2nd Ohio General Assembly

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Ohio's first statehouse at Chillicothe (1800)

Overview
Term| December 5, 1803 (1803-12-05) – December 2, 1804 (1804-12-02)
Ohio Senate
Members| 15
President of the Senate| Nathaniel Massie (D-R)
Party control| Democratic-Republican Party
House of Representatives
Members| 30
House Speaker| Elias Langham (D-R)
Party control| Democratic-Republican Party
Sessions
| 1st| December 5, 1803 – February 17, 1804

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The Second Ohio General Assembly was the second meeting of the Ohio state legislature, composed of the Ohio State Senate and the Ohio House of Representatives. It convened in Chillicothe, Ohio, on December 5, 1803, and adjourned February 17, 1804.[1] This General Assembly coincided with the second year of Edward Tiffin's first term as Ohio Governor.

## Background[edit]

Under Ohio's first constitution, State Senators were elected to two year terms. For this class, half were elected for one year and half for two years.[2] Members of the House were elected for each term. Article I, section 2 and 6 of Ohio's first constitution called for an enumeration of white male inhabitants of 21 years age every four years, with the number of representatives and senators for each county apportioned by the legislature based on this census.[3] Article I, section 3 called for elections the second Tuesday in October.[3]

## State Senate[edit]

### Districts[edit]

For this session, the legislature apportioned four senators for Hamilton, Warren, Montgomery, Butler and Greene Counties, two senators for Washington and Gallia Counties, two senators for Ross and Franklin Counties, one senator for Adams and Scioto Counties, two senators for Jefferson and Columbiana Counties, one senator for Clermont County, one senator for Fairfield County, one senator for Trumbull County and one senator for Belmont County.[1]

### Members[edit]

District  | Senator[1][4] | Party  | notes

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Adams
Scioto | Thomas Kirker | Democratic-Republican |
Belmont | William Vance  |  |
Clermont | James Sargent | Democratic-Republican |
Fairfield | Robert F. Slaughter  |  |
Hamilton
Warren
Montgomery
Butler
Greene | John Bigger |  |
William C. Schenck | Federalist |
Daniel Symmes | Democratic-Republican |
William Ward  |  |
Jefferson
Columbiana | John Milligan | Democratic-Republican |
Bezaleel Wells | Federalist |
Ross
Franklin | Abraham Claypool  |  |
Nathaniel Massie | Democratic-Republican | elected Speaker of the Senate
Trumbull | Benjamin Tappan | Democratic-Republican |
Washington
Gallia | Joseph Buell | Democratic-Republican |
Elijah Backus  |  |

## Ohio House of Representatives[edit]

### Districts[edit]

For this session, the legislature apportioned eight representatives for Hamilton, Warren, Montgomery, Butler and Greene Counties, three representatives for Washington and Gallia Counties, four representatives for Ross and Franklin Counties, three representatives for Adams and Scioto Counties, four representatives for Jefferson and Columbiana Counties, two representatives for Clermont County, two representatives for Fairfield County, two representatives for Trumbull County and two representatives for Belmont County.[2]

### Members[edit]

District  | Representatives[2][5] | Party  | notes

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Adams
Scioto | Daniel Collier  |  |
Abraham Shepherd | Democratic-Republican |
John Wright  |  |
Belmont | Josiah Dillon  |  |
James Smith  |  |
Clermont | Jonathan Taylor  |  |
Daniel Feagans, Sr.  |  |
Fairfield | William Gass  |  |
Philemon Beecher | Democratic-Republican |
Hamilton
Warren
Montgomery
Butler
Greene | Samuel Dick  |  |
William Dodds  |  |
Abner Garard  |  |
Ephraim Kibbey  |  |
William McClure  |  |
Ichabod B. Miller  |  |
John Wallace  |  |
Stephen Wood  |  |
Jefferson
Columbiana | Richard Beeson  |  |
John Sloane | Democratic-Republican |
Samuel Dunlap  |  |
Joseph McKee  |  |
Ross
Franklin | William Creighton, Sr.  |  |
James Dunlap  | Democratic-Republican |
Elias Langham | Democratic-Republican | elected Speaker of the House
John Evans  |  |
Trumbull | Ephraim Quimby  |  |
David Abbot | Democratic-Republican |
Washington
Gallia | William Jackson  |  |
Charles Mills  |  |
Jesse Fulton  |

## Major events[edit]

The Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified on December 28 and signed on December 30.[2]

On January 7, the State Militia was organized in four divisions, and Major Generals and Quartermaster Generals were named for each division by a joint session.[2]

On February 16, judges were elected for a new county, and to fill vacancies in other counties.[6]

An enumeration in each county of “free white male citizens of the age of 21 years” was made as follows:[2]

County  | Free white male citizens of the age of 21 years

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Adams | 906
Belmont | 1030
Butler | 836
Clermont | 755
Columbiana | 542
Fairfield | 1050
Franklin | 240
Gallia | 307
Greene | 446
Hamilton | 1700
Jefferson County, Ohio | 1533
Montgomery | 526
Ross | 1982
Scioto County, Ohio | 249
Trumbull | 1111
Warren | 844
Washington | 1246
total for Ohio | 14762

## Major legislation[edit]

On January 7, a new county was formed from portions of Washington and Fairfield counties. It was originally to be called Livingston, but was amended to be Muskingum before final passage, with county seat of Zanesville.[7]

Acts were passed to allow alien ownership of land, regulating admission of attorneys to practice, and for opening and improving roads.[8]

A crime and punishment act was passed. Treason, rape, murder, malicious maiming and 1st degree arson were punishable by death. Manslaughter, 2nd degree arson, maiming without malice, by a fine of not more than $1000 and two years in prison. Perjury and subornation of perjury, the same punishment with disenfranchisement; forgery, 30 lashes and fine equal to sum fraudulently obtained and disenfranchisement; counterfeiting, 39 lashes, fine not exceeding $1000 and disenfranchisement; burglary not more than $500 fine and imprisonment of not more than one year; robbery, 59 lashes for 1st offence and 100 lashes for 2nd offence; larceny, 15 lashes for 1st offence and 30 lashes for 2nd.[8]

## See also[edit]

* List of Ohio state legislatures

## Notes[edit]

1. ^ a b c Taylor & Taylor, p. 38.
2. ^ a b c d e f Taylor & Taylor, p. 39.
3. ^ a b Taylor & Taylor, p. 23.
4. ^ Gilkey, p. 150.
5. ^ Gilkey, p. 186-187.
6. ^ Taylor & Taylor, p. 40.
7. ^ Taylor & Taylor, pp. 40–41.
8. ^ a b Taylor & Taylor, p. 41.

## References[edit]

* Gilkey, Elliot Howard, ed. (1901). The Ohio Hundred Year Book: a Hand-book of the Public Men and Public Institutions of Ohio ... State of Ohio.
* Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 ... State of Ohio.

## External links[edit]

* "Alphabetical list of Members of the General Assembly of Ohio for 127 years - 1803 - 1930". State Library of Ohio. Archived from the original on 2012-04-15.

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