Chennai has the second oldest Corporation in the world

In 2011, the jurisdiction of the Chennai Corporation was expanded dividing into three regions — North, South and Central, which covers 200 wards. The first Mayor was American-born Englishman — Nathaniel Higginson. From then on, the Corporation has had a continuous existence. The office of the Mayor was abolished in 1801 and then revived in the form of a non-executive president in 1919, with Sir Pitty Thyagaraya Chetty becoming the first incumbent. 

The Municipal administration properly commenced from the Parliamentary Act, 1792 making provision for the good order and administration of the city. The Municipal Act has been amended introducing from time to time major changes in the constitution and powers of the Corporation.