# Boston City Council (1822–1909)

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.

## 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.
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. This Boston City Council existed along with a mayoralty that was established by the charter.
After the Boston City Charter was rewritten in 1909, the Boston City Council was recreated as a nine-member unicameral body.

## 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) :
| 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 |
* Gallery of Presidents of the Boston Common Council (partial)
* William Prescott Jr. (1822)
* John P. Bigelow (1832)
* Josiah Quincy Jr. (1834–1836)
* Philip Marett (1837–1840)
* Peleg Chandler (1844–1845)
* George Stillman Hillard (1846–1847)
* Benjamin Seaver (1847–1849)
* Henry Gardner (1852–1853)
* Alexander H. Rice (1854)
* George Silsbee Hale (1863–1864)
* William Bentley Fowle Jr. (1865)
* Charles Hastings Allen (1868)
* Melville E. Ingalls (1870)
* Marquis Fayette Dickinson Jr. (1872)
* Halsey J. Boardman (1875)
* John Q. A. Brackett (1876)
* William Henry Whitmore (1879)
* Harvey Newton Shepard (1880)
* Andrew Jackson Bailey (1881)
* Edward John Jenkins (1885–1886)
* Joseph A. Conry (1896–1897)
* Horace G. Allen (1889–1890)
* Leo F. McCullough (1908)

## 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 :
| 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 |
| Frederick J. Brand | 1909 |
* Gallery of Chairmen of the Boston Board of Aldermen (partial)
* Silas Peirce (1859, 1861)
* Otis Clapp (1860)
* Otis Norcross (1864)
* Newton Talbot (1870)
* Leonard R. Cutter (1873)
* Hugh O'Brien (1879–1881, 1883)
* Solomon B. Stebbins (1878, 1882)
* Charles Hastings Allen (1886, 1888)
* Homer Rogers (1889)
* William Power Wilson (1890)
* Herbert Shaw Carruth (1891)
* Joseph A. Conry (1898)
* Michael Joseph O'Brien (1900)
* Daniel A. Whelton (1905)
* James Michael Curley (acting chairman in 1909)