Mayor of Seattle facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mayor of Seattle
Incumbent Bruce Harrell since January 1, 2022
Government of Seattle
Style	The Honorable
Term length	4 years
Inaugural holder	Henry A. Atkins
Formation	December 2, 1869

The Mayor of Seattle is like the main boss of the city government in Seattle, Washington. Think of them as the leader of the city's "executive branch," which is the part of government that carries out laws. The mayor makes sure the laws passed by the Seattle City Council (the group that makes laws) are followed. They also guide the different city departments and their leaders.

The mayor serves for four years at a time. There's no limit to how many times someone can be mayor. People vote for the mayor in city-wide elections that have two main parts. Candidates don't run as members of a political party, so they are called "nonpartisan."

Since Henry A. Atkins became the first mayor in 1869, 56 different people have held this important job. In 1926, Bertha Knight Landes made history as the first female mayor of a major city in the United States. Some mayors have served terms that weren't back-to-back, and a few have even resigned or faced special "recall" elections where citizens vote to remove them. Charles Royer was mayor for the longest time, serving three full terms from 1978 to 1990.

The current mayor is Bruce Harrell, who started his term on January 1, 2022. He is the first Asian-American mayor and the second African-American mayor in Seattle's history.

How Seattle's Mayor Role Began

Seattle first became a town on January 14, 1865. It was managed by a group called a "board of trustees." Charles C. Terry was the head of this board. However, the town status didn't last long, and Seattle stopped being an official town on January 28, 1867.

Seattle became a town again on December 2, 1869. This time, a new city plan, called a "city charter," was created. This charter officially set up the job of mayor. Henry A. Atkins was chosen as Seattle's first mayor by the state government. He was then elected by the people on July 11, 1870.

In 1890, a new city charter was approved. This charter changed the mayor's term from one year to two years. It also said that a mayor couldn't serve two terms in a row. The rules also stated that elections would happen in March. To be mayor, a person had to be at least 30 years old and live in Seattle for two years.

Later, in 1946, voters approved another new city charter. This one made the mayor's term even longer, from two years to four years. This change started with the elections in 1948. Finally, in 1969, the rules about the mayor's age and how long they had to live in the city were removed from the charter.

What the Mayor Does

The mayor is in charge of the "executive branch" of Seattle's city government. This means they are responsible for making sure the city's daily operations run smoothly. The mayor appoints and manages the leaders of 25 different city departments and groups. These leaders work directly for the mayor.

If the mayor is away or can't do their job for a short time, the president of the Seattle City Council steps in. They become the "mayor pro tem" (which means "for the time being") until the mayor returns.

How Mayors are Elected and Replaced

The mayor is chosen in a city-wide election every four years. This election has two main parts. First, there's a primary election in August. Then, the two candidates who get the most votes in the primary go on to the general election in November. These elections are "non-partisan," meaning candidates don't run as part of a political party.

If the mayor's job becomes empty (for example, if the mayor resigns or passes away), the president of the city council becomes mayor for five days to quickly fill the spot. If the council president doesn't want to stay mayor, the city council can vote to choose one of their own members to be the new mayor. The person chosen from the city council would have to give up their council seat until the next election. Sometimes, a newly elected mayor can start their job earlier than January 1 if the election results are official and the city council agrees.

The city council can also remove a mayor from office. This requires a vote of two-thirds of the council members. They can do this if the mayor seriously fails to do their job or commits a serious wrongdoing.

