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.
Boston City Council | |
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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) |
Description
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]
When 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] | |
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Name | Tenure |
William Prescott Jr. | 1822 |
John Welles | 1823 |
Francis Johonnot Oliver | 1824–1825 |
John Richardson Adan | 1826–1828 |
Elliphalet Williams | 1829 |
Benjamin T. Pickman | 1830–1831 |
John P. Bigelow | 1832 |
Josiah Quincy Jr. | 1834–1836 |
Philip Marett | 1837–1840 |
Edward Blake | 1841–1843 |
Peleg Chandler | 1844–1845 |
George Stillman Hillard | 1846–1847 |
Benjamin Seaver | 1847–1849 |
Francis Brinley | 1850–1851 |
Henry Gardner | 1852–1853 |
Alexander H. Rice | 1854 |
Joseph Story | 1855 |
Oliver Stevens | 1856–1857 |
Samuel Wallace Waldron | 1858 |
Josiah Putnam Bradlee | 1859–1860 |
Joseph Hildreth Bradley | 1861 |
Joshua Dorsey Ball | 1862 |
George Silsbee Hale | 1863–1864 |
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 | 1873–1874 |
Halsey J. Boardman | 1875 |
John Q. A. Brackett | 1876 |
Benjamin Pope | 1877–1878 |
William Henry Whitmore | 1879 |
Harvey Newton Shepard | 1880 |
Andrew Jackson Bailey | 1881 |
Charles Edward Pratt | 1881–1882 |
James Joseph Flynn | 1883 |
John Henry Lee | 1884 |
Edward John Jenkins | 1885–1886 |
David Franklin Barry | 1886–1888 |
Horace G. Allen | 1889–1890 |
David Frankin Barry | 1891 |
Christopher Francis O'Brien | 1894–1895 |
Joseph A. Conry | 1896–1897 |
Timothy Lawrence Connolly | 1898 |
Daniel Joseph Kiley | 1899–1901 |
Arthur Walter Dolan | 1902–1905 |
William John Barrett | 1906–1907 |
Leo F. McCullough | 1908 |
George C. McCabe | 1909[6] |
Gallery of Presidents of the Boston Common Council (partial) |
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Board of Aldermen
Chairmen of the Boston Board of Aldermen
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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] | |
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Name | Tenure |
Benson Leavitt | |
William Washburn | 1855 |
Phelham Bonney | 1856–1857 |
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 | 1865–1866 (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 | 1874–1877 |
Solomon B. Stebbins | 1878 (1) |
Hugh O'Brien | 1879–1881 (1) |
Solomon B. Stebbins | 1882 (2) |
Hugh O'Brien | 1883 (2) |
Charles Varney Whitten | 1884–1885 |
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 | 1892–1893 (1) |
Alpheus Sanford | 1894–1895 |
John Henry Lee | 1896 (2) |
Perlie Appleton Dyar | 1897–1898 |
Joseph A. Conry | 1898 |
David Franklin Barry | 1899 |
Michael Joseph O'Brien | 1900 |
James Henry Doyle | 1901–1904 |
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) |
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