63rd United States Congress
63rd United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
The Sixty-third 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, D.C. from March 4, 1913 to March 4, 1915, during the first two years of Woodrow Wilson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Thirteenth Census of the United States in 1910. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1913: Woodrow Wilson became President of the United States.
- March 9, 1914: The Senate adopted a rule forbidding smoking on the floor of the Senate because Senator Ben Tillman, recovering from a stroke, found the smoke irritating.
- July 28, 1914: World War I began in Europe
- August 15, 1914: The Panama Canal was inaugurated
- August 19, 1914: President Woodrow Wilson declared strict U.S. neutrality
- November 1914: United States House of Representatives elections, 1914 and United States Senate elections, 1914
- November 16, 1914: Federal Reserve Bank opened
Major legislation
- May 27, 1913: Kern Resolution
- July 9, 1913: Saboth Act
- July 15, 1913: Newlands Labor Act
- October 3, 1913: Revenue Act of 1913 (Federal Income Tax), including Underwood Tariff
- October 22, 1913: Urgent Deficiencies Act
- December 19, 1913: Raker Act
- December 23, 1913: Federal Reserve Act, ch. 6, 38 Stat. 251, 12 U.S.C. § 221, et seq.
- May 8, 1914: Smith-Lever Act, ch. 79, 38 Stat. 372, 7 U.S.C. § 341
- June 24, 1914: Cutter Service Act
- June 30, 1914: Cooperative Funds Act
- July 17, 1914: Agricultural Entry Act
- July 18, 1914: Aviation Service Act
- July 21, 1914: Borland Amendment
- August 13, 1914: Smith-Hayden Act
- August 15, 1914: Sponge Act
- August 18, 1914: Cotton Futures Act of 1914
- August 18, 1914: Foreign Ship Registry Act
- August 22, 1914: Glacier National Park Act of 1914
- September 2, 1914: War Risk Insurance Act (Rayburn Act)
- September 26, 1914: Federal Trade Commission Act, ch. 311, 38 Stat. 717, 15 U.S.C. § 41
- October 2, 1914: River and Harbors Act of 1914
- October 15, 1914: Clayton Antitrust Act, ch. 323, 38 Stat. 730, 15 U.S.C. § 12, et seq.
- October 22, 1914: Emergency Internal Revenue Tax Act
- December 17, 1914: Harrison Narcotics Tax Act
- January 28, 1915: Coast Guard Act
- March 4, 1915: Merchant Marine Act of 1915
- March 4, 1915: River and Harbors Act of 1915
- March 4, 1915: Standard Barrel Act For Fruits, Vegetables, and Dry Commodities
- March 4, 1915: Federal Boiler Inspection Act
- March 4, 1915: Uniform Bill of Lading Act
- March 4, 1915: Occupancy Permits Act
Constitutional amendments
- April 8, 1913: 17th Amendment was ratified, creating a popularly elected U.S. Senate instead of the original process of appointment by state legislatures.
Party summary
Senate
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Progressive (P) | Republican (R) | |||
End of the previous congress | 47 | 0 | 48 | 95 | 1 |
Begin | 49 | 1 | 42 | 92 | 4 |
End | 53 | 96 | 0 | ||
Final voting share | 55.2% | 1.0% | 43.8% | ||
Beginning of the next congress | 56 | 0 | 40 | 96 | 0 |
House of Representatives
- Democratic (D): 291 (majority)
- Republican (R): 134
- Progressive (P): 9
- Independent (I): 1
TOTAL members: 435
Leadership
Senate
- President of the Senate: Thomas R. Marshall
- President pro tempore: James P. Clarke
- Majority Whip: J. Hamilton Lewis (D)
- Minority Whip: James Wadsworth, Jr. (R) until March 4; Charles Curtis (R) starting March 4
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Champ Clark (D)
Majority (Democratic) leadership
Minority (Republican) leadership
Members
Senate
Most Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. A few senators were elected directly by the residents of the state. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. Senior senators are listed first.
