Definition
The plural of alderman. Collectively, aldermen are the elected or appointed members of a municipal legislative body — typically a city council or board of aldermen — who exercise local governmental authority over a city or town. In American municipal law, the body of aldermen constitutes the legislative branch of city government, responsible for enacting ordinances, setting local policy, and in many jurisdictions exercising quasi-judicial functions. Where a bicameral city council exists, aldermen may form one of two distinct chambers.
Why It Matters in Research
Historical legal sources treat "aldermen" almost exclusively in the context of American municipal incorporation law, and researchers should be alert to the following navigational points:
First, the term's practical meaning shifts significantly depending on the charter under which a city operates. Older city charters — particularly those from the nineteenth century — frequently established a Board of Aldermen as a distinct body separate from a Common Council, creating a bicameral municipal legislature. Rapalje & Lawrence's note that "sometimes there are two separate bodies composing the city council" reflects exactly this arrangement. By the twentieth century, most American cities moved toward unicameral councils, and the title "alderman" gave way in many jurisdictions to "councilman" or "council member." Research into a specific city's legislative history requires identifying which charter model governed at the relevant time.
Second, aldermen in early American and English law held quasi-judicial powers that are now largely abolished or transferred to specialized tribunals. English aldermen historically presided over local courts, and this function appears in older treatises and English legal dictionaries. American usage stripped most of this judicial character, but the residue occasionally appears in nineteenth-century case law and charter provisions.
Third, the term carries a gendered history that affects modern usage. "Alderman" was assumed masculine; the gender-neutral "alderwoman" and "alderperson" are modern coinages, and some jurisdictions have replaced the title entirely with "council member." When researching modern municipal materials, do not assume that absence of "alderman" terminology means the office itself has been abolished — it may simply have been renamed.
Fourth, this entry is best used as a cross-reference anchor. The operative research content lives under the singular ALDERMAN entry, where the office's legal character, powers, and historical evolution are treated in full.
Historical Dictionary Support
Rapalje & Lawrence define aldermen as "[t]he legislative body of a city," with the observation that some cities divide their council into two separate bodies. This is accurate for the period the dictionary addressed (late nineteenth century) but is notably compressed. The definition captures the core American meaning but omits the English common-law heritage of the aldermanic office, which carried both legislative and judicial functions, and which informed how early American courts interpreted aldermanic authority under colonial and early state charters. Researchers relying solely on Rapalje & Lawrence for historical analysis should supplement with English legal dictionaries — particularly those addressing the borough and municipal corporation tradition — where the aldermanic office is treated with considerably more depth.
Jurisdictional Note
The title "alderman" remains in active use in some American cities (notably Chicago and St. Louis) but has been replaced by "council member" or equivalent in many others. In England and Wales, the office of alderman was abolished for most purposes by the Local Government Act 1972. Research crossing Anglo-American jurisdictional lines requires careful attention to which legal tradition governs the source.