90 Years STRONG

The Council of State Governments has officially been serving the states for 90 years. On our mission to champion excellence and advance the common good, we’ve created a legacy of nonpartisan work.

Prior to being named CSG, the organization was called the American Legislators Association.

In the original Articles of Organization, published in 1958, Toll referred to the organization as the League of State Governments. Members of the board did not amend the articles but wanted the organization to be referred to as The Council of State Governments.

In 1940, at the request of the Roosevelt Administration, CSG met with federal officials to devise a plan to aid states in developing legislation that aligned with the federal government’s defense efforts at the dawn of World War II. The result was the establishment of the Suggested State Legislation Committee. CSG has since produced 80-plus editions of Shared State Legislation.

For the first 25 years of CSG operations, State Government served as the organization’s monthly magazine. In 1958, it was changed to State Government News The publication then changed to State News in 2004 before landing on Capitol Ideas in 2010.

The Henry Toll Fellowship program started in 1986 and has since produced approximately

1,422 TOLL GRADUATES.

The Expansion of CSG

1937 — Eastern Regional Conference established.

1938 — Washington, D.C., office established.

1945 — Midwestern Legislative Conference established.

1947 — Southern and Western Legislative Conferences established.

1969 — CSG Headquarters moved from Chicago to its current home in Lexington, KY.

2006 — CSG Justice Center formed.

On an October evening in 1933, Henry Toll and a small group of legislators gathered at the Penn Harris Hotel

IN HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA. That meeting, Toll claims, is where The Council of State Governments was created.

CSG has had

5 RENDITIONS of its logo before settling on the current shield emblem.

Over the course of nine decades, CSG has partnered with

20+ AFFILIATED ORGANIZATIONS

to share ideas and combine efforts to accomplish mutual goals.