Chambers of commerce and industry are common to most industrialized countries operating under free enterprise or mixed systems. Such organizations typically find it necessary to have some form of national affiliation in order to present a consistent face to central governments.
The name chamber of commerce is applied to slightly different types of organizations in different countries. In the UK and Belgium, for example, they are voluntary associations whose members provide financial resources through subscriptions. In other countries of the European Union and in some Latin American countries, these are bodies whose functions, membership, financial resources, and organization are determined by law. In such circumstances, chambers of commerce and industry often take on responsibilities that are normally performed by local or central government elsewhere.
The name chambre de commerce was first used for a temporary commission established in Paris in 1601 to study industrial and commercial problems. The Marseille Chamber was founded in 1599 by that city and received a patent for letters in 1650; it was the first chamber in the sense in which the term is used today. A decree of Louis XIV ordered the creation of chambers to appoint deputies to the royal council of commerce in Paris. Thus, some of these organizations were founded during the 18th century, mainly in ports. The chambers were abolished during the French Revolution in 1791 and reestablished by Napoleon in 1804. Subsequent legislation redefined their functions, tasks, and constitution; the 1858 law still provides the basic framework, placing France’s chambers of commerce under close government supervision. The functions of these chambers are many; they typically include representing members’ interests before local and national authorities, issuing certificates of origin, appointing members to advisory committees, providing advice on import duties and commercial legislation, establishing training schools, and organizing exhibitions, public works, and managing ports or airports.
The first British chamber of commerce was founded in Jersey in 1768; as the territory closest to France, it naturally adopted the French title. This was followed by Glasgow and Belfast (1783); Edinburgh and Leeds (1785); Manchester (1794); Birmingham (1813); and Liverpool (1850). The Great Exhibition (1851) spurred the formation of 13 in that decade. Junior chambers of commerce (for entrepreneurs aged 21 to 40) were introduced in 1925; by the end of the 20th century, there were more than a hundred.
The oldest chamber of commerce in the United States is the New York State Chamber, formed in 1768, when New York was still a British colony. The first city chamber was established in 1773 in Charleston, South Carolina. The United States Chamber of Commerce, “a national federation working for good citizenship, good government, and good business,” was founded in 1912. At the end of the 20th century, its membership included more than 40,000 business members and more than 4,000 member organizations, including trade and professional associations and local, state, and regional chambers of commerce. More than 5,000,000 individuals and firms are core members of the National Chamber of Commerce. Its various departments have provided information and advice on all contentious issues between business and government, including regulations, costs, tariffs, taxes, and labor-management relations. Its monthly magazine, Nation’s Business, had a large circulation, as did its research publications, committee reports, special bulletins, and an annual booklet on the policies it advocated.