The Mayors by Number
On November 5, 2025, when Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani defeated Andrew Cuomo and Republican challenger Curtis Sliwa, he became the 111th Mayor of New York City.
Or did he?
As writer Paul Hortenstine recently related at newyorkalmanack.com, and historian Peter Christoph discovered in 1989, the official count at nyc.gov is off by one. Mamdani will actually be the 112th mayor.
It’s a lineage that began on June 12, 1665 when England ended the Dutch West India Company’s control of New Amsterdam, re-christened the place “New York,” and installed Thomas Wilet (1607-1674) as the City’s first mayor.
Since then, mayors like Bill de Blasio (b. 1961), who served two consecutive four-year terms from 2014-2017 and 2018-2021, were counted as holding office just once. But those like Wilet, who served two non-consecutive one-year terms in 1665 and 1667, were tallied as being mayor twice. Meanwhile, the acting-mayors, people like Joseph McKee (1889-1956), who served from September 1, 1932 – December 31, 1932, weren’t even counted at all. It’s a numbering system rife with confusion. Or maybe built on shaky ground.
You see, Matthias Nicolls (1630-1687) was New York’s sixth mayor, back in 1672. He served again as the eighth mayor, from 1674-1675, but you won’t find his second term in the definitive rundown on nyc.gov:
Mayors of the City of New York
(1) Thomas Willett 1665
(2) Thomas Delavall 1666
(3) Thomas Willett 1667
(4) Cornelius Steenwyck 1668-1670
(5) Thomas Delavall 1671
(6) Matthias Nicolls 1672
(7) John Lawrence 1673
(8) William Dervall 1675
So what happened?
Well, the names of the mayors who served under British rule, from 1665 to 1783, survive because they appear in the Minutes of the Mayor’s Court of New York, an official colonial record. In 1841, a book called the Manual of the Corporation of the City of New York used Minutes as its prime source to post those names in one succinct place. Over time, the list in the Manual became the standard reference for City Hall, future historians, and other publications. But there was one small problem.
In 1989, Peter Christoph learned that when the Manual was being written, the Minutes of the Mayor’s Court from November 1674 to September 1675 “had long been missing.” So there was no way for the authors to know then that Matthias Nicolls was sworn in as the City’s eighth mayor on November 10, 1674 — just ahead of William Dervall (1642-1711). In fact, no one knew for nearly 142 years until the lost volume was found in the Office of the New York County Clerk in 1983.
But, by that time, the damage had ossified. Since John Lawrence (1618-1699), mayor number seven, the City’s mis-numbered 105 mayors. And, as Christoph rightly reflected, it’s a “mind boggling thought!”
So will the City ever correct its mistake? Who knows?!
Mamdani by Numbers
One thing’s for certain, though, the City of the colonial and post-colonial mayors is almost unrecognizable today. Back then, they only governed Manhattan and, at most, parts of the Bronx. But since 1898, when Brooklyn, Staten Island, and the cites of Queens were added, mayors have managed a truly modern metropolis. In the “modern” era, the City’s had 21 mayors, and Zohran Mamdani is quite distinct among his new peers.
For one, as the now former State Assemblyman from Queens, he’s the first mayor to ever assume office after directly representing the people of that borough. Sure, a mayor like Bill de Blasio, who was previously the City’s Public Advocate, had some responsibility for Queens, but it was not his only priority. Moreover, every modern mayor has either hailed from Brooklyn or Manhattan, making Mamdani the first to have ever once resided in Queens.
He’s also the youngest of the post-1898 mayors, supplanting John Puroy Mitchel (1879-1918), who held that record for more than a hundred years. When Mitchel was elected in 1913, he was just 34 years, 2 months, and 2 weeks old. Mamdani, on the other hand, came in at 34 years and 2 weeks of age.
Although the modern mayors practiced a variety of faiths, Mamdani’s the first to follow Islam. He’s also just the third person of color ever elected, following in the wake of Eric Adams (b. 1960) and David N. Dinkins (1927-2020). And, as a past member of the New York State Assembly, he’s the fourth mayor to have once held that position. James “Jimmy” J. Walker (1881-1946), Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (1910-1991), and Dinkins each preceded him.
Finally, having been born in Kampala, Uganda, he’s the fifth contemporary mayor to have moved to the United States from another country. Mamdani joins an international crew that includes George B. McClellan, Jr. (Dresden, Germany; 1865-1940), William O’Dwyer (Bohola, Ireland; 1890-1964), Vincent R. Impellitteri (Isnello, Italy; 1900-1987), and Abraham “Abe” Beame (London, England; 1906-2001).
The Election by Numbers
Since 1898, the modern City’s staged 36 elections for mayor and cast over 56 million votes. The past few cycles haven’t been noteworthy, but this one was pretty historic. Zohran Mamdani’s win featured over 2 million people casting ballots, the highest turnout for a mayoral election in 56 years! In fact, the last time that many people voted was when John Lindsay (1921-2000) earned his second term in 1969.
