Elections in the District of Columbia
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Ballot measures 1998: Initiative 59 2014: Initiative 71 2016: Advisory Referendum B 2018: Initiative 77 2022: Initiative 82
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Below is a list of mayors of Washington, D.C., and associated political entities.

History of offices

The federal district of the United States was first designated by the amended Residence Act of 1790. That Act designated that the President could appoint three commissioners to locate, define and survey an area not exceeding ten miles square as the capital district, following the Constitutional mandate to do so.^[1] From 1791 to 1802 the District was managed by that three-member Board of Commissioners of the Federal City as listed below.

With the passage of the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1801, the District was brought under the direct political control of Congress. The Board of Commissioners was dissolved. That Act made no provision for an executive for the District as a whole. The District consisted of five political subdivisions: three cities with their own municipal governments, and two rural counties. The pre-existing city of Georgetown and its mayors are listed below. The pre-existing city of Alexandria, Virginia, had its own list of mayors before, during and after its inclusion in the District. And the new City of Washington was chartered shortly after the District, in 1802. Its mayors also appear below. The rural county west of the Potomac, formerly Virginia, was Alexandria County. Finally to the east and outside the cities, formerly Maryland, lay Washington County, D.C. (Both counties were governed by levy courts made of providentially appointed Justices of the Peace, whose members do not appear below. Prior to 1802, those Justices of the Peace were appointed by the governors of Maryland and Virginia, after which they were appointed by the President until they were abolished in 1871).

In 1846, Alexandria County and the City of Alexandria returned to Virginia, leaving the District with two independent cities and one county.

In 1871, with the District of Columbia Organic Act, those three subdivisions within the District were unified into a single government, whose chief executive was a territorial Governor. As listed below, only two served before 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.

Currently, the Mayor of the District of Columbia is popularly elected to a four-year term with no term limits. Even though District of Columbia is not a state, the district 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 the District of Columbia 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.

Commissioners of the Federal City (1791–1802)

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. The commission had very little to do with the municipal regulation of the District and when their board was dissolved their powers were transferred to the "Superintendent", "Commissioner to Superintend Public Buildings" and the "Chief Engineer of the United States Army." The local public affairs were instead governed by a Levy Court made up of Justices of the Peace who, until passage of the Organic Act of 1801 were commissioned by the governors of Virginia (for Arlington County) and Maryland (for Prince George's and Montgomery County – the north part of the District remained part of these counties until 1801), and in the Federal city their powers were transferred to the Mayor and local government.^[2] During this time William Thornton, Robert Bowie, Daniel Carroll, and Robert Brent were some of the men who served on the Levy Court of Prince George's County.^[3]

#	Image	Member	Term began	Term ended	State	Political party
1		David Stuart	January 22, 1791	September 12, 1794	Virginia	Independent
2		Thomas Johnson	January 22, 1791	August 23, 1794	Maryland	Federalist
3		Daniel Carroll	March 4, 1791	May 21, 1795	Maryland	Independent
4		Gustavus Scott	August 23, 1794	December 25, 1800	Maryland	Independent
5		William Thornton	September 12, 1794	July 1, 1802	Pennsylvania	Independent
6		Alexander White	May 21, 1795	July 1, 1802	Virginia	Pro-Administration Party
7		William Cranch	January 14, 1801	March 3, 1801	Massachusetts	Federalist
8		Tristram Dalton	March 10, 1801	July 1, 1802	Massachusetts	Pro-Administration

^[4]

Mayors of the City of Washington (1802–1871)

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.

Starting in March 1801 the County of Washington, which included the city (or corporation) of Washington and the city of Georgetown, was governed by a Levy Court, of unfixed number, made up of Justices of the Peace chosen by the President. It was one of these Justice of the Peace appointments, made in the 24 hours between the passage of the Organic Act of 1801 and the end of John Adams' term that became the subject of Marbury v. Madison. In 1804, the Levy Court lost the power to tax the residents of Washington City, but in 1808 the city was required to contribute to the revenue of the county and in 1826 the Levy Court lost the power to tax those in Georgetown.^[3] An 1812 law fixed the number of judges to seven, two from east of Rock Creek but outside of Washington City, two from west of Rock Creek but outside of Georgetown and three from Georgetown, with none from Washington City until an 1848 law added four members from the city. Even when the City of Washington was not represented on the Levy Court, they were still required to contribute to the costs of the county, except for bridges and roads outside its boundaries. The court was again changed in 1863 when it was reduced to nine members, three from the city of Washington, one from Georgetown, and five from county lands outside the city. The Levy Court was disbanded in 1871 with the Mayor when congress consolidated all the remaining governments in DC. Some of the more prominent members of the Levy Court include Thomas Corcoran, John Cox, George W. Riggs, and Sayles J. Bown^[2]

