This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007)

The Lord Mayor is the title of the Mayor of a major city, with special recognition.

Commonwealth of Nations[link]

John Stuttard, Lord Mayor of London during the 2006 Lord Mayor's Show

• In Australia it is a political position. Australian cities with Lord Mayors: Adelaide, Brisbane, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Parramatta, Perth, Sydney, and Wollongong. See list of cities in Australia.
• In Canada, the only two towns with a Lord Mayor are Niagara-on-the-Lake, as recognition of its role as the first Capital of Upper Canada, and Brantford, Ontario with the honorary Lord Mayor Walter Gretzky.^[1]
• In the Malaysian federal capital Kuala Lumpur (Federal territory separated from Selangor, since 1 February 1974) established on 1 February 1972.^{[citation needed]}
• In England, Wales and Northern Ireland it is a purely ceremonial post conferred by letters patent. See List of lord mayoralties and lord provostships in the United Kingdom.
• In Uganda, the only jurisdiction with a Lord Mayor is Kampala, in recognition of its status as the capital city of the country.

Ireland[link]

• In the Ireland, the posts of Lord Mayor of Dublin (granted under the Kingdom of Ireland) and Lord Mayor of Cork (granted when this city was part of the United Kingdom) still exist, and are symbolic titles as in the UK.

Equivalents in other languages[link]

• In Denmark, as the translation of Danish Overborgmester, it is the title of the highest Mayor of Denmark's capital city, Copenhagen.
• In Germany, it is sometimes (and perhaps anachronistically or incongruously) used to translate German Oberbürgermeister, the title of the mayors of large, often county-free cities. Especially in large cities that consist of subunits governed also by mayors, the title Oberbürgermeister is usually used to distinguish the head executive of the entire city from those of the subunits. As in Australia, Germany's mayors serve as the actual executive leaders of their cities. Moreover, the post of mayor in the three German city-states is equivalent to that of a Ministerpräsident (head of government of one of Germany's constitutive States) and the respective post is referred to as Regierender Bürgermeister (Governing Mayor) in Berlin and Erster Bürgermeister (First Mayor) in Hamburg.
• In Finland, the head city manager of the capital, Helsinki, is customarily given by the country's President the title ylipormestari [loosely translated: "high mayor"] (which then generally is much more used of the official than kaupunginjohtaja, the title of the office itself), a tradition that resembles closely the Lord Mayoralties in other countries.
• In Serbia, the Mayor is the head of a city or a town. He acts on behalf of the city, and performs an executive function.
• In Romania and Moldova, the mayors of the capitals (Bucharest and Chişinău, respectively) are named Primar General which means General Mayor. The name is ceremonial and it has no higher powers than mayors of other cities.
• In Hungary, the mayor of the capital Budapest is called főpolgármester which means Chief Mayor. Only the capital has a főpolgármester.
• In ancient China, jīng zhào yĭn (京兆尹) was the title given to the mayor of capital city, jīng zhào (京兆). Today, on the other hand, city mayor and party-appointed secretary (actual leader) of the four direct-controlled municipalities, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing, though without special titles, share the rank of provincial governor and party-appointed secretary.
• In Estonia, the mayor of the capital (Tallinn), was named Lord Mayor (Ülemlinnapea) from 1938 to 1940.
• In Czech Republic, the mayor of cities larger than 100,000 citizens (currently five cities) is called Primátor

In fiction[link]

In The Beatles's movie Yellow Submarine, the fictional utopia of Pepperland has a lord mayor. It is the lord mayor who sends Old Fred to find help after the Blue Meanies attack.

See also[link]

• Lord Provost, the similar post in Scotland

References[link]

Lord Mayor of London
Incumbent David Wootton[1] since 2011
Residence	Mansion House
Appointer	Liverymen of the City of London Livery Companies
Term length	1 year
Inaugural holder	Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone
Formation	1189
Website	www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London is the legal title for the Mayor of (and head of) the City of London Corporation. The Lord Mayor of London is to be distinguished from the Mayor of London; the former is an officer only of the City of London, while the Mayor of London is the Mayor of Greater London and as such governs a much larger area. Within the City of London, the Lord Mayor has precedence over other individuals and has various special powers, rights and privileges.

In 2006 the Corporation of London changed its name to the City of London Corporation. At the same time the title Lord Mayor of the City of London came into use, partly to avoid confusion with the Mayor of London. However, the legal and commonly used title remains the Lord Mayor of London.

