| Boston City Council | |
| House Type: | Bicameral deliberative assembly of the City of Boston (Massachusetts, U.S.) |
| Houses: | Boston Board of Aldermen Boston Common Council |
| Constitution: | Boston City Charter (1822) |
| Members: | Changed over time |
| Foundation: | May 1, 1822 |
| Disbanded: | 1909 |
| Preceded By: | Boston Board of Selectmen |
| Succeeded By: | Boston City Council (unicameral) |
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 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] This Boston City Council existed along with a mayoralty that was established by the charter.[3]
When the Boston City Charter was rewritten in 1909, the Boston City Council was recreated as a nine-member unicameral body.[4]
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) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Name | Tenure | |
| 1822 | ||
| John Welles | 1823 | |
| Francis Johonnot Oliver | 1824–1825 | |
| John Richardson Adan | 1826–1828 | |
| Elliphalet Williams | 1829 | |
| 1830–1831 | ||
| 1832 | ||
| 1834–1836 | ||
| 1837–1840 | ||
| Edward Blake | 1841–1843 | |
| 1844–1845 | ||
| 1846–1847 | ||
| 1847–1849 | ||
| Francis Brinley | 1850–1851 | |
| 1852–1853 | ||
| 1854 | ||
| Joseph Story | 1855 | |
| 1856–1857 | ||
| Samuel Wallace Waldron | 1858 | |
| Josiah Putnam Bradlee | 1859–1860 | |
| Joseph Hildreth Bradley | 1861 | |
| Joshua Dorsey Ball | 1862 | |
| 1863–1864 | ||
| 1865 | ||
| Joseph Story | 1866 | |
| Weston Lewis | 1867 | |
| Charles Hastings Allen | 1868 | |
| William Giles Harris | 1869 | |
| 1870 | ||
| Matthias Rich | 1871 | |
| Marquis Fayette Dickinson Jr. | 1872 | |
| Edward Olcott Shepard | 1873–1874 | |
| 1875 | ||
| 1876 | ||
| Benjamin Pope | 1877–1878 | |
| 1879 | ||
| Harvey Newton Shepard | 1880 | |
| 1881 | ||
| Charles Edward Pratt | 1881–1882 | |
| James Joseph Flynn | 1883 | |
| John Henry Lee | 1884 | |
| 1885–1886 | ||
| David Franklin Barry | 1886–1888 | |
| 1889–1890 | ||
| David Frankin Barry | 1891 | |
| Christopher Francis O'Brien | 1894–1895 | |
| 1896–1897 | ||
| Timothy Lawrence Connolly | 1898 | |
| Daniel Joseph Kiley | 1899–1901 | |
| Arthur Walter Dolan | 1902–1905 | |
| William John Barrett | 1906–1907 | |
| 1908 | ||
| George C. McCabe | 1909[5] | |
| Gallery of Presidents of the Boston Common Council (partial) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| William Prescott Jr. (1822)File:John P. Bigelow 5210004 015 012 (3x4).jpg | John P. Bigelow (1832)File:Josiah Quincy 5210004 015 011 (3x4).jpg | Josiah Quincy Jr. (1834–1836)File:Philip Marett - A. H. Ritchie (briefmemorialofp00bald - cropped) (3x4a).jpg | Philip Marett (1837–1840)File:Peleg Whitman Chandler.png | Peleg Chandler (1844–1845)File:Hon. George S. Hillard (NYPL Hades-256315-431560) (cropped 3x4).tiff | George Stillman Hillard (1846–1847)File:Benjamin Seaver 5210004 015 013 (3x4).jpg | Benjamin Seaver (1847–1849)File:GovHenryJGardner.jpg | Henry Gardner (1852–1853)File:Alexander H. Rice 5210004 015 015 (3x4a).jpg | Alexander H. Rice (1854)File:George Silsbee Hale - 1899 (3x4a).jpg | George Silsbee Hale (1863–1864)File:Capt. (William) B. Fowle - DPLA - 322c9b650bdc62635e845cfc8f05ebea (page 1) (3x4).jpg | William Bentley Fowle Jr. (1865)File:1880 Charles Hastings