The list of mayors of Washington, D.C. is a reflection of the changing structure of its local government. Until 1871, three separate municipalities were located within the District of Columbia and each was governed separately: the City of Washington, Georgetown

Georgetown, Washington, D.C.

Georgetown is a neighborhood located in northwest Washington, D.C., situated along the Potomac River. Founded in 1751, the port of Georgetown predated the establishment of the federal district and the City of Washington by 40 years...

, and unincorporated territory known as Washington County

Washington County, D.C.

The County of Washington was one of the five political entities contained within the geographic region comprising what was originally the 100-square-mile District of Columbia. These were the City of Alexandria, the County of Alexandria, Georgetown, the City of Washington, and the County of...

. With the District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871

District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871

The District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, formally An Act to provide a Government for the District of Columbia, is an Act of Congress, which created a territorial government for the District of Columbia. The act was the first to create a single government for the entire federal district and...

, the three municipalities within the District of Columbia were abolished in favor of a single District government, whose chief executive was a territorial Governor. This office was abolished in 1874, and replaced with a three-member Board of Commissioners appointed by the President. This system existed until 1975 when the District of Columbia Home Rule Act

District of Columbia Home Rule Act

The District of Columbia Home Rule Act is a United States federal law passed on December 24, 1973 which devolved certain congressional powers of the District of Columbia to local government, furthering District of Columbia home rule...

 allowed for District residents to elect their own mayor.

Currently, the Mayor of the District of Columbia

Mayor of the District of Columbia

The Mayor of the District of Columbia is the head of the executive branch of the government of Washington, D.C. The Mayor has the duty to enforce city laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Council of the District of Columbia...

 is popularly elected to a four-year term with no term limits. Even though Washington, D.C. is not in a state, the city government also has certain state-level responsibilities, making some of the mayor's duties analogous to those of United States governors. The current mayor of Washington, D.C. is Vincent C. Gray

Vincent C. Gray

Vincent C. Gray is an American politician who is currently serving as the seventh Mayor of the District of Columbia. Prior to his inauguration as mayor in January 2011, Gray served as Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, and as Councilmember for Ward 7...

, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, who has served in the role since January 2, 2011.

The lists on this page include all of the chief executives of the District of Columbia in their various forms.

Mayors of the City of Washington (1802–1871)

The persons listed below are the mayors of the now-defunct City of Washington, which was officially granted a formal government in 1802. The Mayor of Washington had authority over city services, appointments, and local tax assessments; however, the duties of the mayor mostly consisted of requesting appropriations from Congress to finance the city. From 1802 to 1812, the mayor was appointed by the President of the United States

President of the United States

The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....

. Between 1812 and 1820, the city's mayors were then selected by a city council. From 1820 to 1871 the mayor was popularly elected. The present-day boundaries of the "Old City" were Rock Creek

Rock Creek (Potomac River)

Rock Creek is a free-flowing tributary of the Potomac River, which empties into the Atlantic Ocean via the Chesapeake Bay. The creek is long, with a drainage area of about...

 to the west, Florida Avenue

Florida Avenue (Washington, D.C.)

Florida Avenue is a major street in Washington, D.C. It was originally named Boundary Street, because it formed the northern boundary of Pierre L'Enfant's original plan for the Federal City...

 to the north, and the Anacostia River

Anacostia River

The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. It is approximately long...

 to the east and south.

