Omar Bennett
On October 26, 1864, James W. Nye, the Governor of the Territory of Nevada, sent a telegram to President Abraham Lincoln. The message, transmitted in Morse code, contained the entire text of the Nevada State Constitution. The constitution was sent in the days leading up to the presidential election on November 7, 1864, as union sympathizers were eager to gain statehood for Nevada. The transmission of the 16,543-word document took two days and cost $4,303.27 ($62,295.77 adjusted for 2012) to send.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Date | 26–28 October 1864 |
| Recipient | President Abraham Lincoln |
| Sender | James W. Nye, Governor of the Territory of Nevada |
| Medium | Telegraph |
| Number of pages | 175 |
| Number of words | 16,543 |
| Cost | $4,303.27 ($62,295.77 adjusted for 2012; $84,363 in 2023) |
| Record | Longest telegraph transmission at the time |
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What You'll Learn
- The Nevada Constitution was sent by telegram to President Abraham Lincoln
- It was the longest telegraph in history at the time
- It was sent in October 1864, just before the presidential election
- The telegram was sent from Carson City and transcribed in Salt Lake City
- The constitution was also sent by U.S. Mail, but the delivery was delayed
The Nevada Constitution was sent by telegram to President Abraham Lincoln
On October 26, 1864, James W. Nye, the Governor of the Territory of Nevada, ordered the entire text of the Nevada State Constitution to be sent by telegram to President Abraham Lincoln. This was done in a bid to expedite Nevada's entry into full statehood in the United States. The telegraph, transmitted in Morse code, was sent just two weeks before the presidential election of November 7, 1864.
The transmission of the 16,543-word document took two days and cost $4,303.27 ($62,295.77 adjusted for 2012). It was, at the time, the longest telegraph transmission ever made, a record it held for 17 years until a copy of the 118,000-word English Revised Version of the New Testament was sent by telegraph in 1881.
The Nevada Constitution was sent by telegram to President Lincoln because earlier attempts to send certified copies of the document by mail and by sea had failed to arrive in Washington, DC, in time. There was also no direct telegraph link between Carson City and Washington, so the message had to be transcribed and relayed through Salt Lake City, Chicago, and Philadelphia before reaching the War Department's telegraph office in Washington, DC.
The urgency of sending the Nevada Constitution by telegram was due to the desire of Union sympathizers to gain statehood for Nevada before the upcoming presidential election. This was also a strategic move to influence the election in favour of President Lincoln's re-election and the election of like-minded Republicans in Congress. The successful transmission of the Nevada Constitution and the subsequent admission of Nevada into the Union just eight days before the election contributed to these political objectives.
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It was the longest telegraph in history at the time
On October 26, 1864, James W. Nye, the Governor of the Territory of Nevada, sent a telegram to President Abraham Lincoln. This message, transmitted in Morse code, contained the entire text of the Nevada State Constitution. The constitution was 16,543 words long and was sent over the course of two days. It was, at the time, the longest telegraph transmission ever made.
The transmission of the Nevada Constitution by telegraph was a significant event in the history of the state. Nevada was eager to gain statehood and sending the constitution by telegraph was seen as the fastest way to ensure that it arrived on time before the upcoming presidential election on November 7, 1864. The document was sent from Carson City, Nevada, and had to be transcribed at Salt Lake City before being sent on to Chicago and Philadelphia. Finally, it was delivered to President Lincoln at the War Department's telegraph office in Washington, D.C. on October 28, 1864.
The length of the telegraph was unprecedented at the time, with 16,543 words spread across 175 pages. It broke the previous record for the longest telegraph transmission and held the record for 17 years until a copy of the English Revised Version of the New Testament (118,000 words) was sent by telegraph in 1881. The transmission cost $4,303.27, which is equivalent to around $62,295.77 in 2012 dollars or $84,363 in 2023 dollars.
The physical act of transmitting such a lengthy document was a challenge, and the final product showed the strain on the telegraphers. The penmanship varied from "pompous flowery" to "downright messy scribbles," with words crammed into corners, missing punctuation, and even a doodle on one page. The transmission of the Nevada Constitution was so remarkable that it suspended the receipt of war messages in the Office of the U.S. Military Telegraph for over five hours.
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It was sent in October 1864, just before the presidential election
On October 26, 1864, James W. Nye, the Governor of the Territory of Nevada, began sending a telegram to President Abraham Lincoln. The message, transmitted in Morse code, contained the entire text of the Nevada State Constitution. It was sent just two weeks before the presidential election on November 7, 1864.
