Territorial Timeline

Territorial Legislature passed an act to assemble a constitutional convention

In 1877 the Territorial Legislature passed an act to assemble a convention that would draft a state constitution and encourage Congress to grant statehood to Washington. In 1878 the Constitutional Convention convened in Walla Walla and drafted a constitution.

In December 1877, Washington's delegate to Congress requested an enabling act from Congress to allow Washington to become a state as soon as a constitution could be drafted and ratified. Without waiting for Congress to act, the Territorial Legislature passed a law to elect delegates to form a convention and draft a constitution. The fifteen delegates met in Walla Walla in the summer of 1878 and drew up a constitution which was ratified by the voters later that year.