Van R. Johnson

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.

Early life and education
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. He earned a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1990 and a master's degree in public administration from Georgia Southern University.

Career
After college, Johnson worked as an assistant director of human resources for Savannah's Chatham County and later as a police officer. 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. He unseated incumbent Eddie DeLoach in the 2019 Savannah mayoral election and was sworn in as mayor on January 1, 2020. In November 2020, Mayor Johnson was elected among 16 Biden-Harris electors from Georgia for the Electoral College in the 2020 Presidential Election. On November 7, 2023, he was re-elected mayor of Savannah with 77% of the vote against Kesha Gibson-Carter and T.L. Davis.