Here’s where 2025 came in all-time by turnout (a top ten finish!):
| Turnout Rank | Mayor | Party | Term | Election Year | Votes Received | Turnout |
| 1 | John Lindsay | Republican | 1966-1969 | 1965 | 1,149,106 | 2,652,451 |
| 2 | Vincent R. Impellitteri | Experience | 1950-1953 | 1950 | 1,161,175 | 2,626,476 |
| 3 | William O’Dwyer | Democratic | 1950 | 1949 | 1,264,600 | 2,577,193 |
| 4 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1962-1965 | 1961 | 1,237,423 | 2,467,546 |
| 5 | John Lindsay | Liberal | 1970-1973 | 1969 | 1,012,633 | 2,458,203 |
| 6 | Fiorello La Guardia | Republican | 1942-1945 | 1941 | 1,186,394 | 2,263,092 |
| 7 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1954-1957 | 1953 | 1,022,626 | 2,244,146 |
| 8 | Fiorello La Guardia | Republican | 1938-1941 | 1937 | 1,344,630 | 2,233,607 |
| 9 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1958-1961 | 1957 | 1,509,775 | 2,224,054 |
| 10 | Zohran Mamdani | Democratic | 2026- | 2025 | 1,114,184 | 2,218,647 |
Another remarkable thing about 2025 election was the victor’s tally. By capturing over 1 million ballots, Mamdani was the first winner to receive that much support in 56 years! Again, the last time anyone garnered such approval was back in 1969, when Lindsay was propelled to his second term.
Here’s where Mamdani fell all-time by votes received (another top ten!):
| Votes Received Rank | Mayor | Party | Term | Election Year | Votes Received | Turnout |
| 1 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1958-1961 | 1957 | 1,509,775 | 2,224,054 |
| 2 | Fiorello La Guardia | Republican | 1938-1941 | 1937 | 1,344,630 | 2,233,607 |
| 3 | William O’Dwyer | Democratic | 1950 | 1949 | 1,264,600 | 2,577,193 |
| 4 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1962-1965 | 1961 | 1,237,423 | 2,467,546 |
| 5 | Fiorello La Guardia | Republican | 1942-1945 | 1941 | 1,186,394 | 2,263,092 |
| 6 | Vincent R. Impellitteri | Experience | 1950-1953 | 1950 | 1,161,175 | 2,626,476 |
| 7 | John Lindsay | Republican | 1966-1969 | 1965 | 1,149,106 | 2,652,451 |
| 8 | William O’Dwyer | Democratic | 1946-1949 | 1945 | 1,125,355 | 1,982,361 |
| 9 | Zohran Mamdani | Democratic | 2026- | 2025 | 1,114,184 | 2,218,647 |
| 10 | John P. O’Brien | Democratic | 1933 | 1932 | 1,056,115 | 2,019,668 |
Since 1898, most of the City’s mayors have hailed from the Democratic Party. Candidates running on the ticket have won and astonishing 23 of the 36 elections. But, with Mamdani taking over 1 million votes this year, it was the first time any Democrat commanded that much backing in 64 years! Robert F. Wagner, Jr. (1910-1991) was the last Democrat to amass such a total in 1961.
Here’s where Mamdani ranks all-time among his party peers (top five!):
| Democratic Party Rank | Mayor | Party | Term | Election Year | Votes Received | Turnout |
| 1 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1958-1961 | 1957 | 1,509,775 | 2,224,054 |
| 2 | William O’Dwyer | Democratic | 1950 | 1949 | 1,264,600 | 2,577,193 |
| 3 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1962-1965 | 1961 | 1,237,423 | 2,467,546 |
| 4 | William O’Dwyer | Democratic | 1946-1949 | 1945 | 1,125,355 | 1,982,361 |
| 5 | Zohran Mamdani | Democratic | 2026- | 2025 | 1,114,184 | 2,218,647 |
| 6 | John P O’Brien | Democratic | 1933 | 1932 | 1,056,115 | 2,019,668 |
| 7 | Robert F. Wagner, Jr. | Democratic | 1954-1957 | 1953 | 1,022,626 | 2,244,146 |
| 8 | Abraham Beame | Democratic | 1974-1977 | 1973 | 963,542 | 1,790,053 |
| 9 | David N. Dinkins | Democratic | 1990-1993 | 1989 | 917,544 | 1,899,845 |
| 10 | Edward I. Koch | Democratic | 1982-1985 | 1981 | 912,622 | 1,305,368 |
Thankfully, after witnessing the lackluster elections of the past few decades, it’s refreshing for the City to finally see one make some genuine history.
Photos by Rick Stachura.
(1) 3rd Avenue, near East 11th Street. East Village. July 1, 2025.
(2) 41st Street and 34th Avenue. Astoria. November 4, 2025.
(3) Crescent Street, near Hoyt Avenue North. Astoria. November 6, 2025.
(4) 30th Avenue, near 23rd Street. Astoria. May 20, 2025.
Newspaper screenshots collected and retouched by Rick Stachura.
(5) New York Magazine. Cover. November 5, 2025.
(6) The City. Home Page. November 4, 2025.
(7) New York Daily News. Cover. November 5, 2025.
(8) City & State New York. Home Page. November 4, 2025.
(9) New York Post. Cover. November 5, 2025.
(10) The New York Times. Cover. November 5, 2025.
(11) Gothamist. Home Page. November 4, 2025.
(12) The New Yorker. Cover. November 17, 2025.
Tables by Rick Stachura.
Election data compiled from vote.nyc and wikipedia.org.