Edmunds Act makes polygamy a felony in the United States
- When
- 1882
- Where
- Federal Statute
- Episodes
- 1
The Edmunds Act, signed by President Chester A. Arthur on March 23, 1882, made polygamy a felony in federal territories. It imposed fines and imprisonment, criminalizing unlawful cohabitation to bypass proof of marriage. The law applied broadly, affecting those merely professing belief in plural marriage, leading to early convictions in Utah Territory.
Episodes
Background and detail
Legislative Context. The Edmunds Act was a federal statute enacted in 1882 to address polygamy in federal territories. Signed by President Chester A. Arthur, it declared polygamy a felony punishable by fines up to $500 and imprisonment up to five years. The legislation aimed to curb the practice associated with the LDS Church, extending legal reach beyond formal marriages.
Provisions and Enforcement. The Act criminalized 'bigamous' or 'unlawful cohabitation' as misdemeanors, removing the requirement to prove actual marriages. Restrictions applied regardless of whether individuals practiced polygamy, targeting those who merely stated a belief in the LDS doctrine of plural marriage. This broad interpretation facilitated numerous prosecutions, including in New Mexico Territory.
People involved
- Chester A. Arthur · President
- Rudger Clawson · First Person Convicted
- Cannon · Church apostle and former non-voting delegate for Utah Territory in the United States Congress before the Act's passage; no conviction stated in sources
Sources
- Edmunds Act Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-23
Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.