A historical discovery is set to change the official numbering of New York City's mayors just as Zohran Mamdani prepares to take office. According to new research, Mamdani, who will be sworn in on January 1, should be counted as the city's 112th mayor, not its 111th.
The Missing Mayor of 1674
The discrepancy originates from the colonial era. Historian Paul Hortenstine uncovered evidence of a nonconsecutive term served by Matthias Nicolls from 1674 to 1675 that is missing from the city's official directory. Hortenstine found references to this second term while researching early mayors' connections to slavery, guided by documents in the papers of colonial governor Edmund Andros.
"This was in 1675. So then, when I later looked through the official list of the city, I noticed that they had missed this term," Hortenstine told Gothamist. His findings were corroborated by a preliminary search at the New-York Historical Society, which located multiple references to Nicolls's second term in The Iconography of Manhattan Island.
A Cascade of Historical Corrections
This single omission has a ripple effect through centuries of New York history. By Hortenstine's revised count, the iconic Fiorella La Guardia was the 100th mayor, not the 99th. Consequently, current Mayor Eric Adams, who frequently identifies himself as "I'm 110," would actually be the 111th person to hold the office.
This is not the first time such an error has been pointed out. Back in 1989, historian Peter R. Christoph noted in a genealogical society record that Mayor Edward I. Koch was the 106th mayor, not the 105th. Christoph traced the mistake back to an 1841 municipal manual, from where it was copied into subsequent official documents.
Official Response and Historical Precedent
Ken Cobb, an assistant commissioner at the city's Department of Records, acknowledged the historian's discovery. While a recent check of municipal archives did not locate records of Nicolls's second term, Cobb did not dispute the findings. "We're the keepers of the records. We're not the creators of the records," he stated, adding that no formal review of the discrepancy has been launched.
There is precedent for such a renumbering. In 1937, Charles Lodwick was inserted into the official list as the 21st mayor, which shifted the numbering for all his successors.
When asked if the Adams administration would update the list before leaving office, First Deputy Mayor Randy Mastro said he was unaware of the issue. "I think we will leave this issue for historians and - for a change - the next administration," he remarked. A spokesperson for mayor-elect Mamdani offered no comment.
The discovery also sheds light on the figure at the centre of the correction. Matthias Nicolls, born in England in 1630, was a lawyer and British colonial official. His family owned land on Long Island, and like many officials of his time, he was a slaveowner. His reinstatement adds another layer to the complex historical narrative of New York's leadership.