Mayor	Term Began	Term Ended
Robert Brent Robert Brent Robert Brent was the first mayor of Washington, D.C., the federal capital of the United States of America. Brent was born into a prominent Catholic family in Woodstock, Stafford County, Virginia. His mother was Ann Carroll, whose brother John Carroll was the first Catholic Bishop appointed for the...	1802	1812
Daniel Rapine Daniel Rapine Daniel Rapine was the second mayor of Washington, D.C., elected by the city council in June 1812 and serving for one year.-History:...	1812	1813
James H. Blake James H. Blake James Heighe Blake was a physician, and the third mayor of Washington, D.C., elected by the council of aldermen in 1813 and serving until 1817.-Birth:...	1813	1817
Benjamin G. Orr Benjamin G. Orr Benjamin Grayson Orr was the fourth mayor of Washington, D.C., elected by the council of aldermen in 1817 and serving for two years....	1817	1819
Samuel N. Smallwood	1819	1822
Thomas Carbery Thomas Carbery Thomas Carbery was the sixth mayor of Washington, D.C.serving from 1822-1824. He ran again for mayor in 1824 and 1826 but was not re-elected.-History:...	1822	1824
Samuel N. Smallwood	1824	1824
Roger C. Weightman Roger C. Weightman Roger Chew Weightman was an American politician, civic leader, and printer. He was the mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1824 to 1827....	1824	1827
Joseph Gales, Jr. Joseph Gales Joseph Gales, Jr. was an American journalist, born in Eckington, Derbyshire, England. His father, Joseph Gales, Sr. , was a printer in Sheffield, who was compelled to emigrate to America in 1795 because of his republican principles.-History:The son was educated at the University of North Carolina...	1827	1830
John P. Van Ness	1830	1834
William A. Bradley William A. Bradley William A. Bradley was mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1834 to 1836.Once the Cashier for the Bank of Washington, Bradley was postmaster for the city of Washington in the 1850s until removed by Franklin Pierce in 1853....	1834	1836
Peter Force Peter Force Peter Force was a 19th-century politician, newspaper editor, archivist, and historian.Born near the Passaic Falls in New Jersey, to William, a soldier in the Civil War and descendant of French Huguenots who arrived on America's shores in the 17th century, and Sarah Force , Force grew up New Paltz,...	1836	1840
William Winston Seaton William Winston Seaton William Winston Seaton was an American journalist, born in King William County, Va.From 1812 until 1860 he was, with his brother-in-law Joseph Gales, proprietor of the National Intelligencer at Washington, D.C. From 1812 until 1820 the two were the only reporters of congressional proceedings...	1840	1850
Walter Lenox Walter Lenox Walter Lenox was Mayor of Washington, D.C. for one two-year term, from 1850 to 1852. Lenox was the first mayor to be born in the city of Washington, graduating from Yale in 1837 and returning to the capital to practice law in the early 1840s...	1850	1852
John Walker Maury John Walker Maury John Walker Maury Walker Maury was Mayor of Washington, D.C. for one two-year term, from 1852 to 1854.-Life:John Walker Maury was born in Caroline County, Virginia in 1809 to a prominent Virginia family...	1852	1854
John Thomas Towers John T. Towers John Thomas Towers was Superintendent of printing at the U.S. Capitol and Mayor of Washington City, District of Columbia, from 1854 to 1856....	1854	1856
William B. Magruder William B. Magruder William Beans Magruder was a prominent physician and Mayor of Washington City, District of Columbia, from 1856 to 1858.Magruder was born in Montgomery County, Maryland in 1810. Shortly after his birth the family moved to Georgetown, D.C., where Magruder was raised and educated. he began studied...	1856	1858
James G. Berret James G. Berret James Gabriel Berret was an American politician who served as a Maryland state legislator from 1837 to 1839 and as Mayor of Washington, District of Columbia, from 1858 to 1861, when he was forced to resign from office after being jailed by the Lincoln administration for sedition.Berret was born in...	1858	1861
Richard Wallach Richard Wallach Richard Wallach was an American politician who served as the first Republican Mayor of Washington, D.C.-History:...	1861	1868
Sayles J. Bowen	1868	1870
Matthew Gault Emery Matthew Gault Emery Matthew Gault Emery was Mayor of Washington, D.C. from 1870 to 1871, when the office was abolished. Emery was the last mayor of Washington, D.C. until the office was re-established 104 years later....	1870	1871

Mayors of Georgetown (1790–1871)

Georgetown was a town in Maryland

Maryland

Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...

 until 1801, when it became a municipality within the District of Columbia. From 1802 until 1871, mayors of Georgetown were elected to one-year terms, with no term limits. Like the City of Washington and Washington County, Georgetown's local government ceased to exist in 1871, when Congress merged the three entities into the single District government.

