# 8th Minnesota Territorial Legislature

The 8th Minnesota Territorial Legislature first convened on January 7, 1857. The 15 members of the Minnesota Territorial Council were elected during the General Election of October 9, 1855, and the 38 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of October 14, 1856. The 8th territorial legislature was the final territorial legislature held before the Territory of Minnesota was dissolved and Minnesota was admitted as a state.

## Sessions

The territorial legislature met in a regular session from January 7, 1857 to March 7, 1857. A special session was convened from April 27, 1857 to May 25, 1857 to consider various matters which had not been acted upon during the regular session, including numerous incorporations, as well as to provide for the payment of the expenses of the constitutional convention which convened to draft the Constitution of the State of Minnesota roughly two weeks after the special session adjourned.

## Party summary

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

### Council

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic | Republican | Unknown | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 6 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 3 |
| Begin | 6 | 5 | 4 | 15 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 40% | 33% | 27% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 20 | 17 | 0 | 37 | 0 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic | Republican | Unknown | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 19 | 11 | 9 | 38 | 0 |
| Begin | 18 | 20 | 0 | 38 | 0 |
| January 22, 1857 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| March 7, 1857 | 19 | 19 | 0 | 38 | 1 |
| April 27, 1857 | 19 | 20 | 0 | 39 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 49% | 51% | 0% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 43 | 37 | 0 | 80 | 0 |

## Leadership
### President of the Council

    John B. Brisbin (D-Saint Paul)

### Speaker of the House

    Joseph W. Furber (R-Cottage Grove)

## Members
### Council

| Name | District | City | Party |
| Bailly, Henry G. | 06 | Hastings | Democratic |
| Balcombe, St. Andre Durand | 09 | Winona | Republican |
| Bassett, Joel B. | 11 | Minneapolis | Republican |
| Brisbin, John B. | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Dooley, Samuel | 06 | Louisville | Unknown |
| Freeborn, William | 04 | Red Wing | Democratic |
| Humphrey, Philander P. | 10 | Oshawa | Republican |
| Lowry, William D. | 09 | Rochester | Unknown |
| Ludden, John Dwight | 01 | Taylors Falls | Democratic |
| Rolette, Joseph | 07 | Pembina | Democratic |
| Setzer, Henry N. | 01 | Stillwater | Democratic |
| Stone, Lewis | 05 | Royalton | Unknown |
| Thompson, Clark W. | 08 | Hokah | Republican |
| Tillotson, Benjamin F. | 08 | Richland | Unknown |
| Wales, William W. | 03 | Saint Anthony | Republican |

### House of Representatives

| Name | District | City | Party |
| Abbe, Samuel B. | 05 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Adams, Charles Powell | 06 | Hastings | Democratic |
| Baasen, Francis | 10 | New Ulm | Democratic |
| Barrows, Eli B. | 09 | Pleasant Grove | Democratic |
| Berry, John McDonogh | 08 | Faribault | Republican |
| Black, Mahlon | 01 | Stillwater | Democratic |
| Branch, William | 02 | Saint Paul | Republican |
| Brown, Joseph Renshaw | 10 | Henderson | Democratic |
| Brown, Luther M. | 06 | Shakopee | Republican |
| Case, Dana F. | 08 | Houston | Republican |
| Chamblin, Allen T. | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Chase, Jonathan N. | 03 | Saint Anthony | Republican |
| Costello, William | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Foster, Alonzo P. | 09 | Plainview | Republican |
| Furber, Joseph Warren | 01 | Cottage Grove | Republican |
| Gere, William B. | 08 | Chatfield | Democratic |
| Grant, Charles | 07 | Saint Joseph | Democratic |
| Greeley, Elam | 01 | Stillwater | Democratic |
| Hayden, Wentworth | 11 | Champlin | Republican |
| Hechtman, Henry | 03 | Minneapolis | Republican |
| Howell, Warren J. | 08 | Canton | Republican |
| Jewett, Charles | 06 | Warsaw | Republican |
| Keith, Asa | 11 | Richfield | Republican |
| King, Ephraim L. | 09 | Winona | Republican |
| Kingsbury, William W. | 05 | Endion | Democratic |
| McVey, John J. | 06 | Marshan | Democratic |
| Murray, William Pitt | 02 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| Noble, Morgan L. | 06 | Unknown | Republican |
| Payne, Nelson | 04 | Unknown | Democratic |
| Plumer, John P. | 11 | Brooklyn | Republican |
| Ramsey, Justus Cornelius | 02 | Saint Paul | Republican |
| Smith, Delano T. | 11 | Minneapolis | Republican |
| Stannard, Lucius K. | 01 | Taylors Falls | Republican |
| Sweeney, William Wilson | 04 | Red Wing | Democratic |
| Thomas, Ozro A. | 10 | Clinton Falls | Republican |
| Thompson, Martin G. | 08 | Brownsville | Republican |
| Troll, John M. | 11 | Chaska | Republican |
| Whitlock, Friend J. | 06 | Belle Plaine | Democratic |
| Wilkie, John B. | 07 | Pembina | Democratic |
| Wilson, John L. | 05 | Saint Cloud | Democratic |

## Membership changes
### House of Representatives

| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
| 06 | Morgan Noble (R) | Resigned on a date uncertain. | Charles Jewett (R) | April 27, 1857 |