Los Angeles Common Council

Template:Short description Template:Infobox legislature The Los Angeles Common Council was the predecessor of the Los Angeles, California, City Council. It was formed in 1850 under state law, when the city had only 1,610 residents, and it existed until 1889, when the city had about 50,400 residents and a city charter was put into effect. It succeeded the council of the Ciudad de Los Angeles.

From 1850 through 1869, council members were elected at large under a first-past-the-post voting system, in which the top vote-getters were seated. From 1870 they were elected by electoral districts called wards.

History

File:Actors recreating first meeting of Los Angeles City Council for centennial celebration, 1948.jpg

Actors recreating the first meeting of the Los Angeles Common Council in 1948.

The Los Angeles Common Council was created in 1850 as the city of Los Angeles grew from a remote town of 5,000 residents to a city of 15,000 residents. Between 1850 and 1858, the council had 7 seats and for two years after had 10 seats drawn by lots. From 1870 to 1889, the council had a ward system with three (until 1877) and five (1877 onwards) seats.

The Council had various responsibilities for governing the city, including the responsibility of governing the school system as several members were appointed to serve on a committee for the governance of schools.

In 1857, the officials that were elected on May 6 were deposed and the officials from the previous year were reinstated, though they never took office.

Members

At-large (1850–1870)

Year	President
1850	David W. Alexander	David W. Alexander	Cristobal Aguilar	Alexander Bell	Julian Chavez	Morris L. Goodman	Manuel Requena	Juan Temple	colspan=3 rowspan=31 Template:N/A
			Wilson W. Jones	Alexander W. Hope	Benjamin Davis Wilson	Jose Vicente Guerrero		Stephen Clark Foster
1851			Ygnacio Coronel		Agustín Olvera	Tomas Avila Sanchez
	Joseph Lancaster Grant	Joseph Lancaster Grant		John Ozias Wheeler
1852	Manuel Requena	John G. Downey		Myron Norton	Mathew Keller	Ygnacio del Valle		Narciso Botello
1853		John F. Jones	William Taylor Barnes Sanford	Arnold Jacobi	Pio Pico*	William R. Rand		Jose Maria Doporto
		Henry R. Myles		Ezra Drown	Juan Maria Sepulveda	Collins Wadhams
1854	Francis Mellus	Francis Mellus	Lewis Granger	Solomon Lazard	Collins Wadhams	Antonio F. Coronel		rowspan=2Template:N/A
	Manuel Requena	Obed Macy	Alexander W. Hope	Ezra Drown		Template:N/A
1855	John G. Nichols		John G. Nichols		Ira H. Stuart	Horace Z. Wheeler	J. W. Ross	Will Lloyd
	Ezra Drown		Henry Uhrbrook		Cristobal Aguilar	Robert Glass	Paul R. Hunt	Timothy Foster
								John Schumacher
1856	Manuel Requena	Ygnacio del Valle	John Gately Downey		Nehemiah A. Potter	August Ulyard	Manuel Requena	Ira Gilchrist
		Myron Norton	George Henry Carson
1857	Antonio F. Coronel	Antonio F. Coronel		Joseph Mullaly	John Frohling		Hiram McLaughlin	John Barre
						George N. Whitman
1858			John Strother Griffin	John Goller	Cristobal Aguilar	Phineas Banning	David M. Porter	Stephen Clark Foster
1859	Nehemiah A. Potter	Nehemiah A. Potter	Ezra Drown	James Baldwin	Geronimo Ybarra	Arthur McKenzie Dodson		Wallace Woodworth
							Vincent A. Hoover
1860	Abel Stearns	Abel Stearns	Damien Marchesseault	T.B. Collins	Elijah Moulton	James Edwards		Peter Baltz
	James Edwards	William Moore	Joseph Huber Sr.	William H. Peterson				David Anderson
	Wallace Woodworth					Wallace Woodworth
1861	Nehemiah A. Potter	Nehemiah A. Potter	Solomon Lazard	Antonio F. Coronel	Cristobal Aguilar	Ezra Drown	Arthur McKenzie Dodson	James Brown Winston
1862			Augustine Poulain		John Turner	Jacob Weizel	Philip Sichel	Joseph Huber Sr.
1863	Joseph Huber Sr.	James Brown Winston	Eli Taylor		Felix Signoret
1864		Manuel Requena	Jose Mascarel		Wallace Woodworth	Vincent A. Hoover
1865	William H. Perry	William H. Perry	Julian A. Chavez	John Goller	Harley Taft	John Jones	Juan C. Vejar	W. S. Van Dusen
1866	Murray Morrison	Murray Morrison	Elijah H. Workman	Louis Roeder	John Schumacher	Moritz Morris	John King	rowspan=2 Template:N/A
						Jose Mascarel
1867								Antonio F. Coronel
	John King	Dionisio Botiller	Andrew A. Boyle					George Dalton
1868			Caro W. Childs		Henry Wartenberg			Mathew Keller	Moritz Morris	William H. Perry	Jacob Metzger
1869			Ozro W. Childs					Samuel Bradford Caswell		Elijah H. Workman	Vacant
		Andrew A. Boyle	James R. Toberman	Vacant		Luis B. Martinez					Juan C. Vejar

