The Minnesota Territorial Legislature was a

bicameral Bicameralism is a type of legislature that is divided into two separate Deliberative assembly, assemblies, chambers, or houses, known as a bicameral legislature. Bicameralism is distinguished from unicameralism, in which all members deliberate ...

legislative body created by the

United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature, legislative branch of the federal government of the United States. It is a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, including a Lower house, lower body, the United States House of Representatives, ...

in 1849 as the legislative branch of the government of the Territory of Minnesota. The upper chamber, the Council, and the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, first convened on September 3, 1849. The two chambers served as the territory's legislative body until

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

was admitted as a state on May 11, 1858, when the Territorial Legislature was replaced by the Minnesota Legislature. Eight annual sessions were held between 1849 and 1857, though no session was held in 1850. The 1st Territorial Legislature convened in September and adjourned in November; all other sessions of the body convened in January and adjourned in March. Throughout the era, St. Paul was consistently the territorial capital, wherein the Territorial Legislature held its sessions. The Organic Act which created the Territory of Minnesota established that the Territorial Council would have a minimum of nine members, while the House of Representatives would have a minimum of eighteen members; the act also permitted the Territorial Legislature to provide for the election of up to a maximum of fifteen councillors and thirty-nine representatives. The 1st-6th Territorial Legislatures consisted of the minimum number in both houses, while the 7th and 8th consisted of fifteen councillors and thirty-eight representatives.

Background

The first time the area presently known as

was entirely unified within a single polity was in 1834, when all lands acquired in the

Louisiana Purchase The Louisiana Purchase () was the acquisition of the Louisiana (New France), territory of Louisiana by the United States from the French First Republic in 1803. This consisted of most of the land in the Mississippi River#Watershed, Mississipp ...

which were east of the

Missouri River The Missouri River is a river in the Central United States, Central and Mountain states, Mountain West regions of the United States. The nation's longest, it rises in the eastern Centennial Mountains of the Bitterroot Range of the Rocky Moun ...

and then remained unallocated, were transferred to the jurisdiction of the Territory of Michigan. In 1836, the lands which are now part of Minnesota were transferred to the Territory of Wisconsin, as

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

prepared for the admission of

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

as a state, but the Territory of Wisconsin—and the lands of present-day Minnesota—were once again divided at the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

when Congress created the Territory of Iowa in 1838. When

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

was admitted as a state in 1846, all parts of the Territory of Iowa which were not included in the State of Iowa were left unceded, as were the portions of the Territory of Wisconsin which fell west of the St. Croix River and St. Louis Bay, when

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

was admitted in 1848. In 1849, Congress finally organized a reunified polity for these unceded lands in the form of the Territory of Minnesota, which, in addition to the current territory of the State of Minnesota, also included the portions of the present-day states of

North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...

and

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state, state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Dakota people, Dakota Sioux ...

which were east of the Missouri River. When Congress created the Territory of Minnesota, it provided for a very typical territorial government. The executive branch would consist of a Territorial Governor, Territorial Secretary, and Territorial Attorney appointed by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, the judicial branch would consist of a

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

appointed by the President and district courts organized according to territorial law, and a bicameral Territorial Legislature, consisting of a Council and a House of Representatives. On June 1, 1849, Alexander Ramsey took office as the first Governor of the Territory of Minnesota, and on September 3, 1849, the 1st Territorial Legislature convened.

Structure

Like its successor, the Minnesota Legislature, the Minnesota Territorial Legislature was

. The upper chamber, the Council, consisted of nine councillors in the 1st through 6th Territorial Legislatures, and fifteen councillors in the 5th and 8th, while the lower chamber, the House of Representatives, consisted of eighteen members in the 1st through 6th Territorial Legislatures, and thirty-eight in the 7th and 8th. The members of the Council were elected to two-year terms, while the members of the House of Representatives were elected to one-year terms.

Leaders

Presidents of the Council

Speakers of the House of Representatives

Sessions

* 1st Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1849) * 2nd Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1851) * 3rd Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1852) * 4th Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1853) * 5th Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1854) * 6th Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1855) * 7th Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1856) * 8th Minnesota Territorial Legislature (1857)

References

{{Authority control 1849 establishments in Minnesota Territory 1857 disestablishments in Minnesota Territory Minnesota Territory Former territorial legislatures of the United States Minnesota legislative sessions Minnesota Territory