Charlottesville City Council (1916–1922)

Main article: Charlottesville City Council (History)

The Charlottesville City Council (1916–1922) was a bicameral legislature, consisting of a four-member Board of Aldermen and an eight-member Common Council. Each member was elected from one of the four wards. According to the City Charter, the city government comprised three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial, with a city-wide elected mayor serving as the only elected administrative official.

On August 1, 1916, Charlottesville's population exceeded 10,000 after the annexation of nearly 2,500 acres of Albemarle County territory and surrounding suburbs. This change elevated Charlottesville from a second-class city to a first-class city, as stipulated by the Virginia Constitution of 1902. Following this status change, the city government was required to operate as a divided government. From 1916 to 1922, the city’s legislative body was bicameral, consisting of a Common Council and a Board of Aldermen. Members of both bodies were elected by ward in staggered elections held in June of even-numbered years.

The city's population growth was significant. According to the Fourteenth Census, conducted on January 1, 1920, Charlottesville's population reached 10,688, reflecting an increase of 3,923 residents, or 58 percent, since 1910. During the same period, Albemarle County's population decreased by 13 percent, while the overall population of Virginia increased by 12 percent. The ratio of council members to constituents rose from 535 in 1900 to over 850 in 1920.

During the years 1916 to 1922, the city council operated as a bicameral body similar to the current Virginia General Assembly. It consisted of a lower house, the Board of Aldermen, with four members, and an upper house, the Common Council, with eight members. Each member was elected from one of the four wards and served staggered two-year terms. The Board of Aldermen was led by a president elected from among its members, while the Common Council also had an elected president. The Mayor of Charlottesville, an elected constitutional officer and head of the executive branch, was chosen every two years through plurality-at-large voting. The mayor presided over joint council meetings and had a casting vote in the event of a tie.

A special election was conducted on September 20, 1916, to fill twelve new positions in the city government as mandated by state law for a first-class city. The Board of Aldermen, elected on that date, convened for its first meeting on September 25, 1916, at 8:30 PM. Regular meetings for the Board of Aldermen were scheduled for the Monday following the second Thursday of each month, while the Common Council held its regular meetings on the second Thursday of every month.

The last regular meeting of the Council under this bicameral legislative system occurred on August 10, 1922. Following this, the city's government transitioned to a special structure known as the "Modified Commission Form," which was adopted by qualified voters on December 17, 1920, as provided by the Code of Virginia of 1919.

Year	City Council (Legislative Branch)																Executive Branch
	Board of Aldermen (Upper House)						Common Council (Lower House)										Mayor	City Manger
	President	Vice President	First Ward	Second Ward	Third Ward	Fourth Ward	President	Vice President	First Ward		Second Ward		Third Ward		Fourth Ward
1916	Robert C. Walker	Marshall Timberlake	Marshall Timberlake	Robert C. Walker	W. D. Harris	Albert S. Bolling	W. F. Sounder Jr.	W. M. Forrest	W. F. Long	N. T. Wingfield	W. E. Graves	W. T. Elliott	W. F. Sounder Jr.	J. E. Gleason	Fred W. Twyman	W. M. Forrest	E. "Geury" Haden	A. V. Conway
1917																		H. A. Stecker
1918					B. E. Wheeler		W. M. Forrest	Lemuel F. Smith		L. F. Smith	F. M. Huyett		W. N. Via		Lacy L. Irvine
1919															Fred W. Twyman			Shelton S. Fife
1920					G. T. Greaver	John S. Patton		L. R. Whitten	L. R. Whitten		J. P. Ellington			J. T. Greaves			B. E. Wheeler	Walter Washabaugh
1921		E. G. Haden	E. G. Haden		J. E. Greaver
1922										John R. Morris		Fred L. Watson		Fred H. Quarles			W. M. Forrest

Notes:

• October 11, 1918 – Councilor Lacy L. Irvine, representing the fourth ward, resigned.

Key Issues facing Charlottesville City Council

• August 1, 1916 – Charlottesville's annexation of over 2,500 acres of Albemarle county territory and suburbs surrounding the city, resulting in more than tripling in land size, the city's the population exceeding 13,000. The university successfully opposed attempts to include it in the political boundaries of Charlottesville.
• October 31, 1916 – At midnight, the entire Commonwealth of Virginia went dry – three years before national prohibition began. Prohibition removed a significant source of tax revenue and greatly increased government spending. The most lasting consequence was that the local government would come to rely on tax revenue to fund their budgets going forward.
• September 29, 1916 – Business Manager A. V. Conway, resigned effective October 6th. Council appointed Mayor Haden to take over the duties of the office of Business Manager for thirty days, or until such time as a Business Manager was secured.
• November 29, 1916 – City Council appoints Hubert A. Stecker as business manager and city engineer at a salary of $2,000 a year.
• October 10, 1918 – During the October meeting of the Common Council, the attending members voted 4 to 3, to raise the price of gas.
• October 11, 1918 – Councilor Lacy L. Irvine, representing the fourth ward, resigned.
• October 1918 – Mayor E. G. Haden advised the council of his executive order to address the recent flu outbreak: "all schools, public and private, churches, theaters, and all other places where there were public congregations closed until Monday, October 14th, 1918." This order was extended week after week, along with additional closures and restrictions until November 2nd. See also: 1918 flu pandemic in Charlottesville-Albemarle.

See Also

• Charlottesville City Council (History)
• Charlottesville City Council