Wards (1870–1889)

Year	President	Ward
		1				2				3				4			5
1870	John Jones	Julian A. Chavez	Bernard Dubourdin	John Jones	width="5.3%" rowspan=5 Template:N/A	William Ferguson	George Fall	Matthew Teed	width="5.3%" rowspan=5 Template:N/A	Heinrich Dockweiler	William S. Hammel Sr.	John Osborn	width="5.3%" rowspan=2 Template:N/A	width="5.3%" colspan=3 rowspan=11 Template:N/A	width="5.3%" colspan=3 rowspan=11 Template:N/A
					Frank Sabichi
1871	H.K.S. O'Melveny	Thornton P. Campbell	Oscar Macy	Julian Valdes			Prudent Beaudry		H.K.S. O'Melveny	William H. Dennison	Elijah H. Workman
1872	Frank Sabichi	Joseph Mullaly	George R. Long			William H. Workman			Eulogio F. de Celis	William Osborn	Heinrich Dockweiler
1873		Julian A. Chavez	Jacob F. Gherkins					Jose Mascarel		Charles E. Huber
1874	Prudent Beaudry	Joseph Mullaly	Thornton P. Campbell	Ramon R. Sotelo	Joseph G. Carmona	William Whipple Robinson	Matthew Teed		Louis Lichtenberger		Louis Wolfskill	Thomas Leahy	Elijah H. Workman
			Template:N/A
			Thornton P. Campbell
1875					Jacob F. Gherkins	Jacob Kuhrts		William H. Workman					D.V. Waldron
1876	Frederick A. MacDougall	F. Tamiet	B. Valle				John S. Thompson		Bernard Cohn	Elisha K. Green	John B. Thompson
1877	Bernard Cohn			Joseph Mullaly	Cayetano Apalblasa	John Edward Hollenbeck	C. C. Lips	James W. Potts		John S. Thompson	John H. Jones	Albert Fenner Kercheval	Elisha K. Green
1878	Samuel J. Beck	Ezra Hamilton	Louis Meinzer	John Schaeffer	width="5.3%" rowspan=13Template:N/A	Richard Molony	Jesse Houston Butler	John Bobenreith	width="5.3%" rowspan=13Template:N/A	Charles Brode	Simon A. Francis	S.H. Buchanan	width="5.3%" Template:N/A	Samuel J. Beck	Samuel Marshall Perry	William H. Workman	Nathan R. Vail	William B. Lawlor	James Greer McDonald
1879	William B. Lawlor	R.L. Beauchet		William Norton Monroe	Jacob Kuhrts	H. Schumacher		Richard Molony	Edward Falles Spence	Elisha K. Green	S.H. Buchanan	O.H. Bliss	John P. Moran
1880	Edward Falles Spence		J.G. Bower			Matthew Teed	Jose Mascarel	George Gephard			width="5.3%" rowspan=11Template:N/A			Bernard Cohn	Burdette Chandler	Walter Scott Moore
1881	John P. Moran	Joseph Mullaly		Clinton S. Scheiffelin				Andrew S. Ryan	Robert Steere	J.B. O'Neil	George Kerckhoff	Otto G. Weyse
1882			Charles W. Schroeder			Pascal Ballade	Henry Hammel			Charles Gassen				Alfred Louis Bush	Joseph W. Wolfskill
1883	Walter Scott Moore	Ezra Hamilton		William Thomas Lambie	Frank R. Day			Charles H. Johnson	Loring A. French		D.E. Miles	Frank Sabichi	Daniel Michael McGarry	John B. Niles
1884	D.E. Miles		James Velsir			John Frederick Holbrook	Martin V. Biscailuz			Albert Brown		Milton Santee			James D. Bullis	Hiram Sinsabaugh
1885	Hiram Sinsabaugh	Thomas Goss		George L. Stearns	Jacob Kuhrts			Levi Newton Breed	Edward Wadsworth Jones		Samuel Marshall Perry		Cyrus Willard	Jacob Frankenfield
1886	Levi Newton Breed		William Thomas Lambie			Michael Thomas Collins	Matthew Teed		Charles R. Johnson	Edward Wadsworth Jones		John Lovell			Joseph Hyans	Horace Hiller
			Edward A. Gibbs
1887	John F. Humphreys	James Hanley		Newell Mathews	Thomas J. Cuddy			Edward C. Bosbyshell		John F. Humphreys	Bernard Cohn		Burdette Chandler	Hiram Sinsabaugh	A.W. Barrett
					John Moriarty				J.H. Book
1888	Jacob Kuhrts		George O. Ford	C.N. Earl		Jacob Kuhrts	H.T.D. Wilson		John Henry Bryant			Anthony McNally	Edward R. Threlkeld			Austin Conrad Shafer

See also

• Los Angeles City Council, 1889–1909
• Los Angeles City Council

References

Notes

• Except for the population figures (see below), all data is from Chronological Record of Los Angeles City Officials,1850-1938, compiled under direction of Municipal Reference Library, City Hall, Los Angeles (March 1938, reprinted 1966). "Prepared ... as a report on Project No. SA 3123-5703-6077-8121-9900 conducted under the auspices of the Works Progress Administration."
• Population figures are from