George Heartwell

George Heartwell was the mayor of the city of Grand Rapids in the U.S. state of Michigan. He was sworn in on January 1, 2004, and exited his mayoral duties after ending his third term on January 16, 2016.

Heartwell graduated from Albion College in 1971. He later earned a Master of Divinity (M.Div.) degree from Western Theological Seminary in Holland, Michigan, and was ordained as a minister in the Reformed Church in America and later the United Church of Christ.

Prior to being mayor, Heartwell was a City Commissioner for the third ward of Grand Rapids from 1992-1999. Heartwell currently serves as President and CEO of Pilgrim Manor Retirement Community. He was Director of the Community Leadership Institute at Aquinas College, where he also was a professor in the Community Leadership undergraduate study program. Mayor Heartwell is an ordained minister for the United Church of Christ, and served for 14 years at Heartside Ministry, a program for the homeless in Grand Rapids. He was previously the president of Heartwell Mortgage Corporation. In August, 2007, Mayor Heartwell was re-elected to a second mayoral term in Grand Rapids. He won the primary election with 51% of the vote, eliminating the need for a general election run-off. He would be reelected for a third term in 2011. Heartwell has become Grand Rapids' longest-serving mayor. He will also be, in 2015, the first Grand Rapids mayor to be term-limited out of office; during his third term in office voters approved a revision of the city charter limiting all future Grand Rapids mayors to two four-year terms. These revisions prevent Heartwell from running for a fourth term.

• 2005 - Albion College Distinguished Alumni Award