One of the most anticpated moments of any legislative session is the publication “Lawmakers of Montana”, better known as the Copper Book.

The 2023 Copper Book is online. Hard copies are free and scheduled to arrive in the capitol Jan. 26.

Sponsored by Charter Communications and produced by the Legislative Services Division, the Copper Book is a must read at the start of every session. Lawmakers and lobbyists scan it for personal tidbits that might come in handy during a hallway chat. Most sketches include date and place of birth, education, occupations and names of spouses and children. History buffs hoard the hard copies. The Legislative Services Division also squirreled away copies every two years, all of which were recently scanned into a searchable format by the Montana State Library.  The digital archive of past Copper Books is available online.

The Copper Book wasn’t always copper. The first edition was light green and proclaimed that it was “Compliments of Sen. J. Hugo Aronson” an oil producer from Cut Bank. It was compiled by an assistant sergeant at arms in the House. The Independent Record newspaper, owned by the Anaconda Copper Co. at the time, published the books in various metallic hues through 1959. There was no book in 1961 when the IR and other Anaconda Papers were sold to Lee Enterprises.

In 1963, the Copper Book as it is now known debuted. The cover noted that the Anaconda Co. furnished the guide. By 1965, the credit for the guide was moved to the back cover, but an inside page touts the company as “A Partner in Montana’s Progress” and lists the how much the company paid employees, as well as its spending for taxes, freight, and other equipment and supplies.