| Term | Politician |
| 1836-1837 | Elisha Bartlett |
| 1838-1839 | Luther Lawrence |
| 1839-1841 | Elisha Huntington |
| 1842-1843 | Nathaniel Wright |
| 1844-1845 | Elisha Huntington |
| 1846-1848 | Jefferson Bancroft |
| 1849-1850 | Josiah B. French |
| 1851 | James H.B. Ayer |
| 1852 | Elisha Huntington |
| 1853-1854 | Sewall G. Mack |
| 1855 | Ambrose Lawrence |
| 1856 | Elisha Huntington |
| 1857 | Stephen Mansur |
| 1858 | Elisha Huntington |
| 1859 | James Cook |
| 1860-1861 | Benjamin C Sargeant |
| 1862-1864 | Hocum Hosford |
| 1865-1866 | Josiah G. Peabody |
| 1867-1868 | George F. Richardson |
| 1869-1870 | Jonathan P. Folsom |
| 1871 | Edward F. Sherman |
| 1872 | Josiah G. Peabody |
| 1873-1875 | Francis Jewett |
| 1876-1877 | Charles A. Stott |
| 1878-1879 | John AG Richardson |
| 1880-1881 | Frederic T. Greenhalge |
| 1882 | George Runels |
| 1883-1884 | John J. Donovan |
| 1885 | Edward J. Noyes |
| 1886-1887 | James C. Abbott |
| 1888-1890 | Charles D. Palmer |
| 1891-1892 | George W. Fifield |
| 1893-1894 | John J. Pickman |
| 1895-1897 | William F. Courtney |
| 1898 | James W. Bennett |
| 1899-1900 | Jeremiah Crowley |
| 1901-1902 | Charles A.R. Dimon |
| 1902 | William E. Badger * |
| 1903-1904 | Charles E. Howe |
| 1905-1906 | James B. Casey |
| 1907-1908 | Frederick W. Farnham |
| 1909 | George H. Brown |
| 1910-1911 | John F. Meehan |
| 1912-1913 | James E. O’Donnell |
| 1914-1915 | Dennis J. Murphy |
| 1916-1917 | James E. O’Donnell |
| 1918-1921 | Perry D. Thompson |
| 1922 | George H. Brown |
| 1923-1926 | John J. Donovan |
| 1927-1928 | Thomas J. Corbett |
| 1929-1931 | Thomas H. Braden |
| 1932-1933 | Charles H. Slowey |
| 1934-1935 | James J. Bruin |
| 1936-1939 | Dewey G. Archambault |
| 1940-1943 | George T. Ashe |
| 1943 | Joseph J. Sweeney* |
| 1944-1945 | Woodbury F. Howard |
| 1946-1947 | Leo A. Roy |
| 1948-1949 | George A. Ayotte |
| 1950 | William C. Geary |
| 1951 | George C. Eliades |
| 1952-1953 | Henry Beaudry |
| 1954-1955 | John Janas |
| 1956-1959 | Samuel S. Pollard |
| 1960-1961 | Raymond J. Lord |
| 1962-1963 | Joseph M. Downes |
| 1964-1965 | Ellen A. Sampson |
| 1966-1967 | Edward J. Early, Jr. |
| 1968-1969 | Robert C. Maguire |
| 1970-1971 | Richard P. Howe |
| 1972-1973 | Ellen A. Sampson |
| 1974-1975 | Armand W. Lemay |
| 1976-1977 | Leo J. Farley |
| 1978-1979 | Raymond F. Rourke |
| 1980-1981 | Robert C. Maguire |
| 1982-1983 | M. Brendan Fleming |
| 1984-1985 | Brian J. Martin |
| 1986-1987 | Robert B. Kennedy |
| 1988-1991 | Richard P. Howe |
| 1992-1993 | Tarsy T. Poulios |
| 1994-1995 | Richard P. Howe |
| 1996-1997 | Edward “Bud” Caulfield |
| 1998-2001 | Eileen Donoghue |
| 2002-2003 | Rita Mercier |
| 2004-2005 | Armand Mercier |
| 2006-2007 | William F. Martin |
| 2008-2009 | Edward “Bud” Caulfield |
| 2010-2011 | James L. Milinazzo |
| 2012-2013 | Patrick O’Murphy |
| 2014-2016 | Rodney M. Elliot |
| 2016-2018 | Edward J. Kennedy |
| 2018-2020 | William Samaras |
| 2020 – 2022 | John Leahy |
| 2022 – present | Sokhary Chau |
* Acting Mayor