Mayor	Term Began	Term Ended
Robert Peter	1790	1791
Thomas Beale Thomas Beale Thomas Beale , was a Scottish naturalist, opium speculator and general merchant operating in the Far East during the 19th century.-Biography:Thomas was the younger brother of Daniel Beale and the cousin of Thomas Chaye Beale....	1791	1792
Uriah Forrest Uriah Forrest Uriah Forrest was an American statesman and military leader from Maryland. Forrest was born in St. Mary's County in southern Maryland. During the American Revolutionary War, Forrest was injured and lost a leg in the Battle of Germantown...	1792	1793
John Threlkeld	1793	1794
Peter Casenave	1794	1795
Thomas Turner	1795	1796
Daniel Reintzel	1796	1797
Lloyd Beall	1797	1799
Daniel Reintzel	1799	1804
Thomas Corcoran	1805	1806
Daniel Reintzel	1806	1807
Thomas Corcoran	1808	1810
David Wiley	1811	1812
Thomas Corcoran	1812	1813
John Peter	1813	1818
Henry Foxall	1819	1820
John Peter	1821	1822
John Cox	1823	1845
Henry Addison	1845	1857
Richard R. Crawford	1857	1861
Henry Addison	1861	1867
Charles D. Welch	1867	1869
Henry M. Sweeney	1869	1871

Governors of the District of Columbia (1871–1874)

In 1871, Congress created a territorial government for the entire District of Columbia, which was headed by a governor appointed by the President of the United States to a four-year term. Due to alleged corruption and mismanagement, the territorial government was discontinued in 1874.

Governor	Term Began	Term Ended
Henry D. Cooke Henry D. Cooke Henry David Cooke was an American financier, journalist, railroad executive, and politician. He was the younger brother of Philadelphia financier Jay Cooke. A member of the Republican political machine in post-Civil War Washington, D.C., Cooke was appointed first territorial governor of the...	1871	1873
Alexander Robey Shepherd Alexander Robey Shepherd Alexander Robey Shepherd , better known as Boss Shepherd, was one of the most controversial and influential civic leaders in the history of Washington, D.C., and one of the most powerful big-city political bosses of the Gilded Age. He was head of the DC Board of Public Works from 1871 to 1873 and...	1873	1874

Presidents of the Board of Commissioners (1874–1975)

From 1874 to 1974, the District was administered by a Board of Commissioners, whose members were appointed by the President. There were three members of the Board: one Democrat, one Republican, and one civil engineer

Civil engineer

A civil engineer is a person who practices civil engineering; the application of planning, designing, constructing, maintaining, and operating infrastructures while protecting the public and environmental health, as well as improving existing infrastructures that have been neglected.Originally, a...

 with no specified party. The three Commissioners would then elect one of themselves to be president of the commission. This list features the Presidents of the Board of Commissioners; while not quite analogous to the role of a mayor, the president of the commission was the city's Chief Executive.

