Terms of office of the Burgesses and Mayors of Westminster

Terms of office of the Burgesses and Mayors of Westminster

May 2001 Updated May 2005

The following is a list of the distinguished citizens who have served Westminster as its Mayor.

The dates following each name indicate the period of office.

Incorporated 1818 (Chapter 128, Acts of 1818)

A communication, signed many voters, gave notice that on the 1st Monday of April the following gentlemen would be voted for:-

For Burgess, John Fisher;

For Commissioners, Ludwig Wampler, Jacob Sherman, Jacob Frenger, Isaac Shriver, John C. Cockey and Jacob Yingling.

The Westminster Chronicle and Weekly Advertiser, vol. I No. 17. The paper bears date "Westminster, Frederick County, (MD.) Friday, March 26, 1819.

BURGESSES (Chapter 418, Acts of 1838)

Westminster was incorporated as a town by chapter 418 of the Acts of 1838 under the name of the Burgess and Commissioners of Westminster. That charter was amended by chapter 335 of the Acts of 1856, which characterized the municipality as a city by changing the name to The Mayor and Common Council of Westminster.

James M. Shellman May 6, 1839 – May 6, 1840
William Shipley May 6, 1940 – May 6, 1841
George Trumbo May 6, 1841 – May 6, 1844
David Keefer May 6, 1844 – May 4, 1850
Elisha D. Payne May 14, 1850 – May 19, 1851
Abner Neal May 19, 1851 – May 13, 1852
Jacob Grove May 13, 1852 – May 10, 1853
Francis Shriver May 10, 1853 – 1856

MAYORS (Chapter 335, Acts of 1856)

Francis Shriver 1856- May 6, 1858
R. R. Booth May 6, 1858 – May 10 1859
John M. Yingling May 10, 1859 – May 12, 1860
Dr. Samuel L. Swarmstedt May 12, 1860 – May 20, 1861
Michael Baughman May 20, 1861 – May 12, 1864
Jacob Grove May 12, 1864 – June 1, 1865
Joshua Yingling June 1, 1865 – May 28, 1866
Hashabiah Haines May 28, 1866 – May 22, 1867
A. R. Durbin May 22, 1867 – May 18, 1868
David Fowble May 18, 1868 – May 13, 1869
Jacob Knipple May 13, 1869 – May 15, 1871
Daniel H. Leister May 15, 1871 – May 22, 1872
Henry H. Harbaugh May 22, 1872 – May 19, 1873
E. K. Germand May 19, 1873 – May 18, 1874
David Fowble May 18, 1874 – May 15, 1876
P. H. Irwin May 15, 1876 – June 4, 1883
William B. Thomas June 4, 1883 – May 18, 1885
Andrew B. Stephan May 18, 1885 – May 17, 1886
Milton Schaeffer May 17, 1886 – May 20, 1889
Frank K. Herr May 20, 1889 – May 16, 1892
Joseph D. Brooks May 16, 1892 – May 20, 1895
Milton Schaeffer May 20, 1895 – May 18, 1896
Joseph W. Smith May 18, 1896 – May 17, 1897
Nelson Gilbert May 17, 1897 – May 16, 1898
Fred D. Miller May 16, 1898 – May 21, 1900
Oscar D. Gilbert May 21, 1900 – May 18, 1908
John D. Saylor May 18, 1908 – May 16, 1910
Ernest J. Sponseller May 16, 1910 – May 20, 1912
David E. Walsh May 20, 1912 – May 15, 1916
Howard E. Koontz May 15, 1916 – May 17, 1926
George E. Matthews May 17, 1926 – March 15, 1938
Walter H. Davis March 15, 1938 – May 16, 1938 61 days
Frank A. Myers May 16, 1938 – May 18, 1942
Joseph L. Mathias May 18, 1942 – December 3, 1963
Scott S. Bair December 3, 1963 – May 18, 1964 5 months
Joseph H. Hahn, Jr. May 18, 1964 – May 21, 1973
LeRoy L. Conaway May 21, 1973 – May 1989
W. Benjamin Brown May 1989 – November 1994
Kenneth A. Yowan November 1994 – May 21, 2001
Kevin E. Dayhoff May 21, 2001 – May 16th, 2005
Thomas K. Ferguson May 16th, 2005 - present

Of the 46 Mayors of Westminster previous to May 2001 – 22 served only one year or less (Walter H. Davis served for only 61 days, March 15, 1938 –May 16, 1938; and Scott S. Bair only served for 5 months, December 3, 1963 – May 18, 1964).

Six served two years.

Five served three years.

Only thirteen of the previous 46 Mayors have served for four or more years.

Only one mayor has served two non-consecutive terms - Milton Schaeffer, who served from May 20, 1895 – May 18, 1896 and then May 17, 1886 – May 20, 1889.

May 2001 Updated May 2005: A Westminster Informational Brochure - assembled from multiple sources – no claim to original authorship is either claimed or implied. Westminster Mayor Kevin E. Dayhoff P. O. Box 1245 Westminster, MD 21158-1245

20050517 Terms of office of the Burgesses and Mayors of Westminster
Kevin Dayhoff www.kevindayhoff.net http://kevindayhoff.blogspot.com/