List of Colorado legislatures

Last updated
The location of the State of Colorado in the United States of America. Colorado in United States.svg
The location of the State of Colorado in the United States of America .

This is a list of the legislatures of the U.S. state 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.

Contents

Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Colorado

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.

SessionLocation(s)Session beganSession endedHouse journal linkTerritorial Council journal link
First Regular Session Denver September 9, 1861November 7, 1861
Second Session Colorado City
Denver		July 7, 1862August 15, 1862
Third Session Golden City
Denver		February 1, 1864March 11, 1864
Fourth SessionGolden CityJanuary 2, 1865February 10, 1865
Fifth SessionGolden City
Denver		January 1, 1866February 9, 1866
Sixth SessionGolden CityDecember 3, 1866January 11, 1867
Seventh SessionGolden City
Denver		December 2, 1867January 10, 1868
Eighth SessionDenverJanuary 3, 1870February 11, 1870
Ninth SessionDenverJanuary 1, 1872February 9, 1872
Tenth SessionDenverJanuary 5, 1874February 13, 1874(not available)
Eleventh SessionDenverJanuary 3, 1876February 11, 1876

1865 Territorial Legislature

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]

General Assembly of the State of Colorado

The state legislature has met in Denver, Colorado since its founding.[ citation needed ] "The first legislative session met from November 1, 1876, through March 20, 1877, and the succeeding sessions met every two years in the odd numbered years: 1879, 1881, 1883, etc., until 1950." [2]

"Colorado general elections are held on the first Tuesday, following the first Monday in November in every even-numbered year, with the exception of the first election in October 1876. Since 1876, representatives have been elected every two years and senators have been elected every four years on a staggered basis." [2]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Senate</span> Upper house of Colorado General Assembly

The Colorado State Senate is the upper house of the Colorado General Assembly, the state legislature of the US state of Colorado. It is composed of 35 members elected from single-member districts, with each district having a population of about 123,000 as of the 2000 census. Senators are elected to four-year terms, and are limited to two consecutive terms in office. Senators who are term-limited become eligible to run again after a one-term respite.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Washington State Legislature</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Washington

The Washington State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Washington. It is a bicameral body, composed of the lower Washington House of Representatives, composed of 98 Representatives, and the upper Washington State Senate, with 49 Senators plus the Lieutenant Governor acting as president. The state is divided into 49 legislative districts, each of which elect one senator and two representatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seal of Colorado</span> Official government emblem of the U.S. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Utah State Legislature</span> Legislative branch of the state government of Utah

The Utah State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Utah. It is a bicameral body, comprising the Utah House of Representatives, with 75 state representatives, and the Utah Senate, with 29 state senators. There are no term limits for either chamber.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitution of Colorado</span>

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oregon Territorial Legislature</span> A defunct legislative body by the United States Congress

Oregon's Territorial Legislature was a bicameral legislative body created by the United States Congress in 1848 as the legislative branch of the government of the Oregon Territory. The upper chamber Council and lower chamber House of Representatives first met in July 1849; they served as the region's legislative body until Oregon became a state in February 1859, when they were replaced by the bicameral Oregon State Legislature.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colorado Attorney General</span> Chief legal officer for U.S. state of Colorado

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1876 Colorado gubernatorial election</span>

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.

References

  1. ↑ "COLORADO LEGISLATORS PAST AND PRESENT". www.leg.state.co.us. Retrieved 2024-08-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Legislative Council Staff (2022), "Presidents and Speakers of the Colorado General Assembly: A Biographical Portrait from 1876", leg.colorado.gov
  3. 1 2 "Session Laws: Colorado". HeinOnline . New York: William S. Hein & Co., Inc. Retrieved March 23, 2019.(subscription required)
  4. ↑ "Colorado: State Government". Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Wyoming and Arizona Gazetteer and Business Directory. Chicago: Polk & Co. and A.C. Danser. 1884 – via HathiTrust.
  5. ↑ "Colorado: Legislative Session", Appleton's Annual Cyclopaedia and Register of Important Events...1899– via HathiTrust
  6. ↑ "Colorado General Assembly". Ballotpedia.org . Retrieved March 23, 2019.

Further reading

38°59′50″N105°32′52″W / 38.9972°N 105.5478°W / 38.9972; -105.5478 (State of Colorado)

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.