Mayor of Dudley

The post is partly ceremonial although the mayor does also preside over full meetings of the council and has the duty of holding decision makers to account.

The mayor selected in 1860 was Charles Francis George Clark, author of The Curiosities of Dudley and the Black Country.

The first mayor of the new municipal borough, selected on 20 June 1865, was Frederick Smith, Mineral Agent to the Earl of Dudley.

[6][7] One of his first acts was to organize tea, cake, refreshments and entertainment for 4,000 local school children at his residence at the Priory, Dudley.

[8] Smith's tenure of the position was short, as on 9 November 1865 his successor, Charles Cochrane was selected by the council.

The Local Government Act 1888 changed the status of Dudley to a County Borough, effective from 1 April 1889.

After the Earl of Dudley had finished his two terms, the next mayor was the Netherton-born George Henry Dunn, who had started his working life, still a child, in a colliery.

[14][15] In 1949, there was a difficulty in selecting a mayor because: "the more experienced eligibles were unable to accept for health reasons, and the younger councillors had to decline because they had neither the time to spare from their work nor the means to supplement the expenses allowed for the office".