Frank Kanning Mott (January 21, 1866 – 1958) was the 35th mayor of Oakland, California.
Mott was born in San Francisco on January 21, 1866, but his family moved to nearby Oakland when he was two years old. His father, who worked for the Central Pacific Railroad (later Southern Pacific Railroad), died when he was 11. To support the family, Mott quit school and worked as a messenger boy for Western Union and then as a telephone operator, the first ever in Oakland, according to his obituary in the Tribune. He entered the hardware business as a clerk at the age of 16, eventually becoming the sole proprietor of Frank K. Mott Co. He entered politics in 1894 when then-Mayor George Pardee appointed him to the city council to fill H.P. Dalton's vacant seat. He went on to serve two more terms before being elected mayor in 1905.