Allen Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | Charles Hastings Allen (1868)File:1868 Melville Ezra Ingalls Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | Melville E. Ingalls (1870)File:Marquis Fayette Dickinson Jr. (1840–1915).png | Marquis Fayette Dickinson Jr. (1872)File:Halsey J. Boardman (a).png | Halsey J. Boardman (1875)File:John Quincy Adams Brackett (3x4).jpg | John Q. A. Brackett (1876)File:William Henry Whitmore (1836–1900).png | William Henry Whitmore (1879)File:Harvey-newton-shepard---harvard-class-of-1871-portrait-at-graduation-and-in-later-life-1896 5477707048 o (3x4 a).jpg | Harvey Newton Shepard (1880)File:1874 Andrew Jackson Bailey senator Massachusetts.png | Andrew Jackson Bailey (1881)File:1888 Edward John Jenkins senator Massachusetts.png | Edward John Jenkins (1885–1886)File:Joseph A. Conry (3x4a).png | Joseph A. Conry (1896–1897)File:Horace G. Allen illustration (1).jpg | Horace G. Allen (1889–1890)File:1913 Leo McCullough Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | Leo F. McCullough (1908) |
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[6] | |
|---|---|
| Name | Tenure |
| 1855 | |
| Phelham Bonney | 1856–1857 |
| Joseph Wrightman | 1858 |
| Silas Peirce | 1859 |
| 1860 | |
| Silas Peirce | 1861 |
| Thomas Philiips Rich | 1862 |
| 1863 | |
| Otis Norcross | 1864 |
| George Washington Messinger | 1865–1866 (1) |
| 1867 | |
| George Washington Messinger | 1868 (2) |
| Benjamin James | 1869 |
| 1870 | |
| Charles Edward Jenkins | 1871 |
| Samuel Little | 1872 |
| 1873 | |
| John Taylor Clark | 1874–1877 |
| 1878 (1) | |
| 1879–1881 (1) | |
| 1882 (2) | |
| 1883 (2) | |
| Charles Varney Whitten | 1884–1885 |
| Charles Hastings Allen | 1886 (1) |
| Patrick John Donovan | 1887 |
| Charles Hastings Allen | 1888 (2) |
| 1889 | |
| 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 |
| 1898 | |
| David Franklin Barry | 1899 |
| Michael Joseph O'Brien | 1900 |
| James Henry Doyle | 1901–1904 |
| 1905 | |
| Charles Martin Draper | 1906 |
| Edward L. Cauley | 1906 |
| William Berwin | 1907 |
| Louis M. Clark | 1908 |
| 1909[7] | |
| Frederick J. Brand | 1909[8] |
| Gallery of Chairmen of the Boston Board of Aldermen (partial) | ||||||||||||||||
| Silas Peirce (1859, 1861)File:Otis Clapp Bea9bfc5445bcce53cb40c7cc0a10870 (1).jpg | Otis Clapp (1860)File:Otis Norcross 5210004 015 018 (3x4a).jpg | Otis Norcross (1864)File:Newton Talbot 1815 1904 Boston (1).png | Newton Talbot (1870)File:Leonard R. Cutter 5210004 015 022 (3x4b).jpg | Leonard R. Cutter (1873)File:Hugh O'Brien 5210004 015 028 (3x4a).jpg | Hugh O'Brien (1879–1881, 1883)File:Solomon B. Stebbins 1 (1).jpg | Solomon B. Stebbins (1878, 1882)File:1880 Charles Hastings Allen Massachusetts House of Representatives.png | Charles Hastings Allen (1886, 1888)File:Homer Rogers (14595693367) (1).jpg | Homer Rogers (1889)File:William Power Wilson (1852–1926) (1).png | William Power Wilson (1890)File:Herbert Shaw Carruth 1 (a).png | Herbert Shaw Carruth (1891)File:Joseph A. Conry (3x4a).png | Joseph A. Conry (1898)File:Michael Joseph O'Brien (142868484) (1).jpg | Michael Joseph O'Brien (1900)File:Daniel A. Whelton 5210004 015 034 (3x4a).jpg | Daniel A. Whelton (1905)File:James Michael Curley (circa 1910) (1).jpg | James Michael Curley (acting chairman in 1909) |