Today in Wheeling History: January 15--The Virginia General Assembly of the Union-aligned Restored Government of Virginia passed a landmark act splitting Wheeling's City Council into two separate governing branches (1863).
On January 15, 1863, during the Civil War period, the Virginia General Assembly of the Restored Government of Virginia, which was aligned with the Union, enacted legislation that fundamentally restructured Wheeling's municipal government by creating a two-branch city council system. This act marked a significant evolution in Wheeling's governance structure, which had been originally established by the city's incorporation act of March 11, 1836. The new law created a First Branch and Second Branch, establishing a bicameral legislative body for city governance. The First Branch consisted of two members from each ward, elected by qualified voters, with staggered two-year terms. Members had to be state citizens with at least three years of city residency and ward residency requirements. The Second Branch retained its existing structure from the 1836 incorporation act. The mayor presided over the First Branch, while the Second Branch elected its own president who could serve as acting mayor during vacancies or absences. Notably, the act established that all financial appropriations must originate in the Second Branch, though the First Branch could propose amendments. This bicameral structure required both branches' consent for taxes, appropriations, contracts, and ordinances, creating a system of checks and balances in municipal governance. The act took effect immediately upon passage.
To learn more: West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History (https://shorturl.at/TPJTA) (https://shorturl.at/hKHw4)
Photo credit: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
On January 15, 1863, during the Civil War period, the Virginia General Assembly of the Restored Government of Virginia, which was aligned with the Union, enacted legislation that fundamentally restructured Wheeling's municipal government by creating a two-branch city council system. This act marked a significant evolution in Wheeling's governance structure, which had been originally established by the city's incorporation act of March 11, 1836. The new law created a First Branch and Second Branch, establishing a bicameral legislative body for city governance. The First Branch consisted of two members from each ward, elected by qualified voters, with staggered two-year terms. Members had to be state citizens with at least three years of city residency and ward residency requirements. The Second Branch retained its existing structure from the 1836 incorporation act. The mayor presided over the First Branch, while the Second Branch elected its own president who could serve as acting mayor during vacancies or absences. Notably, the act established that all financial appropriations must originate in the Second Branch, though the First Branch could propose amendments. This bicameral structure required both branches' consent for taxes, appropriations, contracts, and ordinances, creating a system of checks and balances in municipal governance. The act took effect immediately upon passage.
To learn more: West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture, and History (https://shorturl.at/TPJTA) (https://shorturl.at/hKHw4)
Photo credit: Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling WV
RSS Feed
