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Portrait
Name
Term in office
Length of Service
Party affiliation
Previous office
1
J. W. Cheek
August 1869 –May 1, 1871
~1 year, 260 days
2
W. J. H. Durham
May 1, 1871 –September 18, 1871
141 days
Acting
R. F. Morris
September 18, 1871 –May 16, 1872
242 days
3
E. J. Parrish
May 16, 1872 –May 6, 1873
355 days
Acting
Julian Carr (1845 – 1924; aged 78)
May 6, 1873 –May 17, 1873
11 days
4
W. J. H. Durham
1873 –1877
4 years
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina (1871)
5
Doctor Claiborn Parrish (1807 – 1883; aged 76)
1877 –1880
3 years
6
Isaac Newton Link (Unknown – 1895)
1880 –1881
1 year
7
Doctor Claiborn Parrish (1807 – 1883; aged 76)
1881 –1882
1 year
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina (1877–1880)
8
Edward Carney Hackney (1856 – 1903; aged 46)
May 2, 1882 –May 8, 1883
1 year, 6 days
9
Doctor Claiborn Parrish (1807 – 1883; aged 76)
May 8, 1883 –July 1883 (Died in office)
~ 2 months
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina (1881–1882)
Acting
W. T. Lipscomb
August 7, 1883 –May 6, 1884
273 days
10
J. F. Freeland
May 6, 1884 –May 8, 1888
4 years, 2 days
11
W. J. Christian
May 8, 1888 –May 6, 1890
1 year, 363 days
12
M. A. Angier
May 6, 1890 –May 3, 1893
2 years, 363 days
13
T. L. Peay
May 3, 1893 –May 8, 1894
1 years, 5 days
14
Isaac Newton Link (Unknown – 1895)
May 8, 1894 –January 5, 1895 (Died in office)
242 days
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina (1880–1881)
Acting
J. W. Carlton
January 5, 1895 –May 7, 1895
122 days
15
T. L Peay
May 7, 1895 –May 1897
2 years
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina (1893–1894)
16
Moses Ellis McCown (1849 – 1925; aged 75)
unknown –1903
17
J. F. Freeland
1903 –1905
2 years
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina (1884–1888)
18
Paul Cameron Graham
1905 –1909
4 years
19
W. J. Griswold
1909 –1911
2 years
Durham City Council (1905 – 1907)
20
Willis J. Brogden
1911 –1915
4 years
21
Benjamin S. Skinner
1915 –1917
2 years
Durham City Council (1913 – 1915)
22
M. E. Newsom
1917 –1921
4 years
Durham City Council (1913 – 1917)
23
John Moore Manning (1857 – 1933; aged ~76)
1921 –1931
10 years
Durham City Council (1919 – 1921)
24
Delos Sorrell
1931 –1933
2 years
25
William Frederick Carr (1881 – 1956; aged 75)
1933 –1949
16 years
Durham City Council (1917 – 1933)
26
Dan Edwards (1914 – 2001; aged 87)
1949 –1951
2 years
North Carolina Representative from Durham County (1947–1949)
27
Emanuel J. Evans (1907 – 1997; aged 89)
1951 –1963
12 years
Democratic
28
Wense Grabarek (1919 – 2019; aged 100)
1963 –1971
8 years
Democratic
Durham City Council (1957–1961)
29
James Hawkins (1925 – 2010; aged 85)
1971 –1975
4 years
Durham City Council(1959–1967)
30
Wade Cavin (1916 – 1997; aged 81)
1975 –1979
4 years
Durham City Council(1969–1975)
31
Harry E. Rodenhizer, Jr (1927 – 2007; aged 80)
1979 –1981
2 years
Republican
Durham Public School Board
32
Charles Markham (1938 – 2010; aged 83)
1981 –1985
4 years
33
Wib Gulley (born 1948; aged 73)
1985 –1989
4 years
Democratic
Durham Board of Adjustment(1983–1985)
34
Chester L. Jenkins (c. 1938 – 2009; aged ~71)
1989 –1991
2 years
Democratic
Durham City Council(1981–1989)
35
Harry E. Rodenhizer, Jr (1927 – 2007; aged 80)
1991 –1993
2 years
Republican
Mayor of Durham, North Carolina (1979–1981)
36
Sylvia Kerckhoff (born 1926; aged 95)
1993 –1997
4 years
Durham City Council
37
Nick Tennyson (born 1950; aged 71)
1997 –2001
4 years
Republican
38
Bill Bell (born in 1941; aged 80)
2001 –December 5, 2017 [ 2]
16 years
Democratic
Durham County Board of Commissioners(1996–2000) [ 3]
39
Steve Schewel (born in 1951; aged 70) [ 4]
December 5, 2017 [ 2] –December 6, 2021
4 years
Democratic[ 5]
Durham City Council(2011–2017) [ 4]
40
Elaine O'Neal
December 6, 2021
–
December 4, 2023
2 Years
Democratic
North Carolina Superior Court
(2011-2018)
41
Leonardo Williams
December 4, 2023
Democratic
Durham City Council
(2021-2023)