Before the French Revolution, the municipality of Bordeaux was headed by the jurat (). The first mayor of Bordeaux () was elected in 1794.
In 1797, the office of Mayor was divided in three arrondissement-mayors: the North (1st Arrondissement), the South (2nd Arrondissement) and the center (3rd Arrondissement).
The arrondissements' mayors were abolished in 1801, but the Mayor's office was re-introduced only in 1805, during the First Empire.