growth and commercial importance demanded the change of its government, it was chartered by the state legislature into a city of five wards and placed under the government of a mayor and city council, the latter being composed of ten members, two from each ward.

History of the office

The first election under the Act of Incorporation took place in March 1828. All free white males who had lived in the city for at least six months prior to the election could vote, although mayors were not elected directly initially. The two top vote-getters were referred to the governor, who selected the mayor from the two, with senate approval. The early mayor was relatively weak, acting mostly as a Justice of the Peace, serving a one-year term, and lacking a vote on the City Council except to break ties.

A change to the charter in 1838 allowed for direct election of a mayor, extended the term to three years, and prevented incumbents from running for re-election. The term was reduced to two years from 1851 to 1870, then returned to three, and was finally set at four years by the Kentucky Legislature in 1894. In the early 20th century, corruption and political machines were rampant, causing mayors of both parties to be removed from office by courts. All legislative power was given to the Board of Aldermen in 1929. Mayoral term limits were set at three in 1986.

On January 6, 2003, the city of Louisville and Jefferson County governments merged to form the government of Louisville Metro, and the office of Mayor of Louisville Metro was created.

Incorporated city

Mayor	Image	Term began	Term ended	Political party
John Bucklin		1828	1833
John Joyes		1834	1836
W. A. Cocke		1836	1836	Whig
Frederick A. Kaye		1837	1840	Whig
David L. Beatty		1841	1843	Democratic
Frederick A. Kaye		1844	1846	Whig
William R. Vance		1847	1850	Whig
John M. Delph		1850	1852	Whig
James Stephens Speed		1853	1854	Whig
John Barbee		1855	1856	Know Nothing
William S. Pilcher		1857	August 1858[1]	Know Nothing
Thomas W. Riley		August 1858	April 1859[2]	Whig
Thomas H. Crawford		April 1859	1860	Unionist
John M. Delph		1861	1862	Unionist
William Kaye		1863	1865	Democratic
Philip Tomppert		1865	December 28, 1865[3]	Democratic
James S. Lithgow		January 2, 1866	February 14, 1867[4]	Democratic
Philip Tomppert		February 14, 1867	1868	Democratic
Joseph H. Bunce		1869	March 1870	Democratic
John G. Baxter		1870	1872	Democratic
Charles D. Jacob		1873	1878	Democratic
John G. Baxter		1879	1881	Democratic
Charles D. Jacob		1882	1884	Democratic
P. Booker Reed		1885	1887	Democratic
Charles D. Jacob		1888	1890	Democratic
William L. Lyons		May 12, 1890[5]	August 1890	Democratic
Henry S. Tyler		1891	January 14, 1896[6]	Democratic
Robert Emmet King		January 14, 1896	January 31, 1896 (pro tem)	Republican
George Davidson Todd		January 31, 1896	December 1897	Republican
Charles P. Weaver		December 1897	December 1901	Democratic
Charles F. Grainger		December 1901	December 1905	Democratic
Paul C. Barth		December 1905	July 1907[7]	Democratic
Robert Worth Bingham		July 1907	December 1907[8]	Democratic
James F. Grinstead		December 1907	December 1909	Republican
William O. Head		December 1909	December 1913	Democratic
John H. Buschemeyer		December 1913	December 1917	Democratic
George Weissinger Smith		December 1917	December 1921	Republican
Huston Quin		December 1921	December 1925	Republican
Arthur A. Will		December 1925	June 1927[9]	Republican
Joseph T. O'Neal		June 1927	December 1927	Democratic
William B. Harrison		December 1927	December 1933	Republican
Neville Miller		December 1933	December 1937	Democratic
Joseph D. Scholtz		December 1937	December 1941	Democratic
Wilson W. Wyatt		December 1941	December 1945	Democratic
E. Leland Taylor		December 1945	February 16, 1948[10]	Democratic
Charles R. Farnsley		February 16, 1948	December 1953	Democratic
Andrew Broaddus		December 1953	December 1957	Democratic
Bruce Hoblitzell		December 1957	December 1961	Democratic
William Cowger		December 1961	December 1965	Republican
Kenneth A. Schmied		December 1965	December 1969	Republican
Frank W. Burke		December 1969	December 1, 1973	Democratic
Harvey I. Sloane		December 1, 1973	December 1, 1977	Democratic
William B. Stansbury		December 1, 1977	January 1, 1982	Democratic
Harvey I. Sloane		January 1, 1982	January 1, 1986	Democratic
Jerry Abramson		January 1, 1986	January 1, 1999	Democratic
David L. Armstrong		January 1, 1999	January 5, 2003	Democratic

Louisville Metro

Mayor	Image	Term began	Term ended	Political party
Jerry Abramson		January 6, 2003	January 2, 2011	Democratic
Greg Fischer		January 3, 2011	January 1, 2023	Democratic
Craig Greenberg		January 2, 2023	Present	Democratic