Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington
Named in 14 stories. Back to all names
- May 6, 1854The Pioneer Argument Against ProhibitionAn 1854 speech by legislator Mr. Chenoweth argues that legal coercion is a poor substitute for individual morality in the fight against intemperance.Olympia, WA
- May 13, 1854The First Legal Code of Washington TerritoryA sweeping 1854 legislative act codified the rules of the frontier, from the punishment of corrupt jailers to the regulation of 'notorious barrators' and illegal gambling.Olympia, WA
- Jun 17, 1854Establishing the People’s CourtLegislative action mandates the election of local probate judges to manage wills, estates, and guardianship for the Territory.Olympia, WA
- Jul 1, 1854Establishing Washington’s First Public School SystemA legislative act outlining the structure, funding, and local oversight for common schools across the Washington Territory.Olympia, WA
- Jul 15, 1854The Rules of Law in Territorial WashingtonA comprehensive look at the legal framework governing property disputes, mortgage foreclosures, and individual liberty in 1854.Olympia, WA
- Feb 16, 1861The Chaos of Washington's Pre-Civil War LegislatureAs the nation teetered on the brink of war, Olympia's Eighth Legislative Session descended into partisan bickering, salary disputes, and frantic attempts to define Washington Territory's loyalty to the Union.Olympia, WA
- Jan 31, 1863The 1863 Legislative Session Wraps UpA look back at the territorial assembly's busy session, featuring a major overhaul of the legal code, debates over the Idaho statehood movement, and the struggles of members waiting on federal pay.Olympia, WA
- Dec 18, 1871The Rules of the Game: How Seattle's First Lawyers Codified the Fight for LandWhen the Washington Territorial legislature overhauled the rules of civil procedure, they essentially wrote the blueprint for how Seattle’s developers and land speculators would battle over the city’s footprint for decades to come.Seattle, WA
- Nov 17, 1877The Great Railway Gamble of 1878Territorial lawmakers drafted a sweeping plan to bind Washington’s counties together with a railroad, tasking local voters with footing the bill through massive debt.Seattle, WA
- Mar 6, 1878The Constitutional Crisis of 1878Before Washington was a state, Governor Elisha P. Ferry issued a desperate call for a convention to define its future.Walla Walla, WA
- Nov 2, 1880The Strict Rules of Territorial Ballot BoxesBefore the secret ballot was standardized, Washington Territory enacted stern penalties to prevent election-day fraud, coercion, and liquor-fueled chaos.Seattle, WA
- Mar 5, 1885The Industrial Grasping of the TideflatsA legal notice from 1885 reveals the early enclosure of Seattle's waterfront by the railroad, shaping the city's geography for the next century.Seattle, WA
- Apr 11, 1885The Great Tax Sale of 1885Hundreds of property owners face dispossession as Seattle lists delinquent lands for auction to cover city debts.Seattle, WA
- Feb 12, 1887The Case of the Missing JuryA landmark Washington Territory court ruling challenges the legal status of women as jurors, debating whether 'civil disability' laws were ever intended to grant women the right to serve.Seattle, WA