Voters in Houston, a city of 2.2 million people, gave a solid victory to 53-year-old Parker, the city controller, who defeated Gene Locke after securing 53.6 per cent of votes in the Saturday night’s mayoral run-off.

Locke, a former city attorney, conceded defeat after it became clear that he could not overcome her lead. “... the voters of Houston have opened the door to history,” Parker said after her win, flanked by her partner of 19 years, Kathy Hubbard, and their three adopted children. “I acknowledge that. I embrace that. I know what this win means to many of us who never thought we could achieve high office,” she was quoted as saying by The New York Times.

Throughout the campaign, Parker, who began her career as an advocate for gay rights in the 1980s, tried to avoid making an issue of her sexual orientation and emphasised on her experience in overseeing the city’s finances.

Several cities in other regions have chosen openly gay mayors, including Providence in Rhode Island, Portland in Oregon and Cambridge in Massachusetts.