MAYOR (from La t. major, greater, compara tive of maynus, great). The chief executive of ficer of a municipal corporation. in England the mayor was originally a steward, haililf, or over seer. Later be became the chief magistrate of a corporate town. During the reign of .Sohn the right of formally choosing their mayor was con cycled to the barons of London, the election hieing subject to the approval of the king. During the same reign the other large towns were all• lowed to have mayors. The mayors of the cities of York. Dublin, and London heir the title of lord mayor.' The lord mayor of London. whose diction extends only to the ancient inner city, is chosen annually front among the aldermen, prac tically by the liverymen of the guilds. II is ehief duty is to sustain the hospitality of the city, for which purpose he reeeives nit allowanee of f8n00 a year. together with the use of the mansion house. The ordinary English mayor is elected by the municipal council. usually from among the aldermen. for a term of one year. lie is an c.r offieio just ire of the peace and usually serves as a returning offieer. In Franey there is a mayor (mairr) at the head of ea eh emnimme, elected by the munieipal council from among its own members. Ile serves during the term of the eonneil. In the flermanie countries the mayor or burg,omaster is nsral!y a highly trained pro fessional officer with more or less experience in the municipal service. and is frequently (-ailed to the headship of a larger muncipality after havieg gained a reputation as mayor of a smaller town. fle is elected by the city council for a long term, often for life. The prevailing method of selecting mayors in the larger countries of Europe is elec tion by the municipal council. In Belgium, Denmark, Holland, Norway and Sweden, and in Italy, so far as the larger towns are concerned, the method of appointment is by the central government.
In the United States the office of mayor existed from the earliest colonial times, being taken over as a part of the English municipal system. At first the mayor was usually appointed by the Governor, and was generally a member of the municipal council. Later he was excluded from the council and then came to he chosen by the council, although occasionally, as in the city of Boston, he was elected by popular vote from the beginning. This is now the rule in the United States almost without exception. The term of the mayor in the United States varies from one year to five. the usual term being two years. Everywhere in Europe the mayor acts as. the local agent of the central government and consequently is often subject to disciplinary control by the cen tral government. Thus the French mayor may he suspended by the prefect for one month, by the Minister of the Interior for three months, and may be permanently removed by the President ; a somewhat similar rule prevails in other Conti nental States. In several American States the mayor may be removed by the Governor for cause, subject to the power of the courts to de termine what shall constitute just cause in a given ease. Besides his duty as agent of the cen tral government the mayor is the official bead of the municipal co•poration. His powers are much larger in some countries than in others. In the United States there is a marked tendency of late years toward increasing the power of this officer and making him chiefly responsible for the gond government of the city. See seetions. Loral Gov ernment in the various countries mentioned. See also MUNICIPALITY.