The town was first incorporated on March 18, 1819, and received its official Charter from the Legislature in 1832. The charter was just a general charter giving the town the rights usually possessed by a municipality of that date. In 1823, the town had two branch banks, the Bank of Louisiana and the State Bank of Louisiana. The newspapers of this period were the Louisiana Planter (1810), The Red River Planter (1813), The Louisiana Rambler (1818), The Louisiana Herald (1820-28), Louisiana Messenger and Alexandria Advertiser (1827) and the Alexandria Gazette (1831).

Since every public record had been destroyed, Louisiana granted the town a new Charter in an Act dated September 29, 1868. In 1882, Alexandria became a city with a Mayor, Justice of the Peace, and Treasurer (who also served as tax collector and secretary to the Board of Aldermen). This Board was composed of nine aldermen from four wards- two from each ward and one at-large.

In 1912, a commission form of government was adopted by the Legislature which provided for the election of a Mayor, who also served as Commissioner of Public Health and Safety, a Commissioner of Streets and Parks and a Commissioner of Finance and Utilities.