10th Arizona Territorial Legislature

Last updated
Arizona Territorial Legislature
← 9th 11th →
Overview
Legislative body Arizona Territorial Legislature
Jurisdiction Arizona Territory, United States
TermJanuary 6, 1879 –
Council
Members9
House of Representatives
Members18

The 10th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 6, 1879, in Prescott, Arizona Territory. [1] The session was the last to be composed of nine Council members and eighteen members of the House of Representatives. [2]

Contents

Background

There had been several significant changes to the territorial government since the prior session. First, the territorial capital was moved from Tucson to Prescott. [3] Second, Governor Anson P.K. Safford had declined a third term to seek his fortune in a number of mining projects. [4] Territorial Secretary John Philo Hoyt had been named to replace Safford on April 5, 1877. [5] Then, in 1878, John C. Frémont used his political connections to displace Hoyt and secured the governorship for himself. While Hoyt was well respected, most Arizonans were thrilled to have such a well known personality as their Governor. [6]

The Southern Pacific Railroad had reached Yuma on September 30, 1877, providing the first rail service to the territory. They were at the time of the session building eastward across Arizona. [7]

Legislative session

The legislative session began on January 6, 1879.

Governor's address

Governor Frémont gave his address to the session on January 9, 1879. [8] In it he spoke to the potential for development within the territory. [9] To this end he recommended spending US$500,000 on construction of new roads. [9] He also proposed using the Colorado River to irrigate the territory's deserts. [8]

To assist the territory's mining industry, the governor asked for creation of a territorial assay office and proposed a refinery be built in Prescott to reduce the expense of transporting raw bullion to San Francisco. [9]

Legislation

Governor Frémont's proposals were largely ignored by the session. They instead dealt primarily with issues affecting only individuals or limited sections of the territory. [10] To this end an "Omnibus Divorce Bill" was passed which ending the marriages of fifteen couples. [11] Separate bills granted divorces to two other couples. [12] Other legislation granted name changes to eight people. [10]

Gambling was another popular topic. An Arizona Lottery, patterned after the Louisiana Lottery, was created. Proceeds of this lottery were supposed to offset the expense of constructing schools and other public buildings. [13] A US$300 per quarter fee for gambling licenses, half payable to the county the other to the territory, was also imposed. [10] Less serious was a bill presented by Representative J. D. Rumberg of Maricopa County, who had apparently lost a large wager on a slow pony, that would prohibit horse racing within the territory. [13] Other members of the House of Representatives, realizing the proposal was likely made in jest, solemnly reported their counties were not prepared for the change and had the restriction limited to Rumberg's home county. [14] Representative John T. Alsap, also from Maricopa County, then obtained further revisions that limited the prohibition to just Rumberg's ranch. [13] While the bill was passed by the session the resulting law was never published. [14]

From the eastern section of Yavapai County was created Apache County. [15] Finally, the session authorized US$2000 for Governor Frémont and Judge Charles Silent to travel to Washington, D.C., and lobby to have an order by Secretary of the Interior Carl Schurz extending boundaries of the Gila River Indian Reservation into the Salt River Valley. [16]

Members

House of Representatives [17]
NameDistrictNameDistrict
John T. Alsap Maricopa William K. Meade Pinal
John H. Behan Mohave E. R. NicolesYavapai
William M. Buffum YavapaiJ. A. ParkYavapai
John DavisYavapaiSamuel Purdy Jr.Yuma
Thomas Fitch YavapaiJ. D. RumbergMaricopa
Pat HamiltonYavapaiJames SpeedyPima
A. E. FeyPimaJames StinsonYavapai
C. P. LeitchPimaMadison W. Stewart (Speaker)Pima
P. McAteerYavapai Walter Vail Pima
Council [17]
NameDistrict
Curtis Coe Bean Yavapai
C. H. Gray Maricopa
W. S. HeadYavapai
Fred G. Hughes  (President) Pima
J. M. KirkpatrickPima
W. A. RoweYavapai
P. Thomas Pinal
F. D. Welcome Yuma
Edmund W. Wells Yavapai

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Philo Hoyt</span> American judge and politician (1841–1926)

John Philo Hoyt was an American politician and jurist. He served as the fourth Governor of Arizona Territory and was nominated to become Governor of Idaho Territory but declined the position. In his later life he served as President of Washington's constitutional convention and as a justice of the Washington Supreme Court.

The 13th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on January 12, 1885, in Prescott, Arizona. The session's accomplishments included allocation of a variety of territorial institutions including a university, normal school, prison, and insane asylum. Nicknames bestowed to the session include the "bloody thirteenth" due to fights in the halls of government and nearby saloons, and the "thieving thirteenth" due to the very large appropriations approved by this legislature.

The 2nd Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on December 6, 1865, in Prescott, Arizona, and ran for 24 days. The sessions chief accomplishments were creation of Pah-Ute County and establishing Arizona as a community property jurisdiction.

The 15th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on January 21, 1889, in Prescott, Arizona, moved to Phoenix on February 7 and did not adjourn till April 11. The session is known as the "Hold-over Legislature" due to the Republican majority extending the length of the session past the sixty-day limit prescribed by law.

The 5th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which met from November 10, 1868, to December 16, 1868, in Tucson, Arizona Territory. It was the last of the annual legislative sessions.

The 6th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which met in Tucson beginning on January 11, 1871, and ran until February 14, 1871.

The 7th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 6, 1873, in Tucson, Arizona Territory.

The 9th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 1, 1877, in Tucson, Arizona Territory. It passed 79 statutes and adopted the Hoyt Code as the basis of the Territory's legal system.

The 8th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened from January 4, 1875, till February 12, 1875, in Tucson, Arizona Territory.

The 11th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 3, 1881, in Prescott, Arizona Territory.

The 14th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Prescott, Arizona. The session ran from January 10, 1887, till March 10, 1887.

The 18th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which met in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 21 to March 21, 1895. Due to the abrupt manner in which the session ended, none of the usual appropriations bills were passed by the legislature.

The 16th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session began on January 19, 1891.

The 12th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened on January 8, 1883, in Prescott, Arizona Territory.

The 19th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session began on January 18, 1897, and ended on March 18, 1897.

The 17th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from February 13 through April 13, 1893.

The 23rd Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The session ran from January 16, 1905, till March 16, 1905.

The 22nd Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 19, 1903, until March 19, 1903.

The 24th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened in Phoenix, Arizona. The session ran from January 21, 1907, till March 21, 1907.

The 25th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was the final session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature. The session convened in Phoenix, Arizona, and ran from January 18 till March 18, 1909. Its actions include the creation of Greenlee County, establishing the Arizona Pioneers' Home, and requiring primary elections.

References

  1. ↑ McClintock 1916, p. 371.
  2. ↑ McClintock 1916, pp. 333, 371.
  3. ↑ McClintock 1916, p. 330.
  4. ↑ Wagoner 1970, p. 117.
  5. ↑ Goff 1978, p. 66.
  6. ↑ Goff 1978, p. 77.
  7. ↑ Wagoner 1970, p. 162.
  8. 1 2 Goff 1978, p. 78.
  9. 1 2 3 Wagoner 1970, p. 169.
  10. 1 2 3 Wagoner 1970, p. 171.
  11. ↑ McClintock 1916, p. 331.
  12. ↑ McClintock 1916, pp. 331–32.
  13. 1 2 3 Wagoner 1970, p. 172.
  14. 1 2 McClintock 1916, p. 332.
  15. ↑ Wagoner 1970, p. 58.
  16. ↑ Wagoner 1970, p. 174.
  17. 1 2 Wagoner 1970, p. 514.

Further reading

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.