Mississippi Territory General Assembly

The Mississippi Territory General Assembly was the legislature of the Mississippi Territory of the United States.

Prior to the organization of Mississippi Territory, territorial governments had been based "an Act of Congress for the government of the North-Western Territory" and "this model was applied, without any material alteration, to the territories of Tennessee, Indiana, and Michigan," but "the first material change of this model was made for the Mississippi territory, where the people were entitled to a legislature of nine members, whatever might be the number of citizens. The next very important alteration occurred in 1804, in forming the government for the territory of Orleans, since constituted the state of Louisiana. The legislative council in this territory was to be appointed by the President, and formed the entire government. Even trial by jury, except in capital cases, was left at their option."^[1] As organized by the U.S. Congress in May 1800, there were to be four representatives from Adams County, four from Pickering County, and one each from the Tensaw and Tombigbee settlements "until the number of free male inhabitants of full age, in the Mississippi territory, shall amount to five thousand."^[2]

The General Assembly was bicameral, and the Legislative Council was the upper house, and the House of Representatives the lower.^[3] Initially, there were five members of the legislative council, and the number was increased to nine in 1814.^[4] The Assembly elected the Mississippi territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress until 1808 "when popular election of congressional delegates was instituted."^[4] The territorial assembly was succeeded by the Mississippi General Assembly at statehood in 1817.^[5]

First session: The first election of legislators was to be the "fourth Monday in July" 1800, and the first session was to begin in Natchez on "the fourth Monday in September."^[6] The first election, in 1800, resulted in the apparent election of Cato West, Thomas M. Green, John Burnet, Thomas Calvet, Henry Hunter and James Hoggett, but the latter two, along with Anthony Hutchins and William Dunbar were not seated, on the grounds of "improper credentials" and/or incomplete returns. A petition was sent to Congress asking for intervention was declined.^[7] President John Adams made nominations for the legislative council on December 23, 1800.^[8]

Third session: Met at Washington on May 3, 1802; printed a report.^[9] Joshua Baker is listed as a Speaker of the House in one account.^[10]

Possible members, per Adams presidential papers and Statistical Register of Mississippi (1924):^[11][8]

• Adam Bingaman
• John Ellis
• John Stampley
• Alexander Montgomery
• Flood McGrew

First session: The second meeting of the General Assembly was conducted for about five weeks beginning in July 1801.^[3] Bibliographer McMurtrie reports that the second session met December, 1802, to March, 1803.^[13]

Second session: Incoming Governor W. C. C. Claiborne addressed the General Assembly on December 1, 1801.^[14] The legislature remained in session until February 2, 1802, repealed many existing laws, tried and failed to pass a law prohibiting the importation of male slaves over 16, changed the name of Pickering County to Jefferson, and created Claiborne and Wilkinson counties.^[15] Most significantly they voted to move the territorial capital from Natchez to Washington, about six miles up the Natchez Trace.^[16]

The Assembly met again in October 1803, as a total body of nine people. John Ellis headed the Legislative Council.^[17] William Conner was the speaker of the house.^[18] A report from this session was published by Andrew Marschalk.^[19]

Possible members, per the Mississippi Statistical Register of 1924:^[11]

• David Latimore

The third legislature first met December 3, 1804.^[20] The session ended in March 1805. A report was published.^[21] March 1805 nominees for the legislative council: Daniel Burnet and William Downs of Claiborne County, Thomas Hinds and James Stewart of Jefferson County, Alexander Montgomery and Joseph Sessions of Adams County, Henry Hunter and Joshua Baker of Wilkinson County, and Lemuel Henry and William Buford of Washington County.^[22]

Extra session: A report from an extra session held in July 1805 was published by the Terrell brothers in Natchez.^[23]

Joseph B. Baker served on the legislative council from 1805 to 1808.^[24]

Possible members, per the Mississippi Statistical Register of 1924:^[11]

Legislative council appointments published June 1806:^[25]

• Joshua Baker
• Joseph Sessions
• Thomas Hinds
• Daniel Burnet
• Lemuel Henry

Baker was president of the legislative council 1807 to 1809.^[26]

