View source for Montana Territory

{{Short description|Organized incorporated territory of the United States from 1864 to 1889}}
{{About||the film|Montana Territory (film)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=May 2013}}
{{Use American English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox Former subdivision
|conventional_long_name = Territory of Montana
|common_name = Montana Territory
|nation      = the United States
|subdivision = [[Organized incorporated territories of the United States|Organized incorporated territory]]
|
|event_pre   =
|date_pre    =
|year_pre    =
|event_start = Split from [[Idaho Territory]]
|date_start  = May 26
|year_start  = 1864
|event1      =
|date_event1 =
|year_event1 =
|event_end   = [[Montana|Statehood]]
|date_end    = November 8
|year_end    = 1889
|p1          = Idaho Territory
|flag_p1     = Flag of the United States (1863-1865).svg
|p2          =
|flag_p2     =
|s1          = Montana
|flag_s1     = Flag of Montana (1905-1981).svg
|s2          =
|flag_s2     =
|s3          =
|flag_s3     =
|image_flag  =
|image_coat  = Montana territory coat of arms (illustrated, 1876).jpg
|symbol_type =
|image_map   = MontanaTerritory1879.jpg
|image_map_caption = Map of the Montana Territory, 1879
|
|capital      = [[Bannack, Montana|Bannack]] (May 28, 1864–February 6, 1865)<br>[[Virginia City, Montana|Virginia City]] (February 7, 1865–1875)<br>[[Helena, Montana|Helena]] (1875–1889)
|government_type = Organized incorporated territory
|title_leader = [[List of Governors of Montana|Governor]]
|leader1      = 
|year_leader1 =
|leader2      =
|year_leader2 =
|leader3      =
|year_leader3 =
|leader4      =
|year_leader4 =
|legislature  =
}}

The '''Territory of Montana''' was an [[organized incorporated territory of the United States]] that existed from May 26, 1864,<ref>{{USStat|13|85}}</ref> until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the [[United States|Union]] as the state of [[Montana]].

==Original boundaries==
{{Main|Territorial evolution of Montana}}
{{Historical populations
|type= USA
|1870|20595
|1880|40440
|footnote=Source: 1870–1880;<ref>{{cite report|editor-last=Forstall|editor-first=Richard L.|title=Population of the States and Counties of the United States: 1790–1990|page=3|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|url=https://www.census.gov/population/www/censusdata/PopulationofStatesandCountiesoftheUnitedStates1790-1990.pdf|access-date=May 18, 2020}}</ref>
}}

The Montana Territory was organized out of the existing [[Idaho Territory]] by Act of [[United States Congress|Congress]] and signed into law by [[Abraham Lincoln|President Abraham Lincoln]] on May 26, 1864. The areas east of the [[Continental Divide]] had been previously part of the [[Nebraska Territory]] and [[Dakota Territory]] and had been acquired by the United States in the [[Louisiana Purchase]].

The territory also included a portion of the Idaho Territory west of the continental divide and east of the [[Bitterroot Range]], which had been acquired by the United States in the [[Oregon Treaty]], and originally included in the [[Oregon Territory]]. The part of the Oregon Territory that became part of Montana had been split off as part of the [[Washington Territory]].

The boundary between the Washington Territory and Dakota Territory was the [[Continental Divide]] (as shown on the 1861 map); however, the boundary between the Idaho Territory and the Montana Territory followed the [[Bitterroot Range]] north of 46°30′ north (as shown on the 1864 map). This change was due in part to Congress unifying the area with the creation of Idaho Territory in 1863, coupled with the subsequent political maneuvering of [[Sidney Edgerton]], soon to be the first Territorial Governor of Montana, and his allies in the Congress. They successfully implemented the boundary change that won the [[Flathead Valley|Flathead]] and [[Bitterroot Valley|Bitterroot]] valleys for Montana Territory.<ref>Malone, Roeder, and Lang 1991, p. 95.</ref> The Organic Act of the Territory of Montana<ref>An Act to provide a temporary government, 1864.</ref> defines the boundary as extending from the modern intersection of [[Montana]], [[Idaho]], and [[Wyoming]] at: 
<blockquote>The forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude; thence due west along said forty-fourth degree and thirty minutes of north latitude to a point formed by its intersection with the crest of the [[Rocky Mountains]]; thence following the crest of the Rocky Mountains northward till its intersection with the Bitter Root Mountains; thence northward along the crest of the Bitter Root Mountains to its intersection with the thirty-ninth degree of longitude west from Washington; thence along said thirty-ninth degree of longitude northward to the boundary line of [[British possessions]].</blockquote>

