Mayor of Boston facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Boston
Seal
Incumbent Michelle Wu since November 16, 2021
Style	His/Her Honor
Member of	Board of Aldermen (1822-1854)
Residence	None official
Seat	Boston City Hall
Nominator	Non-partisan nominating petition
Appointer	Popular vote
Term length	Four years
Constituting instrument	Boston City Charter
Precursor	Boston Board of Selectmen
Formation	Original Post: 1822 Current form: 1909
First holder	John Phillips
Salary	$199,000 (2018)

The Mayor of Boston is the main leader of the city government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston uses a special type of government called a mayor–council government, where the mayor is the chief executive and works with a city council.

Mayoral elections in Boston are nonpartisan, meaning candidates don't run as members of a political party. The mayor is elected for a four-year term, and there's no limit to how many terms they can serve. The mayor's main office is located in Boston City Hall, in an area called Government Center.

The current Mayor of Boston is Michelle Wu. She took office on November 16, 2021.

History of Boston's Mayors
List of Mayors
- Mayors Serving Non-Consecutive Terms
- Acting Mayors
See also

History of Boston's Mayors

Before 1822, Boston was set up as a town, not a city. Towns in Massachusetts were usually run by a town meeting and a group called a board of selectmen. These selectmen handled the daily business.

Becoming a City

Boston was the first place in Massachusetts to get a special document called a city charter in 1822. This charter changed Boston from a town into a city. With this new charter, Boston started having a mayor who was elected every year.

Changes to the Mayor's Term

In June 1895, the city charter was updated. This change made the mayor's term longer, from one year to two years.

More big changes happened in 1909. The state government decided to make the mayor's term even longer, to four years. They also made the position officially non-partisan, meaning candidates would not run as part of a political party.

Rules About Serving Terms

In 1918, a law was passed that stopped the Mayor of Boston from serving two terms in a row. This meant a mayor had to take a break after one term before running again. For example, James Michael Curley was prevented from running for re-election twice because of this law. This rule was removed in 1939.

Another important change to the city's rules happened in 1949. This update added a preliminary election to help narrow down the candidates. Before the main election, voters would choose from many candidates, and only the top two would move on. This change also made the Boston City Council smaller and gave the council more power to disagree with the mayor's decisions. These new rules started in 1951.

Election Schedule

From 1951 to 1991, Boston's mayoral elections were held the year before presidential elections. For example, if there was a mayoral election in 1951, the presidential election would be in 1952. Since 1993, the mayoral elections have been held the year after presidential elections. This change happened after Raymond Flynn became an ambassador, which led to a special election.

Mayor's Salary

In June 2018, the city council voted to increase the mayor's salary to $207,000. This change took effect after the November 2021 mayoral election. In October 2022, the council voted again to increase the mayor's salary to $250,000.

How Mayors Are Counted

The City of Boston does not have an official way of numbering its mayors. Because of this, the numbering has changed over time. For example, Thomas Menino was called the 47th mayor when he started, but his successor, Marty Walsh, was identified as the 54th. The Walsh administration even used Wikipedia for its count! This numbering system usually counts people who were elected mayors. It also counts mayors who served terms that were not in a row more than once. For example, James Michael Curley served four separate terms and was counted four times.

