The 6th Utah Territorial Legislature comprised members of the Territorial Council serving the second year of their terms, together with members of the House of Representatives elected to one-year terms. The regular election for the House was held August 4, 1856.
Three sitting members of the Territorial Council were unavailable to return and were replaced by election: Orson Pratt, John A. Ray, and George A. Smith. [1] In addition, special elections were required for a Council seat when Parley P. Pratt resigned, and to a House seat vacated by the death of Jedediah M. Grant. [2] [3]
The legislative session initially convened on December 8, 1856, at the Territorial Statehouse in Fillmore. Dissatisfied with the unfinished condition of the Statehouse and the failure of Congress to reimburse the territory or to appropriate additional funds for its completion, the legislators quickly passed a resolution changing the seat of government from Fillmore to Salt Lake City. The session then adjourned and was re-convened in Salt Lake City on December 18. [4] [5]
| Name | County | Office | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Territorial Council: | |||||||
| Albert Carrington | Salt Lake | ||||||
| William H. Dame | Iron | Elected October 6, 1856 | |||||
| Lorin Farr | Weber | ||||||
| William Fenshaw | Millard | Elected August 4, 1856 | |||||
| Leonard E. Harrington | Utah | ||||||
| Benjamin F. Johnson | Utah | ||||||
| Heber C. Kimball | Salt Lake | President | |||||
| Isaac Morley | San Pete | ||||||
| Parley P. Pratt | Salt Lake | Elected August 4, 1856, resigned prior to session | |||||
| Franklin D. Richards | Salt Lake | Elected October 6, 1856 | |||||
| Lorenzo Snow | Box Elder | ||||||
| John Stoker | Davis | ||||||
| Daniel H. Wells | Salt Lake | ||||||
| Wilford Woodruff | Salt Lake | ||||||
| Territorial House of Representatives: | |||||||
| Noah W. Bartholomew | Millard | ||||||
| Jacob G. Bigler | Juab | ||||||
| Isaac Bullock | Green River | ||||||
| Hiram B. Clawson | Salt Lake | ||||||
| James W. Cummings | Salt Lake | ||||||
| David Evans | Utah | ||||||
| Jedediah M. Grant | Salt Lake | Died December 1, 1856 [6] | |||||
| Thomas Grover | Davis | ||||||
| Isaac C. Haight | Iron | ||||||
| Orson Hyde | Salt Lake | Elected December 20, 1856 [7] | |||||
| Aaron Johnson | Utah | ||||||
| James Lewis | Iron | ||||||
| Jesse C. Little | Salt Lake | ||||||
| Peter Maughan | Tooele | ||||||
| Alexander McRae | Salt Lake | ||||||
| John D. Parker | Davis | ||||||
| George Peacock | San Pete | ||||||
| William W. Phelps | Salt Lake | ||||||
| Enoch Reese | Carson | ||||||
| Samuel W. Richards | Salt Lake | ||||||
| Albert P. Rockwood | Salt Lake | ||||||
| James C. Snow | Utah | ||||||
| Daniel Spencer | Salt Lake | ||||||
| Hosea Stout | Salt Lake | Speaker | |||||
| Chauncey W. West | Weber | ||||||
| Jonathan C. Wright | Box Elder | ||||||
| Joseph A. Young | Salt Lake | ||||||