The New York City fire commissioner is the civilian administrator of the New York City Fire Department (FDNY), and is appointed by the mayor of the City of New York. Prior to 1865, the New York City Fire Department was staffed by volunteers. On March 30, 1865 the New York State legislature passed a law organizing the Metropolitan Fire Department as a paid firefighting force that took control of all the powers and authority of the volunteer department, as well as all the assets such as the fire trucks, equipment, and buildings. The law also created a commission to oversee the department, and for its administration and functioning. After a lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of the law was dismissed by the New York Court of Appeals, it immediately started to operate.
During the remainder of the 19th century, the number of commissioners was periodically changed by the New York State legislature, until a single commissioner was put in charge of the FDNY when Manhattan and the Bronx consolidated with Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island to form The City of New York on January 1, 1898. Since then, there have been 37 commissioners (41 including acting commissioners). The current commissioner is Lillian Bonsignore, who was appointed by Zohran Mamdani at the beginning of his mayoral administration.
List of fire commissioners Pre-consolidated City of New York During this period, the commissioners elected their own president who ran the commission meetings,Laws of the State of New York Passed at the Eighty-Eighth Session of the Legislature..., §4, pages 396–397 and treasurer, who was the fiscal officer and responsible for reporting the department's finances to the mayor and the Board of Aldermen. Laws of the State of New York Passed at the Eighty-Eighth Session of the Legislature..., §9, page 398 Date Commissioners As a commission of four, nominated by the Governor, by and with the consent of the State Senate May 3, 1865 Charles C. Pinckney James W. Booth Philip W. Engs Martin B. Brown May 4, 1865 elected president elected treasurer August 30, 1865 resigned, position vacant September 1, 1865 Joshua G. Abbe March 30, 1867 resigned, position vacant As a commission of five, nominated by the Governor, by and with the consent of the State Senate May 1, 1867 Alexander Shalerelected president Joshua G. Abbeelected treasurer Theodorus Bailey Myers James Galway Monmouth B. Wilson September 21, 1868 died, position vacant September 26, 1868 elected treasurer November 18, 1868 James M. McLean As a commission of five, nominated by the Mayor, with the consent of the City Aldermen late April 1870 Alexander Shaler William Hitchman James S. Hennessy James Galway John J. Blair April 30, 1870 elected president elected treasurer As a commission of three, nominated by the Mayor, with the consent of the City Aldermen May 16, 1873 Joseph L. Perley Roswell D. Hatch Cornelius Van Cott May 19, 1873 elected president elected treasurer May 1, 1875 term endedVincent C. King May 1, 1877 term ended May 3, 1877 John J. Gorman May 5, 1877 elected treasurer elected president May 1, 1879 term ended, position vacant May 20, 1879 Van Cott (second non-consec. term)Costello, p. 395–386. May 1, 1881 term ended, position vacant May 9, 1881 elected presidentCostello, p. 400. August 10, 1881 elected treasurer elected president September 14, 1881 Henry D. Purroy May 10, 1883 elected president elected treasurer November 16, 1883 resignedRichard Croker May 1, 1885 term ended May 9, 1885 remaining term taken by Purroyelected president elected treasurer resigned to take Van Cott’s remaining termElward Smith May 9, 1887 resigned to take Smith's remaining termposition vacant term endedCroker (second term)May 10, 1888 Fitz John Porter April 9, 1889 resigned to become City Chamberlainposition vacant May 2, 1889 resigned to take Porter's remaining termAnthony Eickhoffelected treasurer Purroy (second term) S. Howland Robbins May 29, 1891 Eickhoff (reappointed to second term) January 1, 1893 resigned to become New York County Clerkposition vacant January 10, 1893 John J. Scannell elected president May 1, 1893 reapppointed/moved to an empty full termHenry Winthrop Gray term endedScannell (full term) May 2, 1893 elected treasurer elected president February 2, 1894 resignedreplaced by S. Howland Robbins March 5, 1895 resigned/removedreplaced by Oscar H. La Grangeelected president March 7, 1895 resigned/removedJames R. Sheffield May 1, 1895 term endedAustin E. Ford June 30, 1896 elected treasurer September 17, 1896 died, position vacant September 26, 1896 Thomas Sturgis September 28, 1896 elected president elected treasurer January 1, 1898 replaced by Scannell as a single commissioner (see next table)
