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Mayor of Seattle

none

Summary

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FieldValue
postMayor
bodySeattle
imageKatie Wilson Seattle mayoral candidate (cropped).jpg
incumbentKatie Wilson
incumbentsinceJanuary 1, 2026
departmentGovernment of Seattle
styleThe Honorable
termlength4 years
formationDecember 2, 1869
inauguralHenry A. Atkins
website
insigniaSeal of Seattle, Washington.png
insigniasize100

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 Seattle City Council, the legislative branch of city government, is led by the council president.)

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.

Incumbent mayor Katie Wilson took office on January 1, 2026, after defeating incumbent Bruce Harrell in the 2025 Seattle mayoral election. She was ceremonially sworn in on January 2.

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 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. In 1969 the age and residence requirements were removed from the charter.

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 (January 1), 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

#PhotoMayorurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009182627/http://www.seattle.gov/cityarchives/seattle-facts/city-officials/mayors/mayors-1869-1890date=October 9, 2017 }}; 1890–1948 ; 1948–present ). Retrieved September 13, 2017.Left officeElection results and notes
1[[File:Henry A. Atkins.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
2[[File:John T. Jordan.jpg75px]]Nonpartisan}}"
3[[File:CORLISS P STONE.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
[[File:John T. Jordan.jpg75px]]Nonpartisan}}"
4[[File:MOSES R MADDOCKS2.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
5[[File:Seattle mayor John Collins.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
6[[File:Henry Leiter Yesler, 1870 - DPLA - 9125450c5e4b6dc51f94be6de58b320a (square crop).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
7[[File:Bailey-Gatzert-Portrait.jpg75px]]Independent}}"
8[[File:G. A. Weed 1890.jpg75px]]Nonpartisan}}"
9[[File:Portrait of Beriah Brown, Seattle, circa 1890 (MOHAI 10879).jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
10[[File:Orange Jacobs 1890.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
11[[File:Leonard Smith.png75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
12[[File:Henry G. Struve 1890.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
13[[File:John Leary 01f.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
[[File:Henry Leiter Yesler, 1870 - DPLA - 9125450c5e4b6dc51f94be6de58b320a (square crop).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
14[[File:William H Shoudy.jpgframeless101x101px]]Nonpartisan}}"
15[[File:Thomas T. Minor.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
16[[File:Robert Moran portrait 1903.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
17[[File:Harry White 1890.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
18[[File:George W. Hall (Seattle Mayor).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
19[[File:James T. Ronald.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
20[[File:Byron Phelps, circa 1917.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
21[[File:Frank D. Black (page 23 crop).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
22[[File:William D Wood, 1896.png75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
23[[File:Seattle Mayor Thomas J. Humes, circa 1900.gif75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
24[[File:Richard A. Ballinger.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
25[[File:William Hickman Moore, 1902.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
26[[File:John Franklin Miller (congressman).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
27[[File:Hiram Gill (cropped).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
28[[File:George W. Dilling.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
29[[File:George Fletcher Cotterill, ca. 1912 - DPLA - 5c91eea41fdf37b4b62b4f317fd1b796.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
[[File:Hiram Gill (cropped).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
30[[File:Hanson-Ole-1919.jpg75px]]Progressive Party (United States, 1912)}}"
31[[File:C. B. Fitzgerald.jpeg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
32[[File:Hugh M. Caldwell 1920.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
33[[File:Edwin J. Brown c1923.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
34[[File:Seattle Mayor Bertha Knight Landes, circa 1926.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
35[[File:Frank E. Edwards (cropped).jpg75px]]Nonpartisan}}"
36[[File:Robert H. Harlin (cropped).jpg75px]]Nonpartisan}}"
37[[File:Seattle Mayor John F. Dore, 1936.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
38[[File:Seattle Mayor Charles L. Smith, circa 1935.jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
[[File:Seattle Mayor John F. Dore, 1936.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
[[File:James Scavotto (Seattle mayor).jpg75px]]Nonpartisan}}"
39[[File:Governor Langlie (square crop).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
40[[File:John E. Carroll (Seattle mayor).jpg75px]]Nonpartisan}}"
41[[File:Earl Millikin (Seattle mayor).jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
42[[File:Subminimum Wage Bill Signing (cropped).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
43[[File:Seattle Mayor Allan Pomeroy, circa 1954 (27516943783) (cropped).jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
44[[File:Seattle mayor Gordon Clinton 1961.gif75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
45[[File:Mayor Dorm Braman, 1966 (cropped).jpg75px]]Republican Party (United States)}}"
46[[File:Floyd C. Miller (Seattle mayor).jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
47[[File:Senator Wesley C. Uhlman, 1969.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
48[[File:Seattle Mayor Charles Royer, 1978.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
49[[File:Norm Rice 1993 CROPPED.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
50[[File:Seattle Mayor Paul Schell, 1999.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
51[[File:Mayors of Seattle, 2003 Nickels.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
52[[File:Michael McGinn (cropped).jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
53[[File:Ed murray at torchlight parade 2014 cropped.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
54[[File:Bruce Harrell 2019.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
55[[File:Tim Burgess Portrait (24588156840).jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
56[[File:Subminimum Wage Bill Signing.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
57[[File:Bruce Harrell 2019.jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"
58[[File:Katie Wilson Seattle mayoral candidate (cropped 3x4).jpg75px]]Democratic Party (United States)}}"Incumbent

References

References

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