Illinois. Territorial General Assembly.

By 1812, Illinois' population had increased significantly to qualify it as a territory of the second grade, which under the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance allowed the Governor to call an election to form a House of Representatives. This body then nominated ten members as nominees to the Legislative Council, the upper chamber of the new bicameral territorial legislature. The U. S. Congress picked five persons from the nominees to serve on the Council, which with the elected House replaced the Council of Revision as the territorial General Assembly.

The Secretary of the Territory was appointed by the President of the United States for Illinois under the provisions of the Northwest Ordinance. A major responsibility of this office was to keep and preserve all laws, public records, and other documents pertaining to the territorial government.