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During the First and Second World Wars, the City of Hamilton and its various departments contributed to the military operations by purchasing Victory Bonds, which helped the Canadian government finance the war efforts without having to raise taxes on citizens. The City of Hamilton also kept records of casualties, both killed and wounded, as well as created Honour Rolls for those who made the ultimate sacrifice. The city also kept insurance records of soldiers who had purchased insurance policies on behalf of their dependents in case of death overseas. Realizing that many soldiers could not afford this luxury, the city made an effort to financially insure the lives of the local enlisted men with the help of insurance companies and money from the city departments. City Council created the Soldiers Benefit Fund Committee to administer the money and determine who was eligible to receive assistance. By 1920, 551 residents were receiving payments to lessen the hardships faced by the dependents of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

In 1909, the electors of Hamilton, following the example of many other Canadian cities which during the proceeding 20 years had adopted new government structures, approved By-law 860 by a vote of 2,786 to 1,213 thereby providing for the establishment of a Board of Control under the Ontario Consolidated Municipal Act, 1905. The new Board was formed under By-laws 899 and 900. The organization of such municipal bodies was part of the reformist zeal of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, which saw businessmen campaign to restructure local government along more efficient eand orderly lines, imitating the modern business corporation. In part, their goal was to end civic corruption and favoritism and to reduce the influence of aldermen and the ward system, as well as to govern the city paying special attention to the needs of business.

Previously, mayors such as John S. Hendrie (1901-1902) had appealed to voters on a "business platform," promising better municipal management, and under their stewardship several civic bodies of "experts" had been organized including the Hospital Board (1896), the Board of Cemetery Management (1899), and the Board of Parks Management (1900). The new Board of Control served as the executive committee of Council; indeed, its creation was a move to strengthen the executive branch without sacrificing "the democratic form of an elected body." It was composed of four members, elected at large every two years, and the Mayor who served as Chairman of the Board. The Controller receiving the largest number of votes acted as Deputy Mayor and Vice Chairman of the Board.

In the early 1930s, a suggestion was put forth by Mayor John Peebles "to promote the better business administration of the city" by appointing a chief administrative officer. Such an appointment, it was believed, would foster greater co-operation and coordination between the branches of civic government, thereby encouraging continuity in the development of city policy and eliminating the duplication of effort arising from divided authority. The chief administrative officer would be in charge of personnel and would act as a single, informed source whom Council could consult. Peebles' proposal was examined by Council but was not acted upon. For the next fifty years the question of employing a chief administrative officer was raised periodically, but the position was not established. More particularly, the idea was revived during the mayoralty of Victor Copps (1963-1976), who urged the adoption of a "manager type of government" to free the Board of Control from spending its time on administrative details, thus allowing it to concentrate on formulating and enforcing policy. In 1980, Hamilton appointed a chief administrative officer and the Board of Control was abolished.

A city solicitor was appointed in 1847 by Hamilton City Council to provide advice concerning legal and legislative matters and to promote and defend the interests of the corporation. At first, payment was covered by fees for individual services rendered, and the solicitor sent in detailed accounts payable for Council's approval. In 1891, under By-law 583 the solicitorship was made a strictly salaried position with compensation allowed for disbursements and traveling expenses. After 1895, Council made an annual payment towards the salaries of legal clerks and assistants and to cover office expenses incurred on the City's behalf. During these years the duties of the solicitor, which previously had been determined by need on an ad hoc basis, were systematically laid out.

Until 1902, the city solicitorship was not a full-time position, and the solicitor continued to maintain a private legal practice while conducting the city's business. At that time, recognizing that the growing volume of civic legal business necessitated a full-time solicitor, a separate legal department was established with offices at City Hall. The earlier policy had led to potential conflicts of interest. In 1869, Council demanded that the city solicitor choose between representing the city or the Wellington, Gray, and Bruce Railway in which the city held an interest, maintaining that "the two offices are incompatible and ought not to be held by the same person." In 1872, while preparing the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway By-law, the Finance Committee discovered that the city solicitor also had been retained by the Provisional Directors of the Railway. It recommended that the city dispense with the solicitor's services, but Council reserved judgment. The matter finally was settled when the solicitor resigned. As with other branches of civic government, the growth of Hamilton in both size and complexity promoted the expansion of the solicitor's department. In 1920, an assistant city solicitor was appointed. Staff lawyers, often specialists in specific areas of law, were added to the legal department. By 1973, six lawyers and one law student staffed the department, and its appropriations totaled $344,310. The following individuals served as city solicitor: George W. Burton, 1847-1872; Frank Mackelcan, 1872-1906; John Morison Gibson, 1872-1894; F. R. Waddell, 1906-1931; A.J. Poulson, 1931-1957; Alan S. Stewart, 1957-1959; A. Foster Rodger, 1959-1965; Clifford R. Demaray, 1965-1967; Kenneth A. Rouff, 1967-1989; and Patrice Noe Johnson, 1990-[?].

