Carl Friedrich Petersen was the bürgermeister of Hamburg from 1876 to 1877.
Photo credit: M. Ciavardini
Not speaking German, my only knowledge of the word bürgermeister stemmed from Christmas special from my childhood, Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town (1970). Thanks to a walking tour of Hamburg, I now understand that bürgermeister essentially means mayor. I sort of prefer bürgermeister.
—Lori Tripoli