Thomas Menino, longest-serving mayor of Boston

List of Mayors

Mayor		Term		In office		Party
Mayor		Start	End	Terms won	Duration	Party
	Phillips, JohnJohn Phillips	May 1, 1822	May 1, 1823	1	1 year	Federalist
	Quincy III, JosiahJosiah Quincy III	May 1, 1823	January 5, 1829	6	5 years, 8 months	Federalist
	Otis, Harrison G.Harrison G. Otis	January 5, 1829	January 2, 1832	3	3 years	Federalist
	Wells, CharlesCharles Wells	January 2, 1832	January 6, 1834	2	2 years	Whig
	Lyman, TheodoreTheodore Lyman	January 6, 1834	January 4, 1836	2	2 years	Democratic
	Armstrong, Samuel T.Samuel T. Armstrong	January 4, 1836	January 1, 1837	1	1 year	Whig
	Eliot, Samuel A.Samuel A. Eliot	January 1, 1837	January 6, 1840	3	3 years	Whig
	Chapman, JonathanJonathan Chapman	January 6, 1840	January 2, 1843	3	3 years	Whig
	Brimmer, MartinMartin Brimmer	January 2, 1843	January 6, 1845	2	2 years	Whig
	Parker, WilliamWilliam Parker	January 6, 1845	February 27, 1845	—	2 months	Whig
	Davis, Thomas AspinwallThomas Aspinwall Davis	February 27, 1845	November 22, 1845	1	9 months	Native American
	Leavitt, BensonBenson Leavitt	November 22, 1845	December 11, 1845	—	1 month	Whig
	Quincy IV., JosiahJosiah Quincy IV.	December 11, 1845	January 1, 1849	3	3 years, 1 month	Whig
	Bigelow, John P.John P. Bigelow	January 1, 1849	January 5, 1852	3	3 years	Whig
	Seaver, BenjaminBenjamin Seaver	January 5, 1852	January 2, 1854	2	2 years	Whig
	Smith, Jerome V. C.Jerome V. C. Smith	January 2, 1854	January 7, 1856	2	2 years	American
	Rice, Alexander H.Alexander H. Rice	January 7, 1856	January 4, 1858	2	2 years	Independent
	Lincoln Jr., Frederic W.Frederic W. Lincoln Jr.	January 4, 1858	January 7, 1861	3	3 years	Republican
	Wightman, JosephJoseph Wightman	January 7, 1861	January 5, 1863	2	2 years	Democratic
	Lincoln Jr., Frederic W.Frederic W. Lincoln Jr.	January 5, 1863	January 7, 1867	4	4 years	Republican
	Norcross, OtisOtis Norcross	January 7, 1867	January 6, 1868	1	1 year	Republican
	Shurtleff, Nathaniel B.Nathaniel B. Shurtleff	January 6, 1868	January 2, 1871	3	3 years	Democratic
	Gaston, WilliamWilliam Gaston	January 2, 1871	January 6, 1873	2	2 years	Democratic
	Pierce, Henry L.Henry L. Pierce	January 6, 1873	November 29, 1873	1	11 months	None
	Cutter, Leonard R.Leonard R. Cutter	November 29, 1873	January 5, 1874	—	1 month	Democratic
	Cobb, Samuel C.Samuel C. Cobb	January 5, 1874	January 1, 1877	3	3 years	None
	Prince, Frederick O.Frederick O. Prince	January 1, 1877	January 7, 1878	1	1 year	Democratic
	Pierce, Henry L.Henry L. Pierce	January 7, 1878	January 6, 1879	1	1 year	Republican
	Prince, Frederick O.Frederick O. Prince	January 6, 1879	January 2, 1882	3	3 years	Democratic
	Green, Samuel A.Samuel A. Green	January 2, 1882	January 1, 1883	1	1 year	Republican
	Palmer, AlbertAlbert Palmer	January 1, 1883	January 7, 1884	1	1 year	Democratic
	Martin, Augustus PearlAugustus Pearl Martin	January 7, 1884	January 5, 1885	1	1 year	Republican
	O'Brien, HughHugh O'Brien	January 5, 1885	January 7, 1889	4	4 years	Democratic
	Hart, Thomas N.Thomas N. Hart	January 7, 1889	December 31, 1890	2	2 years	Republican
	Matthews Jr., NathanNathan Matthews Jr.	January 1, 1891	January 7, 1895	4	4 years	Democratic
	Curtis, Edwin UptonEdwin Upton Curtis	January 7, 1895	January 6, 1896	1	1 year	Republican
Mayoral term increased to two years.
	Quincy, JosiahJosiah Quincy	January 6, 1896	January 1, 1900	2	4 years	Democratic
	Hart, Thomas N.Thomas N. Hart	January 1, 1900	January 6, 1902	1	2 years	Republican
	Collins, PatrickPatrick Collins	January 6, 1902	September 13, 1905	2	3 years, 9 months	Democratic
	Whelton, Daniel A.Daniel A. Whelton	September 15, 1905	January 1, 1906	—	3 months	Democratic
	Fitzgerald, John F.John F. Fitzgerald	January 1, 1906	January 6, 1908	1	2 years	Democratic
	Hibbard, George A.George A. Hibbard	January 6, 1908	February 7, 1910	1	2 years	Republican
Mayoral term increased to four years.
	Fitzgerald, John F.John F. Fitzgerald	February 7, 1910	February 2, 1914	1	4 years	Democratic
	Curley, James MichaelJames Michael Curley	February 2, 1914	February 4, 1918	1	4 years	Democratic
	Peters, Andrew J.Andrew J. Peters	February 4, 1918	February 6, 1922	1	4 years	Democratic
	Curley, James MichaelJames Michael Curley	February 6, 1922	January 4, 1926	1	4 years	Democratic
	Nichols, MalcolmMalcolm Nichols	January 4, 1926	January 6, 1930	1	4 years	Republican
	Curley, James MichaelJames Michael Curley	January 6, 1930	January 1, 1934	1	4 years	Democratic
	Mansfield, FrederickFrederick Mansfield	January 1, 1934	January 3, 1938	1	4 years	Democratic
	Tobin, Maurice J.Maurice J. Tobin	January 3, 1938	January 4, 1945	2	7 years	Democratic
	Kerrigan, John E.John E. Kerrigan	January 4, 1945	January 7, 1946	—	1 year	Democratic
	Curley, James MichaelJames Michael Curley	January 7, 1946	January 2, 1950	1	4 years	Democratic
	Hynes, John B.John B. Hynes	January 2, 1950	January 4, 1960	3	10 years	Democratic
	Collins, John F.John F. Collins	January 4, 1960	January 1, 1968	2	8 years	Democratic
	White, KevinKevin White	January 1, 1968	January 2, 1984	4	16 years	Democratic
	Flynn, RaymondRaymond Flynn	January 2, 1984	July 12, 1993	3	9 years, 6 months	Democratic
	Menino, ThomasThomas Menino	July 12, 1993	January 6, 2014	5	20 years, 6 months	Democratic
	Walsh, MartyMarty Walsh	January 6, 2014	March 22, 2021	2	7 years, 2 months	Democratic
	Janey, KimKim Janey	March 22, 2021	November 16, 2021	—	8 months	Democratic
	Wu, MichelleMichelle Wu	November 16, 2021	Incumbent	1	3 years, 8 months	Democratic

