Event of 1899: The U.S. state of Delaware enacts its general corporation act that makes it the
- When
- 1899
- Where
- Delaware
- Episodes
- 1
On March 10, 1899, Delaware enacted a general incorporation act to attract businesses, following New Jersey's example. This shift from special legislative acts to general incorporation allowed anyone to form corporations by filing articles with the Secretary of State, establishing Delaware as a prominent jurisdiction for corporate law.
Episodes
Background and detail
Background. Prior to 1899, forming a corporation required a special act of the state legislature. New Jersey had enacted corporate-friendly laws in the late 19th century to attract businesses from New York. Delaware followed this example, adopting a general incorporation act aimed at attracting more businesses to the state.
General Incorporation. General incorporation allowed anyone to form a corporation by simply raising money and filing articles of incorporation with the state's Secretary of State. This streamlined process replaced the need for special legislative acts, making Delaware a more accessible jurisdiction for business formation.
Legacy. Since the 1913 reforms in New Jersey, Delaware has become the most prevalent jurisdiction in United States corporate law, described as the de facto corporate capital. The 1899 act laid the groundwork for this status, which later developed through extensive case law and business-friendly regulations.
People involved
- Secretary of State · Administrative Official (inferred from the general incorporation mechanism; no individual named)
Sources
- Delaware corporation Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-17
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.