Catching up with Reuben Harpole, Milwaukee’s unofficial mayor

by PrincessSafiya Byers
Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service
Photo by Jonathan Aguilar / Milwaukee Neighborhood News Service / CatchLight Local
December 15, 2025

Reuben Harpole served as the unofficial mayor of Milwaukee for years and is considered a living legend.

Now he’s finally enjoying retirement. He said his job is to show up when called and keep his late wife Mildred’s legacy alive.

“People call me and invite me to things like NAACP dinners and assemblies, and in those times I get up and go out,” Harpole said. “But I talk about my wife a lot because she was phenomenal and she did so much for Milwaukee.”

Together, the two had founding roles or involvement in many of the organizations that serve Milwaukee neighborhoods today, including the Central City Teacher Community Project, the Community Brainstorming Conference and the Children’s Performing Arts Group, which eventually became the Ko-Thi Dance Company.

Outside of that, Harpole, 91, said he spends a lot of time keeping up with old acquaintances and thinking about all the things he’s been able to do. When time permits, he’s educating people through interviews and serving others through his continued volunteer work.

“The most important thing I’ve learned is that young people have talent and it’s our job as adults and the community to help them discover that talent,” Harpole said.

Despite his long list of achievements, Harpole said he still has much work to do.

“I’d like to sit down with public school teachers and share with them some of the things I’ve learned when I was working with schools,” he said. “I still have stories to tell and information to share. I want educators to grasp how important it is for society that we listen to the youth.”