This is a list of the legislatures of Colorado. The Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Colorado met from the creation of the territory in 1861 until statehood on August 1, 1876. The General Assembly of the State of Colorado has convened many times since statehood.
The Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Colorado did not number its legislatures; rather, it numbered its sessions, which occurred occasionally from 1861 to 1876.
| Session | Location(s) | Session began | Session ended | House journal link | Territorial Council journal link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First Regular Session | Denver | September 9, 1861 | November 7, 1861 | ||
| Second Session | Colorado City Denver | July 7, 1862 | August 15, 1862 | ||
| Third Session | Golden City Denver | February 1, 1864 | March 11, 1864 | ||
| Fourth Session | Golden City | January 2, 1865 | February 10, 1865 | ||
| Fifth Session | Golden City Denver | January 1, 1866 | February 9, 1866 | ||
| Sixth Session | Golden City | December 3, 1866 | January 11, 1867 | ||
| Seventh Session | Golden City Denver | December 2, 1867 | January 10, 1868 | ||
| Eighth Session | Denver | January 3, 1870 | February 11, 1870 | ||
| Ninth Session | Denver | January 1, 1872 | February 9, 1872 | ||
| Tenth Session | Denver | January 5, 1874 | February 13, 1874 | (not available) | |
| Eleventh Session | Denver | January 3, 1876 | February 11, 1876 |
For a brief time in 1865, Colorado had an approved state constitution, and selected a legislature and other elected officials. The legislature briefly convened, believing that their statehood had been approved. However, Andrew Johnson vetoed the corresponding enabling act, and the body that met as the state legislature was disbanded. This legislature met from December 12 through December 19, 1865. [1]
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The state legislature has met in Denver, Colorado since its founding.[ citation needed ]
| General Assembly | Session | Session began | Session ended | House journal link | Senate journal link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First General Assembly [2] | 1876 | 1876 | |||
| Second General Assembly | January 1, 1879 | February 9, 1879 | |||
| Third General Assembly | January 5, 1881 | February 13, 1881 | |||
| Fourth General Assembly | Regular session | January 3, 1883 | February 11, 1883 | ||
| Joint session | January 17, 1883 | February 27, 1883 | (N/A) | ||
| Fifth General Assembly | January 7, 1885 | ||||
| Sixth General Assembly | January 5, 1887 | April 4, 1887 | |||
| Information not yet added | |||||
| 67th Colorado General Assembly [2] | First Regular Session | January 7, 2009 | May 6, 2009 | ||
| Second Regular Session | January 13, 2010 | May 12, 2010 | |||
| 68th Colorado General Assembly | First Regular Session | January 12, 2011 | May 11, 2011 | ||
| Second Regular Session | January 11, 2012 | May 9, 2012 | |||
| First Regular Session | May 14, 2012 | May 16, 2012 | |||
| 69th Colorado General Assembly | First Regular Session | January 9, 2013 | May 8, 2013 | ||
| Second Regular Session | January 8, 2014 | May 7, 2014 | |||
| 70th Colorado General Assembly | First Regular Session | January 7, 2015 | May 6, 2015 | ||
| Second Regular Session | January 13, 2016 | May 11, 2016 | |||
| 71st Colorado General Assembly | First Regular Session | January 11, 2017 | May 10, 2017 | ||
| First Extraordinary Session | October 2, 2017 | October 3, 2017 | (None found) | ||
| Second Regular Session | January 10, 2018 | May 9, 2018 | |||
| 72nd Colorado General Assembly [3] | First Regular Session | January 4, 2019 | May 3, 2019 | ||
| Second Regular Session | January 8, 2020 | June 15, 2020 | |||
| First Extraordinary Session | November 30, 2020 | December 2, 2020 | |||
The region that is today the U.S. State of Colorado has been inhabited by Native Americans and their Paleoamerican ancestors for at least 13,500 years and possibly more than 37,000 years. The eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major migration route that was important to the spread of early peoples throughout the Americas. The Lindenmeier site in Larimer County contains artifacts dating from approximately 8720 BCE.
The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Colorado.
The Great Seal of the State of Colorado is an adaptation of the territorial seal which was adopted by the First Territorial Assembly on November 6, 1861. The only changes made to the territorial seal design being the substitution of the words "State of Colorado" and the figures "1876" for the corresponding inscriptions on the territorial seal. The first General Assembly of the State of Colorado approved the adoption of the state seal on March 15, 1877. The Colorado Secretary of State alone is authorized to affix the Great Seal of Colorado to any document whatsoever.
The Constitution of the State of Colorado is the foundation of the laws and government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The Colorado State Constitution was drafted on March 14, 1876; approved by Colorado voters on July 1, 1876; and took effect upon the statehood of Colorado on August 1, 1876. As of 2020, the constitution has been amended at least 166 times. The Constitution of Colorado derives its authority from the sovereignty of the people. As such, the people of Colorado reserved specific powers in governing Colorado directly; in addition to providing for voting for Governor, state legislators, and judges, the people of Colorado have reserved initiative of laws and referendum of laws enacted by the legislature to themselves, provided for recall of office holders, and limit tax increases beyond set amounts without explicit voter approval, and must explicitly approve any change to the constitution, often with a 55% majority. The Colorado state constitution is one of the longest in the United States.
The Attorney General of the State of Colorado is the chief legal officer for the U.S. State of Colorado and the head of the Colorado Department of Law, a principal department of the Colorado state government. It is an elected position with a four-year term, and follows the same schedule as election of the governor. The incumbent Colorado Attorney General is Democrat Phil Weiser, who was elected in November 2018 to a four-year term that began on January 8, 2019.
The governor of Colorado is the head of government of the U.S. state of Colorado. The governor is the head of the executive branch of Colorado's state government and is charged with enforcing state laws. The governor has the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Colorado General Assembly, to convene the legislature, and to grant pardons, except in cases of treason or impeachment. The governor is also the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces.
The 1876 Colorado gubernatorial election took place on October 3, 1876, to elect the 1st Governor of Colorado after the state was admitted to the union on August 1, 1876. Republican John Long Routt, last governor of the Colorado Territory, was elected in a close race against Democratic nominee Bela M. Hughes.
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