"Tem servido na governança, e tem todas as qualidades para continuar": perfil social de oficiais da Câmara de Porto Alegre (1767-1828)^*

Abstract

The article examines the social profile of officers in the Municipal Council of Porto Alegre between the years 1767 and 1828, comparing it to the same profile in institutions of other towns and cities. It is noticeable the increasing participation of businessmen in the various councils from North to South in Portuguese America during the eighteenth century. The paper analyzes social recruitment practices that allowed the reproduction of the same profile of councilor from the colonial period to the independent Brazil. Comparison with other towns helps to distinguish the local peculiarities from the characteristics of the institution within the Portuguese monarchy.

Municipal Council; elite; "homem bons" ("good men"); local power; aldermen.