1st Minnesota Legislature explained

First Minnesota Legislature
Chamber1 Image:1stMNSenate.svg
Membership1:37 State Senators
Chamber2 Image:1stMNHouse.svg
Membership2:80 State Representatives

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.

Sessions

The 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

Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Membership changes" section, below.

Senate

Party[2]

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

TotalVacant
DemocraticIndependentRepublicanUnknown
End of previous Legislature6054150
Begin200170370
Latest voting share
Beginning of the next Legislature131230370

House of Representatives

Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

TotalVacant
DemocraticRepublican
End of previous Legislature1920390
Begin4337800
January 12, 1858<---Dunham unseated and Kingsley seated--->4436
Latest voting share
Beginning of the next Legislature2258800

Leadership

Senate

Lieutenant Governor
  • Since June 3, 1858 William Holcombe (D-Stillwater)[3]
    President of the Senate
  • Until June 3, 1858 Richard G. Murphy (D-Shakopee)[3]

    House of Representatives

    Speaker of the House
  • Until March 12, 1858 John S. Watrous (D-Clifton)[4]
  • Since March 12, 1858 George Bradley (D-Belle Plaine)[4]
    Speaker Pro Tempore
  • December 22, 1857 to March 12, 1858 George Bradley (D-Belle Plaine)

    Members

    Senate

    NameDistrictCityParty
    Adams, Samuel Emery19MonticelloDemocratic
    Bailly, Henry G.03HastingsDemocratic
    Banfill, John24ManominDemocratic
    Bates, Ersatus N.04MinneapolisRepublican
    Beman, Samuel S.11SaratogaRepublican
    Carlton, Reuben B.26Fond du LacDemocratic
    Cave, Charles S.02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Chase, Jonathan N.23Saint AnthonyRepublican
    Cook, Michael05FaribaultRepublican
    Cowan, Thomas17Traverse des SiouxDemocratic
    Day, James C.10La CrescentDemocratic
    Dunwell, Dennis William Chauncey03West Saint PaulDemocratic
    Folsom, William Henry Carman25Taylors FallsRepublican
    Hall, William Sprigg02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Hodges, Emerson08MarionRepublican
    Hudson, Aaron C.06FlorenceRepublican
    Hull, Samuel09CarimonaDemocratic
    Jones, John R.09ChatfieldDemocratic
    Lindsley, Charles H.08RochesterRepublican
    McKune, Lewis L.15MorristownRepublican
    Mixer, Elijah T.18HendersonDemocratic
    Moreland, Basil16MankatoDemocratic
    Murphy, Richard G.07ShakopeeDemocratic
    Northrup, Anson21Swan RiverDemocratic
    Norton, Daniel Sheldon11WinonaRepublican
    Phelps, Boyd13ElkhornRepublican
    Reiner, Joel K.01StillwaterRepublican
    Richardson, Reuben M.20Sauk RapidsDemocratic
    Ridpath, James12TepeeotaRepublican
    Rolette, Joseph22PembinaDemocratic
    Skinner, George E.05FaribaultDemocratic
    Smith, Delano T.04MinneapolisRepublican
    Somers, Edward W.13AshlandRepublican
    Streeter, Oscar W.10UnknownDemocratic
    Thomas, H. L.01AftonRepublican
    Van Etten, Isaac02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Watson, George14SumnerRepublican

