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The list of mayors of Washington, D.C. is a reflection of the changing structure of its local government. Washington, DC was formed with the passage of the amended residency Act of 1791 and the government at the time defined in the 1790 Residency Act. From 1791 to 1802 the District was managed by a three-member board of Commissioners. With the passage of the 1802 Organic Act, the District was divided into two counties, Alexandria County west of the Potomac and Washington County to the east. The counties were governed by levy courts made of providentially appointed Justices of the Peace, but the District's three cities, Georgetown, Washington City and Alexandria each had their own municipal government. Prior to 1812, the levy courts had a number of members defined by the President, but after that Washington County had 7 members. In 1846, Alexandria County returned to Virginia. In 1848, the Washington County levy court was expanded to 11 members and in 1863 it was reduced by two to nine members. With the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, the three municipalities within the District of Columbia were abolished in favor of a single District government, whose chief executive was a territorial Governor. This office was abolished in 1874, and replaced with a temporary three-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the President. The board was made permanent in 1878 and this system continued until 1967, when it was replaced by a single mayor-commissioner and city council appointed by the President. Finally, in 1974, the District of Columbia Home Rule Act allowed for District residents to elect their own mayor.
Contents
- 1791 1802 Board of Commissioners of the Federal City
- 18021871 Mayors of the City of Washington
- 17901871 Mayors of Georgetown
- 18711874 Governors of the District of Columbia
- 18741878 Commissioners of the District of Columbia
- 18781967 Presidents of the Board of Commissioners
- 19671975 Mayor Commissioner
- 1975present Mayors of the District of Columbia
- References
Currently, the Mayor of the District of Columbia is popularly elected to a four-year term with no term limits. Even though Washington, DC is not a state, the city government also has certain state-level responsibilities, making some of the mayor's duties analogous to those of United States governors. The current mayor of Washington, D.C. is Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, who has served in the role since January 2, 2015.
The lists on this page include all of the chief executives of the District of Columbia in their various forms.
1791-1802: Board of Commissioners of the Federal City
The 1790 Act for establishing the temporary and permanent seat of the Government of the United States, Act of March 3, 1791, 1 Stat. 214, set up a board of three commissioners to survey and define the territory of the Federal City, and to purchase land for development and oversee the construction of all federal buildings. Some reports name Thomas Johnson as the chairman of the Board of Commissioners, but it appears there was no chair, even if Johnson acted in the manner of a chair.
1802–1871: Mayors of the City of Washington
The persons listed below are the mayors of the now-defunct City of Washington, which was officially granted a formal government in 1802. The Mayor of Washington had authority over city services, appointments, and local tax assessments; however, the duties of the mayor mostly consisted of requesting appropriations from Congress to finance the city. From 1802 to 1812, the mayor was appointed by the President of the United States. Between 1812 and 1820, the city's mayors were then selected by a city council. From 1820 to 1871 the mayor was popularly elected. The present-day boundaries of the "Old City" were Rock Creek to the west, Florida Avenue to the north, and the Anacostia River to the east and south.
1790–1871: Mayors of Georgetown
Georgetown was a town in Maryland until 1801, when it became a municipality within the District of Columbia. From 1802 until 1871, mayors of Georgetown were elected to one-year terms, with no term limits. Like the City of Washington and Washington County, Georgetown's local government ceased to exist in 1871, when Congress merged the three entities into the single District government.
1871–1874: Governors of the District of Columbia
In 1871, Congress created a territorial government for the entire District of Columbia, which was headed by a governor appointed by the President of the United States to a four-year term. Due to alleged mismanagement and corruption, including allegations of contractors bribing members of the District legislature to receive contracts, the territorial government was discontinued in 1874.
1874–1878: Commissioners of the District of Columbia
From 1874 to 1878 the District was administered by a three-member, temporary Board of Commissioners with both legislative and executive authority, all appointed by the President. They were assisted by an engineer (Captain Richard L. Hoxie). The law made no provision for a President to this board of temporary Commissioners, and none was ever elected, but Commissioner Dennison acted in that capacity at all board meetings he attended.
1878–1967: Presidents of the Board of Commissioners
In 1878, the Board of Commissioners was made permanent and re-organized. From 1878 to 1967, the District was administered by this new three-member Board of Commissioners with both legislative and executive authority, all appointed by the President. The board comprised one Democrat, one Republican, and one civil engineer with no specified party. The three Commissioners would then elect one of their number to serve as president of the board. While not quite analogous to the role of a mayor, the president of the board was the city's Chief Executive.
1967–1975: Mayor-Commissioner
In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson presented to Congress a plan to reorganize the District's government. The three-commissioner system was replaced by a government headed by a single mayor-commissioner, an assistant mayor-commissioner, and a nine-member city council, all appointed by the president. The mayor-commissioner and his assistant served four-year terms, while the councilmembers served three-year terms. While the Council was officially nonpartisan, no more than six of Councilmembers could be of the same political party. Councilmembers were expected to work part-time. All councilmembers and either the mayor-commissioner or his assistant was required to have been a resident of the District of Columbia for the three years preceding appointment. All must be District residents while serving their terms in office.
Council members had the quasi-legislative powers of the former Board of Commissioners, approving the budget and setting real estate tax rates. The mayor-commissioner could, without any Congressional approval, consolidate District agencies and transfer money between agencies, powers that the preceding Board of Commissioners had not possessed since 1952. The mayor-commissioner could veto the actions of the Council, but the Council could override the veto with a three-fourths vote.
Despite a push by many Republicans and conservative Democrats in the House of Representatives to reject Johnson's plan, the House of Representatives accepted the new form of government for the District by a vote of 244 to 160. Johnson said that the new District government would be more effective and efficient.
Walter E. Washington was appointed the first mayor-commissioner, and Thomas W. Fletcher was appointed the first assistant mayor-commissioner. The first Council appointments were Chairman John W. Hechinger, Vice Chairman Walter E. Fauntroy, Stanley J. Anderson, Margaret A. Haywood, John A. Nevius, William S. Thompson, J.C. Turner, Polly Shackleton, and Joseph P. Yeldell.
1975–present: Mayors of the District of Columbia
Since 1975, the District has been administered by a popularly elected mayor and city council.
Democratic (8)