Archives West Finding Aid

The Territory of Montana was created by the U.S. Congress on May 26, 1864. In 1866 a constitution was written by Montana residents, but it was never submitted to Congress. Then, in 1883, the Thirteenth Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Montana authorized an election in November 1883 to select delegates to attend a constitutional convention in Helena the following January. Delegates were elected from existing counties and judicial districts. William A. Clark was elected president of the convention. The 1884 Constitution was approved by popular vote of territorial residents. However, this constitution did not receive approval of the U.S. Congress because the majority in Congress belonged to the Republican Party and the voters of Montana Territory had elected primarily Democratic officials. On February 22, 1889, President Grover Cleveland signed enabling legislation known as the Omnibus Statehood Bill providing for constitutional conventions to be called on July 4, 1889, in Montana, Washington, and North and South Dakota territories. The 1889 Constitution, based largely on the earlier effort in 1884, was approved by Congress and Montana became the forty-first state on November 8, 1889.