1. History of offices

2. 1791-1802: Board of Commissioners of the Federal City

3. 1802–1871: Mayors of the City of Washington

4. 1790–1871: Mayors of Georgetown

5. 1871–1874: Governors of the District of Columbia

6. 1874–1878: Commissioners of the District of Columbia

7. 1878–1967: Presidents of the Board of Commissioners

8. 1967–1975: Mayor-Commissioner

9. 1975–present: Mayors of the District of Columbia

10. See also

11. References

12. External links

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, formerly in 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.)

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.

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

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.^[5]

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.^[6] 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.^[7]

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,^[8] 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 district's Chief Executive.

1967–1975: Mayor-Commissioner

In 1967, President Lyndon Johnson presented to Congress a plan to reorganize the District's government.^[12] 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.^[12] The mayor-commissioner and his assistant served four-year terms,^[13] while the councilmembers served three-year terms.^[12] While the Council was officially nonpartisan, no more than six of Councilmembers could be of the same political party.^[13] Councilmembers were expected to work part-time.^[12] 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.^[13] All must be District residents while serving their terms in office.^[13]

Council members had the quasi-legislative powers of the former Board of Commissioners, approving the budget and setting real estate tax rates.^[12] 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.^[14] The mayor-commissioner could veto the actions of the Council, but the Council could override the veto with a three-fourths vote.^[12]

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.^[15] Johnson said that the new District government would be more effective and efficient.^[12]

1975–present: Mayors of the District of Columbia

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

Parties

See also

• Timeline of Washington, D.C.

References

External links

• {{Official website|http://mayor.dc.gov/}}
• {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010331105135/http://dc.gov/index.asp |date=March 31, 2001 |title=Mayor of the District of Columbia}}

• Pseudoliotia henjamensis
• Pseudoliotina
• Pseudoliotina discoidea
• Pseudoliotina springsteeni
• Pseudoliparis (fish)
• Pseudoliparis (genus)
• Pseudoliptena bitje
• Pseudolithiasis
• Pseudolithos
• Pseudolithosia
• Pseudolithosia schausi
• Pseudologia Fantastica (song)
• Pseudologic
• Pseudolophanthus
• Pseudolophia
• Pseudolophia nigrosignata
• Pseudoludia
• Pseudoludia nyungwe
• Pseudoludia suavis
• Pseudoludovia
• Pseudo-Luke
• Pseudolus pseudidalus
• Pseudolycaena bathildis
• Pseudolycaena boreas
• Pseudolycaena mantra