Image	Mayor[5]	Term began	Term ended	Political party
	Robert Brent	June 1, 1802	June 8, 1812	Democratic-Republican Party
	Daniel Rapine	June 8, 1812	June 14, 1813	Independent
	James H. Blake	June 14, 1813	June 9, 1817	Independent
	Benjamin G. Orr	June 9, 1817	June 14, 1819	Independent
	Samuel N. Smallwood	June 14, 1819	June 14, 1822	Independent
	Thomas Carbery	June 14, 1822	June 14, 1824	Independent
	Samuel N. Smallwood	June 14, 1824	September 30, 1824	Independent
	Roger C. Weightman	October 4, 1824	June 11, 1827	Independent
	Joseph Gales	June 11, 1827	June 14, 1830	Independent
	John Peter Van Ness	June 14, 1830	June 9, 1834	Democratic-Republican
	William A. Bradley	June 9, 1834	June 13, 1836	Independent
	Peter Force	June 13, 1836	June 8, 1840	Whig Party
	William Winston Seaton	June 8, 1840	June 10, 1850	Whig Party
	Walter Lenox	June 10, 1850	June 14, 1852	Independent
	John W. Maury	June 14, 1852	June 12, 1854	Democratic
	John T. Towers	June 12, 1854	June 9, 1856	Know Nothing
	William B. Magruder	June 9, 1856	June 14, 1858	Anti-Know-Nothing-Party
	James G. Berret	June 14, 1858	August 26, 1861	Anti-Know-Nothing-Party, Democratic
	Richard Wallach	August 26, 1861	June 8, 1868	Republican
	Sayles J. Bowen	June 8, 1868	June 7, 1870	Republican
	Matthew G. Emery[6]	June 7, 1870	February 28, 1871	Republican

^[7]

Mayors of Georgetown (1790–1871)

From 1751 to 1789, Georgetown was governed by Commissioners who were either appointed by an act of Maryland or were elected by the other commissioners to fill vacancies. in 1790 the government was changed to include a Mayor, a Recorder, Aldermen and a Common Council. During this time it was governed by nineteen different commissioners.^[8]

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.^[9] 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.^[10]

#	Image	Mayor[5]	Term began	Term ended
1		Robert Peter	1790	1791
2		Thomas Beale	1791	1792
3		Uriah Forrest	1792	1793
4		John Threlkeld	1793	1794
5		Pedro Casenave	1794	1795
6		Thomas Turner	1795	1796
7		Daniel Reintzel	1796	1797
8		Lloyd Beall	1797	1799
9		Daniel Reintzel	1799	1804
10		Thomas Corcoran	1805	1806
11		Daniel Reintzel	1806	1807
12		Thomas Corcoran	1808	1810
13		David Wiley	1811	1812
14		Thomas Corcoran	1812	1813
15		John Peter	1813	1818
16		Henry Foxall	1819	1820
17		John Peter	1821	1822
18		John Cox	1823	1845
19		Henry Addison	1845	1857
20		Richard R. Crawford	1857	1861
21		Henry Addison	1861	1867
22		Charles D. Welch	1867	1869
23		Henry M. Sweeney	1869	1871

Governors of the District of Columbia (1871–1874)

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,^[11] the territorial government was discontinued in 1874.

#	Image	Governor[5]		Term began	Term ended	Political party
1			Henry D. Cooke	February 28, 1871	September 13, 1873	Republican
2			Alexander R. Shepherd[12]	September 13, 1873	June 20, 1874	Republican

Commissioners of the District of Columbia (1874–1878)

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.

#	Image	Member		Term began	Term ended	Political party
1			William Dennison	July 1, 1874	July 1, 1878	Republican
2			Henry T. Blow	July 1, 1874	December 31, 1874	Republican
3			John H. Ketcham	July 3, 1874	June 30, 1877	Republican
4			Seth Ledyard Phelps	January 18, 1875	June 30, 1878	Republican
5			Thomas Barbour Bryan	December 3, 1877	July 1, 1878	Republican

^[4]

Presidents of the Board of Commissioners (1878–1967)

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 district's Chief Executive.

