Nauvoo City Officers, September 1842–February 1843
The following chart identifies holders of significant
offices in , Illinois, during
the period covered by this volume. The city charter
for Nauvoo, which was enacted in December 1840 and took effect in
February 1841, called for a city council consisting of a mayor, four
aldermen, and nine councilors, each of whom would be elected and serve
for two years. The charter made provision for the city council to add to
the number of aldermen and councilors if necessary. Other city officers
were appointed or elected by the city council. The
first city election was held in February 1841. In October 1841, four additional aldermen and
seven additional councilors were added to the council. On 22 January 1842, city officials created
the office of vice mayor.
When council seats became vacant because of death, resignation, or
appointment to another office, the vacancies were filled by election or
by an appointment made by the city council. On 17 May 1842, resigned as mayor of Nauvoo.
JS was elected to replace him in a 19 May city council
meeting. In that same meeting, was elected as
vice mayor to replace JS, who had been serving in that office, and and were elected as councilors. In accordance with the provisions in
Nauvoo’s charter, the city held a general election for mayor, aldermen,
and city council members in February 1843, during which JS was elected
as mayor.
The charter also
stipulated that “the Mayor and Aldermen shall be conservators of the
peace within the limits of said city, and shall have all the powers of
Justices of the Peace therein.” It granted the mayor “exclusive
jurisdiction in all cases arising under the ordinances of the
corporation.” The mayor’s court was a justice of the peace court and
appeals could be taken “from any decision or judgement of said Mayor or
Aldermen, arising under the city ordinances, to the Municipal Court.”
The charter dictated that “the parties litigant shall have a right to a
trial by a Jury of twelve men, in all cases before the Municipal Court.”
The mayor served as the chief justice of the municipal court, the
aldermen served as associate justices of the same, and the city recorder
served as its clerk. From the municipal court, appeal could be made to
the circuit court of , Illinois.
Three changes took place during the period from 1 September
1842 to 11 February 1843. On 9 September, the City Council
elected as city treasurer in
place of .
Later that month, the city council created the office of notary public
and elected to the position.
During November, the city council appointed , , , and to serve as
assessors and collectors for the four political wards of the city.
In January 1843, the city council passed an ordinance making provisions for each of the city’s four
political wards to elect a fire warden in accordance with the Nauvoo
charter, which had authorized the council to “organize and establish
fire companies.” On 11 February 1843,
after the city election, was
installed to act as the fire warden for the Fourth Ward.
The chart below represents the offices
of city government as
they existed from 1 September 1842 to 11 February 1843 and from 11 to 28
February 1843, as well as the officers holding these offices. The
aldermen and councilors who were elected before 1 September 1842 are
listed in the order in which they most commonly appeared in municipal
records. Individuals who were elected during the period between 1
September 1842 and 28 February 1843 are listed in the order of their
election.
| 1 September 1842–11 February 1843 | 11–28 February 1843 | |
| Mayor and Chief Justice of the Municipal Court | Joseph Smith | Joseph Smith |
| Vice Mayor | ||
| Aldermen and Associate Justices of the Municipal Court | ||
| City Councilors | ||
| City Marshal | ||
| Treasurer | (1–9 Sept.) | |
| (9 Sept. 1842–6 Feb. 1843) | ||
| City Recorder and Clerk of the Municipal Court | ||
| Sexton | ||
| Supervisor of Streets | ||
| Constables | (First Ward) | |
| (Second Ward) | ||
| Lewis Robison | Lewis Robison (Third Ward) | |
| (Fourth Ward) | ||
| City Surveyor | ||
| Weigher and Sealer | ||
| City Assessor and Collector | Lewis Robison | (First Ward) |
| (Second Ward) | ||
| (Third Ward) | ||
| (Fourth Ward) | ||
| City Attorney | ||
| Registrar of Deeds | Joseph Smith | Joseph Smith |
| Coroner | ||
| City Auctioneer | Charles Warner | Charles Warner |
| Notary Public | (beginning 26 Sept. 1842) | |
| Election Judge | ||
| Market Master | ||
| Market Inspector | ||
| Mayor’s Clerk | ||
| Fire Warden | (Fourth Ward) |