Zohran Mamdani, the 34-year-old Democratic politician, made history last month upon his election as New York City’s newest mayor, securing the office with groundbreaking distinctions. He is set to become the city’s first Muslim mayor, the first of South Asian heritage, and the first mayor born on the continent of Africa.
However, despite his scheduled swearing-in for January 2026, a newly surfaced historical discrepancy suggests that Mayor Mamdani may officially be the 112th mayor, not the 111th, adding an unexpected layer of complexity to his inauguration.
The Mystery of the Missing Term
The historical error was recently uncovered by historian Paul Hortenstine during his meticulous research into former leaders’ links to the slave trade. Hortenstine discovered that Matthias Nicolls, the city’s sixth mayor, served two non-consecutive terms: once in 1672 and again in 1675.
In the official count, similar to the method used for U.S. presidents who serve multiple terms (such as Grover Cleveland, who is counted as both the 22nd and 24th president), Nicolls’ second, separate term should have been counted distinctly in the official tally of mayoral administrations. This omission means that every single mayor who served after Nicolls has been incorrectly numbered by one administration.
Hortenstine has formally contacted the incoming mayor’s office to request a historical correction, noting that the error originated from a misinterpretation in a 17th-century archival record.
Decades of Miscounting
This issue of misnumbering is not entirely unprecedented. Earlier research conducted by historian Peter R. Christoph in 1989 also identified this exact error, questioning how nearly 99 mayors could have been misnumbered throughout the city’s history.
It is important to note that this historical correction does not, in any way, affect Mamdani’s upcoming term, his political authority, or the duration of his administration. It does, however, necessitate a ceremonial adjustment to the count of his position. Whether city officials will formally vote to update the historical record and acknowledge Mamdani as the 112th mayor remains to be seen.
For now, Mamdani prepares to take office as a groundbreaking leader in a city defined by its history, with this fascinating historical footnote merely adding an unexpected layer of depth to his already momentous inauguration.