The Lord Mayor is elected each year at Michaelmas 'Common Hall', and takes office on the Friday before the second Saturday in November, at 'The Silent Ceremony'. On the day after taking office, the Lord Mayor's Show is held; the Lord Mayor, preceded by a procession, travels to the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand, Westminster to swear allegiance to the Sovereign in the presence of the judges of the High Court.

The Lord Mayor's main role is, as it has been for centuries, to represent, support and promote the businesses and the people of the City of London. Today, these businesses are mainly in the financial sector and the Lord Mayor is seen as the champion of the entire UK-based financial sector regardless of ownership and location within the country. As head of the Corporation of the City of London, the Lord Mayor is the key spokesman for the local authority and also has important ceremonial and social responsibilities. He is apolitical, which gives added credibility at home and abroad when representing the financial sector. He gives over 800 speeches in the year and spends over 100 days abroad in some 22 countries. The Lord Mayor is also the Chancellor of the City University of London and is assisted in the daily operation of the city by the leading personnel for the City of London^[2] whose titles are the Town Clerk and Chief Executive, Chamberlain and Remembrancer.

The Lord Mayor for 2011–12^[update] is Alderman David Wootton.^[3]

Titles and honours[link]

Portrait of Lord Mayor of London William McArthur, by Leslie Ward, 1881

Of the 66 cities in the United Kingdom, the City of London is among the 30 that have Lord Mayors (or, in Scotland, Lords Provost). The Lord Mayor is entitled to the style The Right Honourable; the same privilege extends only to the Lord Mayors of York, Cardiff and Belfast, and to the Lords Provost of Edinburgh and Glasgow. The style, however, is used when referring to the office as opposed to the holder thereof; thus, "The Rt Hon The Lord Mayor of the City of London" would be correct, while "The Rt Hon John Smith" would be incorrect. The latter style applies only to Privy Counsellors.

A woman who holds the office is also known as a Lord Mayor. A male Lord Mayor's wife is known as a Lady Mayoress; no equivalent privilege exists for a female Lord Mayor's husband. A female Lord Mayor or unmarried male Lord Mayor may appoint a female consort, usually a fellow councillor, to the role of Lady Mayoress. In speech, a Lord Mayor is referred to as "My Lord Mayor", and a Lady Mayoress as "My Lady Mayoress".

It was once customary for Lord Mayors to be created knights upon taking office and baronets upon retirement, unless they held those titles already. The custom was applied inconsistently from the 16th until the 19th centuries; creations became more regular from 1889 onwards. From 1964 onwards, the regular creation of hereditary dignities such as baronetcies ceased, but Lord Mayors continued to be granted knighthoods (usually of the rank of Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire) until 1993. Since 1993, Lord Mayors have not received any automatic honours upon appointment; instead, they have been created Knights Bachelor upon retirement, although Gordon Brown's government broke with tradition by awarding Ian Luder the CBE after his term of office in 2009, and the following year Nick Anstee declined the offer of any national honour. Furthermore, when foreign Heads of State visit the United Kingdom, they sometimes confer honours on the Lord Mayor. For example, in 2001, Sir David Howard was created a Grand Cordon, First Class, of the Order of Independence of Jordan following the state visit of King Abdullah II. Additionally in recent years Lord Mayors have been appointed Knights of St John (KStJ), of which order HM The Queen is Sovereign Head.

History[link]

The office was instituted in 1189 with the first holder of the office being Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone. The Mayor of the City of London has been elected by the City, rather than appointed by the Sovereign, since a Royal Charter providing for the same was issued by King John in 1215. The title "Lord Mayor" came to be used after 1354, when it was granted to Thomas Legge (then serving his second of two terms) by King Edward III.

Lord Mayors are elected for one-year terms; by custom, they do not now serve more than one consecutive term. Numerous individuals have served multiple terms in office, including:
As Mayor:

• 24 terms: Henry Fitz-Ailwin de Londonestone (1189-1212)
• 9 terms: Ralph de Sandwich (1285-1289,1289-1292)
• 8 terms: Gregory de Rokesley (1274-1280,1284)
• 7 terms: Andrew Buckerel (1231-1237); John le Breton (1289, 1293-1298); John le Blund (1301-1307)
• 6 terms: Richard Renger (1222-1226,1238); Hamo de Chigwell (1319,1321,1322,1324,1325,1327)
• 5 terms: Serlo le Mercer (1214, 1218-1221)

As Lord Mayor:

• Nicholas Brembre (1377,1383-1385 - 4 terms)
• Richard ('Dick') Whittington (1397, 1398, 1406 and 1419 - 4 terms)

The last individual to serve multiple terms was Robert Fowler (elected in 1883 and in 1885).

