
Objective
This project seeks to pull together all the mayors of New York, throughout the city's history. This includes the Dutch, English, and American periods in the history of the city. The ultimate purpose is to provide a ‘genealogical backbone’ for all the families that have been involved in the formation and development of the city.
Background
The birth of the city of New York is formally considered to be the year 1625. The island of Manhattan was explored by Henry Hudson in 1609, but it took a few years before the Dutch West India Company brought settlers to the new lands. The year 1625 coincides with the construction of Fort Amsterdam (near current Battery Park). A year later, the island was formally bought from the native Lenape Indians. Its southern tip was called New Amsterdam. In 1653, New Amsterdam was formally incorporated as a city – and the first mayors were appointed. During the Dutch rule of the city, there were two or three mayors at the same time – just like it was in the home country. Between 1664-1673, the English occupied New Amsterdam. Interestingly, they encouraged the original settlers to continue and run the city’s affairs, and one mayor was even an original Dutch settler. For about two years, the Dutch re-occupied the city, but in 1674 (Treaty of Westminster), the Dutch province of New Netherland became the English province of New York. Britain continued to rule the province – and the northern Americas – until the Declaration of Independence in 1776. After military defeat, Britain recognized the independence of the American colonies. In 1788, the old colonies ratified a common constitution and the United States of America were born. In 1898, Staten Island (Richmond County), Brooklyn (Kings County), Queens (Queens County), The Bronx (then a part of Westchester County, now Bronx County), and Manhattan (New York County) were consolidated into New York City, with one mayor.
Mayors of New York
Dutch Period - New Amsterdam
- 1653-1654 : Martin Cregier
- 1654-1656 : Allard Anthony
- 1656-1657 : Olof Stevensen van Cortlandt
- 1657-1658 : Paulus Leendertz Vandergrift
- 1658-1659 : Olof Stevensen van Cortlandt
- 1659-1660 : Martin Cregier
- 1660-1661 : Martin Cregier
- 1661-1662 : Paulus Leendertz Vandergrift
- 1662-1663 : Olof Stevensen van Cortlandt
- 1663-1664 : Martin Cregier
- 1664-1665 : Cornelius van Steenwyck
English Period - New York
- 1665-1666 : Thomas Willett
- 1666-1667 : Thomas Delavall
- 1667-1668 : Thomas Willett
- 1668-1671 : Cornelius van Steenwyck
- 1671-1672 : Thomas Delavall
- 1672-1673 : Matthias Nicoll
- 1673-1673 : John Lawrence
Dutch Period - New Orange
- 1673-1674 : Willem Beekman
- 1674-1674 : Willem Beekman
English Period - New York
- 1674-1675 : John Lawrence
- 1675-1676 : William Dervall
- 1676-1677 : Nicholas De Mayer
- 1677-1678 : Stephanus Van Cortlandt
- 1678-1679 : Thomas Delavall
- 1679-1680 : Francis Rombouts
- 1680-1682 : William Dyre
- 1682-1684 : Cornelius van Steenwyck
- 1684-1685 : Gabriel Minvielle
- 1685-1686 : Nicholas Bayard
- 1686-1688 : Stephanus Van Cortlandt
- 1688-1691 : Peter Delanoy
- 1691-1692 : John Lawrence
- 1692-1694 : Abraham de Peyster
- 1694-1696 : Charles Lodwik
- 1696-1698 : William Merritt
- 1698-1699 : Johannes de Peyster
- 1699-1700 : David Provost
- 1700-1701 : Isaac De Riemer
- 1701-1702 : Thomas Noell
- 1702-1702 : Thomas Hood
- 1702-1703 : Phillip French
- 1703-1707 : William Peartree
- 1707-1710 : Ebenezer Wilson
- 1710-1711 : Jacobus Van Cortlandt
- 1711-1714 : Caleb Heathcote
- 1714-1719 : John Johnstone
- 1719-1720 : Jacobus Van Cortlandt
- 1720-1725 : Robert Walters
- 1725-1726 : Johannes Jansen
- 1726-1735 : Robert Lurting
- 1735-1739 : Paul Richard
- 1739-1744 : John Cruger
- 1744-1747 : Stephen Bayard
- 1747-1757 : Edward Holland
- 1757-1766 : John Cruger, Jr.
- 1766-1776 : Whitehead Hicks
- 1776-1783 : David Matthews
United States
- 1784-1789 : James Duane
- 1789-1801 : Richard Varick
- 1801-1803 : Edward Livingston
- 1803-1807 : DeWitt Clinton
- 1807-1808 : Marinus Willett
- 1808-1810 : DeWitt Clinton
- 1810-1811 : Jacob Radcliff
- 1811-1815 : DeWitt Clinton
- 1815- : John Ferguson
- 1815-1818 : Jacob Radcliff
- 1818-1821 : Cadwallader D. Colden
- 1821-1824 : Stephen Allen
- 1825-1826 : William Paulding, Jr.
- 1826-1827 : Philip Hone
- 1827-1829 : William Paulding Jr.
- 1829-1832 : Walter Bowne
- 1833-1834 : Gideon Lee
- 1834-1837 : Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence
- 1837-1839 : Aaron Clark
- 1839-1841 : Isaac Varian
- 1841-1844 : Robert Morris
- 1844-1845 : James Harper
- 1845-1846 : William F. Havemeyer
- 1846-1847 : Andrew H. Mickle
- 1847-1848 : William Vermilye Brady
- 1848-1849 : William F. Havemeyer
- 1849-1851 : Caleb Smith Woodhull
- 1851-1853 : Ambrose Kingsland
- 1853-1855 : Jacob Aaron Westervelt
- 1855-1858 : Fernando Wood
- 1858-1860 : Daniel F. Tiemann
- 1860-1862 : Fernando Wood
- 1862-1864 : George Opdyke
- 1864-1866 : Charles Godfrey Gunther
- 1866-1868 : John T. Hoffman
- 1868-1868 : Thomas Coman
- 1869-1872 : Abraham Oakey Hall
- 1873-1874 : William F. Havemeyer
- 1874-1874 : Samuel B. H. Vance
- 1875-1876 : William H. Wickham
- 1877-1878 : Smith Ely, Jr.
- 1879-1880 : Edward Cooper
- 1881-1882 : William Russell Grace
- 1883-1884 : Franklin Edson
- 1885-1886 : William Russell Grace
- 1887-1888 : Abram S. Hewitt
- 1889-1892 : Hugh J. Grant
- 1893-1894 : Thomas F. Gilroy
- 1895-1897 : William L. Strong
Consolidation
- 1898-1901 : Robert A. Van Wyck
- 1902-1903 : Seth Low
- 1904-1909 : George B. McClellan Jr.
- 1910-1913 : William Jay Gaynor
- 1913-1913 : Ardolph Loges Kline
- 1914-1917 : John Purroy Mitchel
- 1918-1925 : John F. Hylan
- 1926-1932 : James J. Walker
- 1932-1932 : Joseph V. McKee
- 1933-1933 : John P. O'Brien
- 1934-1945 : Fiorello H. La Guardia
- 1946-1950 : William O'Dwyer
- 1950-1953 : Vincent R. Impellitteri
- 1954-1965 : Robert F. Wagner Jr.
- 1966-1973 : John V. Lindsay
- 1974-1977 : Abraham D. Beame
- 1978-1989 : Edward I. Koch
- 1990-1993 : David N. Dinkins
- 1994-2001 : Rudolph W. Giuliani
- 2002-2013 : Michael R. Bloomberg
- 2014-2021: Bill de Blasio
- 2022- : Eric Adams