The Office of the City Clerk is one of the oldest offices in New York City government with beginnings traceable to the inception of the Town of New Amsterdam. Historically the City Clerk has played a dual role as the Clerk of the City Council and the Clerk of the Municipal Corporation known as the City of New York organized under the Laws of the State of New York. Aside from these functions, the City Clerk maintains two separate and important bureaus under its jurisdiction: the Lobbying Bureau and the Marriage Bureau.