Iowa's Constitution: Iowa Time Machine October 7, 1844

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On October 7, 1844, 72 delegates met at the Old Capitol in Iowa City, Iowa Territory, for the purpose of framing a state constitution. Responsible for establishing the laws, offices, and borders, the representatives' efforts led to the creation of the State of Iowa by the 28th United States Congress.

The question of statehood first appeared on a ballot in Iowa Territory in 1840. However, the body politic voted down the measure 2,907 to 937. The measure again failed in 1842. As Iowa's population doubled in the early 1840s, support for statehood grew. Territorial Governor John Chambers initiated the paperwork and obtained initial approval from President John Tyler in early 1844.

With a new census underway to help make the case, Iowans voted in April 1844 to hold a constitutional convention. Charged with laying out the state’s boundaries, establishing initial offices, and creating a lawmaking process, delegates descended on Iowa City in October 1844. The delegate pool included 21 Whigs and 51 Democrats, with participants ranging in age from 27 to 66. Most attendees earned a living farming (46), while physicians, millwrights, miners, mechanics, and merchants also found representation in Iowa City.

The convention's most hotly debated issue arose when delegates considered the proposed state's northern border. Former Governor Robert Lucas proposed a north-by-northeast boundary running from the mouth of the Big Sioux River to the mouth of the Watonwan River in what is now Minnesota, then down the St. Peter’s River to the Mississippi River. Although the ‘Lucas Border’ didn’t pass the 28th US Congress, the proposed new state eventually did, and Iowa as we know it today came to be. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar