1959 Pittsburgh mayoral special election

The 1959 Pittsburgh Special mayoral election was held on Tuesday November 3, 1959. The winner of the 1957 election, Democrat David Lawrence, had resigned from his position in January 1959 because he was elected Governor of Pennsylvania. City Council President Tom Gallagher moved up to the position of mayor per the city charter. At 75 years old, he chose not to seek reelection. Joe Barr, also a Democrat, won the special election and the remainder of Lawrence's term. Barr, a powerful State Senator and a longtime Lawrence associate, defeated Republican Paul Reinhold, the president of a company that distributed road repair equipment.