History of Philadelphia City Treasurer

(Source: City Archives)   1776-1853: This office was rather vaguely defined prior to the Revolution. Various Acts provided that its holder be appointed by the officers of the Corporation and by the City Assessors and Commissioners; this normally resulted in the Mayor or an alderman serving as Treasurer for greatly varying periods of time. While the Corporation was in suspension from 1776 to 1789 the County Treasurer served also as the City Treasurer. The Act of reincorporation of the latter date directed that the City Treasurer be appointed by City Councils for a term of one year. In 1807 there was added to his normal duties the supervision of the then-established Sinking Fund. 1854-1950: At the consolidation of the City and County in 1854 the office was made directly elective for a term of two years (increased to three years in 1873 and to four in 1909) and was given the powers and duties of the abolished County Treasurer. In 1857 the supervision of the Sinking Fund was assigned to a board of Commissioners of the Sinking Fund. From 1854 to 1865 the Treasurer also sat as a member of the Board of Revision of Taxes, and in 1869 was designated Treasurer of the Board of City Trusts although he had performed similar functions earlier. The State Constitution of 1874 officially termed the Treasurer a County officer but left the organization of his office unchanged, as did the Bullitt Bill of 1885 and the City Charter of 1919. 1951-Present: The City Charter of 1951 recommended that the elective status of the Treasurer be changed to an appointive one. Acting upon the recommendations of the Advisory Consolidation Commission, Council passed an ordinance, approved on 16 October 1953, which directed the Treasurer to be appointed by the Director of Finance, with the approval of the Mayor