In a previous post (
1936 Wisconsin Territorial Centennial - House Vs. Senate), I mentioned that when the Wisconsin Territorial Government Centennial coin bill was introduced, it mistakenly called for half dollars "in commemoration of the one hundredth anniversary of
the statehood of Wisconsin, and to assist in the celebration of the Wisconsin Centennial during the year of 1936." (Emphasis added.) Wisconsin became the 30th US State on May 29, 1848 - making its centennial a 1948 event vs. 1936.
But when was the Statehood vs. Territory error caught and corrected?
Upon its introduction, the bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Banking and Currency. The Committee had multiple issues with the bill (refer to the post linked above), but instead of recommending individual changes, it amended the whole bill via substitution, replacing all text after the standard enacting clause (i.e.,
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,).
The bill language suggested by the Committee corrected the purpose of the bill and updated it to reflect that the coins were to be struck "in commemoration of
the one hundredth anniversary of the establishment of the Territorial Government of Wisconsin, and to assist in the celebration of the Wisconsin Centennial during the year of 1936."
The bill, with its corrected language, was reported out to the Whole Senate for consideration. It did not face Senate opposition, so it was engrossed, read a third time and passed. When the House took up the bill for consideration, the correct bill was presented. It passed the House with minor changes. The Senate concurred with the House's changes and the bill was sent on to the President; Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the correct bill into law on May 15, 1936.
I would hope that had the Senate Committee not noticed the error, it would have been caught by Robert Marion La Follette, Jr. (R-WI), the Senator who introduced the bill, before it received final approval. After all, as a US Senator representing Wisconsin, he should certainly have known which milestone anniversary was being celebrated in 1936!
Regardless, the error was caught and fixed - the 1936 Wisconsin Territorial half dollar was added to the classic series.
.
1936 Wisconsin Territorial Centennial Half Dollar
For other of my posts about commemorative coins and medals, including more on the history of the Wisconsin half dollar and a What If? post about a proposal for a 1948 Statehood Centennial coin, see:
Commems Collection.
Posted 06/25/2022 5:14 pm
