Boston City Council (1822–1909)

Last updated
Boston City Council
Type
Type
HousesBoston Board of Aldermen (upper chamber)
Boston Common Council (lower chamber)
History
FoundedMay 1, 1822
Disbanded1909
Preceded by Boston Board of Selectmen
Succeeded by Boston City Council (unicameral)
SeatsVaried over time
Constitution
Boston City Charter (1822)

The Boston City Council was the bicameral legislative body of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, from 1822 until 1909. Its upper chamber was the Board of Aldermen, whose members were elected at-large, while the lower chamber was the much larger Common Council, whose members were elected from multi-member electoral districts (wards). Prior to 1822, the Boston Board of Selectmen governed the city. The bicameral council lasted until 1909, when it was replaced by the modern Boston City Council. Unlike the bicameral 1822 council, the modern council that was established in 1909 is unicameral.

Contents

Description

Historic photograph of the council chamber at Old City Hall CityCouncil chambers Boston CityHall.png
Historic photograph of the council chamber at Old City Hall

Prior to 1822, Boston was governed by the Boston Board of Selectmen. Boston voted in 1822 to incorporate as a city and adopted the Boston City Charter. On May 1, 1822, the Boston Board of Selectmen ceremonially handed over the city to the new government consisting of the newly established City Council and the newly established mayoralty. [1]

Under this original Boston City Charter, between 1822 and 1909, the city's legislative body was bicameral. This legislature, known as the Boston City Council, consisted of a Board of Aldermen that was elected at-large and a much larger Common Council with members that was elected from multi-member wards. [2] [3] [4] This Boston City Council existed along with a mayoralty that was established by the charter. [2]

After the Boston City Charter was rewritten in 1909, the Boston City Council was recreated as a nine-member unicameral body. [3]

Common Council

Presidents of the Boston Common Council

The Common Council was led by a president. The following table chronologically lists the tenures of individuals in this position:

Presidents of the Boston Common Council (1822–1909) [5]
NameTenure
William Prescott Jr. 1822
John Welles1823
Francis Johonnot Oliver1824–1825
John Richardson Adan1826–1828
Elliphalet Williams1829
Benjamin T. Pickman 1830–1831
John P. Bigelow 1832
Josiah Quincy Jr. 1834–1836
Philip Marett 1837–1840
Edward Blake1841–1843
Peleg Chandler 1844–1845
George Stillman Hillard 1846–1847
Benjamin Seaver 1847–1849
Francis Brinley1850–1851
Henry Gardner 1852–1853
Alexander H. Rice 1854
Joseph Story1855
Oliver Stevens 1856–1857
Samuel Wallace Waldron1858
Josiah Putnam Bradlee1859–1860
Joseph Hildreth Bradley1861
Joshua Dorsey Ball1862
George Silsbee Hale 1863–1864
William Bentley Fowle Jr. 1865
Joseph Story1866
Weston Lewis1867
Charles Hastings Allen 1868
William Giles Harris1869
Melville E. Ingalls 1870
Matthias Rich1871
Marquis Fayette Dickinson Jr.1872
Edward Olcott Shepard1873–1874
Halsey J. Boardman 1875
John Q. A. Brackett 1876
Benjamin Pope1877–1878
William Henry Whitmore 1879
Harvey Newton Shepard1880
Andrew Jackson Bailey 1881
Charles Edward Pratt1881–1882
James Joseph Flynn1883
John Henry Lee1884
Edward John Jenkins 1885–1886
David Franklin Barry1886–1888
Horace G. Allen 1889–1890
David Frankin Barry1891
Christopher Francis O'Brien1894–1895
Joseph A. Conry 1896–1897
Timothy Lawrence Connolly1898
Daniel Joseph Kiley1899–1901
Arthur Walter Dolan1902–1905
William John Barrett1906–1907
Leo F. McCullough 1908
George C. McCabe1909 [6]

Board of Aldermen

Chairmen of the Boston Board of Aldermen

The Board of Aldermen was led by a chairman. The following table chronologically lists the tenures of individuals in this role:

Chairmen of the Boston Board of Aldermen [5]
NameTenure
Benson Leavitt
William Washburn 1855
Phelham Bonney 1856–1857
Joseph Wightman 1858
Silas Peirce 1859
Otis Clapp 1860
Silas Peirce 1861
Thomas Phillips Rich1862
Thomas Coffin Amory 1863
Otis Norcross 1864
George Washington Messinger1865–1866 (1)
Charles Wesley Slack 1867
George Washington Messinger1868 (2)
Benjamin James1869
Newton Talbot 1870
Charles Edward Jenkins1871
Samuel Little 1872
Leonard R. Cutter 1873
John Taylor Clark1874–1877
Solomon B. Stebbins 1878 (1)
Hugh O'Brien 1879–1881 (1)
Solomon B. Stebbins 1882 (2)
Hugh O'Brien 1883 (2)
Charles Varney Whitten1884–1885
Charles Hastings Allen 1886 (1)
Patrick John Donovan1887
Charles Hastings Allen 1888 (2)
Homer Rogers 1889
William Power Wilson 1890
Herbert Shaw Carruth1891
John Henry Lee1892–1893 (1)
Alpheus Sanford 1894–1895
John Henry Lee1896 (2)
Perlie Appleton Dyar1897–1898
Joseph A. Conry 1898
David Franklin Barry1899
Michael Joseph O'Brien1900
James Henry Doyle1901–1904
Daniel A. Whelton 1905
Charles Martin Draper1906
Edward L. Cauley1906
William Berwin1907
Louis M. Clark1908
James Michael Curley (acting chairman)1909 [7]
Frederick J. Brand1909 [8]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Boston Celebrates 200 Years". Boston.gov. 29 April 2022. Retrieved 20 April 2023.
  2. 1 2 "Boston (Mass.). Common Council | ArchivesSpace Public Interface". archives.cityofboston.gov. Boston Archives. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. 1 2 O'Connor, T.H. (1997). Boston Irish: A Political History. New York: Back Bay Books.
  4. ↑ Devine, John. "Research Guides: Boston (City) Departmental Reports: City Council Proceedings". guides.bpl.org. Boston Public Library. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  5. 1 2 "A Catalogue of the City Councils of Boston, 1822-1908, Roxbury, 1846-1867, Charlestown, 1847-1873 and of the Selectmen of Boston, 1634-1822: Also of Various Other Town and Municipal Officers". City of Boston Printing Department. 1909. pp. 45–48, 57–183. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  6. ↑ "The Common Council's President" . Boston Evening Transcript. January 15, 1909. Retrieved 1 November 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ "Curley Names Committees" . Boston Evening Transcript. January 19, 1909. Retrieved 31 October 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Chairman of the Aldermen" . The Boston Globe. January 26, 1909. Retrieved 31 October 2022– via Newspapers.com.
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