List of mayors of Albany, New York facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

The city of Albany, New York, has a long history of leaders. From 1686 until 1779, the mayors were chosen by the royal governor of New York. After that, from 1779 to 1839, the mayors were picked by a state council, usually for one-year terms. Since 1840, the people of Albany have voted directly for their mayors. Starting in 1886, mayoral terms began on January 1st of the year after the election.

So far, 74 men and one woman have served as mayor of Albany. Some mayors served more than one term, but not always in a row. Erastus Corning 2nd was mayor for over 40 years, which is longer than any other mayor in a major city in the United States. The current mayor is Kathy Sheehan (Democrat). She was first elected in 2013 and started her term on January 1, 2014. She is now serving her second term.

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Albany
Flag of the City of Albany
Seal of the City of Albany
Incumbent Kathy Sheehan since January 1, 2014
Style	The Honorable
Term length	Four years; renewable
Inaugural holder	Pieter Schuyler
Formation	1686
Salary	$135,402 (2017)
Website	[1]

Early Mayors: 17th Century Leaders
Shaping the City: 18th Century Mayors
Growth and Change: 19th Century Mayors
Modern Era: 20th Century Mayors
Today's Leadership: 21st Century Mayors
See also

Early Mayors: 17th Century Leaders

The first mayors of Albany were appointed by the royal governor. These early leaders helped shape the new city.

Mayor	Start	End	Notes
Pieter Schuyler	1686	1694	He was a military leader and was trusted by the Iroquois people. He even took five Iroquois leaders to London to meet Queen Anne.
Johannes Abeel	1694	1695	A merchant and trader, he also served as an alderman and judge.
Evert Bancker	1695	1696	He was a farmer and also worked as a Justice of the Peace and a Commissioner for Indian Affairs.
Dirck Wesselse Ten Broeck	1696	1698	He served as an Indian Commissioner for 30 years and was a captain in the militia.
Hendrick Hansen	1698	1699	He was a provincial assemblyman, alderman, and Indian Commissioner.
Pieter Van Brugh	1699	1700	A captain in the militia, he also served as a constable and assessor.

Shaping the City: 18th Century Mayors

Mayors in the 1700s continued to develop Albany, dealing with trade, defense, and city services.

Mayor	Start	End	Notes
Jan Jansen Bleecker	1700	1701	Born in Holland, he helped get support from the Iroquois tribes against the French.
Johannes Bleecker Jr.	1701	1702	He was an interpreter for Native Americans. The city wall was made stronger during his time as mayor.
Albert Janse Ryckman	1702	1703	He was a well-known brewmaster and a captain in the militia.
Johannes Schuyler	1703	1706	He was a militia officer and trader. He made a law that required homeowners to build sidewalks.
David Davidse Schuyler	1706	1707	During his term, "fire-masters" were ordered to check chimneys for safety.
Evert Bancker	1707	1709	Served a second term.
Johannes Abeel	1709	1710	Served a second term.
Robert Livingston the Younger	1710	1719	He was a member of the Colonial Assembly and an Indian Commissioner.
Myndert Schuyler	1719	1720	He ordered small houses built outside the city walls for Native Americans who came to trade.
Pieter Van Brugh	1720	1723	Served a second term.
Myndert Schuyler	1723	1725	Served a second term.
Johannes Cuyler	1725	1726	He was an elder in the Dutch Church and an Indian Commissioner.
Rutger Bleecker	1726	1729	He made laws to control the sale of alcohol to Native Americans.
Johannes DePeyster	1729	1731	He bought Albany's first firefighting equipment, like ladders and fire-hooks.
Johannes "Hans" Hansen	1731	1732	He was a trader who spent much of his youth in Native American lands.
Johannes DePeyster	1732	1732	Served a second term.
Edward Holland	1733	1740	He was Albany's first English mayor.
Johannes Schuyler Jr.	1740	1741	He was a successful businessman and an Indian Commissioner.
Johannes DePeyster	1741	1742	Served a third term.
Cornelis Cuyler	1742	1746	A fur trader, he worked to protect Albany's interests in Native American territories.
Dirck Ten Broeck	1746	1748	He was a merchant and also served as an Indian Commissioner.
Jacob Coenraedt Ten Eyck	1748	1750	He was an Indian Commissioner, silversmith, and judge.
Robert Sanders	1750	1754	His administration hosted the Albany Congress, an important meeting of colonial leaders.
Johannes (Hans) Hansen	1754	1756	Served a second term. He passed away while in office.
Sybrant Gozen Van Schaick	1756	1761	His time as mayor saw many local events during the French and Indian War.
Volkert Petrus Douw	1761	1770	He was a merchant and helped start the Albany Savings Bank.
Abraham Cornelis Cuyler	1770	1778	He was the last mayor of Albany before the American Revolution.
John Barclay	1778	1779	He was the first mayor under the new State government. He passed away while in office.
Abraham Ten Broeck	1779	1783	During his term, Albany became the capital of New York.
Johannes Jacobse Beekman	1783	1786	He was active in Albany's Committee of Correspondence during the Revolutionary War.
John Lansing Jr.	1786	1790	He was a delegate to the U.S. Constitutional Convention. The New York Convention approved the United States Constitution during his term.
Abraham Yates Jr.	1790	1796	He was Albany's first Postmaster. Oil street lamps were installed in the city during his time as mayor.
Abraham Ten Broeck	1796	1798	Served a second term.
Philip S. Van Rensselaer	1799	1816	He was one of Albany's longest-serving mayors. The first steamboat arrived in Albany during his term.