Upon the establishment of the [[Wyoming Territory]] in 1868, an enclave of Dakota Territory known as [[Lost Dakota]] was accidentally created. This error was overlooked by the federal government until 1873, when it was annexed and thereby incorporated into [[Gallatin County, Montana|Gallatin County]], Montana.<ref>{{USStat|17|464}}</ref> The Montana Territory was admitted to the Union as the [[Montana|State of Montana]] on November 8, 1889.

<gallery>
Image:Wpdms washington dakota territories 1861.idx.png
Image:Wpdms idaho territory 1863 idx.png
Image:Wpdms idaho territory 1864 legend idx.png
File:DeLacy Map Montana Territory 1865.JPG|de Lacy's 1865 map of the Montana Territory
File:W deLacy Map Montana 1872.jpg|de Lacy's 1872 map of the Montana Territory
</gallery>

==Government==
The act of Congress of 1864 creating Montana, known as the Organic Act,<ref>An Act to provide a temporary government, 1864.</ref> prescribed a somewhat standard organization for the territorial government of Montana.  It established executive, judicial, and legislative branches of government, however, the federal government held a dominant role in administering the new territory.  Particularly, the [[United States Congress|Congress]] reserved the right to nullify any laws passed by the citizen-elected territorial legislature.  The [[President of the United States]] appointed the most powerful positions in the territory, including a governor, secretary of the territory, and three members of the territorial supreme court, with the advice and consent of the [[United States Senate|U.S. Senate]].  The citizens of the territory elected a legislative assembly, consisting of a Council and House of Representatives, which together created the laws for the territory.  Citizens also elected a lone [[Delegate (United States Congress)|delegate to Congress]] as strictly an advisor to the U.S. House of Representatives; a territorial delegate was not permitted to vote.<ref>Renne 1958, p. 20-23.</ref>  The territorial government was meant to provide a training ground for a future move to statehood, allowing time for an area's institutions to mature and populations to grow.<ref>Renne 1958, p. 19.</ref>

===Executive===

====Governor====
The governor served a four-year term, unless removed by the President.  Duties of the office included 1) the faithful execution of the laws, 2) to serve as the commander-in-chief of the militia, and 3) to serve as the superintendent of Indian affairs.  The governor also had to approve or veto laws within three days of passage by the territorial legislative assembly.<ref>Renne 1958, p. 20-21.</ref>