President	Term Began	Term Ended	Political Party
William Dennison William Dennison (Ohio governor) William Dennison, Jr. was a Whig and Republican politician from Ohio. He served as the 24th Governor of Ohio and as U.S...	1874	1878	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Seth Ledyard Phelps Seth Ledyard Phelps Seth Ledyard Phelps was an American naval officer, politician, and diplomat. He served with distinction in the U.S. Navy during the Civil War and afterward was appointed president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia and then as U.S...	1878	1879	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
Josiah Dent Josiah Dent Josiah Dent was the third president of the Board of Commissioners of the District of Columbia, serving from 1879 to 1882.-Life:Dent was born in Charles County, Maryland, in 1817. His father was an Episcopal priest who served in a Maryland regiment during the Revolutionary War. He became an...	1879	1882	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Joseph Rodman West	1882	1883	Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
James Barker Edmonds James Barker Edmonds James Barker Edmonds was president of the board of commissioners for the District of Columbia, USA, from 1883 to 1886....	1883	1886	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
William Benning Webb William Benning Webb William Benning Webb was an attorney, Police Superintendent of Washington, D.C., and president of the board of commissioners for the District of Columbia, USA, from 1886 to 1889.Webb was born in 1825, in Washington...	1886	1889
John Watkinson Douglass	1889	1893
John Wesley Ross	1893	1898
John Brewer Wright	1898	1900
Henry Brown Floyd MacFarland	1901	1909
Cuno Hugo Rudolph	1910	1913
Oliver Peck Newman	1913	1917
Louis Brownlow Louis Brownlow Louis Brownlow was an American author, political scientist, and consultant in the area of public administration...	1917	1920
Charles Willauer Kutz (acting)	1920	1920
John Thilman Hendrick	1920	1921
Cuno Hugo Rudolph	1921	1926
Proctor L. Dougherty	1926	1930
Luther Halsey Reichelderfer	1930	1933
Melvin Colvin Hazen	1933	1941
John Russell Young	1941	1952
F. Joseph Donohue	1952	1953
Samuel Spencer	1953	1956
Robert E. McLaughlin Robert E. McLaughlin Robert E McLaughlin was an American journalist and author. He was an Editor at TIME Magazine for more than 20 years and was the author of numerous short stories, three novels, and The Heartland, volume in the TIME-LIFE Library of America series.He was born in Chicago on September 21, 1908, the...	1956	1961
Walter Nathan Tobriner Walter Nathan Tobriner Walter Nathan Tobriner was a local Washington, D.C. government appointee, one of the last appointed commissioners of the city, and a U.S. ambassador.Born in Washington, D.C., Tobriner attended the Sidwell Friends School...	1961	1967	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Walter Washington Walter Washington Walter Edward Washington, was an American politician, the first home-rule mayor of the District of Columbia...	1967	1975	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

Mayors of the District of Columbia (1975–present)

Since 1975, the District has been administered by a popularly elected mayor and city council.

Mayor	Years	Political Party
Walter Washington Walter Washington Walter Edward Washington, was an American politician, the first home-rule mayor of the District of Columbia...	January 2, 1975 – January 2, 1979	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Marion Barry Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...	January 2, 1979 – January 2, 1991	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Sharon Pratt Kelly Sharon Pratt Kelly Sharon Pratt Kelly , formerly Sharon Pratt Dixon and now known as Sharon Pratt, was the third mayor of the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1995. Pratt was the first African-American woman to serve as mayor of a major American city...	January 2, 1991 – January 2, 1995	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Marion Barry Marion Barry Marion Shepilov Barry, Jr. is an American Democratic politician who is currently serving as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, representing DC's Ward 8. Barry served as the second elected mayor of the District of Columbia from 1979 to 1991, and again as the fourth mayor from 1995...	January 2, 1995 – January 2, 1999	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Anthony A. Williams Anthony A. Williams Anthony Allen "Tony" Williams is an American politician who served as the fifth mayor of the District of Columbia for two terms, from 1999 to 2007. He had previously served as chief financial officer for the District, managing to balance the budget and achieve a surplus within two years of...	January 2, 1999 – January 2, 2007	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Adrian Fenty Adrian Fenty Adrian Malik Fenty was the sixth, and at age 36, the youngest, mayor of the District of Columbia. He served one term—from 2007 to 2011—losing his bid for reelection at the primary level to Democrat Vincent C. Gray...	January 2, 2007 – January 2, 2011	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
Vincent C. Gray Vincent C. Gray Vincent C. Gray is an American politician who is currently serving as the seventh Mayor of the District of Columbia. Prior to his inauguration as mayor in January 2011, Gray served as Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia, and as Councilmember for Ward 7...	January 2, 2011 – present	Democratic Democratic Party (United States) The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...