# 3rd Minnesota Legislature

The third Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 8, 1861. The 21 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 42 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 6, 1860.

## Sessions

The legislature met in a regular session from January 8, 1861 to March 8, 1861. There were no special sessions of the third legislature.

## 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) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic | Independent | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 11 | 1 | 25 | 37 | 0 |
| Begin | 2 | 0 | 19 | 21 | 0 |
| April 29, 1861 | 2 | 0 | 18 | 20 | 1 |
| December 31, 1861 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 19 | 2 |
| January 6, 1862 | 2 | 0 | 14 | 16 | 5 |
| Latest voting share | 13% | 0% | 88% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 5 | 0 | 16 | 21 | 0 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic | Republican | Union Dem. | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous Legislature | 19 | 61 | 0 | 80 | 0 |
| Begin | 3 | 39 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| January 9, 1861 | 2 | 40 | 0 | 42 | 0 |
| May 1, 1861 | 2 | 39 | 0 | 41 | 1 |
| December 31, 1861 | 2 | 38 | 0 | 40 | 2 |
| Latest voting share | 5% | 95% | 0% | | |
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 10 | 30 | 2 | 42 | 0 |

## Leadership
### Senate
#### Lieutenant Governor

    Ignatius L. Donnelly (R-Nininger)

### House of Representatives
#### Speaker of the House

    Jared Benson (R-Anoka)

## Members
### Senate

| Name | District | City | Party |
| Baldwin, Rufus J. | 05 | Minneapolis | Republican |
| Barney, Sheldon F. | 17 | Mankato | Republican |
| Bennett, Samuel | 06 | Monticello | Republican |
| Cleveland, Guy K. | 20 | Winnebago City | Republican |
| Cook, Michael | 08 | Faribault | Republican |
| Fake, J. W. | 15 | Austin | Democratic |
| Galbraith, Thomas Jacob | 18 | Shakopee | Republican |
| Gibbs, Seth | 03 | Clearwater | Republican |
| Hayes, Archibald M. | 07 | Hastings | Republican |
| Heaton, David | 04 | Saint Anthony | Republican |
| Holley, Henry W. | 14 | Chatfield | Republican |
| Jones, Stiles P. | 12 | Rochester | Republican |
| Lynd, James W. | 19 | Henderson | Republican |
| McLaren, Robert N. | 09 | Red Wing | Republican |
| McRoberts, Thomas | 13 | La Crescent | Democratic |
| Norton, Daniel Sheldon | 11 | Winona | Republican |
| Pell, John H. | 10 | Plainview | Republican |
| Reiner, Joel K. | 02 | Marine | Republican |
| Sanborn, John Benjamin | 21 | Saint Paul | Republican |
| Smith, James K. | 01 | Saint Paul | Republican |
| Watson, George | 16 | Sumner | Republican |

### House of Representatives

| Name | District | City | Party |
| Acker, Henry | 01 | Saint Paul | Republican |
| Banning, William L. | 21 | Saint Paul | Republican |
| Baxter, William R. | 06 | Glencoe | Republican |
| Benson, Jared | 04 | Anoka | Republican |
| Butler, A. H. | 14 | Newburg | Republican |
| Cathcart, Thomas | 03 | Crow Wing | Republican |
| Chamblin, M. A. | 07 | Lewiston | Republican |
| Chapman, Joseph E. | 09 | Cannon Falls | Republican |
| Cheadle, Asa | 17 | Cleveland | Republican |
| Child, James E. | 16 | Wilton | Republican |
| Cornell, Francis R.E. | 05 | Minneapolis | Republican |
| Driscoll, Frederick | 18 | Sand Creek | Republican |
| Gregory, P. L. | 03 | Saint Cloud | Republican |
| Hanscome, M. G. | 19 | Saint Peter | Republican |
| Harkins, Abram | 12 | Greenfield | Republican |
| Hayden, Wentworth | 05 | Champlin | Republican |
| Hoskins, J. D. | 08 | Northfield | Republican |
| Howe, J. P. | 14 | Granger | Republican |
| Hunt, Thomas J. | 15 | Concord | Republican |
| Kennedy, Vincent P. | 06 | Greenleaf | Republican |
| Kidder, Jefferson Parish | 01 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
| LeBlond, J. B. | 13 | Brownsville | Democratic |
| Mahew, G. V. | 04 | Sauk Rapids | Republican |
| Mantor, Peter | 15 | Mantorville | Republican |
| Morrison, H. G.O. | 07 | Pine Bend | Republican |
| Munch, Emil D. | 02 | Chengwatana | Republican |
| Nessell, Andrew | 01 | Saint Paul | Republican |
| Patterson, L. D. | 17 | Mankato | Republican |
| Paulding, Edmund E. | 19 | Saint Peter | Republican |
| Pettit, W. F. | 16 | Owatonna | Democratic |
| Sargeant, M. Wheeler | 11 | Winona | Republican |
| Sherwood, Charles D. | 14 | Elkhorn | Republican |
| Smith, T. Dwight | 06 | Chaska | Republican |
| Stewart, George W. | 17 | Le Sueur | Republican |
| Strecker, A. | 20 | New Ulm | Republican |
| Tattersall, William K. | 12 | High Forest | Republican |
| Tefft, Natahniel S. | 10 | Minneiska | Republican |
| Thomas, H. L. | 02 | Afton | Republican |
| Warner, Ebenezer | 11 | Saint Charles | Republican |
| Wheeler, Levi | 03 | Little Falls | Republican |
| White, Clark R. | 09 | Pine Island | Republican |
| Whiting, Erastus D. | 02 | Taylors Falls | Republican |
| Wood, Charles | 08 | Morristown | Republican |

## Membership changes
### Senate

| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
| 18 | Thomas J. Galbraith (R) | Resigned on date uncertain. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
| 14 | Henry W. Holley (R) | Resigned on date uncertain. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
| 12 | Stiles P. Jones (R) | Died in office on September 25, 1861. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
| 10 | John H. Pell (R) | Resigned on date uncertain, to enlist in the United States Army. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
| 16 | George Watson (R) | Resigned on date uncertain. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |

### House of Representatives

| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
| 01 | Jefferson Parish Kidder (D) | Kidder was originally certified as the winner of the election; however, Nessell contested the results. Upon examination, the House determined that a clerical error had shown Kidder winning by a margin of two votes, when Nessell actually won by a margin of one vote. The House hence ruled that Nessell was entitled to the seat. | Andrew Nessell (R) | January 9, 1861 |
| 17 | L. D. Patterson (R) | Died in office on date uncertain. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
| 19 | Edmund E. Paulding (R) | Appointed on date uncertain to serve as U.S. Army paymaster for Minnesota, in Washington, D.C. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |