Remembering WA’s first Territorial Legislature
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The House Journal entry for Feb. 27, 1854, the day the Territorial Legislature convened for the first time. (Photos courtesy of Washington State Archives)
As our state Legislature heads into the final stretch of its 2016 session, it’s worth noting that Washington’s first Territorial Legislature gathered 162 years ago tomorrow. It was on Monday, Feb. 27, 1854, when the first Territorial Legislature convened in Olympia for the first time in Olympia. Above is a photo showing page 1 of the House Journal entry for that very first day. The photo below features the Council (Senate) Journal entry for Day 1. Both journals are kept by our Washington State Archives. While there was no TVW back then to capture the proceedings, the Olympia Pioneer and Democrat ran this story about the historic gathering in its March 4, 1854, edition:“The Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington convened on Monday, as per proclamation of the governor, and proceeded to business, as the proceedings will indicate, by the election of Col. G.N. McConaha of Pierce and King, President of the Council, and Mr. F.A. Chenoweth, of Clark, Speaker of the House, with clerks, and other officers of a very commendable character. We feel particularly gratified at the admirable selection of officers generally, but especially of those who have been called upon to preside. An effort has been made by certain powers that “was” for more than a year to render the names of McConaha and Chenoweth indicative, by association, of contempt and dishonesty. Col. McConaha was president, it will be remembered, of the Monticello convention, that tended so materially to the division of Oregon, and giving us a separate territorial existence. He was also the president of the territorial convention that nominated Judge Lancaster for delegate to congress, and his present position has given a signal and merited rebuke to the influence which has been at work for his destruction. Both gentlemen will discharge their duties honorably to themselves, and creditably to the respective branches over which they have been called upon to preside.”You can read that story, Gov. Isaac Stevens’s message to the Territorial Legislature, and an article that covers the first session of the first Territorial Legislature here.
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The Council (Senate) Journal entry for the first day of the first Territorial Legislature.
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Secretary of State
Steve Hobbs
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