Under Hamilton's Act of Incorporation City Council could appoint a non-councillor to serve as City Clerk. His duties, many of which were first established by practice and precedent, were set out in Statutes and municipal by-laws. The Clerk, with the authority to summon committee meetings and to convene Council meetings when required by a competent authority, attended all Council meetings, recording the proceedings "without note or comment." He was the custodian of city documents, keeping Council's books, records, and accounts, the original or certified copies of by-laws, and the City Seal, attending to Council's correspondence, and storing all deeds, securities, leases, and other valuable papers belonging to the city in his office safe; these records were not to leave his possession without the permission of the Mayor or the Chairman of the Finance Committee.

In 1861, the Clerk was given permission to employ help as needed on a temporary basis, and it was not until 1884 that Samuel H. Kent was appointed as permanent Assistant City Clerk, serving also as Assistant Secretary to the school Board and deputizing for the City Clerk as Police Court Clerk. In 1886, a general duties clerk was added to the department. Nonetheless, in 1891, City Clerk Thomas Beasley complained to Council that the growth of the city, the result of a major annexation occurring earlier in the year, had led to a great increase in the work of the department; consequently, finding his work backing up, he had been forced to hire help out of his own pocket. By 1925, the department had expanded to consist of the City Clerk, 2 Assistants, and 10 clerks. By 1973, office staff stood at over 40 with departmental appropriations set at $496,840. Under the super vision of the Ontario Government, increasing emphasis was placed on professionalization; after 1958, for example, the City Clerk was required to have university training in public administration. Originally the Clerk was paid a salary and could keep the fees he collected but in 1850 this was changed to a larger salary in lieu of fees.

Clearly, because of the multiplicity and important nature of his functions, a competent, experienced City Clerk was essential to the smooth and efficient operation of municipal government. Thus, it is unsurprising that between its incorporation as a city and the introduction of regional government in 1973, Hamilton had only 6 City Clerks, with 3 Clerks overseeing operations between 1854 and 1964. Continuity and stability in terms of senior personnel was the hallmark of the department, with new Clerks often chosen internally after serving a long apprenticeship. For example, Samuel H. Kent (1906-1935) had joined the Clerk's office in 1884. Such continuity, moreover, led to a close and personal identification on the part of City Clerks with local government and its fortunes. For example, Thomas Beasley (1854-1906) rescued the City from bankruptcy during the financial crisis of 1863 by hiding assessment rolls from the sheriff and then leaving town. The following individuals served as City Clerk: Charles H. Stocker, 1847-1852; John Kirby, 1852-1854; Thomas Beasley, 1854-1906; Samuel H. Kent, 1906-1933; James Berry, 1933-1964; Edward A. Simpson, 1964-1996; and Joseph J. Schatz, 1996-[?]

The Act of Incorporation of Hamilton required that the affairs of the city be managed by a Mayor and a Municipal or "Common Council", replacing the previous government by the Board of Police. The Mayor and Councillors composed City Council. Two Councillors were elected in each of the five municipal wards established by the Act, and together they named one other person to serve with them on Council. From among their number the Councillors chose the Mayor, who held office for a one year term. The system, at times, could cause problems as in 1854 when all the Councillors successively were nominated for mayor and were defeated. Minors and non-citizens were ineligible to run for office, and property qualifications were established. The Mayor was paid a salary in lieu of fees and prerogatives.

In April 1872, in the midst of a period of labour agitation, a Special Committee reported to Council on the method by which the Mayor was elected. Its report concluded that the present system was objectionable on several grounds: first, electors wanted to select the Mayor themselves; second, the election of the Mayor by councillors deprived one ward of an elected alderman; third, it implied that each alderman was suitable for the office of Mayor when the electors had voted for him as an alderman, not as Mayor; and fourth, the position "would be elevated in dignity and independence and the interests of the Electors would be advanced by his being elected by the people at large." In 1874, Benjamin Charlton became the first Mayor of Hamilton elected by a civic vote. Individual Mayors could leave their impact on both the office and the city. For example, Charles Magill (1854-55) championed the construction of the waterworks. T.J. Stewart (1907-08) was a vocal advocate of the municipal ownership of utilities. Lloyd D. Jackson (1949-62) promoted urban renewal in the city. The inaugural addresses which the Mayors presented to Council from 1898 until 1973, included in Council minutes, reflected their concerns and plans for the municipality and outlined the accomplishments of previous Councils.