List of Seattle's Mayors

#	Photo		Mayor	Took office	Left office	Election results and notes
1			Atkins, Henry A.Henry A. Atkins	December 2, 1869	July 31, 1871	Appointed on December 2, 1869. Elected July 11, 1870.
2			Jordan, John T.John T. Jordan	July 31, 1871	July 29, 1872	Elected July 10, 1871.
3			Stone, Corliss P.Corliss P. Stone	July 29, 1872	February 23, 1873	Elected July 8, 1872. Left office on February 23, 1873.
			Jordan, John T.John T. Jordan	April 5, 1873	June 5, 1873	Appointed to fill position until a special election.
4			Maddocks, Moses R.Moses R. Maddocks	June 5, 1873	August 3, 1873	Won special election on June 5, 1873.
5			Collins, JohnJohn Collins	August 3, 1873	August 2, 1874	Elected on July 14, 1873.
6			Yesler, HenryHenry Yesler	August 2, 1874	August 2, 1875	Elected July 13, 1874.
7			Gatzert, BaileyBailey Gatzert	August 2, 1875	July 31, 1876	Elected August 2, 1875.
8			Weed, Gideon A.Gideon A. Weed	July 31, 1876	July 29, 1878	Elected July 10, 1876, and re-elected July 9, 1877.
9			Brown, BeriahBeriah Brown	July 29, 1878	August 3, 1879	Elected July 8, 1878.
10			Jacobs, OrangeOrange Jacobs	August 3, 1879	August 2, 1880	Elected July 14, 1879.
11			Smith, Leonard P.Leonard P. Smith	August 2, 1880	July 31, 1882	Elected July 12, 1880.
12			Struve, Henry G.Henry G. Struve	July 31, 1882	August 3, 1884	Elected July 10, 1882, and re-elected July 9, 1883.
13			Leary, JohnJohn Leary	August 3, 1884	August 3, 1885	Elected July 14, 1884.
			Yesler, HenryHenry Yesler	August 3, 1885	August 2, 1886	Elected July 13, 1885, to a second term.
14			Shoudy, William H.William H. Shoudy	August 2, 1886	August 1, 1887	Elected July 12, 1886.
15			Minor, Thomas T.Thomas T. Minor	August 1, 1887	July 30, 1888	Elected July 11, 1887.
16			Moran, RobertRobert Moran	July 30, 1888	August 3, 1890	Elected July 9, 1888, and re-elected July 8, 1889.
17			White, HarryHarry White	August 3, 1890	December 9, 1891	Elected July 14, 1890. Resigned on November 30, 1891.
18			Hall, George W.George W. Hall	December 9, 1891	March 31, 1892	Appointed.
19			Ronald, James T.James T. Ronald	March 31, 1892	March 19, 1894	Elected March 8, 1892.
20			Phelps, ByronByron Phelps	March 19, 1894	March 16, 1896	Elected March 12, 1894.
21			Black, Frank D.Frank D. Black	March 16, 1896	April 6, 1896	Elected March 9, 1896. Resigned after three weeks.
22			Wood, W. D.W. D. Wood	April 6, 1896	July 1897	Appointed to finish the term. Resigned in July 1897.
23			Humes, Thomas J.Thomas J. Humes	November 19, 1897	March 21, 1904	Elected by City Council to finish the term.
24			Ballinger, Richard A.Richard A. Ballinger	March 21, 1904	March 19, 1906	Elected March 8, 1904.
25			Moore, William HickmanWilliam Hickman Moore	March 19, 1906	March 16, 1908	Elected March 6, 1906.
26			Miller, JohnJohn Miller	March 16, 1908	March 21, 1910	Elected March 3, 1908.
27			Gill, Hiram C.Hiram C. Gill	March 21, 1910	February 11, 1911	Elected March 8, 1910. Removed in a special election on February 9, 1911.
28			Dilling, George W.George W. Dilling	February 11, 1911	March 18, 1912	Elected February 7, 1911.
29			Cotterill, George F.George F. Cotterill	March 18, 1912	March 16, 1914	Elected March 5, 1912.
			Gill, Hiram C.Hiram C. Gill	March 16, 1914	March 18, 1918	Elected March 3, 1914.
30			Hanson, OleOle Hanson	March 18, 1918	August 28, 1919	Elected March 5, 1918. Resigned August 28, 1919.
