City Incorporated in 1841
- 1841 — Pleasant Vinson Rhea (Alderman, which was the equivalent of mayor at the time)
- 1859 — J.W. Walker
- 1860 — Stephen Bedford
The outbreak of the Civil War ends civilian government in Fayetteville through the duration of the war.
City Government Re-Established
Mayor/City Council Form
- 1868 — M. LaRue Harrison
- 1869 — Erasmus I. Stirman
- 1871 — T. Murray Campbell
- 1872 — J.R. Pettigrew
- 1873 — George A. Grace
- 1874 — Robert J. Wilson
- 1876 — A.M. Wilson
- 1877 — A.S. Vandeventer
- 1880 — J.M. Van Hoose
- 1881 — W.C. Jackson
- 1883 — C.W. Walker
- 1885 — W. C. Jackson
- 1886 — Robert J. Wilson
- 1886 — Oliver C. Gray
- 1887 — E.B. Wall
- 1888 — James H. Van Hoose
- 1889 — F.M. Goar
- 1891-95 — W. S. Pollard
- 1897 — Jack Walker
- 1901 — J.T. Eason
- 1905 — C.A. Mullholland
- 1909 — W.H. Rollins
- 1913-14 — Guy Phillips
- 1914-17 — Tom Taylor
- 1917-18 — Allan Wilson
- 1918-21 — J.M. Phillips
- 1921-29 — Allan Wilson
- 1929-35 — T. S. Tribble
- 1935-41 — A. D. McAllister
- 1944-49 — G. T. Sanders
- 1949-53 — Powell M. Rhea
- 1954-57 — Roy A. Scott
- 1958-59 — J. Austin Parrish
- 1960-65 — Guy E. Brown
City Administrator/Board of Directors Form
Under the city administrator form of government, the mayor was elected from among the members of the board of directors and served a primarily ceremonial role.
- 1966-68 — Don Trumbo
- 1969-70 — Garland Melton Jr.
- 1971-72 — Joe Fred Starr
- 1973-74 — Russell Purdy
- 1975-76 — Marion Orton
- 1977-78 — Ernest Lancaster
- 1978-79 — David Malone
- 1980-81 — John Todd
- 1982-86 — Paul Noland
- 1986-87 — Marilyn Johnson
- 1987-90 — William V. Martin
- 1991-92 — Fred S. Vorsanger
Mayor/City Council Form Again
- 1992-2000 — Fred Hanna
- 2000-09 — Dan Coody
- 2009-24 — Lioneld Jordan
- 2025-Present — Molly Rawn