California Statehood Act

California Statehood Act
Great Seal of the United States
Other short titlesCalifornia Admissions Act
Long titleAn Act for the Admission of the State of California into the Union
Enacted bythe 31st United States Congress
EffectiveSeptember 9, 1850
Citations
Public lawPub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 31–49
Statutes at Large9 Stat. 452
Legislative history
  • Introduced in the Senate as S. 169
  • Passed the Senate on August 14, 1850 (34–18)
  • Passed the House on September 7, 1850 (150–56)
  • Signed into law by President Millard Fillmore on September 9, 1850

The California Statehood Act, officially An Act for the Admission of the State of California into the Union and also known as the California Admission Act, is the federal legislation that admitted California to the United States as the thirty-first state. Passed in 1850 by the 31st United States Congress, the law made California one of only a few states to become a state without first being an organized territory.