1st Michigan Territorial Council

{{Short description|Legislature in Michigan Territory (1824–1825)}}

{{Infobox legislative session

| name = 1st Michigan Territorial Council

| election = 1823 Michigan Territorial Council election

| image =

| image_size = 200px

| caption =

| body = Michigan Territorial Council

| country = United States

| state = Michigan Territory

| meeting_place = Detroit

| term_start = {{Start date|1824|06|07}}

| term_end = {{End date|1825|04|21}}

| before = Governor and judges of Michigan Territory

| after = 2nd Michigan Territorial Council

| chamber1 = Michigan Territorial Council

| membership1 = 9 members

| chamber1_leader1_type = President

| chamber1_leader1 = Abraham Edwards

| session1_type = 1st

| session1_start = June 7, 1824

| session1_end = August 5, 1824

| session2_type = 2nd

| session2_start = January 17, 1825

| session2_end = April 21, 1825

}}

The First Michigan Territorial Council was a meeting of the legislative body governing Michigan Territory, known formally as the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan. The council met in Detroit in two regular sessions between June 7, 1824, and April 21, 1825, during the term of Lewis Cass as territorial governor.{{sfn|Legislative Council|2017|p=250}}

Background

Since its creation from part of Indiana Territory in 1805, the government of Michigan Territory had consisted of a governor, a secretary, and three judges; the governor and judges together formed the legislative branch of government. This was the first stage of territorial government outlined in the Northwest Ordinance.{{sfn|Finkelman|Hershock|Taylor|2006|p=17}} An election called by Governor Cass in 1818 to decide whether to move to the second stage of government—an elected legislature—failed largely due to concerns over the cost that would be borne by the territory. Public discontent with the first stage government continued to mount, until in 1822 hundreds of residents petitioned Congress for reform.{{sfn|Finkelman|Hershock|Taylor|2006|pp=24–26}}

An act of Congress on March 3, 1823, created a four-year term for the judges and transferred the powers of the territory to the governor and a legislative council of nine people serving terms of two years. Members of the council were to be appointed by the president of the United States, with the advice and consent of the Senate, from a slate of 18 people chosen in a general election.An Act to amend the ordinance and acts of Congress for the government of the territory of Michigan, and for other purposes, {{USStat|3|769}} (1823).

Leadership and organization

Abraham Edwards was president of the council; John P. Sheldon, Edmund A. Brush, and George A. O'Keefe clerks; and Morris Jackson sergeant-at-arms.{{sfn|Legislative Council|2017|p=250}}

Members

Per the act of March 3, 1823, the nine members of the council were appointed by President James Monroe, chosen from the top 18 vote-earners in a general election. In addition to the appointed members listed below, the slate of names sent to the president included Louis Baufet, William Brown, Harry Conant, Laurent Durocher, Francois Navarre, Ebenezer Reed, Solomon Sibley, and Benjamin F. Stickney.{{sfn|Carter|1943|p=487}}

class="wikitable sortable"

|+Members{{sfn|Legislative Council|2017|p=250}}

!County

!Name

!Party

!Notes

Brown

|Robert Irwin Jr.

rowspan="2" |Macomb

|Joseph Miller

|Nominated December 16, 1824, to replace William Puthuff (deceased); confirmed by Senate December 21.{{sfn|Carter|1943|p=573}}

John Stockton

Michilimackinac

|William H. Puthuff

|Died July 17, 1824.{{sfn|Gilpin|2002|loc=Legislation and Courts}}

rowspan="2" |Monroe

rowspan="2" |Oakland

Notes

References

{{Citation

| editor-last = Carter

| editor-first = Clarence E.

| title = The Territorial Papers of the United States

| volume = 11

| publisher = Government Printing Office

| location = Washington, D.C.

| year = 1943

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=BotHAQAAMAAJ

| accessdate = 2019-10-05

}}

{{Citation

| last1 = Finkelman

| first1 = Paul

| last2 = Hershock

| first2 = Martin J.

| last3 = Taylor

| first3 = Clifford W.

| title = The History of Michigan Law

| publisher = Ohio University Press

| year = 2006

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=jjSD45-P2_YC

| accessdate = 2019-10-01

}}

{{Citation

| last = Gilpin

| first = Alec

| title = The Territory of Michigan (1805-1837)

| publisher = Michigan State University Press

| year = 2002

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=-zDJDAAAQBAJ

| accessdate = 2019-10-05

}}

{{Citation

| title = Journal of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan: First Session—First Council

| date = 1824

| url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.35112103329720

| place = Detroit

| publisher = Sheldon and Reed

| ref = {{harvid|Journal of the Council|1824}}

| accessdate = 2019-10-05

| via = HathiTrust

}}

{{Citation

| title = Journal of the Legislative Council of the Territory of Michigan: Second Session—First Council

| date = 1825

| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=1GRMAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA1-PA1

| place = Detroit

| publisher = Sheldon and Reed

| ref = {{harvid|Journal of the Council|1825}}

| accessdate = 2019-10-14

}}

{{Citation

| author = Legislative Council, State of Michigan

| title = Michigan Manual

| date = 2017

| url = https://archive.org/details/michiganmanual00mich

| edition = 2017–2018

| place = Lansing

| publisher = Legislative Service Bureau

| ref = {{harvid|Legislative Council|2017}}

| isbn = 1-878210-06-8

| accessdate = 2019-10-04

| url-access = registration

}}

{{Citation

| author = State of Michigan

| title = Laws of the Territory of Michigan

| date = 1874

| url = https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.39015071178845

| volume = 2

| place = Lansing

| publisher = W. S. George

| accessdate = 2019-10-04

}}

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Category:1824 in Michigan Territory

Category:1825 in Michigan Territory

Michigan