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1950-1989
April 14, 1987 - The City Commission held their first meeting as the City Council.
Here is a listing of mayors who served during the years 1950-1970:
Born: Feb 17, 1895
Died: Apr 1981
Occupation: president of Duke Printing Inc.
Served as City Commissioner (1947-48, 1948-49, 1949-50)
Internment: unknown
Born: May 25, 1913
Died: Nov 5, 1980
Occupation: president of Amsden Lumber Company founded by his grandfather in 1885
Served as City Commissioner (1949-50, 1950-51, 1952-53)
Interred at Old Mission Mausoleum.
Born: Mar 16, 1895
Died: Apr 18, 2000
Occupation: founded Arotext Co. (uniform manufacturing business)
Pilot during WWI.
Helped negotiate the sale of the city airport to the Air Force.
Served as City Commissioner (1949-50, 1950-51, 1951-52)
Died at the age of 105 - one of the longest living people who took public office.
Internment: unknown
Born: May 24, 1907
Died: May 21, 1990
Occupation: founded Walt Keeler Co. (concrete plant)
Served as City Commissioner (1951-52, 1952-53, 1954-55, 1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71)
Internment: unknown
Born: unknown
Occupation: funeral director of DeVorss Mortuary (later DeVorss, Flanagan-Hunt Mortuary)
As mayor, he was elected president of the World Congress of Mayors in Italy.
Served as City Commissioner (1953-54, 1954-55, 1956-57)
Served two terms on the Kansas League of Municipalities.
Born: Feb 13, 1881
Died: Feb 7, 1969
Occupation: financier
Served as City Commissioner (1953-54, 1954-55, 1956-57)
Internment: unknown
Born: June 8, 1908
Died: Nov 9, 1986
Occupation: unknown
Fought in the Army during WWII.
Served as City Commissioner (1955-56, 1956-57 - replaced H.D. Lester as mayor, 1957-58, 1958-59)
Chaired the Kansas State Crime Commission.
Spearheaded efforts to build Cheney Reservoir.
Interred at Maple Grove Cemetery.
Born: Dec 17, 1888
Died: Dec 13, 1975
Occupation: vice-president and general manager for Jett & Wood wholesale grocery firm
Served as City Commissioner (1955-56, 1956-57, 1958-59)
Internment: unknown
Born: Aug 12, 1920
Died: Dec 31, 1992
Occupation: real estate appraiser
Co-owner of the Commodore with brother-in-law Forrest Weirick.
Served as City Commissioner (1955-56, 1956-57, 1957-58)
Internment: unknown
Born: Jan 25, 1904
Died: Oct 4, 1998
Became involved in water resources after becoming mayor.
Served as City Commissioner (1960-61, 1961-62, 1962-63)
Internment: unknown
Born: June 10, 1901
Died: Dec 8, 1987
Occupation: insurance salesman
Served as City Commissioner (1959-60, 1961-62, 1962-63)
Wife Jessie was named Kansas Mother of the Year during his mayoral term.
Internment: Harper Cemetery in Harper, Kansas
Born: Dec 16, 1913
Died: Nov 9, 1991
Occupation: insurance executive
Father founded Farmers & Bankers Life Insurance Company.
Served as City Commissioner (1959-60, 1960-61, 1962-63)
Interred at Old Mission Mausoleum.
Born: Oct 31, 1922
Died:
Occupation: attorney
Father founded Carl Bell Markets and Carl Bell Wholesale Meat Company.
Served as City Commissioner (1961-62, 1963-64, 1964-65)
Led efforts in getting Century II Convention Center built and Convention Hall is named after him.
Served 7 years on the Wichita Board of Education.
Born: Apr 30, 1917
Died: Dec 3, 1993
Occupation: unknown
Father founded Byrd-Snodgrass Mortuary.
Served as City Commissioner (1961-62, 1962-63, 1964-65)
Internment: unknown
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: attorney
Served as City Commissioner (1963-64, 1965-66, 1966-67)
B.S. from Kansas State University in 1953. LL.B. from Washburn University in 1955. Admitted to practice in Kansas in 1955. Member of the Wichita, Kansas and American Bar Association, the Kansas Trial Lawyers Association, and the Association of Trial Lawyers of America. Areas of concentration: workers compensation, personal injury, wills, trusts, probate.
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: unknown
Served as City Commissioner (1963-64, 1964-65, 1966-67)
Born: Dec 15, 1912
Died: Aug 14, 1976
Served as City Commissioner (1957-58, 1958-59, 1959-60, 1960-61, 1963-64, 1964-65, 1965-66, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72, 1972-73, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76 - died while serving 1976-77 term and was replaced by Robert I. Cory)
Veterans Memorial Park has a memorial dedicated to him.
