title: 2nd Minnesota Territorial Legislature
text: # 2nd Minnesota Territorial Legislature
  
  The second Minnesota Territorial Legislature first convened on January 1, 1851. The 9 members of the Minnesota Territorial Council were elected during the General Election of August 1, 1849, and the 18 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of September 2, 1850.
  
  ## Sessions
  
  The territorial legislature met in a regular session from January 1, 1851 to March 31, 1851. There were no special sessions of the second territorial legislature.
  
  ## Party summary
  
      Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Membership changes" section, below.
  
  ### Council
  
  | | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Democratic | Whig | Total | Vacant |
  | End of previous Legislature | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
  | Begin | 6 | 3 | 9 | 0 |
  | Latest voting share | 67% | 33% | | |
  | Beginning of the next Legislature | 7 | 2 | 9 | 0 |
  
  ### House of Representatives
  
  | | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
  | - | - | - | - | - | - |
  | | Democratic | Whig | Unknown | Total | Vacant |
  | End of previous Legislature | 12 | 4 | 2 | 18 | 0 |
  | Begin | 8 | 3 | 7 | 18 | 0 |
  | March 29, 1851 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 11 | 7 |
  | Latest voting share | 45% | 18% | 36% | | |
  | Beginning of the next Legislature | 10 | 3 | 5 | 18 | 0 |
  
  ## Leadership
  
  ### President of the Council
  
      David B. Loomis (W-Marine)
  
  ### Speaker of the House
  
      Michael E. Ames (D-Stillwater)
  
  ## Members
  
  ### Council
  
  | Name | District | City | Party |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | Boal, James McClellan | 03 | St. Paul | Whig |
  | Burkleo, Samuel | 02 | Stillwater | Whig |
  | Forbes, William Henry | 03 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
  | Loomis, David B. | 04 | Marine | Whig |
  | Martin McLeod | 07 | Bloomington | Democratic |
  | Norris, James S. | 01 | Cottage Grove | Democratic |
  | Olmsted, David | 06 | Long Prairie | Democratic |
  | Rollins, John | 05 | Saint Anthony Falls | Democratic |
  | Sturgis, William R. | 06 | Elk River | Democratic |
  
  ### House of Representatives
  
  | Name | District | City | Party |
  | - | - | - | - |
  | Ames, Michael E. | 02 | Stillwater | Democratic |
  | Brunson, Benjamin Wetherill | 03 | Saint Paul | Whig |
  | Faribault, Alexander | 07 | Mendota | Unknown |
  | Ford, John A. | 01 | Woodbury | Democratic |
  | Gilman, David | 06 | Watab | Democratic |
  | Ludden, John Dwight | 04 | Marine | Whig |
  | North, John Wesley | 05 | Saint Anthony Falls | Whig |
  | Olmstead, Samuel Baldwin | 06 | Belle Prairie | Democratic |
  | Patch, Edward M. | 05 | Saint Anthony Falls | Unknown |
  | Ramsey, Justus Cornelius | 03 | Saint Paul | Whig |
  | Randall, Benjamin H. | 07 | Fort Snelling | Democratic |
  | Rice, Edmund | 03 | Saint Paul | Democratic |
  | Sloan, David T. | 06 | Buckman | Whig |
  | Taylor, Jesse | 02 | Stillwater | Whig |
  | Tilden, Henry L. | 03 | Saint Paul | Whig |
  | Trask, Sylvanus | 02 | Stillwater | Democratic |
  | Warren, William Whipple | 06 | Crow Wing | Unknown |
  | Wells, James | 01 | Lake City | Democratic |
  
  ## Membership changes
  
  ### House of Representatives
  
  | District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
  | - | - | - | - | - |
  | 01 | John A. Ford (D) | Resigned on March 29, 1851, along with six other members of the House of Representatives, in protest of the 1851 reapportionment bill, arguing that the census count was incorrect. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
  | 06 | David Gilman (D) | Resigned on March 29, 1851, along with six other members of the House of Representatives, in protest of the 1851 reapportionment bill, arguing that the census count was incorrect. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
  | 05 | John W. North (W) | Resigned on March 29, 1851, along with six other members of the House of Representatives, in protest of the 1851 reapportionment bill, arguing that the census count was incorrect. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
  | 05 | Edward M. Patch (?) | Resigned on March 29, 1851, along with six other members of the House of Representatives, in protest of the 1851 reapportionment bill, arguing that the census count was incorrect. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
  | 03 | Edmund Rice (D) | Resigned on March 29, 1851, along with six other members of the House of Representatives, in protest of the 1851 reapportionment bill, arguing that the census count was incorrect. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
  | 06 | David T. Sloan (?) | Resigned on March 29, 1851, along with six other members of the House of Representatives, in protest of the 1851 reapportionment bill, arguing that the census count was incorrect. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
  | 06 | William Whipple Warren (?) | Resigned on March 29, 1851, along with six other members of the House of Representatives, in protest of the 1851 reapportionment bill, arguing that the census count was incorrect. | Remained vacant | Remained vacant |
  