#	Image	President[13]		Term began	Term ended	Political party
1			Seth Ledyard Phelps	July 1, 1878	November 29, 1879	Republican
2			Josiah Dent	November 29, 1879	July 17, 1882	Democratic
3			Joseph Rodman West	July 17, 1882	March 29, 1883	Republican
4			James Barker Edmonds	March 29, 1883	January 1, 1886	Democratic
5			William Benning Webb	January 1, 1886	May 21, 1889	Republican
6			John Watkinson Douglass	May 21, 1889	March 1, 1893	Republican
7			John Wesley Ross	March 1, 1893	June 1, 1898	Democratic
8			John Brewer Wight	June 1, 1898	May 9, 1900	Republican
9			Henry Brown Floyd MacFarland	May 9, 1900	January 24, 1910	Republican
10			Cuno Hugo Rudolph	January 24, 1910	February 28, 1913	Republican
11			Oliver Peck Newman	February 28, 1913	October 9, 1917	Democratic
12			Louis Brownlow	October 9, 1917	September 17, 1920	Democratic
			Charles Willauer Kutz	September 17, 1920	September 25, 1920	Independent
13			John Thilman Hendrick	September 25, 1920	March 4, 1921	Democratic
14			Cuno Hugo Rudolph	March 15, 1921	December 4, 1926	Republican
15			Proctor Lambert Dougherty	December 4, 1926	April 10, 1930	Republican
16			Luther Halsey Reichelderfer	April 10, 1930	November 16, 1933	Republican
17			Melvin Colvin Hazen	November 16, 1933	July 15, 1941	Democratic
18			John Russell Young	July 15, 1941	July 29, 1941	Republican
				July 29, 1941	June 2, 1952
19			F. Joseph Donohue	June 2, 1952	April 6, 1953	Democratic
20			Samuel Spencer	April 6, 1953	April 6, 1956	Republican
21			Robert E. McLaughlin	April 6, 1956	July 27, 1961	Republican
22			Walter Nathan Tobriner	July 27, 1961	November 7, 1967	Democratic

^[14]

Mayor-Commissioner (1967–1975)

In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson presented to Congress a plan to reorganize the District's government.^[15] The three-commissioner system was replaced by a government headed by a single mayor-commissioner, an assistant mayor-commissioner, and a nine-member district council, all appointed by the president.^[15] The mayor-commissioner and his assistant served four-year terms,^[16] while the councilmembers served three-year terms.^[15] While the council was officially nonpartisan, no more than six of Councilmembers could be of the same political party.^[16] Councilmembers were expected to work part-time.^[15] 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.^[16] All must be District residents while serving their terms in office.^[16]

Council members had the quasi-legislative powers of the former Board of Commissioners, approving the budget and setting real estate tax rates.^[15] 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.^[17] The mayor-commissioner could veto the actions of the council, but the council could override the veto with a three-fourths vote.^[15]

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.^[18] Johnson said that the new District government would be more effective and efficient.^[15]

Walter E. Washington was appointed the first mayor-commissioner, and Thomas W. Fletcher was appointed the first assistant mayor-commissioner.^[19] 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.^[19]

#	Mayor-Commissioner[5]		Term start	Term end	Party
1		Walter Washington[20]	November 7, 1967	January 2, 1975	Democratic

Mayors of the District of Columbia (1975–present)

Since 1975, the District has been administered by a popularly elected mayor and district council.

Parties

  Democratic (7)

#	Mayor		Term of office	Party	Term	Previous office
1		Walter Washington[21] (1915–2003)	January 2, 1975 – January 2, 1979	Democratic	1 (1974)	Mayor-Commissioner of the District of Columbia
2		Marion Barry[21] (1936–2014)	January 2, 1979 – January 2, 1991	Democratic	2 (1978)	Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from the At-large district (1975–1979)
					3 (1982)
					4 (1986)
3		Sharon Pratt Kelly[21][22] (born 1944)	January 2, 1991 – January 2, 1995	Democratic	5 (1990)	Treasurer of the Democratic National Committee (1985–1989)
4		Marion Barry[21] (1936–2014)	January 2, 1995 – January 2, 1999	Democratic	6 (1994)	Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 8 (1993–1995)
5		Anthony A. Williams[21] (born 1951)	January 2, 1999 – January 2, 2007	Democratic	7 (1998)	D.C. Chief Financial Officer (1995–1998)
					8 (2002)
6		Adrian Fenty[21] (born 1970)	January 2, 2007 – January 2, 2011	Democratic	9 (2006)	Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 4 (2001–2007)
7		Vincent C. Gray[21] (born 1942)	January 2, 2011 – January 2, 2015	Democratic	10 (2010)	Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia (2007–2011)
8		Muriel Bowser[21] (born 1972)	January 2, 2015 – Incumbent	Democratic	11 (2014)	Member of the Council of the District of Columbia from Ward 4 (2007–2015)
					12 (2018)
					13 (2022)

Succession