Interred at Resthaven Gardens of Memory.
Born: Oct 11, 1897
Died: March 1983
Occupation: owner of Vollmer Construction
Was responsible for building the Metropolitan Baptist Church and schools such as Southeast High.
Served as City Commissioner (1965-66, 1966-67, 1968-69)
Interred at Old Mission Mausoleum.
Born: July 8, 1927
Died:
Occupation: owner of Anderson Printing Company
Served as City Commissioner (1965-66, 1966-67, 1969-70)
Born: June 22, 1916
Died:
Occupation: owner of Wichita Brush and Chemical Company
Served as City Commissioner (1967-68, 1968-69, 1970-71)
Born: Jan 26, 1919
Died: Jan 13, 1972
Occupation: attorney
Wichita's first black Mayor and black City Commissioner
Served as City Commissioner (1967-68, 1968-69, 1969-70)
A. Price Woodard Park is named after him.
Interred at Highland Cemetery.
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: attorney
Served as City Commissioner (1969-70, 1970-71, 1972-73)
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: unknown
Served as City Commissioner (1971-72, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1978-79)
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: unknown
Son of Mayor L.A. Donnell.
Served as City Commissioner (1971-72, 1972-73, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1977-78, 1978-79)
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: psychiatrist
Served as City Commissioner (1971-72, 72-73, 1973-74, 1977-78, 1978-79, 1979-80, 1980-81)
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: unknown
Wichita's first female Mayor and City Commissioner.
Served as City Commissioner (1973-74, 1974-75, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1979-80, 1980-81)
Born: Oct 10, 1913
Died: May 11, 1996
Occupation: realtor
First Hispanic Mayor.
Born in Puerto Padre, Oriente Province, Cuba and came to Wichita at the age of 12.
Served in House of Representatives - District 65 (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)
Served in State Senate - District 24 (1965, 1966, 1967, 1968)
Served in State Senate - District 19 (1969, 1970)
Appointed to be deputy mission director for the US Agency of International Development in Paraquay in 1970.
Served as City Commissioner (1975-76, 1976-77, 1978-79, 1980-81, 1981-82, 1982-83 - resigned May 18, 1982 and replaced by R.D. Martens, 1983-84, 1984-85, 1985-86)
Casado Campus Center at Friends University named after him.
| #86, #90, #94, #96 & #99 - Robert G. Knight (1980-1981; 1984-1985 - resigned May 2, 1985; 1987-1988, 1989-1992 - resigned September 29, 1992; 1995-2003) |
Born:
Died:
Occupation: unknown
Was the first elected Mayor by a popular vote.
Has served more terms than any Wichita mayor.
Served as City Commissioner (1979-80, 1981-82, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1985-86)
Served as City Council Member (1986-87, 1988-89)
Resigned as Mayor Sept 29, 2003, to take position of Kansas State Secretary of Commerce.
Born: Oct 27, 1920
Died: Mar 8, 1993
Occupation: White Truck Sales owner
Served as City Commissioner (1979-80, 1980-81, 1982-83, 1983-84, 1984-85)
Served as City Council Member (1986-87)
Century II Convention Center's Bob Brown Expo Hall is named after him.
Interred at Old Mission Mortuary.
Born: 1944
Died:
Occupation: attorney
Served as City Commissioner (1981-82, 1983-84, 1984-85)
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: unknown
Served as City Commissioner (1981-82, 1982-83, 1984-85)
Resigned as City Commissioner Jan 15, 1985 to serve on the Kansas Corporation Commission until 1991.
Honored in WSU's Plaza of Heroines.
Born: Dec 20, 1911
Died: July 13, 1998
Occupation: unknown
Became City Commissioner Dec 12, 1985 when Margalee Wright resigned.
Became Mayor April 9, 1985 to complete Robert G. Knight's unfinished term.
Served on the Wichita University Board of Regents.
Served on the WSU Board of Trustees.
Honored in WSU's Plaza of Heroines.
Internment: unknown
Born: unknown
Died:
Occupation: president and CEO of Kamen, Inc.
Served as Wichita BOE Member (1979-85)
Served as Wichita BOE President (1981-82)
Served as City Commissioner (1985-86)
Served as City Council Member (1986-87, 1987-88)
Served as City Council Member - District II (1989-90, 1991-1992, 1993-95, 1995-97)
Served as Vice Mayor (1995-1996)
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