been appointed on 10 April 1882. On this committee, he represented Morgan County. Samuel's diary notes his attendance at twelve conventions prior to statehood. Each lasted from two to five days. The highlight of Samuel Francis' public career came when Utah was admitted to the Union. The Congress of the United States and President Grover Cleveland, on 14 July 1894, called for a constitutional convention to be held on the first Monday in March 1895. One hundred seven delegates from the territory met to form a constitution for the state. Morgan County was allotted one delegate to the convention. It could only have been Samuel Francis.54 The Constitutional Convention convened on 4 March 1895 and lasted sixty-six days, until 8 May 1895. Most of the men elected to the convention were Republicans, ranging in age from twenty-four to ninety. Professor A C. Lund was the youngest and Lorin Farr the oldest.55 John Henry Smith, a member of the Council of the Twelve Apostles, was elected president of the convention. He was a Republican, but in his address to the convention, he declared that he would preside without party feelings. The question of suffrage for women took up the better part often days at the convention. The debates on this issue fill nearly four hundred pages in the published proceedings.56 Two great orators of the day were there and took a leading part in the debates. Orson F. Whitney was in favor of woman suffrage; B. H. Roberts was opposed. Throughout these debates, the house was filled with spectators. Of the event, Judge Samuel Thurman said: "To undertake to adequately describe the eloquence displayed by the speakers, and the powerful arguments made by them would be impossible. Whitney's language was chaste, refined, eloquent and convincing in accordance with his style. Roberts' argument was so strong and powerful as to cause even the most ardent believer in suffrage to fear its consequences."57 Even though the proposed constitution granted suffrage to women, they were not allowed to vote in November 1895 because the territorial supreme court ruled against them participating in the election of 1895, and both parties removed women's names from their ballots. The next year, however, Utah women were allowed to vote and three women were elected to offices.58 The State constitution, a critical document to Utah, was a result of the constitutional convention. Samuel Francis's name appears on the original document, which is on exhibit in the rotunda of the Utah State Capitol in Salt Lake City 59 President Grover Cleveland signed the proclamation which admitted Utah into the Union on 4 January 1896. It was a day to be remembered. The Western Union in Salt Lake City fired off a gun in the streets when the news arrived that President Cleveland had signed the proclamation. At the sound of the gun, sirens shrieked, whistles blew, bells rang, and firearms went off without regard to place. Songs and cheers rent the air. Bands marched, playing the national anthem, flags furled to the wind. It was aglorious day.60 57