Missouri’s Constitutional Convention of 1865

On January 1, 1863, President Lincoln would issue his famous Emancipation Proclamation, and the former enslaved would literally dance in the street. However, Lincoln’s Proclamation did not free those within the State of Missouri. And that would take a Constitutional Convention, of the elected officials of the State of Missouri, with a representative from each county.

That Convention convened on January 6, 1865, in St. Louis. On an opening day, the first order of business would be to elect a President to preside over this history-making event, as the Convention had been called to deal with the issue of “Emancipation” for those enslaved. That would be a German-born immigrant named Arnold Krekel.

Krekel, who had arrived in Missouri on November 1, 1832, had come to America with his family. His father’s friend, Gottfried Duden, had told him about this wonderful place that offered opportunities for a better life. Arnold’s mother died on the journey west to Missouri. Arnold would attend school in St. Charles, become an attorney, begin a German newspaper, found the town of O’Fallon, Missouri (named for his friend John O’Fallon, William Clark’s nephew, both of whom were slave owners), and become a highly respected member of the Statehouse.

The first day was called to order, and work began to establish who would be the President to preside, to establish the rules, and the Committees necessary. They were anxious to get on with the business the Convention had been called together for – A Revision of the Articles of the Missouri Constitution and to eliminate slavery across the State.