Mississippi Territory General Assembly

The Mississippi Territory General Assembly was the legislature of the Mississippi Territory of the United States.

Prior to the organization of Mississippi Territory, territorial governments had been based "an Act of Congress for the government of the North-Western Territory" and "this model was applied, without any material alteration, to the territories of Tennessee, Indiana, and Michigan," but "the first material change of this model was made for the Mississippi territory, where the people were entitled to a legislature of nine members, whatever might be the number of citizens. The next very important alteration occurred in 1804, in forming the government for the territory of Orleans, since constituted the state of Louisiana. The legislative council in this territory was to be appointed by the President, and formed the entire government. Even trial by jury, except in capital cases, was left at their option." As organized by the U.S. Congress in May 1800, there were to be four representatives from Adams County, four from Pickering County, and one each from the Tensaw and Tombigbee settlements "until the number of free male inhabitants of full age, in the Mississippi territory, shall amount to five thousand."

The General Assembly was bicameral, and the Legislative Council was the upper house, and the House of Representatives the lower. Initially, there were five members of the legislative council, and the number was increased to nine in 1814. The Assembly elected the Mississippi territorial delegate to the U.S. Congress until 1808 "when popular election of congressional delegates was instituted." The territorial assembly was succeeded by the Mississippi General Assembly at statehood in 1817.

1st General Assembly

First session: The first election of legislators was to be the "fourth Monday in July" 1800, and the first session was to begin in Natchez on "the fourth Monday in September." The first election, in 1800, resulted in the apparent election of Cato West, Thomas M. Green, John Burnet, Thomas Calvet, Henry Hunter and James Hoggett, but the latter two, along with Anthony Hutchins and William Dunbar were not seated, on the grounds of "improper credentials" and/or incomplete returns. A petition was sent to Congress asking for intervention was declined. President John Adams made nominations for the legislative council on December 23, 1800.