Mamdani has a place in NYC history. But which place in a centuries-long list of mayors?

Zohran Mamdani’s historic mayoral ascension in New York City has unexpectedly gained an additional distinction – he will become the 112th mayor rather than the 111th, thanks to a centuries-old accounting oversight recently brought to light.

When Mamdani takes office on January 1, he will already make history as New York’s first Muslim mayor and first mayor of South Asian heritage. The Democratic politician seemed unfazed by the numerical correction, telling reporters on Wednesday, “I’m excited to be whichever mayor,” after learning about the historical discrepancy.

The counting confusion stems from the mayoral tenure of Matthias Nicolls in the early days of English colonial rule. Independent historian Paul Hortenstine, who has been researching early New York mayors’ connections to slavery, discovered the oversight in the city’s official mayoral chronology.

Nicolls served as the city’s sixth mayor from 1671 to 1672, but his return to office in late 1674 was never included in the official count. Between his terms, John Lawrence briefly served as mayor until a Dutch invasion temporarily changed the colonial government structure. When the English regained control, Nicolls was reappointed, but this second term somehow disappeared from official records.

“The numbering of mayors is a fascinating issue that is much more difficult than it appears at first glance,” said Hortenstine, who previously worked on Michael Bloomberg’s 2009 reelection campaign. He hopes the renewed interest in the mayoral count will draw attention to his research on early mayors’ personal and political involvement with slavery.

This isn’t the first time the oversight has been identified. Peter Christoph, a former New York State Library official, pointed out the Nicolls numbering error in 1989, but the correction never made it into official records. The recent rediscovery came after local news site Gothamist reported on the apparent miscount, prompting the city’s Department of Records and Information Services to investigate.

Michael Lorenzini, an agency archivist, published a detailed analysis on December 11, tracing the complex and often fragmentary historical record. His conclusion confirmed that “Mayor Mamdani should be mayor number 112.” Lorenzini noted that when the city began printing lists of past mayors in the mid-1800s, Nicolls’ second term was omitted.

The historical record-keeping has other inconsistencies as well. The official list doesn’t include the Dutch “burgomasters” who governed in pairs during periods of Dutch control. It also makes no accounting for indigenous leadership before European colonization. Some acting mayors are mentioned but not numbered in the primary list, though they do appear in a more obscure version archived in 2015.

The definition of “mayor” itself has evolved significantly over the centuries. The original mayor presided over a New York City that consisted only of Manhattan before the addition of the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island in the late 1800s, fundamentally transforming both the office and the city.

While some might view the renumbering as merely academic, Lorenzini sees value in these historical discussions. “What’s interesting to me is that we still have these records, and people can still dive into them and still find something new or something to argue about,” he said. “History is still alive.”

If the correction stands, it would necessitate renumbering 350 years of subsequent mayors, from William Dervall (who would become the ninth mayor) to current Mayor Eric Adams (who would be the 111th). Bloomberg, who served three consecutive terms, would be recorded as the 109th mayor in the corrected chronology.

The discovery highlights how even seemingly straightforward historical facts can contain surprising complexities, and how our understanding of history continues to evolve as researchers revisit primary sources with fresh perspectives.