55th United States Congress
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The Fifty-fifth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1897, to March 4, 1899, during the first two years of William McKinley's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Eleventh Census of the United States in 1890. Both chambers had a Republican majority. There was one African-American member, George Henry White, a Republican from the state of North Carolina.
Major events
- March 4, 1897: William McKinley became President of the United States.
- February 15, 1898: Spanish–American War: USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor.
- December 10, 1898: Treaty of Paris ended Spanish–American War, 30 Stat. 1754.
Major legislation
- June 10: War Revenue Act of 1898
- July 24, 1897: Dingley tariff, ch. 11, 30 Stat. 151, increased trade duties for revenue and protection
- April 20, 1898: Teller Resolution (Cuba), 30 Stat. 738
- April 25, 1898: Declaration of war on Spain (Spanish–American War), 30 Stat. 364
- June 1, 1898: Erdman Act, 30 Stat. 424
- June 13, 1898: War Revenue Act of 1898, 30 Stat. 448
- July 1, 1898: Bankruptcy Act of 1898 (Henderson-Nelson Act), ch. 541, 30 Stat. 544, gave companies an option of gaining protection from creditors.
- July 7, 1898: Newlands Resolution, No. 55, 30 Stat. 750, authorized the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii
- March 3, 1899: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Ch. 425, 33 Stat. 401, § 9, 30 Stat. 1151
Treaties ratified
- February 6, 1899: Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish–American War. Guam, The Philippines, and Puerto Rico became possessions of the U.S.
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
Senate
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Populist (P) | Republican (R) | Silver Republican (SR) | Silver (S) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 40 | 4 | 44 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 0 |
| Begin | 33 | 5 | 43 | 5 | 2 | 88 | 2 |
| End | 34 | 44 | 90 | 0 | |||
| Final voting share | 37.8% | 5.6% | 48.9% | 5.6% | 2.2% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 26 | 4 | 51 | 3 | 2 | 86 | 4 |
House of Representatives
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Populist (P) | Republican (R) | Independent Republican (IR) | Silver Republican (SR) | Silver (S) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 94 | 9 | 252 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 356 | 1 |
| Begin | 124 | 22 | 206 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 357 | 0 |
| End | 207 | 358 | ||||||
| Final voting share | 34.6% | 6.1% | 57.8% | 0.3% | 0.8% | 0.3% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 163 | 6 | 183 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 355 | 2 |
Leadership
Senate
House of Representatives
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and Representatives are listed by district.
Senate
Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1898; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1900; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1902.
House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
- replacements: 5
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: no net change
- deaths: 5
- resignations: 0
- Total seats with changes: 8
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for vacancy | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio (1) |
John Sherman (R) | Resigned March 4, 1897 to become U.S. Secretary of State. Elected to fill remainder of term. |
Mark Hanna (R) | March 5, 1897 |
| Florida (3) |
Vacant | Failure to elect. Successor elected May 14, 1897.[1] |
Stephen R. Mallory (D) | May 15, 1897 |
| Oregon (3) |
Vacant | Failure to elect. Successor elected May 15, 1897. |
Joseph Simon (R) | May 15, 1897 |
| South Carolina (3) |
Joseph H. Earle (D) | Died May 20, 1897. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. |
John L. McLaurin (D) | June 1, 1897 |
| Tennessee (2) |
Isham G. Harris (D) | Died July 8, 1897. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. |
Thomas B. Turley (D) | July 20, 1897 |
| Mississippi (1) |
James Z. George (D) | Died August 14, 1897. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. |
Hernando Money (D) | October 8, 1897 |
| Mississippi (2) |
Edward C. Walthall (D) | Died April 21, 1898. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. |
William V. Sullivan (D) | May 31, 1898 |
| Vermont (3) |
Justin S. Morrill (R) | Died December 28, 1898. Successor was appointed. |
Jonathan Ross (R) | January 11, 1899 |
House of Representatives
- replacements: 14
- Democratic: 1 seat net loss
- Republican: 1 seat net gain
- deaths: 10
- resignations: 9
- contested election: 3
- Total seats with changes: 23
| District | Previous | Reason for change | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pennsylvania 25th | Vacant | Rep.-elect James J. Davidson died before being seated. Showalter was elected to finish term. | Joseph B. Showalter (R) | April 20, 1897 |
| Missouri 1st | Vacant | Rep.-elect Richard P. Giles died before being seated. Lloyd was elected to finish term. | James T. Lloyd (D) | June 1, 1897 |
| Maine 3rd | Seth L. Milliken (R) | Died April 18, 1897 | Edwin C. Burleigh (R) | June 21, 1897 |
| Indiana 4th | William S. Holman (D) | Died April 22, 1897. | Francis M. Griffith (D) | December 6, 1897 |
| South Carolina 6th | John L. McLaurin (D) | Resigned May 31, 1897 after being appointed to the U.S. Senate | James Norton (D) | December 6, 1897 |
| Illinois 6th | Edward D. Cooke (R) | Died June 24, 1897 | Henry S. Boutell (R) | November 23, 1897 |
| Massachusetts 1st | Ashley B. Wright (R) | Died August 14, 1897 | George P. Lawrence (R) | November 2, 1897 |
| New York 3rd | Francis H. Wilson (R) | Resigned September 30, 1897 to become Postmaster of Brooklyn, New York | Edmund H. Driggs (D) | December 6, 1897 |
| Alabama 4th | Thomas S. Plowman (D) | Lost contested election February 9, 1898 | William F. Aldrich (R) | February 9, 1898 |
| Virginia 4th | Sidney P. Epes (D) | Lost contested election March 23, 1898 | Robert T. Thorp (R) | March 23, 1898 |
| Massachusetts 13th | John Simpkins (R) | Died March 27, 1898 | William S. Greene (R) | May 31, 1898 |
