August 3, 1857 – The people of Iowa vote to approve a revised State Constitution, clearing the way for the capital to move to Des Moines and for the State University of Iowa (SUI) to be given fully to Iowa City.
Once the constitutional convention in Iowa City finished their work, the paperwork was then sent to the floor of the Iowa Senate, where in March, it was approved. This new constitution was then ratified by the people of Iowa on August 3, 1857 by a majority of only 1,630 votes. And in September, upon proclamation of Governor James W. Grimes, a new State Constitution went into effect. And it’s this 1857 constitution, with its forty-eight amendments, that is still in effect in Iowa today.
A Day-by-Day Calendar of Historical Events In Iowa, William J. Petersen, State Historical Society of Iowa, 1946, p 75
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