Charles Schriber Cochran, son of William Cochran and Mary Rupert, was born in Paris, West Canada in 1854. He married Cicely Eliza Springer and had two sons. In 1886, he and his family moved to Hamilton, where Cochran opened a photography studio in June of 1886 at 124 King Street East. By the mid-1890's his was one of the most prominent studios in the area, winning awards at conventions of the Photographic Association of Canada, and receiving honours at the Jamaica Convention (1891) and the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago (1893), also known as the Chicago World's Fair. Around 1899, Cochran was commissioned by W.H. Carre of Montreal to take photographs of the city for Artwork of Hamilton (1899). In 1902, he sold his studio to A.M. Cunningham (Alexander McKenzie Cunningham), who had previously been in his employ. Conchran remaining in Hamilton until 1904 before moving to the United States. He eventually settled in California, where he resided until his death in 1933.

The Fernleigh Lawn Bowling Club had it start as a group of carpet bowlers from the Hannah Street Methodist Church looking for a place to bowl outside. After first bowling on the property of club president A. W. Semmens in 1904, the club later moved to a location on Aberdeen and Mountain in 1908. Eventually, due to rising cost of land, the club found its permanent residence at 17 1/2 Fairmount ave. It remained at that location until the club’s dissolvement in 1997. The land used by the club and subsequently rezoned by the city for residential use. The club takes its name from A. W. Semmens designation for his homestead, the club’s original home.

The First Battalion Incorporated Militia was established in 1838 to protect the Hamilton area (formerly known as Head-of-the-Lake), and the surrounding region from any possible uprisings or raids stemming from the Rebellions of 1837-1838. The British army couldn’t continue to provide protection for a growing colony, and part-time militias were often ill-prepared to cope with the issues of the time. The region of Hamilton was seen as a strategic point of defense for Upper Canada due to its location, so a decision was made to create a force for regular service. On October 24, 1838, the Lieutenant Governor signed the order to raise a battalion in Hamilton and in November of 1838 it was formed and commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Sir Allan Napier MacNab (1798-1862), a veteran of the War of 1812, with Colonel William Gourlay (1794-1867), a former British officer, as second in command.

Unlike earlier militias where the men wore their own clothes and provided their own musket, the First Battalion Incorporated Militia soldiers wore the uniform of the British Army and were provided with military-issued weapons. Non-commissioned officers were required to be able to read and write, as they would be the mainstay of the unit, ensuring that the enlisted men behaved and practiced their drill instruction. Unfortunately, records indicate that desertion, drunkenness and disorderly conduct were sometimes the reality for the battalion. The 300 men that enlisted by the end of the first year of the battalion’s existence received the same pay as the British soldiers, which was one shilling a day for a regular private, minus the expenditures for their personal kits. The battalion was headquartered in Hamilton with a daily town guard of one officer and twelve men, but often sent companies of men to places such as Fort Eire, Cobourg and Penetanguishene. While stationed in Hamilton, the men engaged in daily drills and chores, and patrolled the area. After five years of service, monotonous barracks life, and with no action from any rebellions or uprisings, the regiment was disbanded in 1843.

The Funeral Advisory Society of Hamilton & District (FASHD) was founded in 1971 under the name, Hamilton Memorial Society. It was founded by Callie Archer, after reading an article about the cost of funerals in Ontario. The aim of the organization was to advocate for simple, affordable funeral and memorial services consumers. In 1984, the name was changed to Funeral Advisory Society of Hamilton & District to better reflect their advocacy goals and membership demographics. In 2012, the Ontario government introduced new legislation with regards to consumer rights for funeral services. Considering the new legislation, the board of directors voted to voluntarily dissolve the organization as the goals they lobbied for were reached with the new legislation.

Grafton & Co. Ltd. was a clothing manufacturer located in Dundas. It was established in May 1853 when James Beatty Grafton and his business partner, Andrew V. Gregson, established Gregson & Grafton, a small dry goods and millinery shop on the corner of King and Ogilvie in Dundas. In 1858, Mr. Gregson retired from the business and the Grafton/Gregson partnership was dissolved. Later the same year, James and his brother, John Stewart Grafton, formed a partnership, and the company of Grafton & Co. Ltd. was born a year later when James’ son, James J., joined the company. The company prospered commercially in the 1800s. Grafton brothers purchased the adjacent property in 1887 and they built the three-storey brick building on the corner of King and Main streets in Dundas. By 1900, Grafton and Company had expanded to further locations in Hamilton, Brantford, London, Peterborough and Owen Sound, with a sixth location opening in Woodstock in 1905. The company always had the most modern equipment to handle clothing products from manufacturing to shipping to retail. By 1967, Grafton and Company had merged with the Jack Fraser Stores, which provided the company with 85 store locations across Canada. But business at the Dundas Grafton's store declined and, by 1976, had ceased business.