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.[1]
^On January 22, 1857, Joseph R. Brown was admitted as a member of the House. He appears to have been admitted as an additional member, as both of the other members from his district (Francis Baasen and Ozro A. Thomas) continue to appear in the journal as members after the date on which J.R. Brown was sworn in.[2]
^The date of Morgan L. Noble's resignation is uncertain. Minnesota Legislators Past & Present lists the date of the end of the regular session.[3]