Mayors of the City of Seattle

The Mayor is the chief executive officer of the City. The Mayor is responsible for ensuring that the laws of the City are enforced, directing and controlling all subordinate officers and agencies, and maintaining the peace and order in the City. Any candidate for the position must be a citizen of the United States, a qualified elector of the State of Washington, and a registered voter of the City of Seattle at the time of filing his/her declaration of candidacy.

Seattle was first incorporated as a town by an act of the Territorial Legislature on January 14, 1865. The act was repealed January 18, 1867, after most of the town�s leading citizens filed a petition for dissolution. During its first tenure as an incorporated entity, Seattle was governed by a Board of Trustees and for all of that period the President of the Board was Charles C. Terry.

Mayors, 1869-1890
Seattle was again incorporated, this time as a city, by an act of the Territorial Legislature on December 2, 1869. The City�s first mayor, Henry A. Atkins, was appointed by the Legislature pending the first City election scheduled for July 1870. The City Charter, granted by the Legislature, set the Mayor�s term of office at one year. Elections were held on the second Monday in July.

Mayors, 1890-1948
The Freeholders Charter of 1890 changed the term of office for the Mayor to two years and made the incumbent ineligible for re-election until after the lapse of two years. Elections were held on the first Monday in March. The two-year term was maintained under a new Freeholders� Charter of 1896, but the restrictioin on re-election was removed. Elections were changed to the Tuesday following the first Monday in March. A Charter Amendment passed by the voters on March 8, 1910, established non-partisan nominations and elections for all City elective offices. In 1921 the State Legislature established elections on the first Tuesday following the first Monday in May. Two years later, the elections were moved back to the second Tuesday in March.

Mayors, 1948-present
A new Freeholders Charter in 1946 changed the term of the Mayor to four years. Washington State laws of 1963 changed City elections from the spring to the fall begining in 1967. Elections were to be held in odd-numbered years with terms of office beginning January 1 of the following even-numbered years. Because of the 1963 state law, the term of the 1964 mayoral race winner was extended to December 31, 1969.