1st Minnesota Legislature
# 1st Minnesota Legislature

The 1st Minnesota Legislature first convened on December 2, 1857. The 37 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 80 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of October 13, 1857. Although the Constitution of the State of Minnesota, which had been adopted by the voters at the 1857 general election, was not ratified by the United States Senate until May 11, 1858, this was the first legislature of the State of Minnesota to convene in conformity with the state constitution.

## Sessions

The legislature met in a regular session from December 2, 1857 to August 12, 1858, with a recess between March 25, 1858 and June 2, 1858. There were no special sessions; however, the regular session continued for 254 days, which still ranks the longest duration of any Minnesota Legislature. Due to the protracted length of the 1857-58 session, it was determined that an 1858-59 meeting of the legislature was unnecessary, and the 2nd Minnesota Legislature did not convene until December 1859.

## Party summary

    Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Membership changes" section, below.

### Senate

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | Independent | Republican | Unknown | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 6 | 0 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
| Begin | 20 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 37 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 54% | 0% | 46% | 0% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 13 | 1 | 23 | 0 | 37 | 0 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 19 | 20 | 39 | 0 |
| Begin | 43 | 37 | 80 | 0 |
| January 12, 1858 | 44 | 36 | 80 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 55% | 45% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 22 | 58 | 80 | 0 |

## Leadership

### Senate

**Lieutenant Governor**


    Since June 3, 1858 William Holcombe (D-Stillwater)

**President of the Senate**


    Until June 3, 1858 Richard G. Murphy (D-Shakopee)

### House of Representatives

**Speaker of the House**


    Until March 12, 1858 John S. Watrous (D-Clifton)
    Since March 12, 1858 George Bradley (D-Belle Plaine)

**Speaker Pro Tempore**


    December 22, 1857 to March 12, 1858 George Bradley (D-Belle Plaine)

## Members

### Senate

| Name | District | City | Party |
| - | - | - | - |
| Adams, Samuel Emery | 19 | Monticello | Democratic |
| Bailly, Henry G. | 03 | Hastings | Democratic |
| Banfill, John | 24 | Manomin | Democratic |
| Bates, Ersatus N. | 04 | Minneapolis | Republican |
| Beman, Samuel S. | 11 | Saratoga | Republican |
| Carlton, Reuben B. | 26 | Fond du Lac | Democratic |
| Cave, Charles S. | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Chase, Jonathan N. | 23 | Saint Anthony | Republican |
| Cook, Michael | 05 | Faribault | Republican |
| Cowan, Thomas | 17 | Traverse des Sioux | Democratic |
| Day, James C. | 10 | La Crescent | Democratic |
| Dunwell, Dennis William Chauncey | 03 | West Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Folsom, William Henry Carman | 25 | Taylors Falls | Republican |
| Hall, William Sprigg | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Hodges, Emerson | 08 | Marion | Republican |
| Hudson, Aaron C. | 06 | Florence | Republican |
| Hull, Samuel | 09 | Carimona | Democratic |
| Jones, John R. | 09 | Chatfield | Democratic |
| Lindsley, Charles H. | 08 | Rochester | Republican |
| McKune, Lewis L. | 15 | Morristown | Republican |
| Mixer, Elijah T. | 18 | Henderson | Democratic |
| Moreland, Basil | 16 | Mankato | Democratic |
| Murphy, Richard G. | 07 | Shakopee | Democratic |
| Northrup, Anson | 21 | Swan River | Democratic |
| Norton, Daniel Sheldon | 11 | Winona | Republican |
| Phelps, Boyd | 13 | Elkhorn | Republican |
| Reiner, Joel K. | 01 | Stillwater | Republican |
| Richardson, Reuben M. | 20 | Sauk Rapids | Democratic |
| Ridpath, James | 12 | Tepeeota | Republican |
| Rolette, Joseph | 22 | Pembina | Democratic |
| Skinner, George E. | 05 | Faribault | Democratic |
| Smith, Delano T. | 04 | Minneapolis | Republican |
| Somers, Edward W. | 13 | Ashland | Republican |
| Streeter, Oscar W. | 10 | Unknown | Democratic |
| Thomas, H. L. | 01 | Afton | Republican |
| Van Etten, Isaac | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Watson, George | 14 | Sumner | Republican |

