Birmingham Board of Aldermen
The City of Birmingham was incorporated by the State of Alabama on December 19, 1871. The eight members of the Board of Aldermen were elected with each mayor to a term of two years. Each of the city's four wards elected two aldermen to the board. The board was sometimes referred to as the City Council. In 1887 (at least), the board met every second Wednesday evening in the Roden Block at 2nd Avenue North and 20th Street. In 1895, to reflect the increased size and population of the city, the Board was expanded to 18 members.
1871
The first Board of Aldermen, serving in the administration of Mayor Robert H. Henley was composed of James B. Francis, Benjamin F. Roden, W. F. McDonald, A. Marre, J. B. Webb, John A. Milner, and T. S. Wood.
1873
The second board, serving under Mayor James R. Powell, included J. B. Luckie, Mortimer Jordan, Jr, William H. Morris, Benjamin F. Roden, John A. Milner, James O'Connor, Christian Enslen, William Berney, C. P. Williamson, William A. Smith, I. R. Hochstadter, J. L. Lockwood, W. P. Brewer, J. H. Dargin, A. C. Oxford, J. B. Fonville, Charles Slade, and Frank P. O'Brien.
Charles Linn took O'Brien's place after his resignation.
1875
Mayor William H. Morris served two terms and had the service of the same group of aldermen in both. These were Christian Enslen, T. Y. Cain, J. A. Curry, J. W. Butler, Thomas Jeffers, Charles Linn, M. C. Wiley and George W. Allen.
Morris resigned as Mayor in 1878 and the Aldermen elected Elyton Land Company president Henry M. Caldwell to serve his unexpired term.
1878
The first administration of Thomas Jeffers included Benjamin F. Roden, George W. Allen, Willliam A. Smith, Mortimer Jordan, Jr, Jule Lockwood, and Frank Nabers.
In Jeffers' second term Jordan, Lockwood and Nabers remained and were joined by C. L. Hardman, T. G. Paine, B. A. Thompson, C. C. Truss, and C. L. Wadsworth.
Others on the Board included E. V. Gregory, W. C. Steward, W. P. Brewer, A. C. Oxford, I. R. Hochstadter, J. H. Dargin, B. A. Thompson, W. S. Sykes, F. L. Wadsworth, James Going, and William Hood.
Frank Gazwell or Frank Gosnell and C. L. Hardman or C. T. Hardeman are members whose names are reported inconsistently.
1882
The first of three administrations headed by Judge A. O. Lane brought together the following aldermen: C. P. Williamson, Benjamin F. Roden, A. S. Elliott, John Ellis, T. L. Hudgins, James O'Connor, Frank. Evans (4th Ward), and John Sheldon, along with Paule Earle, William Rushton, W. S. Brown, W. K. Rosser, and Charles F. Wheelock.
In the second administration, only Berney was re-elected. Joining him were I. R. Hochstadter, N. R. Rosser, James F. Smith, James Going, Fred Sloss, and E. V. Gregory.
In Lane's third administration, Hochstadter stayed on and was joined by William Walker, Jr, E. W. Linn, D. M. Drennen, James O'Connor, E. J. Smyer, R. W. Whilden, John Colley, and W. H. Eastman.
Hochstadter and Colley represented the First Ward. Linn and Eastman represented the Second Ward. Drennen and Smyer represented the Third Ward. And Walker and O'Connor represented the Fourth Ward.
Colley, Warnock and Enslen served on the cemetery committee. Warnock, Enslen and Hochstadter served on the finance and accounts committee. Eastman, Hochstadter and Drennen served on the fire committee. Enslen, Drennen and O'Connor served on the free schools committee. Smyer, Colley and Eastman served on the gas committee. Enslen and O'Connor served on the judiciary committee. Hochstadter, Colley and Smyer served on the markets committee. Drennen, Hochstadter and O'Connor served on the miscellaneous committee, O'Connor, Smyer and Colley served on the street improvements committee. Drennen, Warnock and Smyer served on the street railroads committee. And Eastman, Hochstadter and Drennen served on the water works committee.
1888
- Mayor: B. A. Thompson
- Aldermen were elected to four wards and included George Morrow, John Dean, J. P. Mudd, W. S. Brown, W. C. Rabb, E. L. Higdon, William Hood, James O'Connor, B. F. Moore, Eugene Enslen, W. H. Kettig, George McCartin, George Morris, T. P. Perkins, David Fox, Sylvester Daly, and H. C. Ansley.
1890
- Mayor: A. O. Lane
- 1st Ward: Sylvester Daly, David Fox
- 2nd Ward:
- 3rd Ward:
- 4th Ward:
1892
- Mayor: David J. Fox
- Aldermen included Johnny Ward, W. H. Kettig, Eugene Enslen, Charles Thomas, Sol Levi, A. C. Lowery, Duncan McKnight, T. L. Robertson, J. M. Gillespy, August Schillinger, Harry Jones, J. T. Mead, John L. Parker, Samuel Ullman, Coffee Jackson, Charles A. Jones, John Harrington, Walter Moore, Hal Copeland, John Ellis, J. P. Mudd, H. H. Barker, Richard McNally, A. Sims, G. H. Waddell, Isaac Jefferies, and E. L. Bridges.