Growth and Change: 19th Century Mayors

The 1800s brought many changes to Albany, including new transportation and city services.

Mayor	Start	End	Notes
Elisha Jenkins	1816	1819	He served as New York State Senator and Secretary of State.
Philip Schuyler Van Rensselaer	1819	1820	Served a second term.
Charles E. Dudley	1821	1824	He was important in the early planning for the Erie Canal. The Albany Basin of the Erie Canal was finished during his term.
Ambrose Spencer	1824	1826	He was the Attorney General of New York and a Chief Justice.
James Stevenson	1826	1828	He was a lawyer and helped found the Albany City Hospital.
Charles E. Dudley	1828	1829	Served a second term.
John Townsend	1829	1830	He helped lay the cornerstone for Albany's old City Hall.
Francis Bloodgood	1831	1831	He was the Clerk of the New York State Supreme Court.
John Townsend	1832	1832	Served a second term.
Francis Bloodgood	1833	1833	Served a second term.
Erastus Corning	1834	1837	He helped start the New York Central Railroad.
Teunis Van Vechten	1837	1839	The first locomotive arrived from Boston during his term.
Jared Lewis Rathbone	1839	1841	He was the last mayor chosen by the city council before people started voting for mayors.
Teunis Van Vechten	1841	1842	Served a second term.
Barent Philip Staats	1842	1843	He was a physician and an alderman.
Friend Humphrey	1843	1845	Albany's first telegraph office opened during his term.
John Keyes Paige	1845	1846	He was the New York State Supreme Court Clerk.
William Parmelee	1846	1848	He was a lawyer and also served as a judge.
John Taylor	1848	1849	He was a brewer known for his large private library.
Friend Humphrey	1849	1850	Served a second term.
Franklin Townsend	1850	1851	He was the Adjutant General of New York State.
Eli Perry	1851	1854	Albany Law School was started during his time as mayor.
William Parmelee	1854	1856	Served a second term. He passed away while in office.
Charles Watson Godard	1856	1856	He was appointed mayor after William Parmalee passed away.
Eli Perry	1856	1860	Served a second term.
George Hornell Thacher	1860	1862	He owned Thacher Carwheel Co. and led Albany's efforts to help during the Civil War.
Eli Perry	1862	1866	Served a third term.
George Hornell Thacher	1866	1868	Served a second term.
Charles Edward Bleecker	1868	1870	He helped plan Washington Park. Construction of the Capitol building began during his term.
George Hornell Thacher	1870	1874	Served a third term.
John G. Burch	1874	1874	He was a coal and wood dealer. He served as mayor during a disputed election.
Edmund L. Judson	1874	1876	His election was challenged, but he was declared the winner.
Anthony Bleecker Banks	1876	1878	He was a principal partner in a legal publishing company.
Michael N. Nolan	1878	1883	Born in Ireland, he was Albany's first Roman Catholic mayor. Albany's City Hall was destroyed by fire during his term.
John Swinburne	1883	1884	He was a physician who served in the Civil War. Electric streetlights were installed in Albany during his time as mayor.
Anthony Bleecker Banks	1884	1886	Served a second term.
John Boyd Thacher	1886	1888	He was an author and philanthropist. His family's land later became John Boyd Thacher State Park.
Edward A. Maher	1888	1890	He was president of the Union Railway Company.
James Hilton Manning	1890	1894	Albany's trolleys switched to electric power during his term, replacing horse-drawn carriages.
Oren Elbridge Wilson	1894	1895	He helped create a water board to build a filtration plant for the city.
John Boyd Thacher	1896	1897	Served a second term.
Thomas J. Van Alstyne	1898	1899	He was a Civil War veteran and attorney. The first public water filtration plant opened during his term.

Modern Era: 20th Century Mayors

The 1900s saw Albany's mayors deal with labor issues, new technologies, and significant political shifts.

Mayor	Start	End	Notes
James H. Blessing	1900	1901	He was an inventor. Albany's first public baths opened during his time as mayor.
Charles H. Gaus	1902	1908	He was a pharmacist and military officer. There were many worker strikes during his term.
Henry F. Snyder	1909	1909	He finished the term of Charles H. Gaus.
James B. McEwan	1910	1913	Glenn Curtiss flew non-stop from Albany to New York City during his term.
Joseph William Stevens	1914	1917	He was a tobacco merchant and Civil War veteran.
James R. Watt	1918	1921	He was the last Republican mayor of Albany for many years. In 1919, he was the first Albany mayor to win an election where women could vote.
William Stormont Hackett	1922	1926	He was a banker and attorney. He was the first mayor elected under a new political alliance that shaped Albany politics for much of the 20th century.
John Boyd Thacher II	1927	1940	He was an attorney and banker, and one of Albany's longest-serving mayors.
Herman F. Hoogkamp	1940	1941	He finished the term of John Boyd Thacher II.
Erastus Corning 2nd	1942	1983	He was the longest-serving mayor of a major city in American history, serving for over 40 years.
Frank Salisbury Harris	1944	1945	He was acting mayor while Mayor Corning served in World War II.
Thomas Michael Whalen III	1983	1993	His time as mayor focused on improving the city's finances and image. Albany was named an "All-American City" under his leadership.
Gerald D. Jennings	1994	2013	He was a public school teacher and administrator. He was the second longest-serving mayor in Albany's history.

Today's Leadership: 21st Century Mayors

Albany continues to grow and change under its current leadership.

Mayor	Start	End	Notes
Kathy Sheehan	2014	Present	Mayor Sheehan is the 75th and current mayor of Albany. She is the first female mayor of Albany and the first new mayor in 20 years.