Organized incorporated territory of the United States from 1864 to 1889
The
Territory of Montana
was an
organized incorporated territory of the United States
that existed from May 26, 1864,
[1]
until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the
Union
as the state of
Montana
.
Original boundaries
[
edit
]
Historical population
Year
| Pop.
| ±%
|
---|
1870
| 20,595
| ?
|
---|
1880
| 40,440
| +96.4%
|
---|
Source: 1870?1880;
[2]
|
The Montana Territory was organized out of the existing
Idaho Territory
by Act of
Congress
and signed into law by
President Abraham Lincoln
on May 26, 1864. The areas east of the
Continental Divide
had been previously part of the
Nebraska Territory
and
Dakota Territory
and had been acquired by the United States in the
Louisiana Purchase
.
The territory also included a portion of the Idaho Territory west of the continental divide and east of the
Bitterroot Range
, which had been acquired by the United States in the
Oregon Treaty
, and originally included in the
Oregon Territory
. The part of the Oregon Territory that became part of Montana had been split off as part of the
Washington Territory
.
The boundary between the Washington Territory and Dakota Territory was the
Continental Divide
(as shown on the 1861 map); however, the boundary between the Idaho Territory and the Montana Territory followed the
Bitterroot Range
north of 46°30′ north (as shown on the 1864 map). This change was due in part to Congress unifying the area with the creation of Idaho Territory in 1863, coupled with the subsequent political maneuvering of
Sidney Edgerton
, soon to be the first Territorial Governor of Montana, and his allies in the Congress. They successfully implemented the boundary change that won the
Flathead
and
Bitterroot
valleys for Montana Territory.
[3]
The Organic Act of the Territory of Montana
[4]
defines the boundary as extending from the modern intersection of
Montana
,
Idaho
, and
Wyoming
at:
The forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude; thence due west along said forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude to a point formed by its intersection with the crest of the Rocky Mountains; thence following the crest of the Rocky Mountains northward till its intersection with the Bitter Root Mountains; thence northward along the crest of the Bitter Root Mountains to its intersection with the thirty-ninth degree of longitude west from Washington; thence along said thirty-ninth degree of longitude northward to the boundary line of British possessions.
Upon the establishment of the
Wyoming Territory
in 1868, an enclave of Dakota Territory known as
Lost Dakota
was accidentally created. This error was overlooked by the federal government until 1873, when it was annexed and thereby incorporated into
Gallatin County
, Montana.
[5]
The Montana Territory was admitted to the Union as the
State of Montana
on November 8, 1889.
Government
[
edit
]
The act of Congress of 1864 creating Montana, known as the Organic Act,
[6]
prescribed a somewhat standard organization for the territorial government of Montana. It established executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government, however, the federal government held a dominant role in administering the new territory. Particularly, the
Congress
reserved the right to nullify any laws passed by the citizen-elected territorial legislature. The
President of the United States
appointed the most powerful positions in the territory, including a governor, secretary of the territory, and three members of the territorial supreme court, with the advice and consent of the
U.S. Senate
. The citizens of the territory elected a legislative assembly, consisting of a Council and House of Representatives, which together created the laws for the territory. Citizens also elected a lone
delegate to Congress
as strictly an advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives; a territorial delegate was not permitted to vote.
[7]
The territorial government was meant to provide a training ground for a future move to statehood, allowing time for an area's institutions to mature and populations to grow.
[8]
Executive
[
edit
]
Governor
[
edit
]
The governor served a four-year term, unless removed by the President. Duties of the office included 1) the faithful execution of the laws, 2) to serve as the commander-in-chief of the militia, and 3) to serve as the superintendent of Indian affairs. The governor also had to approve or veto laws within three days of passage by the territorial legislative assembly.
[9]
- Parties
Dem
Democratic
Rep
Republican
Secretary of the territory
[
edit
]
The secretary of the territory served a four-year term, unless removed by the President. Duties of the office included 1) the recording of all laws and proceedings of the legislative assembly and the acts of the governor, 2) the transmission of copies of the laws and journals of the legislative assembly to the President and the leaders of Congress, and 3) the transmission of executive proceedings and correspondence twice a year to the President. Importantly, the secretary also served as acting governor in case of the death, removal, resignation, or absence of the governor from the territory.
- Parties
Dem
Democratic
Rep
Republican
Congressional delegation
[
edit
]
The eligible citizens of Montana Territory voted for a delegate to Congress, electing them to a two-year term. The territorial delegate had a seat in the House of Representatives and, as any other representative, participated in debates, yet they did not have the right to vote.
[27]
During the time Montana was a territory, some delegates to Congress were allowed to sit on select committees and even standing committees of the House, yet as on the floor of the House, they were not permitted to vote.
[28]
- Parties
Dem
Democratic
Rep
Republican
See also
[
edit
]
Notes
[
edit
]
- ^
13
Stat.
85
- ^
Forstall, Richard L. (ed.).
Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790?1990
(PDF)
(Report).
United States Census Bureau
. p. 3
. Retrieved
May 18,
2020
.
- ^
Malone, Roeder, and Lang 1991, p. 95.
- ^
An Act to provide a temporary government, 1864.
- ^
17
Stat.
464
- ^
An Act to provide a temporary government, 1864.
- ^
Renne 1958, p. 20-23.
- ^
Renne 1958, p. 19.
- ^
Renne 1958, p. 20-21.
- ^
Owings 1956, p. 62.
- ^
Spence 1968, p. 33.
- ^
Owings 1956, p. 62-63.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 234.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 18.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 34, 43.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 51.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 55.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 68, 75.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 77-78, 234.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 78.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 156.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 234.
- ^
Miller 1894, p. 74.
- ^
Leeson 1885, p. 1256.
- ^
Owings 1956, p. 63.
- ^
Spence 1975, p. 234.
- ^
Palmer 2011, p. 3-4.
- ^
Palmer 2011, p. 6-8.
- ^
Owings 1956, p. 63.
- ^
Federal Writers' Project
(1939).
"Chronology"
.
Montana: a State Guide Book
.
American Guide Series
. NY: Viking Press.
References
[
edit
]
- "An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Montana"
(PDF)
.
Thirty-sixth United States Congress
. May 26, 1864. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on January 12, 2007
. Retrieved
January 20,
2007
.
- Leeson, M. A. (1885).
History of Montana, 1739-1885
. Chicago: Warner, Beers & Co.
- Malone, Michael P.; Roeder, Richard B.; Lang, William L. (1991).
Montana : a history of two centuries
(Rev. ed.). Seattle: University of Washington Press.
ISBN
0295971290
.
- Miller, Joaquin (1894).
An Illustrated History of the State of Montana
. Chicago: The Lewis Publishing Co.
- Owings, Ralph E. (1956).
Montana Directory of Public Affairs, 1864-1955
. Ann Arbor, MI: Edwards Bothers, Inc.
- Palmer, Betsy (January 6, 2011).
"Delegates to the U.S. Congress: History and Current Status"
(PDF)
.
U.S. Department of State
. Congressional Research Service
. Retrieved
November 14,
2014
.
- Renne, Roland R. (1958).
The Government and Administration of Montana
. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.
- Spence, Clark C. (Spring 1968). "Spoilsman in Montana: James M. Ashley".
Montana The Magazine of Western History
.
18
(2). Montana Historical Society: 24?35.
- Spence, Clark C. (1975).
Territorial Politics and Government in Montana, 1864-89
. Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press.
ISBN
9780252004605
.
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46°47′N
109°22′W
/
46.78°N 109.37°W
/
46.78; -109.37