Dame Mary Donaldson, elected in 1983, is the only woman to have held the office thus far. Almost 700 people have served as Lord Mayor.

Some Lord Mayors in the Middle Ages, such as Sir Edward Dalyngrigge (1392), did not reside in London. Since 1435, the Lord Mayor has been chosen from amongst the Aldermen of the City of London.

Election[link]

The Lord Mayor bears his mace at coronations.

The Lord Mayor is elected by Common Hall, all Liverymen of the City's Livery Companies. Common Hall is summoned by the sitting Lord Mayor; it meets at Guildhall on Michaelmas Day (29 September) or on the closest weekday. Voting is by show of hands; if, however, any liveryman so demands, balloting is held a fortnight later.

Since 1385, prior service as Sheriff has been mandatory for election to the Lord Mayoralty. Two Sheriffs are selected annually by Common Hall, which meets on Midsummer's Day for the purpose. By an ordinance of 1435, the Lord Mayor must be chosen from amongst the Aldermen of the City of London. The people of each of the city's 25 wards select one alderman, who formerly held office for life or until resignation. Now each alderman must submit himself for re-election at least once in every six years. An individual elected Lord Mayor need not relinquish membership of the Court of Aldermen.

The Lord Mayor is then sworn in November, on the day before the Lord Mayor's Show (see below). The ceremony is known as the "Silent Ceremony" because, aside from a short declaration by the incoming Lord Mayor, no speeches are made. At Guildhall, the outgoing Lord Mayor transfers the mayoral insignia—the Seal, the Purse, the Sword and the Mace—to the incoming Lord Mayor.

Lord Mayor's Show[link]

In 1747, the Lord Mayor went to Westminster Hall on a barge via the River Thames.

On the day after being sworn in, the Lord Mayor participates in a procession from the City of London to the Royal Courts of Justice in the City of Westminster, where the Lord Mayor swears his allegiance to the Crown. This procession is known as the "Lord Mayor's Show" and is one of the longest established and best known annual events in London. The Lord Mayor travels in a State Coach that was built in 1757 at a cost of £1,065.0s.3d. (£120,200 as of 2012).^[4] In its modern form, it is a fairly light-hearted combination of traditional British pageantry and elements of carnival. Since 1959 it has been held on the second Saturday in November. Participants include the Livery Companies, bands and members of the military, charities and schools. In the evening, a fireworks display is held.

Role[link]

The Lord Mayor is a member of the City of London's governing body, the City of London Corporation (incorporated as The Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London). The Corporation comprises the Court of Aldermen and the Court of Common Council; the former includes only the Aldermen, while the latter includes both Aldermen and Common Councilmen. The Lord Mayor is a member of and presides over both bodies.

As noted earlier, the main role of the Lord Mayor is to represent, support and promote the financial, maritime and other business services industry in the UK. He undertakes this as head of the City of London Corporation and, during his year, hosts visiting foreign Ministers, businessmen and dignitaries; furthermore, he conducts several foreign visits of his own in order to promote the British financial sector.

Banquets hosted by the Lord Mayor often serve as opportunities for senior Government figures to make major speeches. At the Lord Mayor's Banquet (held on the Monday after the Lord Mayor's Show), the Prime Minister delivers the keynote address. At the Banker's Dinner in June, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivers a speech known as the Mansion House Speech, which takes its name from the Lord Mayor's residence. At the Easter Banquet, which is also hosted at Mansion House, a speech is delivered by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

The Lord Mayor performs numerous other functions. He serves as the Chief Magistrate of the City of London, Admiral of the Port of London, Chancellor of City University, President of Gresham College, President of City of London Reserve Forces and Cadets Association, and Trustee of St Paul's Cathedral. The Lord Mayor is also the head of the Commission of Lieutenancy, which represents the Sovereign in the City of London (other counties usually have Lord Lieutenants, as opposed to Commissions), and annually attends the Treloar Trust (named after Sir William Treloar, Lord Mayor in 1906), in Hampshire. The Treloar Trust runs two educational sites for disabled children, a school and college.^[5]

Rights and privileges[link]

The Lord Mayor's Collar of Esses may have once been used as the symbol of the office of Lord Chancellor by Sir Thomas More.

The residence of the Lord Mayor is known as Mansion House. The creation of the residence was considered after the Great Fire of London (1666), but construction did not commence until 1739. It was first occupied by a Lord Mayor in 1752, when Sir Crispin Gascoigne took up his residence in it.

It is sometimes asserted that the Lord Mayor may exclude the Sovereign from the City of London. The legend is based on the misinterpretation of the ceremony observed each time the Sovereign enters the City. At Temple Bar the Lord Mayor presents the City's pearl-encrusted Sword of State to the Sovereign as a symbol of the latter's overlordship. The Sovereign does not, as is often purported, wait for the Lord Mayor's permission to enter the City.

The importance of the office is reflected by the composition of the Accession Council, a body which proclaims the accession of new Sovereigns. The Council includes the Lord Mayor and Aldermen of London, as well as the Lords Spiritual, Lords Temporal and Privy Counsellors. At the coronation banquet which followed, the Lord Mayor of the City of London had the right to assist the royal butler. The same privilege is held by the Lord Mayor of Oxford; the Mayor of Winchester may assist the royal cook. Such privileges have not been exercised since 1821, when the last coronation banquet (commemorating the coronation of George IV) was held.

Since 1545 the lord mayor of London has worn a royal livery collar of Esses. This collar, however, has its origin in no royal favour, Sir John Alen, thrice a lord mayor, having bequeathed it to the then lord mayor and his successors "to use and occupie yerely at and uppon principall and festivall dayes." It was enlarged in 1567, and in its present shape has 28 Esses (the Lancastrian ‘S’), the Tudor rose, the tasselled knots of the Garter and also the portcullis.^[6]

List of Lord Mayors of London[link]

See also[link]

• City status in the United Kingdom
• List of Lord Mayors of London
• Lord Mayor of Dublin
• Mayor of London
• List of lord mayoralties and lord provostships in the United Kingdom
• Town Clerk of London

References[link]

• City of London Corporation home page
• Jenkins, S. (2004). "Royal Coronations and Oxford Mayors."
• "London (England)." (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
• "Lord Mayor's Show." (2002).
• "The Lord Mayor's Show Saturday 13th November 2004." (2004).
• "Temple Bar." (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica, 11th ed. London: Cambridge University Press.
• Stuttard, John (2008). Whittington to World Financial Centre - The City of London and its Lord Mayor. Phillimore & Co. ISBN 978-1-86077-586-4. 

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Lord Mayors of London

• Lord Mayor official page

v t e History of London Evolution Londinium Lundenwic City of London City of Westminster Middlesex County of London Greater London Periods Roman London Anglo-Saxon London Norman and Medieval London Tudor London Stuart London 18th century London 19th century London 1900–1939 The Blitz 1945–2000 21st century Events Peasants' Revolt Black Death Great Plague Great Fire 1854 cholera outbreak Great Stink Great Exhibition 1908 Franco-British Exhibition The Battle of Cable Street Festival of Britain Great Smog Swinging London London Plan 7/7 bombings Olympic Games (1908 1948 2012) Government Metropolitan Board of Works London County Council Greater London Council Greater London Authority London Assembly Mayor of London Services Bow Street Runners Metropolitan Police Service London Ambulance Service London Fire Brigade Port of London Authority London sewerage system London Underground City of London City of London Corporation Lord Mayor of the City of London Wards of the City of London Guildhall Livery Companies Lord Mayor's Show City of London Police Bank of England Structures St Paul's Cathedral Tower of London Palace of Whitehall Westminster Hall London Bridge Tower Bridge Westminster Abbey Big Ben The Monument Fortifications Category Commons

v t e City University London Subdivisions and publications Cass Business School · City Law School (Inns of Court School of Law) · School of Arts (Journalism Department) · School of Community and Health Sciences (St Bartholomew School of Nursing & Midwifery) · School of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences · School of Informatics (Centre for Software Reliability) · School of Social Sciences University Campus Northampton Square · Old Street · St John Street People Academics · Alumni · Chancellor: Lord Mayor of the City of London (ex officio) · Vice Chancellor: Professor Paul Curran Other History · Students' Union Affiliates Information Centre about Asylum and Refugees · London Centre for Arts and Cultural Exchange · Partnerships and collaborations · Spin-out companies · Universities UK Category

Erias Lukwago (Ssalongo) is a Ugandan lawyer and politician. He is the current Lord Mayor of the city of Kampala, the capital of Uganda and the largest metropolitan area in the country. He was elected to that position on Monday, 14 January 2011. ^[1]

Background[link]

He was born in Kampala on 11 May 1970, to Hajj Muhammad Mirundi and Hajjat Salmati Nkayaga. Lukwago is reported to have more than twenty (20) siblings.^[2] from the Nkima Clan of Buganda

Education[link]

