Iowa Territory
| Territory of Iowa | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Organized incorporated territory of the United States | |||||||||
| 1838–1846 | |||||||||
 Territorial seal
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James Clarke | |||||||||
| Legislature | Iowa Legislative Assembly | ||||||||
| History | |||||||||
• Organized from Wisconsin Territory | 4 July 1838 | ||||||||
| 28 December 1846 | |||||||||
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The Territory of Iowa was an
History
Most of the area in the territory was originally part of the
The original boundaries of the territory, as established in 1838, included
Burlington was the provisional capital; Iowa City was designated as the official territorial capital in 1841.[2] Fort Snelling was located on the western side of the Mississippi placing it within the Territory until statehood.
When Iowa became a state on December 28, 1846, no provision was made for official organization of the remainder of the territory.
In the 1840 United States census, 18 counties in the Iowa Territory reported the following population counts:[5]
| Rank | County | Population |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Van Buren | 6,146 |
| 2 | Lee | 6,093 |
| 3 | Des Moines | 5,577 |
| 4 | Henry | 3,772 |
| 5 | Dubuque | 3,059 |
| 6 | Jefferson | 2,773 |
| 7 | Muscatine | 1,942 |
| 8 | Louisa | 1,927 |
| 9 | Washington | 1,594 |
| 10 | Johnson | 1,491 |
| 11 | Jackson | 1,411 |
| 12 | Linn | 1,373 |
| 13 | Cedar | 1,253 |
| 14 | Scott | 1,240 |
| 15 | Clayton | 1,101 |
| 16 | Clinton | 821 |
| 17 | Jones | 471 |
| 18 | Delaware | 168 |
| Unincorporated | 900 | |
| Iowa Territory | 43,112 |
Governance
The executive powers of the Territory were vested in a Governor, a Secretary (who in case of the death, removal, resignation, or absence from the Territory of the Governor had gubernatorial powers and would perform gubernatorial duties), a Treasurer and an Auditor.
Territorial officers and Congressional delegates
Territorial officers of Iowa Territory from 1838 to 1846.[6]
Governors
- Robert Lucas, appointed 1838.
- John Chambers, appointed 1841.
- James Clarke, appointed 1845.
Secretaries
- William B. Conway, appointed 1838; died in office, November 1839.
- James Clarke, appointed 1839.
- O. H. W. Stull, appointed 1841.
- Samuel J. Burr, appointed 1843.
- Jesse Williams, appointed 1845.
Auditors
- Jesse Williams, appointed 1840.
- William L. Gilbert, appointed 1843.
- David Ira Bryan, appointed 1845.
Treasurers
- Thornton Bayless, appointed 1839.
- Morgan Reno, appointed 1840.
Congressional delegates
- 26th Congresses, 1838–1840
- Francis Gehon, irregularly "elected" in 1839, but never served as delegate
- 29th Congresses, 1840–1846
Legislature
Legislative powers were vested in a Territory of Iowa Legislative Assembly, which like that of Wisconsin Territory was divided into an upper house called the "Council" (although some legislative histories refer to the Council as the Senate) of 13 members, and a House of Representatives of 26.[7]
See also
- Historic regions of the United States
- History of Iowa
- Territorial evolution of the United States
References
- ^ 5 Stat. 235
- ^ "HOW IOWA BECAME A TERRITORY". iagenweb.org.
- ^ "Chapter 2 — Founding Documents". 2013 - 2014 Minnesota Legislative Manual (Blue Book) (PDF). Saint Paul, MN: Office of the Minnesota Secretary of State. 2013. p. 50. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 26, 2014. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ Shortridge, Wilson P. (August 1919). "Henry Hastings Sibley and the Minnesota Frontier". Minnesota History Bulletin. 3 (3): 115–125. Retrieved August 19, 2014.
- ^ Forstall, Richard L. (ed.). Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790–1990 (PDF) (Report). United States Census Bureau. pp. 55–57. Retrieved May 18, 2020.
- ^ "IAGenWeb Project". Retrieved August 2, 2018.
- ^ Shambaugh, Benjamin F. The constitutions of Iowa: Published by the State historical society in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of civil government in Iowa. Iowa City: State Historical Society of Iowa, 1934; p. 79
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