First session: A session of the general assembly was convened December 1, 1806.^[27] The session was continued to February 10, 1807.^[28] Joshua Baker was the president of the territorial legislative council in March 1808.^[29]

Second session: The second session of the fourth assembly was convened December first Monday, 1807.^[30]

New apportionment in 1808 allocated two representatives each to Claiborne, Jefferson, Adams, Wilkinson, and Washington counties.^[31]

The fourth legislature convened again in February, 1808, and "both houses were dissolved by the Governor Robert Williams on the 1st of March," with the apparent intent of "obliterating" the legislative council.^[32]

A session of the House of Representatives was convened September 15, 1808.^[30]

In November 1807 there was an election to replace Samuel Bridges, deceased.^[33]

First session: The first session convened on February 5, 1809, and was dissolved by Governor Robert Williams on his resignation as governor on March 3, 1809.^[35]

In September 1809 Ferdinand L. Claiborne wrote Jefferson that Joshua Baker, Joseph Sessions, and Daniel Burnett had been recommended to the council.^[36]

In November 1808 Thomas Jefferson appointed John Flood McGrew, Thomas Calvit, James Lea, Alexander Montgomery, and Daniel Burnet, to the Mississippi Territory Legislative Council.^[37][38]

Daniel Burnet was president of the legislative council as of February 24, 1809.^[39]

The Mississippi Territory House of Representatives met July 3, 1809, and recommended the following membership for the legislative council, later approved by James Madison: Alexander Montgomery, Adams County; David McCaleb, Jefferson County; Thomas Barnes, Claiborne County; Joseph Carson, Washington County; Joseph Roberts, Wilkinson County.^[40][41][42]

First session: A report was published of acts passed at the session beginning November 6, 1809.^[35]

Second session: Convened November 5, 1810, adjourned January 1811, report published.^[43]

• Alexander Montgomery, Adams County
• David McCaleb, Jefferson County
• Thomas Barnes, Claiborne County
• Joseph Carson, Washington County
• Joseph Roberts, Wilkinson County

Possible members, per the Mississippi Statistical Register of 1924:^[11]

There are two reports from the second session of the seventh assembly, convening November 4, 1812.^[44]

A letter from the Assembly to James Madison from December 1811 is signed by Cowles Mead, Speaker of the House, and Alexander Montgomery, president of the legislature.^[45]

Possible members, per the Mississippi Statistical Register of 1924:^[11]

The first session of the eighth general assembly convened December 6, 1813.^[46]

The second session of the eighth general assembly convened November 7, 1814.^[47]

The first session of the ninth general assembly convened at Washington, M.T. on November 6, 1815.^[51][12] The legislative council had six members.^[12]

The second session of the ninth general assembly convened November 4, 1816.^[52] This was the last session of the Mississippi territorial legislature.^[52]

Members of the legislative council of the Ninth General Assembly of Mississippi included Thomas Barnes, president; Messrs. Carson, Grayson, Runnels,^[c] Titus, and Robert Beatty.^[12]

• Category:Members of the Mississippi Territorial Legislature

• McMurtrie, Douglas C. (1945). A Bibliography of Mississippi Imprints, 1798–1830. Heartman's Historical Series No. 69. Beauvoir Community, Mississippi: The Book Farm.
• Rowland, Dunbar (1925). History of Mississippi, the Heart of the South. Chicago & Jackson, Miss.: S. J. Clarke Pub. Co. pp. 370–371, 379–380.

• Bunn, Mike; Williams, Clay (2023). Old Southwest to Old South: Mississippi, 1798–1840. University Press of Mississippi. doi:10.2307/jj.130879.7. ISBN 978-1-4968-4383-8.
• Ranney, Joseph A. (2019). A Legal History of Mississippi: Race, Class, and the Struggle for Opportunity. University Press of Mississippi. doi:10.2307/j.ctvgs0995.5. ISBN 978-1-4968-2260-4.

• Mississippi territorial election records