Savannah, Georgia's city government dates from the settlement of the colony of Georgia at Savannah in 1733. Until 1741, the Common Council of Trustees governed the colony from England through their appointed officials at Savannah - three bailiffs who supervised two constables, a recorder, two tythingmen, and eight conservators of the peace (Walter McElrath, A Treatise on the Constitution of Georgia, p. 5). In 1741, the County of Savannah was established and placed under the jurisdiction of a president and four assistants, who served as the Trustee's representatives. These appointees were required to make reports to the Trustees, enforce laws, oversee the granting of land, and record marriages, births, and deaths. However, the only power they possessed was to appoint and remove constables and tythingmen (Allen D. Candler, ed., Colonial Records of the State of Georgia, v. 5, p. 494; James Ross McCain, Georgia as a Proprietary Province, the Execution of a Trust, pp. 154-59). In June of 1752, the Trustee's Corporation was dissolved. The proprietary colony then became a royal colony, administered by a royal governor, his council, and an elected legislature. Through the years, various public offices were created, and legislation was enacted to regulate the city. Many public commissions were filled by appointed lay officers of Christ Episcopal Church, who were charged with such duties as keeping records of vital statistics and supervision of the fire department (Alexander A. Lawrence, "The Development of Municipal Government in Savannah from 1732-1790," Georgia Historical Society vertical files, Savannah--Politics and Government; Candler, v. 18, pp. 267, 270-71, 315-16). Savannah's municipal government had been inefficient and inadequate from the beginning and failed to meet the needs of the growing population. During the 1780s grievances were presented, and grand juries recommended that the town be incorporated, but no charter was immediately granted. However, laws continued to be enacted by the legislature for better regulating the town, including an act of 1787, which created seven wards and provided for the election of wardens who, in turn, elected a president from their body. This board made and administered regulations and assessed and collected taxes (Robert Watkins, A Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia, p. 354). Finally, under an act of December 23, 1789, the legislature incorporated the City of Savannah, providing for the annual public election of one alderman from each ward, comprising a board of alderman. The alderman then elected a member of their board as mayor (Watkins, p. 416; William H. Crawford and Horatio Marbury, Digest of the Laws of the State of Georgia, p. 123). The first election of alderman was held March 1, 1790, and the first city council meeting was held on March 8th, at which time John Houstoun was elected the first mayor of Savannah. This first council created offices, established salaries for officeholders, adopted rules for governing the council, and set about addressing the needs of the city (Thomas Gamble, Jr., A History of the City Government of Savannah, Ga., from 1790-1901, pp. 47-48). In 1843, the state legislature reduced the number of aldermen from fourteen to twelve and made the mayorship and several city posts publicly elected officials. In December of 1844, Dr. Richard Wayne became the first mayor elected by the people of Savannah (A Digest of All the Ordinances of the City of Savannah, 1858, p. 318; Gamble, p. 186). Through the years various departments, bureaus, boards, committees, and commissions have been created, abolished, merged, and/or divided to meet the increasing needs of the city. Since 1954, the City of Savannah has operated under a council/manager system. The elected council now consists of the mayor and eight aldermen who appoint a city manager. The city manager is the chief administrative officer of the city government, advising the council and supervising the implementation of the policies and legislation it adopts (Laura Urban, compiler, Serving Savannah, p. 2). For a more detailed history of Savannah's municipal government, consult Thomas Gamble, Jr.'s A History of the City Government of Savannah, Ga., from 1790-1901. Researchers may also consult the Savannah Mayor's Annual Reports (or Municipal Reports) for further information which are available online through the digital library of Georgia and in print at the Georgia Historical Society and City of Savannah Research Library and Municipal Archives.
From the description of City of Savannah (Ga.) records, 1817-1912. (Georgia Historical Society). WorldCat record id: 233637608
