Fremantle was initially incorporated as a Town Trust with limited powers on 17 April 1848. The Municipal Institutions Act 1871 empanelled a Town Council with a Mayor, which became a Municipal Council in 1883. On 3 June 1929, Fremantle was declared a city

City of Fremantle

The City of Fremantle is a Local Government Area in South Metropolitan Perth. The City covers an area of , and lies about southwest of the Perth central business district.-History:...

 — Western Australia's second after Perth, which was declared in 1856.

Fremantle Town Trust

Summary of Members of the Fremantle Town Trust, 1848-1871
compiled from letters to the Colonial Secretary up to 1856, and thereafter from the Minutes of the Fremantle Town Trust.>

Mayor	Term
Capt. Daniel Scott	1848–1851
J.W. Davey	1851–1852
Capt. Daniel Scott	1853–1854
Thomas Carter	1855
Capt. Daniel Scott	1856–1858
Charles Alexander Manning	1859–1867
Edward Newman	1868–1869
William Silas Pearse	1870–1871

Town of Fremantle

Summary of Office-bearers of the Fremantle Town Council
compiled from the Minutes of the Fremantle Town Council which are intact from 1871-1873>

Mayor	Term
William Silas Pearse	1871–1872
J. Thomas	1873
William Marmion William Marmion William Edward Marmion was an Australian politician. He was a member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1870 to 1890, and a member of the Western Australian Legislative Assembly from 1890 to 1896....	1874
J. Thomas	1875
Henry Maxwell Lefroy	1876
John Daniel Manning	1877
Edward Higham Edward Higham Edward Henry Higham was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1880 to 1884.The son of a baker, Edward Higham was born in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England on 26 July 1846. In 1853 his family emigrated to Western Australia, settling in Fremantle and opening a shop...	1878–1880
Elias Solomon Elias Solomon Elias Solomon was an Australian politician. Born in London, England, he migrated to Australia as a child. He had no formal education, but in 1868 became a clerk and auctioneer in Fremantle in Western Australia. In 1877 he was elected to the Fremantle City Council...	1881
Edward Higham Edward Higham Edward Henry Higham was a Member of the Western Australian Legislative Council from 1880 to 1884.The son of a baker, Edward Higham was born in Brackley, Northamptonshire, England on 26 July 1846. In 1853 his family emigrated to Western Australia, settling in Fremantle and opening a shop...	1882
Barrington Wood	1883

Municipality of Fremantle

Summary of Members of the Fremantle Municipal Council 1883-1929
compiled from the Minutes of the Fremantle Municipal Council.>

Mayor	Term	Notes
Barrington Clarke Wood	1883–1885
Daniel K. Congdon	1886–1888
Elias Solomon Elias Solomon Elias Solomon was an Australian politician. Born in London, England, he migrated to Australia as a child. He had no formal education, but in 1868 became a clerk and auctioneer in Fremantle in Western Australia. In 1877 he was elected to the Fremantle City Council...	1889–1891	Also member for South Fremantle Electoral district of South Fremantle South Fremantle was an electoral district of the Legislative Assembly in the Australian state of Western Australia from 1890 to 1962.Based in urban South Fremantle, the district was one of the original 30 seats contested at the 1890 state election...  1892–1901; Fed member for Fremantle Division of Fremantle The Division of Fremantle is an Australian Electoral Division in Western Australia.The division was created at Federation in 1900 and was one of the original 75 divisions contested at the first federal election...  (Free Trade) 1901–1903
William Frederick Samson	1892–1893	Uncle of Sir Frederick Samson Frederick Samson Sir William Frederick Samson was a businessman and long-term Mayor of Fremantle, Western Australia....
Daniel K. Congdon	1894
George Alfred Davies	1895	Brother of Edward William Davies (below)
Elias Solomon Elias Solomon Elias Solomon was an Australian politician. Born in London, England, he migrated to Australia as a child. He had no formal education, but in 1868 became a clerk and auctioneer in Fremantle in Western Australia. In 1877 he was elected to the Fremantle City Council...	1896–1898
James McHenry Clark	1899
Elias Solomon Elias Solomon Elias Solomon was an Australian politician. Born in London, England, he migrated to Australia as a child. He had no formal education, but in 1868 became a clerk and auctioneer in Fremantle in Western Australia. In 1877 he was elected to the Fremantle City Council...	1900–1901
Edward William Davies	1901	Removed on the grounds of insanity; died 1904
Lawrence Alexander	1901–1902
Tom Smith	1903
Frank Cadd	1904–1905
Michael Samson	1905–1907	Father of Frederick Samson, died in office.
William Murphy	1907–1909
Edward Henry Fothergill	1909–1910
Joseph Holmes	1911	Elected but did not occupy the chair
Frederick James McLaren	1912–1914
William Ernest Wray	1914–1918
William Montgomery	1919
Frank Gibson Frank Gibson (politician) Sir Frank Ernest Gibson was an Australian politician.Born at Egerton, Victoria, to Irish-born policeman Alexander Gibson and Louisa Herring, he attended Grenville College and the School of Mines at Ballarat before moving to Western Australia as a qualified pharmacist, setting up a business in...	1919–1923
John Cooke	1924–1926
Frank Gibson Frank Gibson (politician) Sir Frank Ernest Gibson was an Australian politician.Born at Egerton, Victoria, to Irish-born policeman Alexander Gibson and Louisa Herring, he attended Grenville College and the School of Mines at Ballarat before moving to Western Australia as a qualified pharmacist, setting up a business in...	1927–1929

City of Fremantle

Summary of Members of the Fremantle City Council, 1929-2011>

Mayor	Term	Notes
Frank Gibson Frank Gibson (politician) Sir Frank Ernest Gibson was an Australian politician.Born at Egerton, Victoria, to Irish-born policeman Alexander Gibson and Louisa Herring, he attended Grenville College and the School of Mines at Ballarat before moving to Western Australia as a qualified pharmacist, setting up a business in...	1929–1951	(Sir Frank from 1948)
Frederick Samson Frederick Samson Sir William Frederick Samson was a businessman and long-term Mayor of Fremantle, Western Australia....	1951–1972	(Sir Frederick from 1962) Grandson of Lionel Samson Lionel Samson Lionel Samson was an early Swan River Colony settler and businessman whose firm, Lionel Samson & Son, is the oldest continuing family business in Australia.... , early settler
W. A. (Bill) McKenzie	1972–1984
John Cattalini	1984–1994
Jenny Archibald	1994–1996
Richard Utting	1997–2001
Peter Tagliaferri Peter Tagliaferri Peter Tagliaferri is an Australian politician. He is a former Mayor of the City of Fremantle, a position he held for eight and a half years.-Background:...	2001–2009
Brad Pettitt	2009–present

References:
Ewers, J.K. (1971). The Western Gateway: A history of Fremantle. pp. 213-217