| Office | Mayor of St. Louis |
|---|---|
| Order | 4th |
| Term start | April 14, 1835 |
| Term end | October 31, 1837 |
| Predecessor | John W. Johnston |
| Successor | William Carr Lane |
| Term start 2 | April 14, 1840 |
| Term end 2 | April 13, 1841 |
| Predecessor 2 | William Carr Lane |
| Successor 2 | John D. Daggett |
| State 3 | Missouri |
| District 3 | 1st |
| Term start 3 | March 4, 1851 |
| Term end 3 | March 3, 1853 |
| Preceded 3 | James B. Bowlin |
| Succeeded 3 | Thomas Hart Benton |
| State senate 4 | Missouri |
| Term 4 | 1838 |
| Birth date | December 10, 1803 |
| Birth place | Person County, North Carolina, US |
| Death date | May 11, 1882 (aged 78) |
| Death place | Pendleton, Missouri, US |
| Resting place | Calvary Cemetery |
| Party | Whig |
John Fletcher Darby (December 10, 1803 – May 11, 1882) was an American politician. A Whig, he was the Mayor of St. Louis and a member of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri.
Biography
Darby was born on December 10, 1803, in Person County, North Carolina,[1] the son of planter John Darby.[2] He was educated at local public schools, and in 1818, moved to Missouri with his parents, where he was a farmer, likely in Warren County.[3] He studied Latin from a young age. Both his parents died in early 1823.[4] In 1825, he moved to Frankfort, Kentucky to read law under John J. Crittenden,[5] being admitted to the bar, and in 1827, began practicing law in St. Louis.[1][6] He owned slaves.[7]
Darby was a Whig. In 1834, he was elected to the St. Louis Board of Aldermen.[8] He served as Mayor of St. Louis from April 14, 1835, until his resignation on October 31, 1837; he served again, from April 14, 1840, to April 13, 1841. As mayor, he had the city's first two public parks established,[9] and pushed for railroads to be built through the city and deprivatized the waterworks.[8] In 1838 and 1839, he was a member of the Missouri Senate, representing the 19th district,[7] and during his tenure had the St. Louis, Iron Mountain and Southern Railway chartered.[2] He was a member of the United States House of Representatives from March 4, 1851, to March 3, 1853, representing Missouri's 1st district.[1] While in Congress, he primarily worked with railroad legislation.[8]
After serving in Congress, Darby became a banker in St. Louis.[1] He was a founder of the St. Louis Law Library Association.[8] In 1836, he married Mary M. Wilkinson.[7] He died on May 11, 1882, aged 78, in Pendleton,[10] and was buried at Calvary Cemetery.[1]
References
- ^ "Darby, John Fletcher". bioguide.congress.gov. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ^ Edwards, Richard & Hopewell, Merna (1860). Edwards's Great West and Her Commercial Metropolis. Published at the office of "Edwards's monthly". pp. 94,97.
- ^ "Darby, John Fletcher | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ^ Livingston, John (1853). Portraits of Eminent Americans Now Living; with Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Their Lives and Actions. pp. 333–337.
- ^ Reavis, L. U. (1875). Saint Louis: the Future Great City of the World. Gray, Baker & Company. p. 427.
- ^ "John F. Darby (1803–1882) | Missouri Encyclopedia". missouriencyclopedia.org. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ^ "The Political Graveyard: Politicians in Banking and Finance in Missouri". politicalgraveyard.com. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ^ St. Louis Public Library (2001). "John Fletcher Darby". exhibits.slpl.org. Archived 2008-11-21 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2026-05-07.
- ^ Stevens, Walter B. (1909). St. Louis, the fourth city, 1764-1909. St. Louis : S.J. Clarke Pub. Co. p. 132.
- ^ "John F. Darby". Abend-Anzeiger. 12 May 1882. p. 4. Retrieved 2026-05-06.