; Parties
<span style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}; padding:3px; border=1px solid #000;">Dem</span> [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
<span style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}; padding:3px; border=1px solid #000;">Rep</span> [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Governors of Montana Territory<ref>Owings 1956, p. 62.</ref>
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | #
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Governor
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Party
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Term start
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Term end
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Appointed by
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|- valign="top"
| 1
! scope="row"| {{sortname|Sidney|Edgerton}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1864|06|22}}
| {{dts|1866|07|12}}
| {{sortname|Abraham|Lincoln}}
| Did not find out he had been appointed right away; left Montana in September 1865 and did not return for 25 years
|- valign="top"
| 2
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Green Clay|Smith}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1866|07|13}}
| {{dts|1869|04|09}}
| {{sortname|Andrew|Johnson}}
| Did not assume office until October 1866; stopped functioning as governor in summer 1868
|- valign="top"
| 3
!scope="row"| {{sortname|James Mitchell|Ashley}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| | {{dts|1869|04|09}}
| | {{dts|1870|07|12}}
| {{sortname|Ulysses S.|Grant}}
| Removed from office by President [[Ulysses S. Grant]] in mid-December 1869 for unclear reasons.<ref>Spence 1968, p. 33.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 4
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Benjamin F.|Potts}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1870|07|13}}
| {{dts|1883|01|14}}
| {{sortname|Ulysses S.|Grant}}
|
|- valign="top"
| 5
!scope="row"| {{sortname|John Schuyler|Crosby}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1883|01|15}}
| {{dts|1884|12|15}}
| {{sortname|Chester A.|Arthur}}
|
|- valign="top"
| 6
!scope="row"| {{sortname|B. Platt|Carpenter}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1884|12|16}}
| {{dts|1885|07|13}}
| {{sortname|Chester A.|Arthur}}
|
|- valign="top"
| 7
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Samuel Thomas|Hauser}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1885|07|14}}
| {{dts|1887|02|07}}
| {{sortname|Grover|Cleveland}}
|
|- valign="top"
| 8
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Preston Hopkins|Leslie}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1887|02|08}}
| {{dts|1889|04|08}}
| {{sortname|Grover|Cleveland}}
|
|- valign="top"
| 9
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Benjamin F.|White|Benjamin F. White (Montana politician)}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1889|04|09}}
| {{dts|1889|11|08}}
| {{sortname|Benjamin|Harrison}}
|
|}

====Secretary of the territory====
The secretary of the territory served a four-year term, unless removed by the President.  Duties of the office included 1) the recording of all laws and proceedings of the legislative assembly and the acts of the governor, 2) the transmission of copies of the laws and journals of the legislative assembly to the President and the leaders of Congress, and 3) the transmission of executive proceedings and correspondence twice a year to the President.  Importantly, the secretary also served as acting governor in case of the death, removal, resignation, or absence of the governor from the territory.

; Parties
<span style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}; padding:3px; border=1px solid #000;">Dem</span> [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
<span style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}; padding:3px; border=1px solid #000;">Rep</span> [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Secretaries of Montana Territory<ref>Owings 1956, p. 62-63.</ref><ref>Spence 1975, p. 234.</ref>
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | #
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Secretary
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Party
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Commissioned
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Appointed by
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|- valign="top"
| 1
! scope="row"| {{sortname|Henry P.|Torsey}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1864|06|22}}
| {{sortname|Abraham|Lincoln}}
| Declined appointment due to poor health.<ref>Spence 1975, p. 18.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 2
!scope="row"| {{sortname|John|Coburn|John Coburn (Indiana politician)}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1865|03|03}}
| {{sortname|Abraham|Lincoln}}
| Did not assume office as he resigned almost immediately upon being appointed; later in 1884 appointed a justice to the Supreme Court of Montana Territory
|- valign="top"
| 3
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Thomas Francis|Meagher}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| | {{dts|1865|08|04}}
| {{sortname|Andrew|Johnson}}
| He served as acting governor from Sep. 1865, when Gov. Edgerton left the territory, until Oct. 1866, when Gov. Smith arrived.<ref>Spence 1975, p. 34, 43.</ref>  He served again as acting governor from early 1867, when Gov. Smith went to Washington D.C., until Meagher's death on July 1, 1867.<ref>Spence 1975, p. 51.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 4
!scope="row"| {{sortname|James|Tufts}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1867|03|28}}
| {{sortname|Andrew|Johnson}}
| He served as acting governor from the summer of 1868, when Gov. Smith left the territory, until the summer of 1869 when his replacement arrived.<ref>Spence 1975, p. 55.</ref> 
|- valign="top"
| 5
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Wiley S.|Scribner|Wiley Scribner}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1869|04|20}}
| {{sortname|Ulysses S.|Grant}}
| He served as acting governor from mid-December 1869, when Ashley was removed, until the end of August 1870, when Gov. Potts arrived in Virginia City.<ref>Spence 1975, p. 68, 75.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 6
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Addison Hiatt|Sanders}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1870|07|19}}
| {{sortname|Ulysses S.|Grant}}
| Withdrew before taking office since he took another appointment as register of the Land Office in Montana.<ref>Spence 1975, p. 77-78, 234.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 7
!scope="row"| {{sortname|James E.|Callaway}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1871|01|27}}
| {{sortname|Ulysses S.|Grant}}
| He did not arrive in Montana until mid-April 1871 to take up his duties;<ref>Spence 1975, p. 78.</ref> he was the longest serving secretary of the territory.
|- valign="top"
| 8
!scope="row"| {{sortname|James Hamilton|Mills}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1877|05|10}}
| {{sortname|Rutherford B.|Hayes}}
|
|- valign="top"
| 9
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Isaac D.|McCutcheon}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1882|05|28}}
| {{sortname|Chester A.|Arthur}}
| date is given as the date he arrived in Helena; he resigned under scandal in Sep. 1883<ref>Spence 1975, p. 156.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 10
!scope="row"| {{sortname|John S.|Tooker}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1883}}
| {{sortname|Chester A.|Arthur}}
| He appears to have been commissioned sometime during the last three months of 1883 after McCutcheon's resignation,<ref>Spence 1975, p. 234.</ref><ref>Miller 1894, p. 74.</ref> though one source reports him being appointed in Jan. 1884,<ref>Leeson 1885, p. 1256.</ref> and another on April 21, 1884.<ref>Owings 1956, p. 63.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 11
!scope="row"| {{sortname|William B.|Webb}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1885|10|23}}
| {{sortname|Grover|Cleveland}}
| One source has Webb appointed in 1886.<ref>Spence 1975, p. 234.</ref>
|- valign="top"
| 12
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Louis A.|Walker}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1889|04|15}}
| {{sortname|Benjamin|Harrison}}
| 
|}

