Utah Territorial Legislative Assembly

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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.

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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. [1] 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. [2] 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. In conjunction with redistricting in 1880, the election schedule was shifted to have both the House and the Council elected in August of odd-numbered years, in advance of the January legislative session set for the subsequent even-numbered year. [3]

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. In 1882, the length of the session was extended from 40 days to 60. [4]

Biennial sessions (1870-1894)

Territorial apportionment

County map of Utah Territory as of 1856. The white background shows the modern-day State of Utah. Utah Territory 1856 map.png
County map of Utah Territory as of 1856. The white background shows the modern-day State of Utah.

Representation in the Legislative Assembly was apportioned by Governor Brigham Young prior to the initial 1851 election by county. [5] The apportionment was comprehensively revised by the legislature in 1862. [6] 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).

Territorial Council, apportionment by county
County1851-18631863-1880
Beaver (attached to Millard, 1857)1 (shared with Iron)
Box Elder (attached to Weber, 1857)1 (shared with Weber)
Cache (attached to Weber, 1857)1
Carson 0n/a
Cedar (attached to Utah, 1857)n/a
Davis 11 (shared with Morgan)
Green River 0(attached to Salt Lake)
Iron 11 (shared with Beaver)
Juab (attached to Utah, 1852)1 (shared with Millard)
Malad (attached to Weber, 1857)n/a
Millard 1 (beginning 1853)1 (shared with Juab)
Morgan n/a1 (shared with Davis)
Salt Lake 5 (6 in 1851-1852)4
Sanpete 11
Shambip (attached to Salt Lake, 1857)n/a
Summit 0(attached to Salt Lake)
Tooele (attached to Salt Lake)(attached to Salt Lake)
Utah 22 (shared with Wasatch)
Wasatch n/a2 (shared with Utah)
Washington (attached to Iron, 1857)1
Weber 21 (shared with Box Elder)
House of Representatives, apportionment by county
County1851-18561856-1859 [7] 1859-1862 [8] 1862-1880
Beaver n/a(attached to Millard)11
Box Elder n/a1 (shared with Cache and Malad)1 (shared with Cache and Malad)1
Cache n/a1 (shared with Box Elder and Malad)1 (shared with Box Elder and Malad)2
Carson 1 (beginning 1855) [9] 11n/a
Cedar n/a(attached to Utah)(attached to Utah)n/a
Davis 2 (3 in 1851)222 (shared with Morgan)
Green River 1 (beginning 1854)111 (shared with Summit)
Iron 2221
Juab 1 (beginning 1852)111
Malad n/a1 (shared with Box Elder and Cache)1 (shared with Box Elder and Cache)n/a
Millard 1 (beginning 1852)111
Morgan n/an/an/a2 (shared with Davis)
Salt Lake 11 (13 in 1851, 12 in 1852-1853)1196
Sanpete 1112
Shambip n/a(attached to Tooele)(attached to Tooele)n/a
Summit 0001 (shared with Green River)
Tooele 1111
Utah 3333
Wasatch n/an/an/a1
Washington n/a(attached to Iron)(attached to Iron)1
Weber 2 (3 in 1851-1854) [9] 122

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. [10]

Legislative Assembly apportionment, 1880-1887
(combined cells indicate shared representation)
CountiesTerritorial CouncilHouse of Representatives
Cache and Rich12
Box Elder11
Weber2
Wasatch and Uintah11
Summit1
Morgan6
Salt Lake and Davis4
Tooele1
Juab and Utah24
Sanpete, Sevier, and Emery12
Beaver and Piute11
Millard1
Washington and Kane11
Iron and San Juan1

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

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. ↑ "County Central Committee". Deseret Evening News. July 9, 1881. p. 3. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  4. ↑ "The Legislature". Deseret Evening News. January 9, 1882. p. 2. Retrieved December 28, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Proclamation". Deseret News. July 12, 1851. p. 5. Retrieved January 27, 2024.
  6. ↑ "An Act Apportioning the Representation of Utah Territory". Deseret News. January 29, 1862. p. 8. Retrieved February 10, 2024.
  7. ↑ "An Act apportioning the Representation of Utah Territory". Deseret News. July 23, 1856. p. 8. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  8. ↑ "An Act Apportioning to certain counties, Representatives to the Legislative Assembly". Deseret News. February 16, 1859. p. 3. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  9. 1 2 "Resolution Apportioning a Representative to Carson County". Deseret News. February 8, 1855. p. 4. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Re-districting Bill". Deseret Evening News. February 21, 1880. p. 3. Retrieved May 26, 2024.
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