Fremantle, Western Australia was initially incorporated as a Town Trust with limited powers on 17 April 1848. The Municipal Institutions Act 1871 empanelled the Town Council with a Mayor, and it was made a Municipal Council in 1883. On 3 June 1929, Fremantle was declared a city — Western Australia's second after Perth, which was declared in 1856.
Summary of Members of the Fremantle Town Trust, 1848-1871. Compiled from letters to the Colonial Secretary up to 1856, and thereafter from the Minutes of the Fremantle Town Trust.
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| Capt. Daniel Scott | 1848–1851 |
| J.W. Davey | 1851–1852 |
| Capt. Daniel Scott | 1853–1854 |
| Thomas Carter | 1855 |
| Capt. Daniel Scott | 1856–1858 |
| Charles Alexander Manning | 1859–1867 |
| Edward Newman | 1868–1869 |
| William Silas Pearse | 1870–1871 |
Summary of Office-bearers of the Fremantle Town Council. Compiled from the Minutes of the Fremantle Town Council which are intact from 1871-1873
| Mayor | Term |
|---|---|
| William Silas Pearse | 1871–1872 |
| J. Thomas | 1873 |
| William Marmion | 1874 |
| J. Thomas | 1875 |
| Henry Maxwell Lefroy | 1876 |
| James Manning | 1877[1] |
| Edward Higham | 1878–1880 |
| Elias Solomon | 1881 |
| Edward Higham | 1882 |
| Barrington Wood | 1883 |
Summary of Members of the Fremantle Municipal Council 1883-1929. Compiled from the Minutes of the Fremantle Municipal Council.
| Mayor | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barrington Clarke Wood | 1883–1885 | |
| Daniel Keen Congdon | 1886–1888 | |
| Elias Solomon | 1889–1891 | Also member for South Fremantle 1892–1901; Federal member for Fremantle (Free Trade Party) 1901–1903 |
| William Frederick Samson | 1892–1893 | Uncle of Sir Frederick Samson |
| Daniel Keen Congdon | 1894 | |
| George Alfred Davies | 1895 | Brother of Edward William Davies (below) |
| Elias Solomon | 1896–1898 | |
| James McHenry Clark | 1899 | |
| Elias Solomon | 1900–1901 | |
| Edward William Davies | 1901 | Removed on the grounds of insanity; died 1904; brother of George Davies (above) |
| Lawrence Alexander | 1901–1902 | |
| Tom Smith | 1903 | |
| Frank Cadd | 1904–1905 | |
| Michael Samson | 1905–1907 | Father of Sir Frederick Samson; died in office. |
| William Murphy | 1907–1909 | |
| Edward Henry Fothergill | 1909–1910 | |
| Joseph Holmes | 1911 | Elected but did not occupy the chair |
| Frederick James McLaren | 1912–1914 | |
| William Ernest Wray | 1914–1918 | |
| William Montgomery | 1919 | |
| Frank Gibson | 1919–1923 | |
| John Cooke | 1924–1926 | |
| Frank Gibson | 1927–1929 |
Summary of Members of the Fremantle City Council, 1929–present.
| Mayor | Term | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sir Frank Gibson | 1929–1951 | |
| Sir Frederick Samson | 1951–1972 | Grandson of Lionel Samson, early settler |
| Bill McKenzie | 1972–1984 | |
| John Cattalini | 1984–1994 | |
| Jenny Archibald | 1994–1996 | |
| Richard Utting | 1997–2001 | |
| Peter Tagliaferri | 2001–2009 | |
| Brad Pettitt | 2009–2021 | Elected to the Western Australian Legislative Council at the 2021 Western Australian state election |
| Hannah Fitzhardinge[2][3] | 2021–present |