A City's Unseen Mayor: Is Zohran Mamdani Actually NYC's 112th, Not 111?
New York City officials are gearing up to welcome its newest mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who is set to take office on January 1. But a historian has raised eyebrows by claiming that the number of America's largest city mayors might be off by one – a discrepancy dating back over four centuries.
According to Paul Hortenstine, the error stems from Mayor Matthias Nicolls' second non-consecutive term in 1674-1675, which was overlooked in the official records. If true, this means that every subsequent mayor after Nicolls would have been miscounted by one spot – a domino effect that throws into question the identities of past mayors like Fiorella La Guardia and Eric Adams.
Hortenstine, a public policy and history writer, came across the discrepancy while researching the ties between early New York City mayors and slavery. He discovered that Nicolls' second term was referenced in documents from Edmund Andros, the colonial governor of New York, including an archive at the municipal archives titled "The Renascence of City Hall."
"It's a mind-boggling thought: 99 mayors misnumbered — most of them gone to the grave, secure in the knowledge of their place in history, but all of them numerically out of whack," noted Hortenstine. Historian Peter R. Christoph first brought this issue to light back in 1989.
Despite efforts by various individuals and groups to rectify the situation – including research at the New York Historical Society – the city's Department of Records has yet to acknowledge or correct the oversight in their official directory. The Green Book, a comprehensive guide to municipal government published annually, includes a list of mayors dating back to 1665 but fails to reflect Nicolls' second term.
While officials seem reluctant to confront this historical anomaly, some are left wondering whether the Adams administration will finally take steps to correct this glaring error in their official records.
New York City officials are gearing up to welcome its newest mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who is set to take office on January 1. But a historian has raised eyebrows by claiming that the number of America's largest city mayors might be off by one – a discrepancy dating back over four centuries.
According to Paul Hortenstine, the error stems from Mayor Matthias Nicolls' second non-consecutive term in 1674-1675, which was overlooked in the official records. If true, this means that every subsequent mayor after Nicolls would have been miscounted by one spot – a domino effect that throws into question the identities of past mayors like Fiorella La Guardia and Eric Adams.
Hortenstine, a public policy and history writer, came across the discrepancy while researching the ties between early New York City mayors and slavery. He discovered that Nicolls' second term was referenced in documents from Edmund Andros, the colonial governor of New York, including an archive at the municipal archives titled "The Renascence of City Hall."
"It's a mind-boggling thought: 99 mayors misnumbered — most of them gone to the grave, secure in the knowledge of their place in history, but all of them numerically out of whack," noted Hortenstine. Historian Peter R. Christoph first brought this issue to light back in 1989.
Despite efforts by various individuals and groups to rectify the situation – including research at the New York Historical Society – the city's Department of Records has yet to acknowledge or correct the oversight in their official directory. The Green Book, a comprehensive guide to municipal government published annually, includes a list of mayors dating back to 1665 but fails to reflect Nicolls' second term.
While officials seem reluctant to confront this historical anomaly, some are left wondering whether the Adams administration will finally take steps to correct this glaring error in their official records.
. I mean, come on, 99 mayors misnumbered? That's just crazy talk 
. And what's with all these historians digging up old documents? Can't they see the bigger picture? This is just a case of someone trying to stir up trouble 
.
. And what's with the city officials being all secretive about it? Shouldn't they just be honest and correct the mistake? 
.
. We should be more worried about actual issues in the city than nitpicking with historical dates 
. So many people have been misinformed about who actually ran the city for centuries... that's just crazy 
. And now they're questioning if someone else was the real deal? That's some deep stuff 
. I think it's time to get to the bottom of this and fix those records once and for all 
. Can't let a little history go unnoticed 
.
? I don't buy it 
. The Adams admin should totally look into this, like, what else are they hiding 
. I mean, can you even imagine how frustrating it must be for the historians and researchers who've been trying to figure out the real count of NYC mayors? It's like, what's next? Are we gonna have to renumber all the past presidents too? 
. But for real, who knew there was even a debate about whether Zohran Mamdani is actually NYC's 112th or 111th mayor? 
I guess you could say they're being a bit stingy with the history books 
either way, can't wait to see what happens next with the Adams admin 
anyway im rooting for whoever steps up to fix this mess 
can't believe they haven't corrected it yet 
️
And what about all those historians who are supposedly experts on the subject, how come they let this slide for so long? It just smells like a bunch of hooey to me