In the 1838 Iowa Territory Council elections, electors selected councilors to serve in the first Iowa Territory Council. All 13 members of the Territory Council were elected.[b] Councilors served one-year terms.
The Iowa Territory existed from July 4, 1838, until December 28, 1846, when Iowa was admitted to the Union as a state. At the time, the Iowa Territory had a Legislative Assembly consisting of an upper chamber (i.e., the Territory Council) and a lower chamber (i.e., the Territory House of Representatives).
Following the organization of the first Territory Council, Whig Councilor Jesse B. Browne[a]ofLee County was chosen as the President of the Territory Council. Democrats held a majority of seats in the first Iowa Territory Council following the 1838 general election with seven seats to Whigs' six seats.