1849 California Constitution, Official Spanish Translation

W.E.P. Hartnell was the official translator for the 1849 California Constitutional Convention. Section 21, Article XI of the 1849 Constitution decreed that all laws must be published in Spanish and English. Thus, for its first 30 years, California was a bilingual state. This provision was not included in the 1879 Constitution. The Spanish translation was written on 45 pages of heavy white paper, measuring 7 1/2" x 12".

Identification Information: Records of the California Secretary of State