[2] During the early part of Detroit's existence, local authority was vested in French and British military commandants.

[6] The original incorporation provided for a board of trustees to govern the town, the chairman of which was the highest governmental position.

Subsequent elections were held in May of each year, with the chairmen of the Board of Trustees being:[6] In 1805, a massive fire destroyed the town and effectively eliminated the government.

Governor William Hull and Judge Augustus Woodward dissolved the original incorporation, replacing it in 1806 with a government headed by an appointed mayor.

[6] However, the position was largely honorary, and the two men who held it (Solomon Sibley and Elijah Brush) each quickly resigned upon realizing the lack of power in the office.

[6] After the war, a legislative act in 1815 ended the interregnum and returned political control to the citizens of Detroit through a Board of Trustees, elected yearly.