===Congressional delegation===
The eligible citizens of Montana Territory voted for a delegate to Congress, electing them to a two-year term.  The territorial delegate had a seat in the House of Representatives and, as any other representative, participated in debates, yet they did not have the right to vote.<ref>Palmer 2011, p. 3-4.</ref>  During the time Montana was a territory, some delegates to Congress were allowed to sit on select committees and even standing committees of the House, yet as on the floor of the House, they were not permitted to vote.<ref>Palmer 2011, p. 6-8.</ref>

; Parties
<span style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}; padding:3px; border=1px solid #000;">Dem</span> [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
<span style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}; padding:3px; border=1px solid #000;">Rep</span> [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
{| class="sortable wikitable plainrowheaders"
|+ Delegates to Congress from Montana Territory<ref>Owings 1956, p. 63.</ref>
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | #
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Delegate
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Party
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Term start
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Term end
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Congress
! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes
|- valign="top"
| 1
! scope="row"| {{sortname|Samuel|McLean|Samuel McLean (congressman)}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1865|01|06}}
| {{dts|1867|03|03}}
| [[38th United States Congress|38th]], [[39th United States Congress|39th]]
| 
|- valign="top"
| 2
!scope="row"| {{sortname|James M.|Cavanaugh}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1867|03|04}}
| {{dts|1871|03|03}}
| [[40th United States Congress|40th]], [[41st United States Congress|41st]]
| 
|- valign="top"
| 3
!scope="row"| {{sortname|William H.|Clagett}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| | {{dts|1871|03|04}}
| | {{dts|1873|03|03}}
| [[42nd United States Congress|42nd]]
| 
|- valign="top"
| 4
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Martin|Maginnis}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1873|03|04}}
| {{dts|1885|03|03}}
| [[43rd United States Congress|43rd]], [[44th United States Congress|44th]], [[45th United States Congress|45th]], [[46th United States Congress|46th]], [[47th United States Congress|47th]], [[48th United States Congress|48th]]
| 
|- valign="top"
| 5
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Joseph|Toole}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" | Dem
| {{dts|1885|03|04}}
| {{dts|1889|03|03}}
| [[49th United States Congress|49th]], [[50th United States Congress|50th]]
|
|- valign="top"
| 6
!scope="row"| {{sortname|Thomas H.|Carter}}
| style="color:#FFF; background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" | Rep
| {{dts|1889|03|04}}
| {{dts|1889|11|08}}
| [[51st United States Congress|51st]]
| After statehood, became Montana's first U.S. Representative
|}

