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This list is taken from Raleigh County West Virginia by Jim Wood, with a few corrections I found by looking at old newspapers. Wood used the title “Some Beckley Mayors 1872-1992,” implying that he did not believe the list was complete, and it does appear that information from the 1870s and 1880s is lacking. |
| Name | Dates | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| John Beckley | 1872, 1884 | Was elected Beckley’s first Mayor in July 1872. Neither the obituary in the Messenger nor the obituary in the Raleigh Herald mentions that he was mayor, although they do mention his higher offices, such as county commissioner. In his autobiography he wrote, “Since living in Town of Beckley I have been elected and served as Mayor of the town for a number of years, as the early records will show.” He was Alfred’s oldest son. b. Mar. 26, 1833, d. June 8, 1910. |
| Thaddeus K. Scott | 1891 | The obituary of Thaddeus K. Scott (1856-1922) says he never held elective office. |
| Robert T. Willis | 1893 | The obituary of Robert T. Willis (1849-1932) says that he was elected mayor “more than a score of years ago.” He operated the Willis Hotel. |
| Thaddeus K. Scott | 1894 | See above. |
| John Beckley | 1896 | See above. |
| Capt. John W. (Jack) Anderson | 1897 | Ballots dated Jan. 7, 1897, indicate he was elected Mayor, “defeating incumbent Mayor John W. McCreery.” (However, Wood shows John Beckley as the preceding mayor.) |
| John Wallace McCreery | 1898-99 | b. July 31, 1845; d. May 22, 1917. His obituary in the Beckley Messenger does not mention that he was Mayor, but does mention other offices he held, including prosecuting attorney and state senator. |
| J. E. Summerfield | 1900 | |
| George A. Cook | 1901 | Resigned May 1901 to take a council seat, succeeded by John W. McCreery. |
| John Wallace McCreery | 1901 | see above |
| A. D. Preston | 1902 | |
| John H. Hatcher | 1903 | |
| Ashton File | 1904 | The obituary of Ashton File, who died in 1943, does not mention him being Mayor of Beckley and in fact says that he never held public office. |
| Joe L. Smith | 1906 | On July 5, 1906, and Dec. 20, 1906, newspapers referred to Joe L. Smith as mayor. |
| Hugh A. Dunn | 1907 | On Jan. 10, 1907, the Raleigh Herald reported that Hugh A. Dunn was elected Mayor of Beckley, defeating L. H. Davis, 109-89. |
| Joe L. Smith | 1908, 1909 | On Jan. 9, 1908, the Raleigh Herald reported that Joe L. Smith was elected mayor, defeating Robert B. Robertson 130-100. |
| Lucien Hereford Davis | 1910-11 | On Jan. 6, 1910, the Raleigh Register reported, “At a special meeting of the city council held Tuesday afternoon, Lucien H. Davis was elected Mayor to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Hon. R. B. Robertson, who was elected at the October election.” He was elected on the seventh ballot. On Apr. 15, 1910, the Beckley Messenger reported, “Mayor Davis has announced that the law against permitting stock to run at large within the city limits is to be enforced to the letter....” Davis resigned in Aug. 1911, and was succeeded by Thomas Wickham. Lucien Davis was b. Dec. 24, 1880, d. May 25, 1966. |
| Thomas H. Wickham | 1911 | On Aug. 31, 1911, the Raleigh Herald reported that Mayor Davis announced his resignation at the council meeting and that Thomas H. Wickham was elected by acclamation and immediately sworn in as the new Mayor. |
| M. L. Painter | 1912-13 | |
| Dr. W. W. Watts | 1914-15 | |
| Hugh A. Davis | 1916-17 | |
| Herbert A. Stansbury | 1918-19 | |
| Dr. J. A. Campbell | 1920-21 | |
| C. V. Cottle | 1922-23 | |
| Herbert A. Stansbury | 1924-25 | |
| J. Hugh Miller | 1926-27 | |
| Joe L. Smith | 1928-29 | Resigned 7 May 1929, succeeded by George W. Bair Jr.. |
| George W. Bair Jr. | 1929 | |
| Cyrus H. Meador | 1930-31 | |
| Grover C. Hedrick | 1932-33 | |
| A. Z. Lilly | 1934-35 | |
| Dr. Robert Wriston | 1936-37 | |
| A. K. Minter | 1938-39, 1940-41, 1942-43 | |
| Robert Wriston | 1944-45 | |
| Walter A. E. Burke | 1946-47 | |
| Grover C. Hedrick | 1948-49 | |
| Walter A. E. Burke | 1950-51 | |
| George Chambers | 1952-53 | |
| Elmer L. Davis | 1954-55 | |
| A. K. Minter | 1956-59 | |
| Cecil Miller | 1959-63 | |
| John Wesley Smith | 1963-70 | Died before finishing term, succeeded by John Howard McCulloch. |
| John Howard McCulloch | 1970-82 | |
| Charles F. Shoemaker | 1983-87 | |
| Emmett S. Pugh III | 1988-13 | Longest-serving Mayor in Beckley history. |
| William A. O’Brien | 2014-16 | Associated with radio station WJLS, named for Joe L. Smith, an earlier mayor. (The station was founded by son Joe L. Smith Jr.) |
| Robert Rappold | 2016- |
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Note: Robert B. Robertson (b. June 30, 1877) died in December 1909 after having been elected mayor but before taking office. He was 32 years old. |