[4][5] Charles Royer holds the record for longest mayoral tenure in the city's history, serving three full terms from 1978 to 1990.

[7] Seattle was initially incorporated as a town on January 14, 1865, by the Washington Territorial Legislature, governed by a board of trustees.

Charles C. Terry served as president of the board of trustees,[8] which remained unchanged until the town's disincorporation on January 28, 1867.

[19][20][21] A mayor-elect can also take office earlier than the official inauguration date (January 1), upon certification of the election results and a decision by the city council to replace the appointed mayor.

A two-thirds majority vote of the city council can remove the mayor from office for a willful violation of duty or an offense involving moral turpitude.