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1
HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The first session of the Illinois General Assembly
3met on October 5, 1818 in Kaskaskia, at that time the capital
4city of Illinois; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Kaskaskia served as the state capital of Illinois
6only during the first general assembly; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The members of the 100th Illinois General Assembly
8wish to honor the roots of our great State and commemorate the
9work of the First Illinois General Assembly during the
10bicentennial year of the Prairie State; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The 14 Senators administered the oath of office by
12Justice of the Peace Miles Hotchkiss on the first day of the
131st Illinois General Assembly were: Martin Jones of Bond
14County, Joseph Kitchell of Crawford County, Guy W. Smith of
15Edwards County, Michael Jones of Gallatin County, Conrad Will
16of Jackson County, Thomas Roberts of Johnson and Franklin
17counties, George Cadwell of Madison County, Alexander Jamison
18of Monroe County, Lewis Barker of Pope County, William Kinney
19of St. Clair County, John McFerron of Randolph County, Thomas
20Cox of Union County, Zariah Maddux of Washington County, and
21Willis Hargrave of White County; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The 29 Representatives sworn-in on the first day
2of the First Illinois General Assembly were: Francis
3Kirkpatrick of Bond County, David Porter and Scott Riggs of
4Crawford County, Levi Compton and Henry Utter of Edwards
5County, Elijah Ewing of Franklin County, John Marshall and
6Samuel McClintock of Gallatin County, Jesse Greggs of Jackson
7County, Isaac D. Wilcox of Johnson County, Abraham Prickett,
8John Howard, and Samuel Whiteside of Madison County, William
9Alexander of Monroe County, Green B. Field and Robert Hamilton
10of Pope County, Risdon Moore, John Messinger, and James D.
11Thomas of St. Clair County, Edward Humphreys of Randolph
12County, Jesse Echols and John Whiteaker of Union County, Daniel
13S. Swearengen of Washington County, and William McHenry,
14William Nash, and Alexander Phillips of White County; and
 
15    WHEREAS, The Senate President for the First Illinois
16General Assembly was Lt. Governor Pierre Menard; the Senate
17Secretary was William C. Greenup and the Senate Doorkeeper was
18Ezra Owen; and
 
19    WHEREAS, The Speaker of the House for the First Illinois
20General Assembly was Rep. John Messinger; the House Clerk was
21Thomas Reynolds and the House Doorkeeper was Charles McNabb;
22and
 
23    WHEREAS, The First Illinois General Assembly created the

 

 

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1very first laws of our union's 21st state; and
 
2    WHEREAS, A commission was established by the First Illinois
3General Assembly to oversee the selection of a "new seat of
4government thereon for twenty years" on the Kaskaskia River, a
5location which would become Vandalia, the second capital city
6of Illinois; and
 
7    WHEREAS, The counties of Alexander, Clark, Jefferson, and
8Wayne were created by the First Illinois General Assembly; and
 
9    WHEREAS, Many laws establishing and overseeing our State's
10court system were enacted by the First Illinois General
11Assembly; and
 
12    WHEREAS, The First Illinois General Assembly authorized
13the creation of the first State Seal of Illinois; and
 
14    WHEREAS, Laws regulating elections, establishing the
15process to deal with a vacancy in the office of Governor, and
16providing for the election of electors for the office of
17president and vice president of the United States were enacted
18by the First Illinois General Assembly; and
 
19    WHEREAS, A law providing "for the relief of Dunkards,
20Quakers and other religious persons, conscientiously

 

 

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1scrupulous of bearing arms", now commonly referred to as a
2conscientious objector law, was approved by the First Illinois
3General Assembly; and
 
4    WHEREAS, The First Illinois General Assembly approved
5several laws regarding infrastructure for our new state,
6including the creation of turnpikes, bridges, dams, and
7declaration of navigable waterways, as well as a resolution
8which called on Congress to continue the extension of the
9National Road through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and into
10Missouri; and
 
11    WHEREAS, The First Illinois General Assembly enacted
12numerous other laws including: requiring certain official
13reports be made to the General Assembly, regulating marriages
14and divorce, improving the breed of horses in the state,
15regulating weights and measures, establishing and regulating
16ferries, suppressing dueling, licensing and regulating
17taverns, preventing vice and immorality, and for the relief of
18the poor; therefore, be it
 
19    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
20HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE
21CONCURRING HEREIN, that we declare October 5, 2018 as "First
22Illinois General Assembly Day"; and be it further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That officers of the Illinois House of
2Representatives and the Illinois Senate are requested to plan
3an appropriate commemorative ceremony to take place on October
45, 2018 in Kaskaskia, the site of the first capital city of
5Illinois; and be it further
 
6    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this resolution be
7presented to any descendants who come forward with verifiable
8proof of lineage to members of the First Illinois General
9Assembly.