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Los Angeles City Mayors
Past to Present

Earliest known photo of a Los Angeles mayor. Don Benjamin "Benito" Wilson, 2nd elected Mayor of American Los Angeles, 1851-1852.


Also see: The Most Regrettable Mayors of Los Angeles

Spanish Colonial Los Angeles

1781-1786 Corporal José Vicente Feliz, Comisionado (area military commissioner), acts as Chief Public Official
1786-1788 José Vanegas (1)
1789-1790 José Sinova
1790-1793 Mariano Verdugo
1793-1795 Francisco Reyes
1796 Jose Vanegas
1797-1798 Manuel Arellanes
1798-1799 Guillermo Cota
1799-1800 Francisco Serrano
1800-1802 Joaquin Higuera
1802-1809 Mariano Verdugo
1810-1811 Francisco Avila
1811-1812 Manuel Gutierrez
1812-1816 Guillermo Soto Comisionado, assumes responsibilities of Alcalde
1816-1819 Antonio Maria Lugo
1819-1822 Anastasio Avila

(1) Appointed first Alcalde.

Mexican Los Angeles

1822-1824 Manuel Gutierrez
1824 Guillermo Cota
1824 Encarnacion Urquides
1825 José Maria Avila
1826 José Antonio Carrillo
1826-1827 Claudio Lopez
1827-1828 Guillermo Cota
1828-1829 José Antonio Carrillo
1829-1830 Guillermo Soto
1830-1831 Tiburcio Tapia
1831-1832 Vicente Sanchez
1832-1833 Manuel Dominguez
1833-1834 José Antonio Carrillo
1834-1835 José Perez
1835-1836 Francisco Javier Alvarado
1836-1837 Manual Requena
1837 José Sepulveda
1838-1839 Luis Arenas
1839-1840 Tiburcio Tapia & Jose Sepulveda (served jointly as First & Second Alcalde)

Office of Alcalde Abolished. LA governed by two Jueces de Paz (Justices of Peace)

1841 Ignacio Palomares & Ignacio Alvarado
1842 Manuel Dominguez & José Sepulveda
1843 Manuel Dominguez & Antonio F. Coronel

Office of Alcalde Restored (First & Second Alcalde)

1844 Manual Requena & Tiburcio Tapia
1845 Vicente Sanchez & Juan Sepulveda
1846 Juan Gallardo & José Sepulveda
1847 José Salazar & Enrique Avila
1848 Ignacio Palomares & José Sepulveda

American Los Angeles

1848-1850 Stephen C. Foster (2)
1850-1851 Alpheus P. Hodges (3)
1851-1852 Benjamin D. Wilson
1852-1853 John G. Nichols
1853-1854 Antonio F. Coronel
1854-1855 Stephen C. Foster (4)
1855-1856 Thomas Foster
1856 Stephen C. Foster (5)
1856-1858 John G. Nichols
1859-1860 Damien Marchessault
1860 Henry Mellus (6)
1861-1865 Damien Marchessault
1865-1866 Jose Mascarel
1866-1868 Cristobal Aguilar
1868-1870 Joel H. Turner
1871-1872 Cristobal Aguilar
1872-1874 James R. Toberman
1874-1876 Prudent Beaudry
1876-1878 Frederick A. MacDougall
1878 Bernard Cohn (7)
1878-1882 James R. Toberman
1882-1884 Cameron E. Thom
1884-1886 Edward F. Spence
1886-1888 William H. Workman
1888-1889 John Bryson
1889-1892 Henry T. Hazard
1892-1894 Thomas E. Rowan
1894-1896 Frank Rader
1896-1898 Meredith P. Snyder
1898-1900 Fred Eaton
1900-1904 Meredith P. Snyder
1904-1906 Owen C. McAleer
1906-1909 Arthur C. Harper (8)
1909 William D. Stephens (9)
1909-1913 George Alexander (10)
1913-1915 Henry R. Rose
1915-1916 Charles E. Sebastian (11)
1916-1919 Frederick T. Woodman
1919-1921 Meredith P. Snyder
1921-1929 George E. Cryer
1929-1933 John C. Porter (12)
1933-1938 Frank L. Shaw (13)
1938-1953 Fletcher Bowron
1953-1961 Norris Poulson
1961-1973 Samuel Yorty
1973-1993 Thomas Bradley
1993-2001 Richard J. Riordan
2001-2005 James K. Hahn
2005-2013 Antonio Villaraigosa
2013-2022 Eric Garcetti
2022-present Karen Bass

(2) Appointed by U.S. Governor. First U.S. Mayor; (3) First mayor after U.S. Los Angeles is incorporated as a U.S. California city; (4) Resigned to lead a lynch mob; (5) Served six months; (6) Died in office; (7) Appointed for less than a month after death of Mayor MacDougall; (8) Recall movement led to his resignation; (9) Appointed by City Council. Served only a few days; (10) Entered office in special election; (11) Resigned after less than a year in office; (12) Defeated a petition recall drive; (13) Removed from office by recall.