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Dictionary:

alderman

  (ôl'dər-mən) pronunciation
n. (Abbr. Ald.)
  1. A member of the municipal legislative body in a town or city in many jurisdictions.
  2. A member of the higher branch of the municipal or borough council in England and Ireland before 1974.
    1. A noble of high rank or authority in Anglo-Saxon England.
    2. The chief officer of a shire in Anglo-Saxon England.

[Middle English, a person of high rank, from Old English ealdorman : ealdor, elder, chief (from eald, old) + man, man; see man.]

aldermancy al'der·man·cy (-sē) n.
aldermanic al'der·man'ic (-măn'ĭk) adj.
 
 
Political Dictionary: alderman

An alderman was an indirectly elected member of county and county borough councils in England and Wales prior to the 1972 Local Government Act. The aldermen, who were elected by councillors generally from among their own number, composed a third of the council, and served for six years, one half seeking re-election every three years. Abolition resulted from the conflict with the principle of direct election in local government, as well as the unscrupulous use of their majority by dominant party groups in aldermanic elections.

The term is also used to denote elected local council representatives in US cities, especially in the Northeast.

— Jonathan Bradbury

 
Law Encyclopedia: Alderman or Alderwoman
This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A public officer of a town or city council or a local legislative body who is elected to the position by the persons he or she represents.

 
Politics: alderman
(awl-duhr-muhn)

A member of a city council. Aldermen usually represent city districts, called wards, and work with the mayor to run the city government. Jockeying among aldermen for political influence is often associated with machine politics.

 
Devil's Dictionary: alderman
A cynical view of the world by Ambrose Bierce


n.

An ingenious criminal who covers his secret thieving with a pretence of open marauding.

 
Wikipedia: alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions. The title is derived from the Anglo-Saxon position of ealdorman, literally meaning "elder man," and was used by the chief nobles presiding over shires.

United Kingdom

Although the term originated in England, it had no clear definition there until the 19th century, as each municipal corporation had its own constitution. It was used in England, Wales and Ireland, but was not used in Scotland. Under the Municipal Reform Act 1835, municipal borough corporations consisted of councillors and aldermen. Aldermen would be elected not by the electorate, but by the council (including the outgoing aldermen), for a term of six years, which allowed a party that narrowly lost an election to retain control by choosing aldermen. This was altered in 1910 not to allow outgoing aldermen to vote. Aldermen were finally abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974, surviving a few years later in Greater London. County councils also elected Aldermen, but not rural district and urban district councils.

Councils can still create honorary aldermen, often a reward for long service. This award is used much more often in Northern Ireland than in England or Wales. Northern Ireland councils may additionally designate a quarter of their councillors as aldermen.

In the Corporation of London, aldermen are elected for each ward, by the regular electorate, and until recently for life. To be a candidate to be Lord Mayor of London, it is necessary to be an alderman and to have been a sheriff.

In Scotland, the office of "baillie" bore some similarities.

Women can be alderman e.g Eileen Bosomworth

Republic of Ireland

In the Republic of Ireland the title was used by the first person elected in a multi-seat local government ward. The Local Government Act of 2001 abolished the title as part of a modernisation of local government, and as such none of the Councillors elected in the local elections of 2004 hold the title Alderman.

Canada

Historically, the term "alderman" was used for those persons elected to a municipal council to represent the wards. As women were increasingly elected to municipal office, the term "councillor" slowly replaced "alderman", although there was some use of the term "alderperson". Today, the title of "alderman" is rarely used, except in some cities in Alberta and Ontario as well as some smaller municipalities elsewhere in the country that retain the title for historic reasons.

United States

"Alderman" is the term given to heads of city councils in many jurisdictions in the United States.

See also

References


This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

 
Translations: Alderman

Dansk (Danish)
n. - oldermand

Nederlands (Dutch)
wethouder

Français (French)
n. - conseiller municipal, magistrat municipal, (Hist) échevin

Deutsch (German)
n. - Dezernent, Amtsleiter, Stadtrat

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - δημοτικός σύμβουλος

Italiano (Italian)
consigliere, assessore comunale

Português (Portuguese)
n. - vereador (m), conselheiro (m) municipal

idioms:

  • Mayor and Aldermen    Prefeito (m) e Vereadores

Русский (Russian)
член совета муниципалитета

idioms:

  • Mayor and Aldermen    мэр и члены городского совета

Español (Spanish)
n. - concejal

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ålderman

中文（简体） (Chinese (Simplified))
市议员, 市府参事

中文（繁體） (Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 市議員, 市府參事

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 시의원, 시 참사회원, 부시장

日本語 (Japanese)
n. - 市会議員, 参事会員

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) نائب ألملك, عضو مجلس تشريعي‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮חבר מועצת העירייה‬

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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Political Dictionary. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics. Copyright © 1996, 2003 by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.  Read more
Law Encyclopedia. West's Encyclopedia of American Law. Copyright © 1998 by The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.  Read more
Politics. The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Edited by E.D. Hirsch, Jr., Joseph F. Kett, and James Trefil. Copyright © 2002 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.  Read more
Devil's Dictionary. Devil's Dictionary by Ambrose Bierce, 1911  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Alderman".  Read more
Translations. Copyright © 2007, WizCom Technologies Ltd. All rights reserved.  Read more

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