1894
- Mayor: James Van Hoose
- Aldermen included Samuel Ullman, Tom Ashford, John Harrington, Eugene Enslen, George Jackson, W. H. Kettig, W. L. Sims, J. M. Gillespy, C. A. Jones, J. T. Mead, W. Cameron, and W. W. Crawford.
1896
Mayor: Frank Evans
Aldermen:
- Henry Gray, Johnny Ward, John Harrington, George Jackson, Eugene Enslen, Walter Moore, J. M. Gillespy, C. T. Rambow, Walter Drennen, J. F. Graham, John McCartin, J. T. Meade, W. L. Sims, H. Hentschell, and W. J. Pearce
- 6th Ward: John Altman
1899
Mayor: Mel Drennen
Aldermen:
- Henry Gray, John Harrington, C. C. Heidt, Harry Jones, Robert Kerr, Richard McNally, J. M. Meichan, Walter Moore, C. T. Rambow, Harry Jones, Sylvester Daly, J. F. Graham, Duncan McKnight
- 2nd Ward: George Ward, John O'Neill
- 6th Ward: John Altman
- 7th Ward: W. J. Pearce, succeeded by Robert Thach
1901
Mayor: Mel Drennen Aldermen:
1903
Mayor: Mel Drennen Aldermen:
- 5th Ward: W. R. Gunn, B. H. Cooper
- 6th Ward: John Altman
- 7th Ward: Robert Thach (holdover)
- 9th Ward: Henry Stockmar (holdover)
1905
Mayor: George Ward
Aldermen:
- 2nd Ward: John O'Neill
- 3rd Ward: Richard Eggleston
- 4th Ward: Walter Moore
- 5th Ward: William Gunn (holdover), Blucher Cooper
- 6th Ward: Frederick Fulghum, appointed to fill seat left by John Altman in January 1905, John C. Forney (incumbent)
- 7th Ward: John L. Parker (served as Acting Mayor during the 1907 mayoral controversy with C. C. Heidt filling the remainder of his term)
- 8th Ward: Harry Jones
1907
Mayor: George Ward
- 1st Ward: Richard Burnett, John Greener
- 2nd Ward: John O'Neill, Simon Klotz
- 3rd Ward: Dick Copeland, Richard Eggleston (resigned early 1908)
- 4th Ward: Walter Moore, John Copeland
- 5th Ward: Blucher Cooper, William Gunn
- 6th Ward: John C. Forney, Frederick Fulghum
- 7th Ward: Charles Heidt, John L. Parker
- 8th Ward: Daniel Hogan, Harry Jones
- 9th Ward: George Estes, Adolph Stockmar
1909
Mayor: Frank P. O'Brien
- 1st Ward:
- 2nd Ward: John O'Neil
- 3rd Ward:
- 4th Ward:
- 5th Ward: Phil Harper
- 6th Ward:
- 7th Ward:
- 8th Ward:
- 9th Ward:
- 10th Ward: W. R. Starbuck
- 11th Ward: A. R. Causey
- 12th Ward (2 places): S. R. Hawley, J. B. Gibson
- 13th Ward (2 places):
- 14th Ward (2 places):
- 15th Ward (2 places): Frank W. Smith
- 16th Ward (2 places): M. H. McDowell, P. J. Rogers
1910
- Mayor: Culpepper Exum
- 1st Ward: Pete Houppert
- 2nd Ward: Sam Stern
- 3rd Ward: George Huddleston, Sr
- 4th Ward: Walter Moore
- 5th Ward: G. B. Morgan
- 6th Ward: A. Maben Hobson
- 7th Ward: John E. Morris
- 8th Ward: Dan Hogan
- 9th Ward: Walter Metcalf
- 10th Ward: D. C. Ball
- 11th Ward: J. W. Lacey
- 12th Ward (2 places): S. R. Hawley, J. B. Gibson
- 13th Ward (2 places): A. L. Thorp, C. E. Glover
- 14th Ward (2 places): T. J. Carter, James McLaughlin
- 15th Ward (2 places): Frank W. Smith, D. U. Williams
- 16th Ward (2 places): M. H. McDowell, P. J. Rogers
The Mayor-Aldermen system was replaced by the Birmingham City Commission, considered to be a more progressive and businesslike form of government, in 1911.
References
- Dubose, John Witherspoon (1887) Jefferson County and Birmingham, Alabama: Historical and Biographical Birmingham: Teeple & Smith, Publishers; Caldwell Printing Works.
- Moss, Florence Hawkins Wood (1947) Building Birmingham and Jefferson County. Birmingham: Birmingham Printing Company
- Vick, Mary-Helen (1965) A Survey of the Governing Body of Birmingham, Alabama, 1910-1964. Master's thesis. Alabama College.
- Norton, Bertha Bendall (1970) Birmingham's First Magic Century: Were You There?. Birmingham: self-published/Lakeshore Press
- Harris, Carl V. (1977) Political Power in Birmingham, 1871-1921. Twentieth-Century America Series. Knoxville: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 087049211X
Preceded by: none |
Legislative Body for the City of Birmingham 1871 - 1911 |
Succeeded by: Birmingham City Commission |