==See also==
{{Pbox|History|North America|United States}}
*[[History of Montana]]
**[[Bibliography of Montana history]]
**[[Outline of Montana#History of Montana|Historical outline of Montana]]<ref>{{cite book |title=Montana: a State Guide Book |author=Federal Writers' Project |series=[[American Guide Series]] |year=1939 |location=NY |publisher=Viking Press |chapter=Chronology |chapter-url= https://archive.org/stream/montanastateguid00federich#page/417/mode/1up|author-link=Federal Writers' Project }}</ref>
**[[List of people in Montana history]]
**[[Montana in the American Civil War]]
**[[Montana|State of Montana]]
**[[Territorial evolution of Montana]]
**[[Timeline of Montana history]]
***[[Timeline of pre-statehood Montana history]]
***[[Timeline of Billings, Montana]]
{{clear}}

==Notes==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==References==
{{Commons category|Montana Territory}}
* {{cite web | url = http://courts.mt.gov/library/organic.pdf | title = An Act to provide a temporary Government for the Territory of Montana | publisher = [[Thirty-sixth United States Congress]] | date = May 26, 1864 | access-date = 2007-01-20 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070112223516/http://courts.mt.gov/library/organic.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = January 12, 2007}}
* {{cite book|last1=Leeson|first1=M. A.|title=History of Montana, 1739-1885|date=1885|publisher=Warner, Beers & Co.|location=Chicago}}
* {{cite book|last1=Malone|first1=Michael P.|last2=Roeder|first2=Richard B.|last3=Lang|first3=William L.|title=Montana : a history of two centuries|date=1991|publisher=University of Washington Press|location=Seattle|isbn=0295971290|edition=Rev.}}
* {{cite book|last1=Miller|first1=Joaquin|title=An Illustrated History of the State of Montana|url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedhisto00mill|date=1894|publisher=The Lewis Publishing Co.|location=Chicago}}
* {{cite book|last1=Owings|first1=Ralph E.|title=Montana Directory of Public Affairs, 1864-1955|date=1956|publisher=Edwards Bothers, Inc.|location=Ann Arbor, MI}}
* {{cite web|last1=Palmer|first1=Betsy|title=Delegates to the U.S. Congress: History and Current Status|url=https://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/155017.pdf|website=U.S. Department of State|publisher=Congressional Research Service|access-date=14 November 2014|date=6 January 2011}}
* {{cite book|last1=Renne|first1=Roland R.|title=The Government and Administration of Montana|date=1958|publisher=Thomas Y. Crowell Company|location=New York}}
* {{cite journal|title=Spoilsman in Montana: James M. Ashley|journal=Montana The Magazine of Western History|publisher=Montana Historical Society|volume=18|issue=2|pages=24–35|date=Spring 1968|last=Spence|first=Clark C.}}
* {{cite book|last1=Spence|first1=Clark C.|title=Territorial Politics and Government in Montana, 1864-89|url=https://archive.org/details/territorialpolit0000spen|url-access=registration|date=1975|publisher=University of Illinois Press|location=Urbana, IL|isbn=9780252004605 }}

{{Territories of the United States}}
{{Montana}}
{{Authority control}}

{{Coord|46.78|-109.37|type:adm1st_globe:earth_region:US-MT|display=title}}

[[Category:Montana Territory| ]]
[[Category:Pre-statehood history of Montana|*]]
[[Category:Former organized territories of the United States]]
[[Category:History of Montana]]
[[Category:History of the American West]]
[[Category:History of the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:History of the Northwestern United States]]
[[Category:1864 establishments in Montana Territory|*]]
[[Category:1889 disestablishments in the United States]]