### House of Representatives

| Name | District | City | Party |
| - | - | - | - |
| Atkinson, James B. | 20 | Forest City | Democratic |
| Bacon, Samuel P. | 13 | Le Roy | Democratic |
| Balcombe, St. Andre Durand | 11 | Winona | Republican |
| Bartlett, Amander H. | 14 | Shell Rock | Republican |
| Bearce, Edwin M. | 11 | Winona | Republican |
| Bevans, Henry L. | 06 | Red Wing | Republican |
| Bradley, George | 07 | Belle Plaine | Democratic |
| Bray, Ebenezer | 19 | Carver | Democratic |
| Burgess, Sylvanus | 08 | Quincy | Republican |
| Butters, Reuben | 16 | Kasota | Democratic |
| Campbell, George W. | 01 | Point Douglas | Republican |
| Carpenter, Joseph B. | 20 | Princeton | Democratic |
| Chase, John N. | 22 | Saint Vincent | Democratic |
| Chowen, William Streeter | 04 | Minnetonka | Republican |
| Crosby, John W. | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Cruttenden, Joel D. | 21 | Crow Wing | Democratic |
| Cummings, Michael | 18 | Kelso | Democratic |
| Davern, William Q. | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| DeCow, Isaac | 09 | Fillmore | Democratic |
| Dow, James C. | 03 | Hastings | Democratic |
| Dunham, William N. | 14 | Unknown | Republican |
| Eames, Theodore J. | 09 | Canton | Democratic |
| Fladeland, T. J. | 09 | Rushford | Democratic |
| Foster, Major J. | 09 | Forestville | Democratic |
| Frost, James C. | 24 | Anoka | Democratic |
| Gaskill, James R.M. | 01 | Marine | Republican |
| Gibson, Reuben B. | 04 | Bloomington | Republican |
| Graham, James M. | 09 | Canton | Democratic |
| Grover, Manley | 11 | Saint Charles | Republican |
| Hanson, Hans | 06 | Red Wing | Republican |
| Hawkins, Lewis R. | 07 | Spring Lake | Democratic |
| Heyd, Ernst | 19 | Scandia | Republican |
| Hinkley, James B. | 04 | Dayton | Republican |
| Johnson, S. R. | 11 | Richmond | Republican |
| Johnson, Smith | 15 | Medford | Republican |
| Keith, George H. | 04 | Minneapolis, Minnesota | Republican |
| Kibler, Henry | 09 | Forestville | Democratic |
| Kinghorn, David | 07 | Eagle Creek | Democratic |
| Kingsley, George B. | 14 | Blue Earth | Democratic |
| LeBlond, J. B. | 10 | Brownsville | Democratic |
| Leonard, George L. | 15 | Unknown | Republican |
| Libbey, Charles W. | 06 | Roscoe | Republican |
| Locke, James | 03 | West Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Lord, Samuel | 08 | Marion | Republican |
| Lyle, Robert | 13 | Lyle | Republican |
| Mackintire, Edmund | 10 | Yucatan | Democratic |
| Masters, Robert C. | 03 | Waterford | Democratic |
| McGrorty, William B. | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Murphy, M. T. | 03 | Mendota | Democratic |
| O'Neal, Robert | 03 | Eagan | Democratic |
| Otis, George Lamartine | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Parker, John H. | 05 | Faribault | Republican |
| Peckham, Joseph | 06 | Cannon Falls | Republican |
| Pettie, George C. | 15 | Aurora | Republican |
| Pierce, Ephraim | 17 | Saint Peter | Democratic |
| Poehler, Henry | 18 | Henderson | Democratic |
| Powers, E. Allen | 08 | Oronoco | Republican |
| Randall, John G. | 25 | Chengwatana | Republican |
| Rauch, Charles | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Rehfeld, Frederick | 17 | New Ulm | Democratic |
| Rutan, A. J. | 16 | Le Sueur | Democratic |
| Scofield, John L. | 05 | Northfield | Democratic |
| Seeley, Ira O. | 12 | Mazeppa | Republican |
| Sheetz, Hiram M. | 15 | Unknown | Republican |
| Simpson, Robert | 01 | Stillwater | Republican |
| Starkey, James | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Stevens, John Harrington | 18 | Glencoe | Democratic |
| Talbot, Josiah H. | 19 | Clearwater | Republican |
| Tattersall, William K. | 08 | High Forest | Republican |
| Tefft, Nathaniel S. | 12 | Minneiska | Republican |
| Thompson, Matthew | 16 | South Bend | Republican |
| Thompson, Thomas A. | 12 | Plainview | Republican |
| Townsend, William H. | 23 | Saint Anthony | Republican |
| Tuttle, Albert | 17 | Milford | Democratic |
| Vertress, Warren | 05 | Cannon City | Democratic |
| Wakefield, James Beach | 14 | Blue Earth | Republican |
| Walker, L. C. | 23 | Saint Anthony | Republican |
| Watrous, John S. | 26 | Clifton | Democratic |
| Way, George O. | 13 | Claremont | Democratic |
| Willson, Daniel F. | 10 | Unknown | Democratic |
| Young, John L. | 20 | Unknown | Democratic |

## Membership changes

### House of Representatives

| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
| - | - | - | - | - |
| 14 | William N. Dunham (R) | Although Dunham was initially seated, the seat was contested by Kingsley on the grounds of issues regarding the validity of votes cast in a single precinct. On January 12, 1858 the House determined that Kingsley was entitled to the seat. | George B. Kingsley (D) | January 12, 1858 |
