Why Zohran Mamdani Might Not Be the 111th Mayor After All A Centuries-Old Oversight Resurfaces

Zohran Mamdani’s recent election made history long before he ever stepped into office. At 34, the Queens-raised, Uganda-born son of immigrants became the first Muslim, first South Asian, and first Africa-born mayor-elect in New York City’s history. His victory symbolized a major shift in the city’s political landscape — a moment millions celebrated as proof that leadership now reflects the diversity of the people who call the city home. He was set to be sworn in as the 111th mayor in January 2026, a title that carried both prestige and symbolism.

But a quiet discovery by historian Paul Hortenstine has added an unexpected twist to that legacy. While studying early records of colonial governance, he realized that one of New York’s earliest mayors, Matthias Nicolls, served two non-consecutive terms — one in 1672 and another in 1675. By modern standards, such terms are counted separately, much like how Grover Cleveland is recognized as both the 22nd and 24th U.S. president. Yet Nicolls’s second term was never recorded as its own, creating a centuries-old clerical oversight that shifted the numbering of every mayor who came after him.

The revelation isn’t entirely new. A similar concern was raised back in 1989 by historian Peter R. Christoph, though it was largely dismissed at the time. Correcting the numbering today wouldn’t change Mamdani’s authority or the legitimacy of his election — only the ceremonial number attached to his title. Still, the discovery holds a kind of poetic irony: just as Mamdani’s election rewrites expectations about who can lead New York, history itself is reminding the city that its own records may need rewriting as well.

Whether officials choose to officially renumber the city’s long line of mayors remains uncertain; doing so would require revising plaques, archives, databases, and historical references across the state. But the moment underscores a deeper truth about New York’s identity. The city is built on layers of stories — some celebrated, some forgotten, some misunderstood. And as Mamdani prepares to take office, this small but fascinating footnote from the 1600s serves as a reminder that even in a place known for reinvention, the past still has a voice, whispering its way into the present.