Boston City Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Houses | Boston Board of Aldermen Boston Common Council |
History | |
Founded | May 1, 1822 |
Disbanded | 1909 |
Preceded by | Boston Board of Selectmen |
Succeeded by | Boston City Council (unicameral) |
Seats | Changed over time |
Constitution | |
Boston City Charter (1822) |
From 1822 until 1909, Boston's legislative body was bicameral, with a Board of Aldermen that was elected at-large and a much larger Common Council that was elected from multi-member electoral districts ( wards). This city legislature was replaced in 1909 with the unicameral body that is the modern Boston City Council.
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 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]
When the Boston City Charter was rewritten in 1909, the Boston City Council was recreated as a nine-member unicameral body. [3]
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 (1822β1909) [5] | |
---|---|
Name | Tenure |
William Prescott Jr. | 1822 |
John Welles | 1823 |
Francis Johonnot Oliver | 1824β1825 |
John Richardson Adan | 1826β1828 |
Elliphalet Williams | 1829 |
Benjamin T. Pickman | 1830β1831 |
John P. Bigelow | 1832 |
Josiah Quincy Jr. | 1834β1836 |
Philip Marett | 1837β1840 |
Edward Blake | 1841β1843 |
Peleg Chandler | 1844β1845 |
George Stillman Hillard | 1846β1847 |
Benjamin Seaver | 1847β1849 |
Francis Brinley | 1850β1851 |
Henry Gardner | 1852β1853 |
Alexander H. Rice | 1854 |
Joseph Story | 1855 |
Oliver Stevens | 1856β1857 |
Samuel Wallace Waldron | 1858 |
Josiah Putnam Bradlee | 1859β1860 |
Joseph Hildreth Bradley | 1861 |
Joshua Dorsey Ball | 1862 |
George Silsbee Hale | 1863β1864 |
William Bentley Fowle Jr. | 1865 |
Joseph Story | 1866 |
Weston Lewis | 1867 |
Charles Hastings Allen | 1868 |
William Giles Harris | 1869 |
Melville E. Ingalls | 1870 |
Matthias Rich | 1871 |
Marquis Fayette Dickinson Jr. | 1872 |
Edward Olcott Shepard | 1873β1874 |
Halsey J. Boardman | 1875 |
John Q. A. Brackett | 1876 |
Benjamin Pope | 1877β1878 |
William Henry Whitmore | 1879 |
Harvey Newton Shepard | 1880 |
Andrew Jackson Bailey | 1881 |
Charles Edward Pratt | 1881β1882 |
James Joseph Flynn | 1883 |
John Henry Lee | 1884 |
Edward John Jenkins | 1885β1886 |
David Franklin Barry | 1886β1888 |
Horace G. Allen | 1889β1890 |
David Frankin Barry | 1891 |
Christopher Francis O'Brien | 1894β1895 |
Joseph A. Conry | 1896β1897 |
Timothy Lawrence Connolly | 1898 |
Daniel Joseph Kiley | 1899β1901 |
Arthur Walter Dolan | 1902β1905 |
William John Barrett | 1906β1907 |
Leo F. McCullough | 1908 |
George C. McCabe | 1909 [6] |
Gallery of Presidents of the Boston Common Council (partial) |
|
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] | |
---|---|
Name | Tenure |
Benson Leavitt | |
William Washburn | 1855 |
Phelham Bonney | 1856β1857 |
Joseph Wrightman | 1858 |
Silas Peirce | 1859 |
Otis Clapp | 1860 |
Silas Peirce | 1861 |
Thomas Philiips Rich | 1862 |
Thomas Coffin Amory | 1863 |
Otis Norcross | 1864 |
George Washington Messinger | 1865β1866 (1) |
Charles Wesley Slack | 1867 |
George Washington Messinger | 1868 (2) |
Benjamin James | 1869 |
Newton Talbot | 1870 |
Charles Edward Jenkins | 1871 |
Samuel Little | 1872 |
Leonard R. Cutter | 1873 |
John Taylor Clark | 1874β1877 |
Solomon B. Stebbins | 1878 (1) |
Hugh O'Brien | 1879β1881 (1) |
Solomon B. Stebbins | 1882 (2) |
Hugh O'Brien | 1883 (2) |
Charles Varney Whitten | 1884β1885 |
Charles Hastings Allen | 1886 (1) |
Patrick John Donovan | 1887 |
Charles Hastings Allen | 1888 (2) |
Homer Rogers | 1889 |
William Power Wilson | 1890 |
Herbert Shaw Carruth | 1891 |
John Henry Lee | 1892β1893 (1) |
Alpheus Sanford | 1894β1895 |
John Henry Lee | 1896 (2) |
Perlie Appleton Dyar | 1897β1898 |
Joseph A. Conry | 1898 |
David Franklin Barry | 1899 |
Michael Joseph O'Brien | 1900 |
James Henry Doyle | 1901β1904 |
Daniel A. Whelton | 1905 |
Charles Martin Draper | 1906 |
Edward L. Cauley | 1906 |
William Berwin | 1907 |
Louis M. Clark | 1908 |
James Michael Curley (acting chairman) | 1909 [7] |
Frederick J. Brand | 1909 [8] |
Gallery of Chairmen of the Boston Board of Aldermen (partial) |
|
Boston City Council | |
---|---|
Type | |
Type | |
Houses | Boston Board of Aldermen Boston Common Council |
History | |
Founded | May 1, 1822 |
Disbanded | 1909 |
Preceded by | Boston Board of Selectmen |
Succeeded by | Boston City Council (unicameral) |
Seats | Changed over time |
Constitution | |
Boston City Charter (1822) |
From 1822 until 1909, Boston's legislative body was bicameral, with a Board of Aldermen that was elected at-large and a much larger Common Council that was elected from multi-member electoral districts ( wards). This city legislature was replaced in 1909 with the unicameral body that is the modern Boston City Council.
