The 1st Minnesota Legislature first convened on December 2, 1857. The 37 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 80 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of October 13, 1857. Although the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, which had been adopted by the voters at the 1857 general election, was not ratified by the United States Senate until May 11, 1858, this was the first legislature of the State of Minnesota to convene in conformity with the state constitution.
| First Minnesota Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Minnesota Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | Minnesota, United States | ||||
| Term | December 2, 1857 – December 7, 1859 | ||||
| Website | www | ||||
| Minnesota State Senate | |||||
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| Members | 37 State Senators | ||||
| Lieutenant Governor | William Holcombe | ||||
| President | Richard G. Murphy | ||||
| Party control | Democratic Party | ||||
| Minnesota House of Representatives | |||||
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| Members | 80 State Representatives | ||||
| Speaker | John S. Watrous, George Bradley | ||||
| Party control | Democratic Party | ||||
Sessions
editThe legislature met in a regular session from December 2, 1857 to August 12, 1858, with a recess between March 25, 1858 and June 2, 1858. There were no special sessions; however, the regular session continued for 254 days, which still ranks the longest duration of any Minnesota Legislature. Due to the protracted length of the 1857-58 session, it was determined that an 1858-59 meeting of the legislature was unnecessary, and the 2nd Minnesota Legislature did not convene until December 1859.[1]
Party summary
edit- Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Membership changes" section, below.
Senate
edit| Party[2] (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | Vacant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Independent | Republican | Unknown | |||
| End of previous Legislature | 6 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
| Begin | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 54% | 0% | 46% | 0% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 13 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
House of Representatives
edit| Party[2] (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | |||
| End of previous Legislature | 19 | 20 | 39 | 0 |
| Begin | 43 | 37 | 80 | 0 |
| January 12, 1858 | 44 | 36 | ||
| Latest voting share | 55% | 45% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 22 | 58 | 80 | 0 |
Leadership
editSenate
edit- Lieutenant Governor[nb 1]
- Since June 3, 1858 William Holcombe (D-Stillwater)[4]
- President of the Senate[nb 1]
- Until June 3, 1858 Richard G. Murphy (D-Shakopee)[4]
House of Representatives
edit- Speaker of the House
- Until March 12, 1858 John S. Watrous (D-Clifton)[5][nb 2]
- Since March 12, 1858 George Bradley (D-Belle Plaine)[5][nb 3]
- Speaker Pro Tempore[nb 4]
- December 22, 1857 to March 12, 1858 George Bradley (D-Belle Plaine)[8][nb 3]
Members
editSenate
editHouse of Representatives
editMembership changes
editHouse of Representatives
edit| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | William N. Dunham (R) |
Although Dunham was initially seated, the seat was contested by Kingsley on the grounds of issues regarding the validity of votes cast in a single precinct. On January 12, 1858 the House determined that Kingsley was entitled to the seat.[10] | George B. Kingsley (D) |
January 12, 1858[11] |
Notes
edit- ^ a b William Holcombe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Minnesota, did not assume office until June 3, 1858. Until that date, Richard G. Murphy served as the President of the Minnesota Senate.[3]
- ^ a b John S. Watrous' profile in Minnesota Legislators Past & Present lists his party affiliation as "Not Available,"[6] while the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library's official list of speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives lists "R?"[5] The latter can be presumed to be an educated guess made on the assumption that the Minnesota Legislature was Republican- and Conservative-dominated roughly from statehood until the 1930s; however, the Democrats held substantive majorities in both houses during the 1st Legislature,[2] which fact would tend to indicate that Watrous was more likely a Democrat. Watrous was also given a civil service appointment by the Buchanan Administration[6] at the height of the patronage era—he would not have likely been appointed to such a post if he were not a Democrat. Additionally, Watrous was elected from a district which elected a Democrat to the State Senate, at a time when votes were most often cast by straight ticket in Minnesota, and his election as Speaker appears to have been a party-line vote, in which he was supported by Democrats while the Republicans voted for James Beach Wakefield.[7]
- ^ a b c George Bradley's profile in Minnesota Legislators Past & Present lists his party affiliation as "Not Available,"[8] while the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library's official list of speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives lists "R?"[5] The latter can be presumed to be an educated guess made on the assumption that the Minnesota Legislature was Republican- and Conservative-dominated roughly from statehood until the 1930s; however, the Democrats held substantive majorities in both houses during the 1st Legislature,[2] which fact would tend to indicate that Bradley was more likely a Democrat. Bradley was also given a civil service appointment by the Buchanan Administration[8] at the height of the patronage era—he would not have likely been appointed to such a post if he were not a Democrat. Additionally, Bradley tended to vote with the Democrats on party-line votes.[7]
- ^ John S. Watrous was initially elected Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, but on December 22, 1857 took a leave of absence in order to attend to private business.[9] On the same day, George Bradley was named Speaker Pro Tempore and began to serve in Watrous' stead.[8] However, Watrous' absence endured far longer than the House felt was appropriate, and on March 12, 1858 the Speaker's chair was declared vacant and Bradley was elected to serve as Speaker in his own right.[9][8]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Minnesota Legislators Past & Present does not list party affiliation information for Senators Banfill, Carlton, Cowan, Dunwell, Hodges, Hull, Mixer, Moreland, Murphy, Ridpath, Skinner, and Somers. However, the record from the Journal of the Senate During the First Session of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota shows in testimony given in an election challenge that Banfill was on the Democratic ticket. Additionally, the record in the Journal shows Hodges, Ridpath, and Somers voting with the Republicans on party-line votes at a sufficient frequency to warrant a presumption that they were likely Republicans themselves. As it is known that the Senate, in the first legislature, consisted of 20 Democrats and 17 Republicans, it can then be presumed that the remainder of the aforementioned Senators were most likely Democrats.
References
edit- ^ "Sessions of the Minnesota State Legislature and the Minnesota Territorial Legislature, 1849-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d "News, Notes, and Varieties" (PDF). Vermont Phœnix. Brattleboro, Vt. 26 December 1857. p. 2. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ "Murphy, Richard G." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ a b "President and President Pro Tempore of the Minnesota Senate, 1849-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d "Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1849-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Watrous, John S." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Journal of the House of Representatives During the First Session of the Legislature of the State of Minnesota; Begun and Held at St. Paul, on Wednesday, the 2d Day of December, One Thousand Eight Hundred and Fifty-Seven". Earle S. Goodrich, State Printer. Retrieved 20 November 2016.
- ^ a b c d e "Bradley, George "Geo."". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ a b "Watrous, John S." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ "Dunham, William N. "W.M."". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.
- ^ "Kingsley, George B." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 12 November 2016.