    House of Representatives

    NameDistrictCityParty
    Atkinson, James B.20Forest CityDemocratic
    Bacon, Samuel P.13Le RoyDemocratic
    Balcombe, St. Andre Durand11WinonaRepublican
    Bartlett, Amander H.14Shell RockRepublican
    Bearce, Edwin M.11WinonaRepublican
    Bevans, Henry L.06Red WingRepublican
    Bradley, George07Belle PlaineDemocratic
    Bray, Ebenezer19CarverDemocratic
    Burgess, Sylvanus08QuincyRepublican
    Butters, Reuben16KasotaDemocratic
    Campbell, George W.01Point DouglasRepublican
    Carpenter, Joseph B.20PrincetonDemocratic
    Chase, John N.22Saint VincentDemocratic
    Chowen, William Streeter04MinnetonkaRepublican
    Crosby, John W.02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Cruttenden, Joel D.21Crow WingDemocratic
    Cummings, Michael18KelsoDemocratic
    Davern, William Q.02Saint PaulDemocratic
    DeCow, Isaac09FillmoreDemocratic
    Dow, James C.03HastingsDemocratic
    Dunham, William N.14UnknownRepublican
    Eames, Theodore J.09CantonDemocratic
    Fladeland, T. J.09RushfordDemocratic
    Foster, Major J.09ForestvilleDemocratic
    Frost, James C.24AnokaDemocratic
    Gaskill, James R.M.01MarineRepublican
    Gibson, Reuben B.04BloomingtonRepublican
    Graham, James M.09CantonDemocratic
    Grover, Manley11Saint CharlesRepublican
    Hanson, Hans06Red WingRepublican
    Hawkins, Lewis R.07Spring LakeDemocratic
    Heyd, Ernst19ScandiaRepublican
    Hinkley, James B.04DaytonRepublican
    Johnson, S. R.11RichmondRepublican
    Johnson, Smith15MedfordRepublican
    Keith, George H.04Minneapolis, MinnesotaRepublican
    Kibler, Henry09ForestvilleDemocratic
    Kinghorn, David07Eagle CreekDemocratic
    Kingsley, George B.14Blue EarthDemocratic
    LeBlond, J. B.10BrownsvilleDemocratic
    Leonard, George L.15UnknownRepublican
    Libbey, Charles W.06RoscoeRepublican
    Locke, James03West Saint PaulDemocratic
    Lord, Samuel08MarionRepublican
    Lyle, Robert13LyleRepublican
    Mackintire, Edmund10YucatanDemocratic
    Masters, Robert C.03WaterfordDemocratic
    McGrorty, William B.02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Murphy, M. T.03MendotaDemocratic
    O'Neal, Robert03EaganDemocratic
    Otis, George Lamartine02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Parker, John H.05FaribaultRepublican
    Peckham, Joseph06Cannon FallsRepublican
    Pettie, George C.15AuroraRepublican
    Pierce, Ephraim17Saint PeterDemocratic
    Poehler, Henry18HendersonDemocratic
    Powers, E. Allen08OronocoRepublican
    Randall, John G.25ChengwatanaRepublican
    Rauch, Charles02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Rehfeld, Frederick17New UlmDemocratic
    Rutan, A. J.16Le SueurDemocratic
    Scofield, John L.05NorthfieldDemocratic
    Seeley, Ira O.12MazeppaRepublican
    Sheetz, Hiram M.15UnknownRepublican
    Simpson, Robert01StillwaterRepublican
    Starkey, James02Saint PaulDemocratic
    Stevens, John Harrington18GlencoeDemocratic
    Talbot, Josiah H.19ClearwaterRepublican
    Tattersall, William K.08High ForestRepublican
    Tefft, Nathaniel S.12MinneiskaRepublican
    Thompson, Matthew16South BendRepublican
    Thompson, Thomas A.12PlainviewRepublican
    Townsend, William H.23Saint AnthonyRepublican
    Tuttle, Albert17MilfordDemocratic
    Vertress, Warren05Cannon CityDemocratic
    Wakefield, James Beach14Blue EarthRepublican
    Walker, L. C.23Saint AnthonyRepublican
    Watrous, John S.26CliftonDemocratic
    Way, George O.13ClaremontDemocratic
    Willson, Daniel F.10UnknownDemocratic
    Young, John L.20UnknownDemocratic

    Membership changes

    House of Representatives

    Notes

    1. Web site: Sessions of the Minnesota State Legislature and the Minnesota Territorial Legislature, 1849-present.. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. 12 November 2016.
    2. News: News, Notes, and Varieties. Vermont Phœnix. Brattleboro, Vt.. 2. 26 December 1857. 20 November 2016.
    3. Web site: President and President Pro Tempore of the Minnesota Senate, 1849-present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. 12 November 2016.
    4. Web site: Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1849-present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. 12 November 2016.
    5. Web site: Dunham, William N. "W.M.". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. 12 November 2016.
    6. Web site: Kingsley, George B.. Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. 12 November 2016.

    References

    This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "1st Minnesota Legislature".

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