The Nevada Constitution was sent by telegraph because earlier attempts to send certified copies of the document by mail and by sea had failed to arrive in Washington, DC, in time. Governor Nye was eager to gain statehood for Nevada, and he believed that sending the constitution by telegraph would help to expedite the process. The transmission of the document took two days and consisted of 16,543 words, making it the longest telegraph transmission ever made at the time. The cost of sending the telegram was $4,303.27, which is equivalent to around $62,295.77 adjusted for 2012 or $84,363 in 2023.
The telegram was sent from Carson City, Nevada, and had to be transcribed in Salt Lake City before being sent on to Chicago and Philadelphia. Finally, it was delivered to the War Department's telegraph office in Washington, DC, where it was received by President Lincoln on October 28, 1864. The transmission of the Nevada Constitution suspended the receipt of war messages in the Office of the U.S. Military Telegraph in the War Department for more than five hours.
The admission of Nevada into the Union was proclaimed by President Lincoln on October 30, 1864, just eight days before the presidential election. This was done in accordance with an Act of Congress and was hoped to ensure Lincoln's own re-election, as well as the election of like-minded Republicans in Congress. The rush to admit Nevada into the Union is reflected in the appearance of the telegraphed constitution, which fluctuates from "pompous flowery penmanship" to "downright messy scribbles" as the telegraphers' enthusiasm gave way to fatigue.
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The telegram was sent from Carson City and transcribed in Salt Lake City
On October 26, 1864, James W. Nye, the Governor of the Territory of Nevada, ordered the entire text of the Nevada State Constitution to be sent to President Abraham Lincoln by telegram. This was done in an attempt to expedite Nevada's entry into full statehood in the United States. With no direct telegraph link between Carson City and Washington, DC, the message had to be transcribed in Salt Lake City.
The 16,543-word document was transmitted in Morse code by telegrapher James H. Guild, who worked for seven hours to send the message to Salt Lake City. From there, it was forwarded to Chicago and then Philadelphia before reaching its final destination—the War Department's telegraph office in Washington, DC, two days later. The transmission of the 175-page document took a total of two days and cost $4,303.27 ($62,295.77 adjusted for 2012), making it the longest telegraph transmission in history at the time.
The constitution's journey by telegraph was a remarkable feat, especially considering the challenges of the Civil War era. The length of the document was so extraordinary that it even gave rise to fake news stories, with some outlets claiming it was just 15,000 words and questioning the feasibility of transmitting such a lengthy text. However, the Virginia Daily Union later ran a correction, confirming that the story of sending Nevada's constitution by telegraph was indeed true.
The physical copy of the telegraphed constitution provides fascinating insights into the process. The penmanship varies from ornate flourishes to messy scribbles, reflecting the urgency and fatigue of the telegraphers as they worked to translate and transmit the document. The final page of the constitution simply states "paid $4,303," leaving the identity of the payer a mystery.
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The constitution was also sent by U.S. Mail, but the delivery was delayed
The Nevada Constitution was sent by telegraph to Washington, D.C., in 1864. It was the longest telegraph in history at the time, consisting of 16,543 words and costing $4,303.27 to send. The transmission took two days and had to be transcribed multiple times en route due to the lack of a direct telegraph link between Carson City and Washington, D.C.
The process of sending the Nevada Constitution by telegraph was not without its challenges. The length of the document posed a significant obstacle, with some expressing disbelief that such a long telegram was possible. The transmission of the constitution also interrupted the receipt of war messages in the Office of the U.S. Military Telegraph for more than five hours.
The telegraphers worked tirelessly to translate the constitution into Morse code, and their enthusiasm can be seen in the sweeping, artful penmanship that adorns the early pages of the document. However, as the transmission progressed, fatigue set in, and the writing became messy and illegible, with smudges, cross-outs, and missing punctuation. Despite these challenges, the telegraphers successfully transmitted the entire constitution, and it remains a remarkable testament to the determination and resilience of those involved.
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Frequently asked questions
Nevada telegraphed its constitution to Washington, D.C. on October 26, 1864.
Nevada was seeking admission into the Union and wanted to gain statehood before the upcoming presidential election on November 7, 1864.
The telegraph was sent by James W. Nye, the Governor of the Territory of Nevada.
The transmission took two days, from October 26 to October 27, 1864.
The telegraph was 16,543 words long, consisting of 175 pages. It was the longest telegraph transmission ever made at the time.