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 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]
When the Boston City Charter was rewritten in 1909, the Boston City Council was recreated as a nine-member unicameral body. [3]
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 (1822β1909) [5] | |
---|---|
Name | Tenure |
William Prescott Jr. | 1822 |
John Welles | 1823 |
Francis Johonnot Oliver | 1824β1825 |
John Richardson Adan | 1826β1828 |
Elliphalet Williams | 1829 |
Benjamin T. Pickman | 1830β1831 |
John P. Bigelow | 1832 |
Josiah Quincy Jr. | 1834β1836 |
Philip Marett | 1837β1840 |
Edward Blake | 1841β1843 |
Peleg Chandler | 1844β1845 |
George Stillman Hillard | 1846β1847 |
Benjamin Seaver | 1847β1849 |
Francis Brinley | 1850β1851 |
Henry Gardner | 1852β1853 |
Alexander H. Rice | 1854 |
Joseph Story | 1855 |
Oliver Stevens | 1856β1857 |
Samuel Wallace Waldron | 1858 |
Josiah Putnam Bradlee | 1859β1860 |
Joseph Hildreth Bradley | 1861 |
Joshua Dorsey Ball | 1862 |
George Silsbee Hale | 1863β1864 |
William Bentley Fowle Jr. | 1865 |
Joseph Story | 1866 |
Weston Lewis | 1867 |
Charles Hastings Allen | 1868 |
William Giles Harris | 1869 |
Melville E. Ingalls | 1870 |
Matthias Rich | 1871 |
Marquis Fayette Dickinson Jr. | 1872 |
Edward Olcott Shepard | 1873β1874 |
Halsey J. Boardman | 1875 |
John Q. A. Brackett | 1876 |
Benjamin Pope | 1877β1878 |
William Henry Whitmore | 1879 |
Harvey Newton Shepard | 1880 |
Andrew Jackson Bailey | 1881 |
Charles Edward Pratt | 1881β1882 |
James Joseph Flynn | 1883 |
John Henry Lee | 1884 |
Edward John Jenkins | 1885β1886 |
David Franklin Barry | 1886β1888 |
Horace G. Allen | 1889β1890 |
David Frankin Barry | 1891 |
Christopher Francis O'Brien | 1894β1895 |
Joseph A. Conry | 1896β1897 |
Timothy Lawrence Connolly | 1898 |
Daniel Joseph Kiley | 1899β1901 |
Arthur Walter Dolan | 1902β1905 |
William John Barrett | 1906β1907 |
Leo F. McCullough | 1908 |
George C. McCabe | 1909 [6] |
Gallery of Presidents of the Boston Common Council (partial) |
|
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] | |
---|---|
Name | Tenure |
Benson Leavitt | |
William Washburn | 1855 |
Phelham Bonney | 1856β1857 |
Joseph Wrightman | 1858 |
Silas Peirce | 1859 |
Otis Clapp | 1860 |
Silas Peirce | 1861 |
Thomas Philiips Rich | 1862 |
Thomas Coffin Amory | 1863 |
Otis Norcross | 1864 |
George Washington Messinger | 1865β1866 (1) |
Charles Wesley Slack | 1867 |
George Washington Messinger | 1868 (2) |
Benjamin James | 1869 |
Newton Talbot | 1870 |
Charles Edward Jenkins | 1871 |
Samuel Little | 1872 |
Leonard R. Cutter | 1873 |
John Taylor Clark | 1874β1877 |
Solomon B. Stebbins | 1878 (1) |
Hugh O'Brien | 1879β1881 (1) |
Solomon B. Stebbins | 1882 (2) |
Hugh O'Brien | 1883 (2) |
Charles Varney Whitten | 1884β1885 |
Charles Hastings Allen | 1886 (1) |
Patrick John Donovan | 1887 |
Charles Hastings Allen | 1888 (2) |
Homer Rogers | 1889 |
William Power Wilson | 1890 |
Herbert Shaw Carruth | 1891 |
John Henry Lee | 1892β1893 (1) |
Alpheus Sanford | 1894β1895 |
John Henry Lee | 1896 (2) |
Perlie Appleton Dyar | 1897β1898 |
Joseph A. Conry | 1898 |
David Franklin Barry | 1899 |
Michael Joseph O'Brien | 1900 |
James Henry Doyle | 1901β1904 |
Daniel A. Whelton | 1905 |
Charles Martin Draper | 1906 |
Edward L. Cauley | 1906 |
William Berwin | 1907 |
Louis M. Clark | 1908 |
James Michael Curley (acting chairman) | 1909 [7] |
Frederick J. Brand | 1909 [8] |
Gallery of Chairmen of the Boston Board of Aldermen (partial) |
|