• Source: Mayors of Allentown, Pennsylvania

The city of Allentown, Pennsylvania was founded in 1762 as Northampton Towne by William Allen, a wealthy shipping merchant.




History


During its first 50 years of existence, Northampton Towne was a small unincorporated settlement, consisting of a few homes, stores, and taverns. After reaching a population of over 700 residents in the 1810 census, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania gave Northampton Towne a legal existence on March 18, 1811, by incorporating it as the Borough of Northampton, in Northampton County. Previous to this Northampton Towne had community leaders. With its incorporation as a borough, however, the first local politicians were born. The first borough election was held at the tavern of George Savitz, a tavern-keeper who owned the Square and Compass, an inn located at the northeast corner of 7th and Hamilton streets in present-day Center City Allentown.
Peter Rhodes was chosen as the first burgess; George Rhoads as the town clerk; John F. Rhue as the High Constable, and a town council was established as the first civic legislature. Rhodes was a prominent citizen and shopkeeper who served on the Committee of Safety in Northampton Towne during the Revolutionary War. The first business of the borough government was to order cows to seek other pastures other than the public streets, an action that proved unpopular with Northampton Towne residents.
In 1812, Lehigh County was formed by partitioning a section of Northampton County, and Northampton Towne was designated as its county seat. Frederick Eckert was elected as the second burgess. George Graff was elected burgess in 1813; however, records of elections in Northampton Towne have been lost from the period 1815 to 1830.
On April 16, 1836, an act of the Pennsylvania General Assembly changed the name of the community from Northampton Towne to Allentown, and John P. Rhue was burgess. During its existence as a borough, Northampton Towne and then Allentown had a total of 47 annual municipal elections. A burgess was elected each year. The most prominent was John J. Krauss, who was elected five times in succession from 1830 to 1835. Other notable burgesses of the town were Samuel Runk (1839–1849); Robert E. Wright (1845), and Peter Wycoff (1846). In 1866, William Kern was elected burgess over Thomas Mohr by a vote of 974 to 881, Kern being the last burgess of Allentown




Allentown mayors


In January 1866, Allentown's various ward districts were consolidated into the Allentown School District. This led to other consolidations of the various wards into centralized police departments, a treasurer, and a consolidated council. By the following year, in 1867, state legislation was proposed by Lehigh County State Senator George P. Shall to incorporate Allentown as a city.
The legislation was passed by the Pennsylvania Legislature on March 12, 1867, and the City of Allentown was established. The first city election was held less than two months later, on May 1. The first city charter specified a bicameral form of government, consisting of a Select Council of 14 (including the mayor) and a Common Council of 28 members.




= First City Government Charter (1867)

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= Commission City Government Charter (1913)

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= Strong Mayor City Government Charter (1970)

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= Home Rule City Government Charter (1996)

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References

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• Mayors of Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Matthew Tuerk
• 2021 Allentown mayoral election
• Roy Afflerbach
• 2025 Allentown mayoral election
• Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Kutztown, Pennsylvania
• 2013 Allentown mayoral election
• Roger MacLean
• 2009 Allentown mayoral election