City of New York Number Name Dates in Office Administration Notes and ReferencesDeputy 1 John J. Scannell January 1, 1898 – December 31, 1901 Robert Anderson Van Wyck His salary was $5,000 per year (approximately $ today)James H. Tully 2 Thomas Sturgis January 1, 1902 – December 31, 1903 Seth Low Previously served as a pre-consolidation fire commissioner.Richard H. Laimbeer 3 Nicholas J. Hayes January 1, 1904 – December 31, 1905 George B. McClellan Jr. William A. Doyle 4 John H. O'Brien January 1, 1906 – October 10, 1906 Resigned before completing his term. 5 Francis J. Lantry October 10, 1906 – February 10, 1908 Resigned before completing his term. 6 Hugh Bonner February 10, 1908 – March 13, 1908 Died before completing his term. — Nicholas J. Hayes March 13, 1908 – January 3, 1910 This was his second non-consecutive term.Charles C. Wise 7 Rhinelander Waldo January 3, 1910 – May 23, 1911 William Jay Gaynor Resigned less than two months after the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire to become the 8th New York City Police Commissioner. He was also Chief of the Aqueduct Police (now the New York City Department of Environmental Protection Police).Arthur J. O'Keeffe 8 Joseph Johnson May 23, 1911 – June 1, 1911 (acting)June 1, 1911 – December 31, 1913 William Jay Gaynor,Ardolph L. Kline Acting New York City Fire Commissioner, then promoted to New York City Fire Commissioner. Philip J. Farley 9 Robert Edward Adamson January 1, 1914 – December 31, 1917 John Purroy Mitchel Richard H. Laimbeer 10 Thomas J. Drennan January 1, 1918 – April 30, 1926 John Francis Hylan,Jimmy Walker Resigned before completing his term. 11 John J. Dorman May 5, 1926 – December 31, 1933 Jimmy Walker,Joseph V. McKee,John P. O'Brien — Francis S. Giacome January 1, 1934 – January 18, 1934 (acting) Fiorello H. La Guardia Acting New York City Fire Commissioner. 12 John J. McElligott January 18, 1934 – February 23, 1940 Resigned during a corruption scandal before completing his term. 13 Elmer Mustard February 23, 1940 – February 26, 1940 (acting) Acting New York City Fire Commissioner during a corruption scandal. — John J. McElligott February 26, 1940 – May 8, 1941 Second non-consecutive term. Resigned during a corruption scandal before completing his term. 14 Patrick Walsh May 8, 1941 – December 31, 1945 15 Frank J. Quayle Jr. January 1, 1946 – November 13, 1950 William O'Dwyer,Vincent R. Impellitteri Resigned before completing his term. — Nathan C. Horwitz November 13, 1950 – December 27, 1950 (acting) Vincent R. Impellitteri Acting New York City Fire Commissioner. 16 George P. Monaghan December 27, 1950 – July 9, 1951 Resigned to become New York City Police Commissioner. – Nathan C. Horwitz July 9, 1951 – August 2, 1951 (acting) This was his second non-consecutive term as Acting New York City Fire Commissioner. 17 Jacob B. Grumet August 2, 1951 – February 15, 1954 18 Edward Francis Cavanagh Jr. February 15, 1954 – December 31, 1961 Robert F. Wagner Jr. 19 Edward Thompson January 1, 1962 – August 6, 1964 Resigned before completing his term. 20 Martin Scott August 6, 1964 – December 31, 1965 21 Robert Oliver Lowery January 1, 1966 – September 29, 1973 John Lindsay First African-American New York City Fire Commissioner, resigned before completing his term. 22 John T. O'Hagan October 11, 1973 – January 17, 1978 John Lindsay,Abraham Beame 23 Augustus A. Beekman January 17, 1978 – November 5, 1980 Ed Koch Second African-American New York City Fire Commissioner, resigned before completing his term because of illness preceding his death. 24 Charles J. Hynes November 5, 1980 – October 22, 1982 Resigned before completing his term. 25 Joseph E. Spinnato October 22, 1982 – February 17, 1983 (interim)February 17, 1983 – November 16, 1987 Resigned before completing his term. 26 Joseph F. Bruno November 16, 1987 – December 31, 1989 27 Carlos M. Rivera January 1, 1990 – August 31, 1993 David Dinkins Resigned before completing his term. 28 William M. Feehan August 31, 1993 – November 24, 1993 (acting)November 24, 1993 – December 31, 1993 Acting New York City Fire Commissioner, then promoted to New York City Fire Commissioner. Died in the September 11 attacks. 29 Howard Safir January 1, 1994 – April 15, 1996 Rudy Giuliani Resigned to become the 39th New York City Police Commissioner. 30 Thomas Von Essen April 15, 1996 – December 31, 2001 31 Nicholas Scoppetta January 1, 2002 – December 31, 2009 Michael Bloomberg 32 Salvatore Cassano January 1, 2010 – June 7, 2014 Michael Bloomberg,Bill de Blasio Replaced by Bill De Blasio with Daniel A. Nigro 33 Daniel A. Nigro June 7, 2014 – February 16, 2022 Bill de Blasio,Eric Adams 34 Laura Kavanagh February 16, 2022 – October 27, 2022 (interim)October 27, 2022 – August 7, 2024 Eric Adams — Joseph W. Pfeifer August 7, 2024 – August 12, 2024(acting) 35 Robert Tucker August 12, 2024 – December 19, 2025 Following Zohran Mamdani's victory in the mayoral race, on November 5, 2025 Tucker announced his resignation, effective December 19. 36 Mark Guerra December 19, 2025 – December 23, 2025 (acting)December 23, 2025 – January 6, 2026 37 Lillian Bonsignore January 6, 2026 – present Zohran Mamdani
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External links
Fire Commissioner City Of New York