31			Fitzgerald, C. B.C. B. Fitzgerald	August 28, 1919	March 14, 1920	Appointed to finish the term.
32			Caldwell, Hugh M.Hugh M. Caldwell	March 14, 1920	June 5, 1922	Elected March 2, 1920.
33			Brown, Edwin J.Edwin J. Brown	June 5, 1922	June 7, 1926	Elected May 2, 1922, and re-elected March 4, 1924.
34			Knight Landes, BerthaBertha Knight Landes	June 7, 1926	June 4, 1928	Elected March 9, 1926. First female mayor.
35			Edwards, Frank E.Frank E. Edwards	June 4, 1928	July 14, 1931	Elected March 6, 1928, and re-elected March 4, 1930. Removed in a special election on July 13, 1931.
36			Harlin, Robert H.Robert H. Harlin	July 14, 1931	June 4, 1932	Appointed to finish the term.
37			Dore, John F.John F. Dore	June 4, 1932	June 4, 1934	Elected March 8, 1932.
38			Smith, Charles L.Charles L. Smith	June 4, 1934	June 1, 1936	Elected March 6, 1934.
			Dore, John F.John F. Dore	June 1, 1936	April 13, 1938	Elected March 3, 1936. Left office on April 13, 1938, due to illness.
			Scavotto, JamesJames Scavotto	April 13, 1938	April 27, 1938	Appointed to fill position temporarily.
39			Langlie, Arthur B.Arthur B. Langlie	April 27, 1938	January 11, 1941	Elected March 8, 1938. Re-elected May 5, 1940. Resigned January 11, 1941, to become Governor of Washington.
40			Carroll, John E.John E. Carroll	January 27, 1941	March 27, 1941	Appointed until a special election.
41			Millikin, EarlEarl Millikin	March 27, 1941	June 1, 1942	Elected March 4, 1941, to finish the term.
42			Devin, William F.William F. Devin	June 1, 1942	June 1, 1952	Elected March 3, 1942. Re-elected on March 7, 1944, March 5, 1946, and March 2, 1948.
43			Pomeroy, AllanAllan Pomeroy	June 1, 1952	June 4, 1956	Elected March 4, 1952.
44			Clinton, GordonGordon Clinton	June 4, 1956	April 6, 1964	Elected March 6, 1956, and re-elected March 8, 1960.
45			Braman, James d'OrmaJames d'Orma Braman	April 6, 1964	March 23, 1969	Elected March 10, 1964. Resigned to take a job in the U.S. Department of Transportation.
46			Miller, Floyd C.Floyd C. Miller	March 23, 1969	December 1, 1969
47			Uhlman, Wesley C.Wesley C. Uhlman	December 1, 1969	January 1, 1978	Elected November 4, 1969, and re-elected November 6, 1973.
48			Royer, CharlesCharles Royer	January 1, 1978	January 1, 1990	Elected November 8, 1977. Re-elected on November 3, 1981, and November 5, 1985.
49			Rice, NormNorm Rice	January 1, 1990	January 1, 1998	Elected November 7, 1989, and re-elected November 2, 1993. First African-American mayor.
50			Schell, PaulPaul Schell	January 1, 1998	January 1, 2002	Elected November 4, 1997.
51			Nickels, GregGreg Nickels	January 1, 2002	January 1, 2010	Elected November 6, 2001, and re-elected November 8, 2005.
52			McGinn, MichaelMichael McGinn	January 1, 2010	January 1, 2014	Elected November 3, 2009.
53			Murray, EdEd Murray	January 1, 2014	September 13, 2017	Elected November 5, 2013. Resigned.
54			Harrell, BruceBruce Harrell	September 13, 2017	September 18, 2017	Appointed as City Council President to finish the term, but chose not to stay. First Asian-American mayor and second African-American mayor.
55			Burgess, TimTim Burgess	September 18, 2017	November 28, 2017	Appointed by Seattle City Council to finish the term.
56			Durkan, JennyJenny Durkan	November 28, 2017	January 1, 2022	Elected November 7, 2017.
57			Harrell, BruceBruce Harrell	January 1, 2022	Incumbent	Elected November 2, 2021.