Early in its history, executive authority in Detroit resided in a series of appointed officials, elected boards, and elected officials, including a brief stint in 1806–1809 with a largely ceremonial mayor. Detroit's current strong mayor system dates from the city's 1824 charter. From 1824 to 1857, mayors were elected to terms of one year; from 1858 to 1953 the term was increased to two years, and after 1953 mayoral terms were four years.
Early leadership
During the early part of Detroit's existence, local authority was vested in French military commandants. The first local rule of Detroit was established in 1802, when Detroit was incorporated as a town. The original incorporation provided for a Board of Trustees to govern the town, the chairman of which was the highest governmental position. The first chairman of the Board, appointed on February 9, 1802, was James Henry. Henry was elected to the position later in the year. Subsequent elections were held in May of each year, chairmen of the Board of Trustees were James May, Solomon Sibley and Joseph Wilkinson. French commandants included:
However, the fire of 1805 destroyed the town and effectively eliminated the government. Governor William Hull and Judge Augustus Woodward dissolved the original incorporation, replacing it in 1806 with a government headed by an appointed mayor. However, the position was largely honorary, and the two men who held it both quickly resigned upon realizing the lack of power in the office. The legislation creating this mayoral position was repealed in 1809; however, de facto political power still resided with Hull and Woodward, and the town was without either a mayor or Board of Trustees until after the War of 1812.
Board of Trustees
After the war, a legislative act in 1815 ended the interregnum and returned political control to the citizens of Detroit through a Board of Trustees, elected yearly. In October of that year, Solomon Sibley was elected as the first chair. Subsequent chairs were George McDougall, Abraham Edwards, John R. Williams, James McCloskey, James Abbott, and A. G. Whitney.
1824 charter
In 1824, John R. Williams drew up a new city charter that provided for the first time for a directly elected mayor, with significantly increased executive powers. Following approval by the state legislature, Williams became the City of Detroit's first elected mayor.
1918 charter and nonpartisan elections
In June 1918 Detroit's first home-rule city charter came into effect, following passage by city voters in a referendum. The new charter mandated that all Detroit public offices be non-partisan, and that elections to those positions would be held on a non-partisan basis, with no party designations on the ballot. These provisions have been continued through all subsequent city charter revisions. Since 1918, all mayoral elections in Detroit have been held on a non-partisan basis, and mayors have officially served unaffiliated with any political party. Thus, the party affiliations given in the chart below for mayors elected after 1918 are not official and are based on the inferences of editors based on available historic information.
Official residence
Since 1966, the official residence of the Mayor of Detroit has been the Manoogian Mansion, located on Dwight Street in the Berry Subdivision Historic District, facing the Detroit River on the city's east side. The mansion was donated to the city by industrialist Alex Manoogian, founder of the Masco Corporation.
First incorporation
Two mayors served under the 1806 charter.
Reincorporation
The following mayors served under the stronger executive mayoral system begun in the 1824 charter:
Non-Partisan Elections
A new city charter went into effect in 1918, which required that all city offices be non-partisan. The following mayors were elected in non-partisan elections with no party designations on the ballot, and served on a non-partisan basis with no official party affiliation: This provision has been repeated in the subsequent city charters of 1974, 1997, and 2012: So, the party affiliations shown below are based on information from each mayor's personal and/or political history and do not represent any official status.
