Mayor of Seattle
The Mayor of Seattle is the head of the executive branch of the city government of Seattle, Washington. The mayor is authorized by the city charter to enforce laws enacted by the Seattle City Council, as well as direct subordinate officers in city departments. The mayor serves a four-year term, without term limits, and is chosen in citywide, two-round elections between nonpartisan candidates.
Since the appointment of Henry A. Atkins in 1869, 56 individuals have held the office of mayor. The city elected Bertha Knight Landes, the first female mayor of a major U.S. city, in 1926. Several mayors have served non-consecutive terms, while others have resigned or faced recall elections. Charles Royer holds the record for longest mayoral tenure in the city's history, serving three full terms from 1978 to 1990.
Jenny Durkan took office as mayor on November 28, 2017, becoming the second female mayor and first lesbian mayor of Seattle.
History
Seattle was initially incorporated as a town on January 14, 1865, by the Washington Territorial Legislature, governed by a board of trustees. Charles C. Terry served as president of the board of trustees, which remained unchanged until the town's disincorporation on January 28, 1867. The town of Seattle was incorporated a second time on December 2, 1869, with a new city charter that established the position of mayor. Henry A. Atkins was appointed as the first mayor of Seattle by the Territorial Legislature, and was elected to the office on July 11, 1870.A new city charter, the Freeholders Charter, was adopted in 1890 and extended the mayor's term in office from one year to two years, but barred consecutive terms. The charter also moved elections to the first Monday in March and required the mayor to be at least 30 years of age and live within the city for two years.
A new city charter that was approved by the city's voters in 1946 lengthened the term of office for mayors from two years to four years, starting with the 1948 elections.
Duties and powers
The mayor is the head of the executive branch of Seattle's municipal government, charged with the appointment and management of 25 department and commission heads that work directly for the mayor. In the event of an absence of the mayor, the president of the Seattle City Council assumes the duties of the position as mayor pro tem until their return, but a notification is not necessary under the city charter.Elections and succession
The mayor is elected in a citywide election held every four years, composed of two stages: a primary election in August and a general election between the top two candidates in November. Elections are officially non-partisan.If the office of mayor becomes vacant, the president of the city council becomes mayor for a five-day period to immediately fill the position. If the president of the city council declines to remain mayor, the city council is authorized to vote to appoint a councilmember to the role of mayor. The councilmember appointed to the position under both scenarios will forfeit their position on the city council until the next election. A mayor-elect can also take office earlier than the official inauguration date, upon certification of the election results and a decision by the city council to replace the appointed mayor.
A two-thirds majority vote of the city council can remove the mayor from office for a willful violation of duty or an offense involving moral turpitude.
List of mayors
; PartiesOther offices held
Several of Seattle's mayors have held other political offices in the state and federal government, both before and after their terms.| Mayor | Mayoral term | Other offices held |
| 1879–1880 | U.S. Representative from Washington Territory | |
| 1882–1884 | Washington Territorial Representative | |
| 1904–1906 | Commissioner of the General Land Office U.S. Secretary of the Interior | |
| 1908–1910 | U.S. Representative from Washington | |
| 1912–1914 | Washington State Senator | |
| 1938–1941 | Governor of Washington * | |
| 1970–1978 | Washington State Representative Washington State Senator | |
| 2014–2017 | Washington State Representative Washington State Senator |
Living former mayors
, eight former mayors are alive, the oldest being Wesley C. Uhlman. The most recent former mayor to die was Paul Schell, in 2014.| Mayor | Mayoral term | Date of birth |
| 1970–1978 | ||
| 1978–1990 | ||
| 1990–1998 | ||
| 2002–2010 | ||
| 2010–2014 | ||
| 2014–2017 | ||
| 2017–2017 | ||
| 2017–2017 |