Pieter Schuyler 1686
The mayor's office: Thirty-three different men served as mayor of Albany before 1800. All of them were leading citizens but these exceptional civic leaders are best understood through individual study. Between 1686 and 1776, the mayor of Albany was appointed by the royal governor of New York in accordance with the provisions of the city charter. Beginning in 1777, the mayor was appointed by the Council of Appointment of New York State. The appointment was annual and usually was made in September. After 1821, the mayor was elected directly by the residents of the city.
Sources: City historian Cuyler Reynolds produced the pioneering work on Albany mayors in 1906. Fraught with errors of fact and judgment, it has been corrected and brought up-to-date by Virginia Bowers - the present Albany City Historian. Her Mayors of Albany is a valuable handbook of information on Albany's first seventy-four "chief executives."
first posted: 12/20/00; last revised 6/8/11