Constitutional Convention (1895)

Handwritten constitution for the state of Utah.

This series is the official or "engrossed" copy of the Utah State Constitution adopted by the Constitutional Convention in 1895. Congress passed an Enabling Act in 1894 that set out the requirements for the Utah Territory to achieve statehood. The main requirement was the adoption of an acceptable constitution. The Constitutional Convention met to formulate such a document from 4 March to 8 May1895. Convention delegates debated a variety of issues related to crafting a constitution, including the structure of state government, the separation of church and state, and woman suffrage.

As the convention was considering final changes to the proposed constitution the Committee on Rules and Methods of Procedure recommended that "the Constitution of the State of Utah be carefully engrossed, without blot, erasure or interlineation, on parchment sheets, 11 x 17" and that the document be "signed by the members" (Proceedings of the Constitutional Convention, p. 1787). On 6 May 1895 the convention approved the final version of the Constitution and directed the Committee on Enrollment and Engrossment to have the Constitution engrossed by a single clerk, so that the entire document would be in one hand. Engrossing clerk Joseph A. Smith completed the engrossed copy by 8 May, when it was submitted to the convention. The engrossed Constitution was read and adopted by the convention and each member signed as his name was called. The eight absent members were given until 15 October to add their signatures to the document.

The omission of the words "at such times" in the last line of Article IV, Section 9, was brought to the attention of the convention just as it was preparing to adopt and sign the Constitution. It was decided that the omission should be corrected, so the clerk apparently engrossed page 9 of the Constitution again after the document had been adopted and signed.

The new State Constitution was approved by voters in November 1895 and a copy was sent to Washington, D.C., for review. The Constitution met with federal approval and on 4 January 1896 President Grover Cleveland signed a proclamation admitting Utah as the 45th state in the Union.

This series also includes two facsimile copies of the engrossed Constitution. One of these copies is likely the back-up copy created in 1940 when the original was placed on display. One copy is in a leather cover that is likely from the first binding of the original engrossed copy.