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The Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah was the legislative branch of government in Utah Territory, replacing the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret. The Act of Congress creating the territory in 1850 specified that the territorial legislature should consist of a council of 13 members serving 2-year terms, and a 26-member house of representatives elected for 1-year terms.

In 1869, the Congressional appropriations bill, which also provided for legislative pay and expenses, dictated that all territories should only hold legislative sessions biennially and members would serve 2-year terms. Since the Legislative Assembly was out of session at the time, the Utah general election that year proceeded under the old system, and in its 1870 session the legislature changed the term for members being elected to the House that year to 2 years. Meanwhile, because the Territorial Council members had just been elected to their regular terms, their next election was set for 1871. The end result was that going forward, the House of Representatives would be elected in even-numbered years, and the Territorial Council in odd-numbered years, but legislative sessions were held only in even-numbered years.

List of Legislative Assemblies

Annual sessions (1851-1869)

After the first Legislative Assembly, which remained in session much longer in order to establish functional operations of the territorial government, regular annual sessions were scheduled for the second Monday in December and set to run for 40 days. Although the flurry of concluding business at the close of a session caused a few legislatures to adjourn a day or two past 40, beyond the 1st only the 2nd and 10th Legislative Assemblies required a special session (in the case of the 10th, one held in advance of the regular session rather than after). The 16th Legislative Assembly adjusted the start of future sessions to the second Monday in January, so that the legislature elected in 1867 did not begin meeting until 1868.

• 1st Utah Territorial Legislature: September 22, 1851 — February 18, 1852
• 2nd Utah Territorial Legislature: December 13, 1852 — January 21, 1853
• 3rd Utah Territorial Legislature: December 12, 1853 — January 20, 1854
• 4th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 11, 1854 — January 19, 1855
• 5th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 10, 1855 — January 18, 1856
• 6th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 8, 1856 — January 16, 1857
• 7th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 14, 1857 — January 22, 1858
• 8th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 13, 1858 — January 21, 1859
• 9th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 12, 1859 — January 20, 1860
• 10th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 10, 1860 — January 18, 1861
• 11th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 9, 1861 — January 17, 1862
• 12th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 8, 1862 — January 16, 1863
• 13th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 14, 1863 — January 22, 1864
• 14th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 12, 1864 — January 21, 1865
• 15th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 11, 1865 — January 19, 1866
• 16th Utah Territorial Legislature: December 10, 1866 — January 19, 1867
• 17th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 13 — February 25, 1868
• 18th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 11 — February 19, 1869

Biennial sessions (1870-1894)

• 19th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 9 — February 19, 1870
• 20th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 8 — February 16, 1872
• 21st Utah Territorial Legislature: January 12 — February 20, 1874
• 22nd Utah Territorial Legislature: January 10 — February 18, 1876
• 23rd Utah Territorial Legislature: January 14 — February 23, 1878
• 24th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 12 — February 20, 1880
• 25th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 9, 1882
• 26th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 14, 1884
• 27th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 11, 1886
• 28th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 9, 1888
• 29th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 13, 1890
• 30th Utah Territorial Legislature: January 11, 1892
• 31st Utah Territorial Legislature: January 8, 1894

Territorial apportionment

Representation in the Legislative Assembly was apportioned by Governor Brigham Young prior to the initial 1851 election by county. The apportionment was comprehensively revised by the legislature in 1862. As more counties were created thereafter, they shared their representation with the county from which they were created (Rich from Cache and Kane from Washington in 1864, Piute from Beaver and Sevier from Sanpete in 1865).

Congress reduced the number of legislators in 1880 to 12 on the Territorial Council and 24 in the House of Representatives. Together with the creation of Emery, San Juan, and Uintah counties, this forced the Legislative Assembly to devise a new redistricting scheme.

Beginning in 1888, legislators were elected from geographic districts instead of by county after the Edmunds-Tucker Act nullified previous apportionments and again required redistricting of the entire territory.

See also

• History of Utah
• List of governors of Utah
• List of Utah state legislatures

References

1. "Elections - The Law upon the Subject". Deseret News. August 2, 1871. p. 6. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
2. "An Act. To provide for the election of the members of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Utah". Deseret News. July 27, 1870. p. 12. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
3. "Proclamation". Deseret News. July 12, 1851. p. 5. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
4. "An Act Apportioning the Representation of Utah Territory". Deseret News. January 29, 1862. p. 8. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
5. "An Act apportioning the Representation of Utah Territory". Deseret News. July 23, 1856. p. 8. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
6. "An Act Apportioning to certain counties, Representatives to the Legislative Assembly". Deseret News. February 16, 1859. p. 3. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
7. ^ "Resolution Apportioning a Representative to Carson County". Deseret News. February 8, 1855. p. 4. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
8. "Re-districting Bill". Deseret Evening News. February 21, 1880. p. 3. Retrieved May 26, 2024.

External links

• Utah State Legislature. Legislative History Resources
• Utah Division of Archives and Records Service. Territorial Legislative Assembly

• Former territorial legislatures of the United States
• Political history of Utah
• Utah Legislature
• Utah Territory