Erias Lukwago attended Makerere University between 1995 until 1997, graduating with the degree of Bachelor of Laws (LLB). He went on to obtain the Diploma in Legal Practice from the Law Development Center in 1998. He also holds a Certificate in Advocacy Skills from the International Law Institute.^[3]

Work experience[link]

Since 1998 until now, Erias Lukwago has worked as the Managing Partner, in the offices of Lukwago and Co. Advocates, a Kampala law firm that specializes in Constitutional Law and Human Rights Law. In 2005 he was elected to the Ugandan Parliament, on the Democratic Party ticket, representing Central Kampala Constituency. While in parliament, he served on the Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Committee and on the Local Government Accounts Committee. He resigned from Parliament in 2011, and was elected Lord Mayor of the City of Kampala, a position he holds until today. Lukwago has in the past served as National Legal Adviser to the Democratic Party in Uganda, and as Shadow Minister for Justice and Constitutional Affairs.^[4] On Friday 20 May 2011, Lukwago was sworn in as Lord Mayor of the city of Kampala, for a five-year term.^[5][6]

Personal details[link]

Erias Lukwago is married and is the father of four (4) children including twins. He has in the past been a member of the Democratic Party in Uganda, although in the 2011 elections he ran as an Independent.^[7]

External links[link]

• How the City Mayoral Seat Was Won In 2011
• Kampala: What New City Executives Will Do

See also[link]

• Kampala Capital City Authority

Succession table[link]

References[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (March 2012)

David Wootton (born 20 July 1950, Yorkshire) is the 684th Lord Mayor of London, from 2011 to 2012. He is the Alderman of the Ward of Langbourn.^[1]

Early life[link]

Wootton was educated at Bradford Grammar School, before going up to Jesus College, Cambridge to read Classics and then Law. While at Cambridge, he was also able to captain his college’s First Boat in 1972 when the crew swept the board against all comers – and he still tries to ensure he rows there once a year with his contemporaries.

Career[link]

In 1979 he became a Partner at Allen & Overy,^[2] the international law firm headquartered in London with offices in 24 other countries, specialising in corporate transactions and best-practice compliance with law and regulation in corporate governance. This involves dealing with mergers and acquisitions, IPOs and joint ventures across various international markets. Having a strong interest in the governance of the City of London, Wootton stood for election to Common Council and was elected as Member for the Ward of Farringdon Within in 2002. In 2005 he was elected Alderman for the Ward of Langbourn. He was Deputy Chairman of the Finance Committee and a member of the Policy and Resources and the City Lands and Bridge House Estates Committees. In 2009 he was elected Sheriff of the City of London. Wootton has been elected to be Lord Mayor of London in 2011/2012. Wootton has made time throughout his career to devote to charitable and community activities in promotion of education and sport. Away from the City Corporation, he is a member of

• the Management Committee and Chairman of the Audit Committee of the King’s Fund^[3]
• Chairman of the City of London Branch of the Institute of Directors
• President of the Society of Young Freemen
• the Council of the City Livery Club
• Chairman of the Trustees of the Charles Dickens Museum
• Chairman of the Jesus College Boat Club (Cambridge) Trust and the Misys Charitable Foundation
• Music Patron of St Paul’s Cathedral
• a Director of the City of London Festival and the Local Government Association

A Committee member of the City of London Law Society, David is also Governor of several institutions, including:

• the Guildhall School of Music & Drama
• King Edward’s School Witley and the City of London Academy (Southwark)

He has been a member of:

• Almoner of Christ’s Hospital
• the Development Board of The Institute of Cancer Research
• the Council of the National Trust (elected)
• the Worshipful Company of Fletchers (2005/6)
• Master of The City of London Solicitors’ Company (2010/11)
• Court Assistant of The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass and the Worshipful Company of Information Technologists
• Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Clockmakers and the Worshipful Company of Bowyers
• a Freeman of The Company of Watermen and Lightermen and The Worshipful Company of Woolmen
• and an Honorary Liveryman of The Worshipful Company of Security Professionals

Wootton is also currently Honourary Vice President and serves on the Council of the City Livery Club and is President of the Society of Young Freemen. He is also a member of Leander and the London Rowing Clubs, and the Athenaeum and the City of London Clubs.

Personal life[link]

Wootton is married to Elizabeth (Liz) and has two sons (James and Christopher), two daughters (Alexandra and Sophie) and three grandchildren (Ellie, Lucy and Casper). David and Liz live in Sevenoaks, Kent. His father was born in Smallthorne Stoke on Trent. He still enjoys going back and visiting some of his old haunts.

References[link]

External links[link]

• www.cityoflondon.gov.uk
• Debrett's People of Today