List of mayors of Rochester, New York

The following is the complete list of the mayors of the city of Rochester, New York.

Rochester's city charter defines the mayor as the chief executive of the city, empowered to enforce all local laws and make appointments to all appointed local offices.

When Rochester was incorporated in 1834, the mayor was initially appointed by the city council and had few responsibilities beyond presiding over council meetings. In 1840, the New York state legislature passed a law making the mayors of all incorporated cities elective. Various amendments to the city charter during the 19th century gave the mayor additional powers of appointment. In 1898, the state legislature adopted a uniform charter for all cities, establishing a mayor-council government where the mayor controlled all executive functions and appointments. In 1925, Rochester modified its charter in a referendum to switch to a council-manager government, where the mayor was ceremonial and executive functions were handled by a city manager appointed by the council. A second referendum in 1984 changed the city charter back to a mayor-council government.