Van R. Johnson (born 1968) is an American politician who has served as the mayor of Savannah, Georgia since 2020. He is the fourth African-American mayor in the city's history. Before becoming mayor, he served four terms as alderman for the Savannah City Council's 1st District.
Van R. Johnson | |
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67th Mayor of Savannah, Georgia | |
Assumed office January 1, 2020 | |
Preceded by | Eddie DeLoach |
Savannah City Alderman | |
In office January 2004 – January 1, 2020 | |
Succeeded by | Bernetta Lanier |
Constituency | 1st District |
Personal details | |
Political party | Democratic |
Alma mater | Savannah State University (BS) Georgia Southern University (MPA) |
Born in Brooklyn, Johnson graduated from high school at age 16 and enrolled in Savannah State University, the oldest public historically Black college and university in the state of Georgia.[1] He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1990 and a master's degree in public administration from Georgia Southern University.[2][3]
After college, Johnson worked as an assistant director of human resources for Savannah's Chatham County and later as a police officer.[1] From 2004 to 2020, he served as alderman for the Savannah City Council’s 1st District, additionally serving as mayor pro tem and vice chair during his tenure.[4] He unseated incumbent Eddie DeLoach in the 2019 Savannah mayoral election and was sworn in as mayor on January 1, 2020.[5] In November 2020, Mayor Johnson was elected among 16 Biden-Harris electors from Georgia for the Electoral College in the 2020 Presidential Election.[6] On November 7, 2023, he was re-elected mayor of Savannah with 77% of the vote against Kesha Gibson-Carter and T.L. Davis.[7]