40:
227:
Board of
Assistant Aldermen better represented local interests and served as a check against the at-large Board of Aldermen. A body claiming to be the Board of Assistant Aldermen composed mainly of former members met in January 1875 and argued that the 1873 Act was unconstitutional, although only two new members were elected thereto. Mayor
315:. There were initially 73 districts, although in later years this was reduced to 65. The term of the President was four years while aldermen served two-year terms. Heads of administrative departments had seats in the Board and could be compelled to answer questions of it and participate in debate, but were not entitled to vote.
226:
An act was definitively passed in 1873, abolishing the Board of
Assistant Aldermen as of the first Monday of January 1875 (January 4), and thereby making the Common Council unicameral and coterminous with the Board of Aldermen. This was not uncontroversial, supporters of bicameralism arguing that the
165:
legislature from 1875 to 1897 and 1902 to 1937. The corresponding lower house was known as the Board of
Assistants or the Board of Assistant Aldermen from 1824 to 1875, while the upper house was known as the Council from 1898 to 1901. In 1938 a new charter came into effect that replaced the Board of
182:
made the Common
Council bicameral by dividing it into a Board of Aldermen and a Board of Assistants. Under the Act the city was divided into wards which each elected one member to the Board of Aldermen and two to the Board of Assistants. Aldermen served two-year terms which were staggered such that
302:
The return to bicameralism proved to be short-lived, however, when a new charter passed in 1901 entailed removing the council and making the
President of the Board of Aldermen directly elected by City citizens. This charter entered into effect in January 1902, making the municipal legislature once
287:
and
Newtown and one member from the remainder. The President of the council was directly elected by citizens of the City while the President of the Board of Aldermen was selected from among its membership. This bicameralism invited comparisons to the state legislature, with
243:
districts with three from each district. Cumulative voting was limited, with a voter being entitled to vote for up to two aldermen in the district races and up to four aldermen in the at-large race. The Board elected its president from among its membership.
210:
had introduced an amendment to the new
Charter that would have retained the Board of Assistant Aldermen but the amendment was dropped. Under the bill the Board of Aldermen would have comprised 45 members with 9 elected from each
327:
that would be elected from each borough via proportional representation. This was in large part due to the large
Democratic majorities in the Board of Aldermen. The Board convened for the last time on December 21, 1937.
266:
noted the corruption associated with the city's previous attempt at bicameralism. Under this system the council was elected from special districts that each elected three members except for the districts representing
183:
half of the Board was elected every year while assistants were elected annually. This made the Common
Council bicameral as both Boards were separate bodies who possessed veto power over each other's proceedings. The
219:. The Board would have elected its president from its own membership. The Mayor would have had veto power over each ordinance, which the Board could override with a two-thirds vote. Governor
178:
Municipal legislators had been known as "aldermen" since at least April 1686, and had historically sat in the "Common
Council" alongside so-called "assistant aldermen". In 1824 an Act of the
311:
The new unicameral Board comprised aldermen elected from special districts at one per district, the President of the Board of Aldermen, who was elected citywide, and the
231:
prohibited them from meeting and refused to recognize them, but they nevertheless held a meeting on January 20, entering the chamber clandestinely to avoid arrest.
202:'s corruption, which lavished on the assistant aldermen. At the time fifteen aldermen were elected at-large and one assistant alderman was elected from each
833:
The Charter of the City of New York, Chapter 378 of the Laws of 1897, With amendments passed in 1898 and 1899, and a complete index, and maps of boroughs
331:
Proportional representation was abolished in 1947 due in large part to its opening up the possibility of Communist council members being elected.
191:
in the Board. In an 1897 retrospective the Board of Assistant Aldermen would be known as the "lower branch" of the Common Council.
868:
260:
was passed that reintroduced a bicameral legislature, this time known as the "Municipal Assembly". This was not uncontroversial;
187:
was made the presiding officer of the Board of Aldermen, and in his absence the City Recorder, either person possessing only a
239:
The Board of Aldermen under the 1873 act comprised 27 members elected annually, 6 elected at-large and 21 elected from
863:
323:
Plans were made in the 1930s to introduce a new city charter that would replace the Board of Aldermen with a smaller
223:
vetoed the bill, claiming that New York City was too important for the experimental nature of the bill's provisions.
858:
836:. Eagle library. Vol. Xiv, no. 6, serialno. 35. Eagle Building, Brooklyn: Office of Publication. September 1899
195:
179:
253:
154:
276:
203:
184:
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167:
158:
45:
20:
831:
8:
454:
290:
262:
228:
129:
116:
275:, which elected two members. Each member of the Board of Aldermen was elected from an
312:
216:
284:
199:
161:
was amended in 1901 to abolish the Municipal Assembly and its upper house, and its
220:
414:"AN ACT to alter the Organization of the Common Council of the city of New York"
758:
731:
852:
810:
788:
701:
673:
579:
542:
478:
448:
413:
378:
272:
162:
146:
39:
379:"New York City at last to have an official flag and regain her ancient seal"
188:
150:
142:
69:
64:
74:
811:"An Act to Reorganize the Local Government of the City of New York"
789:"An Act to reorganize the local government of the city of New York"
294:
comparing the council to "the State Senate ... a superior body."
