Commerce, Department of;
City Representative, Office of the

[Record group 64]
Agency home page.

Agency Function

The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter of 1951 states that the City Representative will also serve as the Director of Commerce.

The City Representative is responsible for publicizing items of interest reflecting the accomplishments of the City and its inhabitants and the growth and development of its commerce and industry. The publicity is necessary to attract commerce, industry, conventions, visitors and new residents to the City. The City Representative is also the ceremonial representative of the City and, especially, of the Mayor and, by direction of the Mayor, attends public, civic and social functions to which the Mayor is customarily invited.

The Director of Commerce is responsible for promoting and developing the City's commerce and industry; encouraging the increased use of the port and airports of Philadelphia and for the management of the City's wharves, docks and harbor and airport facilities.

Administrative Subunits

Division of Aviation
Port Division

Agency History

This department and office were created under the City Charter, adopted in 1951, which designated the City Representative the Director of the Department of Commerce as well as a member of the Mayor's cabinet and of the City Planning Commission. The Representative's functions are to achieve publicity for the City and to represent it at ceremonial functions. The Department was given charge of all City port and airport facilities (transferred from the abolished Department of Wharves, Docks and Ferries and the Bureau of Aeronautics of the Department of Public Works) and directed to promote and develop commerce and industry within the City generally. The Board of Trade and Conventions (superseding the abolished Trustees of the Philadelphia Commercial Museum, Exhibition and Convention Halls) was created a departmental board of the Department of Commerce. During the Green Administration (1980-1983), the position of City Representative and Director of Commerce was split between two individuals. Legally, the City Representative acts as the Director of Commerce, although current practice (1996) assigns the duties of the City Representative to one of the Deputies in the Office, allowing the City Representative to focus upon his job as Director of Commerce.

Archival Records

64.1 City Representative / Commerce Department Annual Report (1953, 1955-1961, 1963-1978, 1983-1984)

64.1a City Representative Annual Report (1984)

64.1b Commerce Department Annual Report (1988)

64.2 Administrative Files (1952-1960, 1964-1966, 1972-1976)

64.3 Public Information Division. Files (1962-1966, 1981)

64.4 Ceremonial Division. Files (1954-1956, 1966-1979)

64.4a City Representative, Ceremonial and Community Relations Office. Annual Reports (1963)

64.5 Industrial Development Division, Firms Assisted. Files (1959-1961)

64.6 Industrial Development Division. Correspondence (1952-1960, 1968)

64.6a Industrial Development Division. Reports (1957-1958)

64.7 Division of Aviation, North Philadelphia Airport. Files (1958-1960)

64.8 City Manual (1953-1984)

64.9 Reports and Publications (1953-1978, 1988)

64.10 Files, Celebration of 175th Anniversary of Adoption of Constitution of United States (1962)

64.11 Manpower Utilization Commission. Files (1970-1971)

64.12 Speeches of the Mayor and City Officials (1962-1969)

64.13 Division of Aviation, North Philadelphia Airport, Master Plan. Map (1953)

64.14 Public Information Division. Photographs (1952-1971, 1974-1975)

64.15 Division of Aviation; Philadelphia International Airport. Annual Reports (1954-1960, 1986, 1988, 1991)

64.16 Division of Aviation. Reports and Publications (1953-1989)

64.16a Division of Aviation / Public Relations Office. Files (1953-1976)

64.17 Deputy Director of Commerce for the Port. Licenses (1952-1968)

64.18 Industrial Development Division. Project Files (1953-1970)

64.19 Business Services Division. Files (1955-1976)

64.20 Office of the City Economist. Reports (1974-1977)

64.21 Penn's Landing Project. Proposals (1973)

64.22 Penn's Landing Project. Report on Negotiation with Selected Developer (1973)

64.23 Bureau of Port Operations. Reports and Publications (1953)

Current Records

Unavailable

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Last updated on November 8, 2000