| Virginia 2nd | William A. Young (D) | Lost contested election April 26, 1898 | Richard A. Wise (R) | April 26, 1898 |
| Mississippi 2nd | William V. Sullivan (D) | Resigned May 31, 1898 after being appointed to the U.S. Senate | Thomas Spight (D) | July 5, 1898 |
| Ohio 19th | Stephen A. Northway (R) | Died September 8, 1898 | Charles W. F. Dick (R) | November 8, 1898 |
| Mississippi 6th | William F. Love (D) | Died October 16, 1898 | Frank A. McLain (D) | December 12, 1898 |
| Pennsylvania 23rd | William A. Stone (R) | Resigned November 9, 1898 to run for Governor of Pennsylvania | William H. Graham (R) | November 29, 1898 |
| New York 34th | Warren B. Hooker (R) | Resigned November 10, 1898 after being appointed judge for the New York Supreme Court | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Tennessee 4th | Benton McMillin (D) | Resigned January 6, 1899 after being elected Governor of Tennessee | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| New Jersey 4th | Mahlon Pitney (R) | Resigned January 10, 1899 after being elected to the New Jersey Senate | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Maine 2nd | Nelson Dingley Jr. (R) | Died January 13, 1899 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Texas 9th | Joseph D. Sayers (D) | Resigned January 16, 1899 after being elected Governor of Texas | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| New York 2nd | Mahlon Pitney (R) | Died February 26, 1899 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Texas 4th | John W. Cranford (D) | Died March 3, 1899 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
- Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress (Select)
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Canadian Relations
- Census
- Civil Service and Retrenchment
- Claims
- Coast Defenses
- Commerce
- Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Engrossed Bills
- Enrolled Bills
- Establish a University in the United States (Select)
- Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service
- Finance
- Fisheries
- Five Civilized Tribes of Indians (Select)
- Foreign Relations
- Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game
- Geological Survey (Select)
- Immigration
- Immigration and Naturalization
- Indian Affairs
- International Expositions (Select)
- Interstate Commerce
- Irrigation and Reclamation
- Judiciary
- Library
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River and its Tributaries (Select)
- National Banks (Select)
- Naval Affairs
- Nicaragua Canal (Select)
- Omaha Exposition (Select)
- Pacific Railroads
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Potomac River Front (Select)
- Printing
- Private Land Claims
- Privileges and Elections
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Health and National Quarantine
- Public Lands
- Railroads
- Revision of the Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Territories
- Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select)
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
- Washington City Centennial (Select)
- Whole
- Woman Suffrage (Select)
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- District of Columbia
- Education
- Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress
- Elections
- Enrolled Bills
- Expenditures in the Agriculture Department
- Expenditures in the Interior Department
- Expenditures in the Justice Department
- Expenditures in the Navy Department
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department
- Expenditures in the State Department
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department
- Expenditures in the War Department
- Expenditures on Public Buildings
- Foreign Affairs
- Immigration and Naturalization
- Indian Affairs
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Invalid Pensions
- Irrigation of Arid Lands
- Labor
- Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River
- Manufactures
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Mileage
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- Pacific Railroads
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Railways and Canals
- Reform in the Civil Service
- Revision of Laws
- Rivers and Harbors
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- Ventilation and Acoustics
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Alcohol in the Arts (Select)
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
- Investigate Charities and Reformatory Institutions in the District of Columbia
Employees
- Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
- Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford (until 1897), John Russell Young (starting 1897)
- Public Printer of the United States: Thomas E. Benedict
Senate
- Secretary: William Ruffin Cox of North Carolina
- Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright of Indiana
- Chaplain: William H. Millburn Methodist
House of Representatives
- Clerk: Alexander McDowell of Pennsylvania, elected March 15, 1897
- Sergeant at Arms: Benjamin F. Russell of Missouri, elected March 15, 1897
- Doorkeeper: William J. Glenn of New York, elected March 15, 1897
- Postmaster: Joseph C. McElroy of Ohio, elected March 15, 1897
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Asher C. Hinds
- Chaplain: Henry N. Couden Universalist, elected March 15, 1897
See also
- United States elections, 1896 (elections leading to this Congress)
- United States elections, 1898 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
References
- 1 2 "MALLORY ELECTED SENATOR.". The New York Times. May 15, 1897. p. 12.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
External links
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
- Official Congressional Directory for the 55th Congress, Extraordinary Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 55th Congress, Extraordinary Session (Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 55th Congress, 2nd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 55th Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 55th Congress, 3rd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 55th Congress, 3rd Session (Revision).
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