198:
passed a bill in 1872 abolishing bicameralism in the fallout of
280:
268:
571:
356:
Without any such preceding modifier as "Common" or "City"
442:
440:
438:
436:
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759:"PR Called Costly to City; Voters to Decide Its Fate"
693:
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726:
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809:
787:
700:
672:
578:
541:
477:
447:
412:
377:
470:
234:
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818:. No. 13, 388. April 17, 1873. pp. 6–7
796:. No. 13, 025. April 19, 1872. pp. 3–4
721:
283:, where one member was elected from the former
486:. No. 13, 025. April 19, 1872. p. 3
386:. Vol. 132, no. 237. April 25, 1915
534:
665:
256:and assumed its modern form in 1898, a new
732:"The Board of Aldermen sang its Swan song"
407:
405:
403:
401:
247:
173:
38:
750:
604:
602:
307:Return to unicameralism (1902–1937)
149:'s Common Council from 1824 to 1875, the
32:Board of Aldermen of the City of New York
580:"Another move by the Assistant Aldermen"
638:
629:
398:
370:
341:
279:district except for those representing
851:
702:"New Charter's effect on City affairs"
599:
235:Unicameral council (1875–1897)
756:
16:Former legislature of New York City
13:
77:(1875–1897, 1902–1937)
14:
880:
254:annexed much of its surroundings
19:For the modern legislature, see
780:
656:
647:
620:
611:
562:
525:
153:of its Municipal Assembly upon
139:New York City Board of Aldermen
869:New York (state) city councils
757:Lee, Dick (October 27, 1947).
516:
507:
498:
350:
318:
1:
363:
248:Lower house (1898–1901)
174:Upper house (1824–1875)
297:
7:
826:– via Newspapers.com.
804:– via Newspapers.com.
717:– via Newspapers.com.
689:– via Newspapers.com.
595:– via Newspapers.com.
558:– via Newspapers.com.
494:– via Newspapers.com.
466:– via Newspapers.com.
449:"Former Experiments Failed"
429:– via Newspapers.com.
394:– via Newspapers.com.
10:
885:
196:New York State Legislature
180:New York State Legislature
18:
421:. May 26, 1824. p. 4
128:
123:
109:
104:
96:
88:
83:
58:
53:
37:
30:
864:History of New York City
707:The Brooklyn Daily Eagle
674:"The Municipal Assembly"
347:As of December 21, 1937.
334:
141:was a body that was the
859:New York City Council
816:New York Daily Herald
794:New York Daily Herald
168:New York City Council
46:seal of New York City
21:New York City Council
736:The Brooklyn Citizen
543:"The Charter Vetoed"
763:New York Daily News
738:. December 22, 1937
484:New York Daily News
252:When New York City
679:The Brooklyn Eagle
587:. January 21, 1875
585:The New York Times
548:The New York Times
455:The New York Times
313:Borough presidents
303:again unicameral.
291:The Brooklyn Eagle
263:The New York Times
229:William H. Wickham
166:Aldermen with the
157:in 1898 until the
130:New York City Hall
117:William F. Brunner
72:(1898–1901)
217:cumulative voting
135:
134:
67:(1824–1875)
876:
845:
843:
841:
827:
825:
823:
813:
805:
803:
801:
791:
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769:
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748:
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743:
728:
719:
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709:. August 1, 1901
704:
697:
691:
690:
688:
686:
681:. April 17, 1898
676:
669:
663:
662:1898 Charter §26
660:
654:
653:1898 Charter §18
651:
645:
644:1898 Charter §24
642:
636:
635:1898 Charter §19
633:
627:
626:1898 Charter §17
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285:Long Island City
48:depicted in 1915
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28:
27:
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489:
487:
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458:. March 7, 1897
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221:John T. Hoffman
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619:
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469:
432:
397:
368:
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339:
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249:
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206:district. The
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63:
62:
60:
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35:
34:
31:
15:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
881:
870:
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565:
550:. May 1, 1872
549:
544:
537:
531:1872 Bill §10
528:
519:
510:
501:
485:
480:
479:"The Charter"
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273:Staten Island
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215:district via
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164:
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155:consolidation
152:
148:
147:New York City
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127:
124:Meeting place
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838:. Retrieved
832:
820:. Retrieved
815:
798:. Retrieved
793:
781:Bibliography
766:. Retrieved
762:
752:
740:. Retrieved
735:
711:. Retrieved
706:
695:
683:. Retrieved
678:
667:
658:
649:
640:
631:
622:
613:
589:. Retrieved
584:
573:
564:
552:. Retrieved
547:
536:
527:
522:1872 Bill §7
518:
513:1872 Bill §4
509:
504:1872 Bill §2
500:
488:. Retrieved
483:
472:
460:. Retrieved
453:
423:. Retrieved
418:
388:. Retrieved
383:
372:
352:
343:
330:
325:City Council
322:
310:
301:
289:
261:
258:city charter
251:
241:State Senate
238:
225:
193:
189:casting vote
177:
138:
136:
25:
840:December 9,
713:December 9,
617:1873 Act §6
608:1873 Act §4
568:1873 Act §2
462:December 7,
390:December 7,
319:New charter
151:lower house
143:upper house
89:Established
70:Lower house
65:Upper house
853:Categories
364:References
200:Boss Tweed
163:unicameral
105:Leadership
75:Unicameral
768:April 24,
742:April 24,
685:April 25,
298:Abolition
111:President
97:Disbanded
277:Assembly
204:Assembly
384:The Sun
159:charter
84:History
822:May 2,
800:May 2,
591:May 2,
554:May 2,
490:May 2,
425:May 2,
281:Queens
269:Queens
213:Senate
208:Senate
335:Notes
185:Mayor
842:2018
824:2019
802:2019
770:2019
744:2019
715:2018
687:2019
593:2019
556:2019
492:2019
464:2018
427:2019
392:2018
271:and
194:The
137:The
100:1937
92:1824
59:Type
54:Type
44:The
145:of
855::
814:.
792:.
761:.
734:.
723:^
705:.
677:.
601:^
583:.
546:.
482:.
452:.
435:^
417:.
400:^
382:.
170:.
844:.
772:.
746:.
23:.
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