died in office
acting mayor only
Native American Party and American Party were formal names of the "Know Nothing" movement.

Mayors Serving Non-Consecutive Terms

Some mayors have served more than one term, but not in a row. This table shows them.

Mayor	Start of first term	End of final term	In office		Party
Mayor	Start of first term	End of final term	Terms won	Duration	Party
Lincoln Jr., Frederic W.Frederic W. Lincoln Jr.	January 4, 1858	January 7, 1867	7	7 years	Republican
Pierce, Henry L.Henry L. Pierce	January 6, 1873	January 6, 1879	2	1 year, 11 months	Republican
Prince, Frederick O.Frederick O. Prince	January 1, 1877	January 2, 1882	4	4 years	Democratic
Hart, Thomas N.Thomas N. Hart	January 7, 1889	January 7, 1902	3	4 years	Republican
Fitzgerald, John F.John F. Fitzgerald	January 5, 1906	February 2, 1914	2	6 years	Democratic
Curley, James MichaelJames Michael Curley	February 2, 1914	January 2, 1950	4	16 years	Democratic

Acting Mayors

Sometimes, a mayor might not be able to do their job, or the position might be empty. When this happens, the president of the City Council steps in as the "acting mayor." An acting mayor can only handle urgent tasks and cannot make permanent appointments.

Here are some people who have served as acting mayor when the main mayor's office was empty:

Year	Name	Explanation
1845	William Parker	Served as acting mayor when elections were stuck in a tie.
1845	Benson Leavitt	Became acting mayor after Thomas A. Davis passed away.
1853	Benjamin L. Allen	Served as acting mayor during tied elections.
1873	Leonard R. Cutter	Became acting mayor after Henry L. Pierce was elected to Congress.
1905	Daniel A. Whelton	Served as acting mayor after Patrick Collins passed away.
1945	John E. Kerrigan	Became acting mayor when Maurice J. Tobin became the Governor of Massachusetts.
1947	John B. Hynes	Served as acting mayor during the absence of James M. Curley.
1993	Thomas Menino	Became acting mayor when Raymond Flynn became the Ambassador to the Holy See.
2021	Kim Janey	Served as acting mayor when Marty Walsh became the United States Secretary of Labor.