House of Representatives
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
- replacements: 3
- Democratic: 2 seat net gain
- Republican: 2 seat net loss
- deaths: 3
- resignations: 3
- vacancy: 3
- Total seats with changes: 9
State | Senator | Reason for Vacancy | Successor | Date of Successor's Installation |
---|---|---|---|---|
New Hampshire (2) |
Vacant | Elected late. | Henry F. Hollis (D) | March 13, 1913 |
Illinois (2) |
Vacant | Due to US Sen.Lorimer scandal, general assembly refused to seat elected Senator at beginning of term. Compromise was later reached with Governor of Illinois to seat senator to replace Lorimer after another election was called. | J. Hamilton Lewis (D) | March 26, 1913 |
Illinois (3) |
Vacant | Due to US Sen.Lorimer scandal, general assembly refused to seat elected Senator at beginning of term. Compromise was later reached with Governor of Illinois to seat senator who supported Sen Lorimer. | Lawrence Y. Sherman (R) | March 26, 1913 |
West Virginia (2) |
Vacant | Elected to seat at beginning of term but delayed installation to continue as judge of U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit | Nathan Goff Jr. (R) | April 1, 1913 |
Alabama (3) |
Joseph F. Johnston (D) | Died August 8, 1913. Successor was appointed to finish term. | Francis S. White (D) | May 11, 1914 |
Maryland (1) |
William P. Jackson (R) | Successor was elected. | Blair Lee (D) | Januar 28, 1914 |
Georgia (2) |
Augustus O. Bacon (D) | Died February 14, 1914. Successor was appointed. | William S. West (D) | March 2, 1914 |
Kentucky (3) |
William O. Bradley (R) | Died May 23, 1914. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. | Johnson N. Camden Jr. (D) | June 16, 1914 |
Georgia (2) |
William S. West (D) | Successor was elected. | Thomas W. Hardwick (D) | November 4, 1914 |
House of Representatives
- replacements: 20
- Democratic: 1 seat gain
- Republican: 2 seat loss
- Progressive: 1 seat gain
- deaths: 11
- resignations: 19
- contested elections: 2
- Total seats with changes: 15
District | Vacator | Reason for Vacancy | Successor | |
---|---|---|---|---|
South Carolina 1st | Vacant | Rep. George S. Legaré died during previous congress | Richard S. Whaley (D) | April 29, 1913 |
Massachusetts 13th | John W. Weeks (R) | Resigned March 4, 1913 after being elected to the US Senate | John J. Mitchell (D) | April 15, 1913 |
Texas 10th | Albert S. Burleson (D) | Resigned March 6, 1913 after being appointed United States Postmaster General | James P. Buchanan (D) | April 15, 1913 |
New Jersey 6th | Lewis J. Martin (D) | Died May 5, 1913 | Archibald C. Hart (D) | July 22, 1913 |
Michigan 12th | H. Olin Young (R) | Resigned May 16, 1913 while election was being contested | William J. MacDonald (Prog.) | August 26, 1913 |
Maine 3rd | Forrest Goodwin (R) | Died May 28, 1913 | John A. Peters (R) | September 9, 1913 |
Maryland 3rd | George Konig (D) | Died May 31, 1913 | Charles P. Coady (D) | November 4, 1913 |
West Virginia 1st | John W. Davis (D) | Resigned August 29, 1913 after being appointed Solicitor General of the United States | Matthew M. Neely (D) | October 14, 1913 |
New York 13th | Timothy Sullivan (D) | Died August 31, 1913 | George W. Loft (D) | November 4, 1913 |
New York 20th | Francis B. Harrison (D) | Resigned September 1, 1913 after being appointed Governor-General of the Philippines | Jacob A. Cantor (D) | November 4, 1913 |
Massachusetts 3rd | William Wilder (R) | Died September 11, 1913 | Calvin Paige (R) | November 4, 1913 |
Georgia 2nd | Seaborn Roddenbery (D) | Died September 25, 1913 | Frank Park (D) | November 4, 1913 |
Iowa 2nd | Irvin S. Pepper (D) | Died December 22, 1913 | Henry Vollmer (D) | February 10, 1914 |
Massachusetts 12th | James Michael Curley (D) | Resigned February 4, 1914 after being elected Mayor of Boston | James A. Gallivan (D) | April 7, 1914 |
New Jersey 7th | Robert G. Bremner (D) | Died February 5, 1914 | Dow H. Drukker (R) | April 7, 1914 |
Alabama 8th | William N. Richardson (D) | Died March 31, 1914 | Christopher C. Harris (D) | May 11, 1914 |
Alabama 3rd | Henry D. Clayton, Jr. (D) | Resigned May 25, 1914 after being appointed judge for U.S. District Court for Middle and Northern Districts of Alabama | William O. Mulkey (D) | June 29, 1914 |
Missouri 12th | Leonidas C. Dyer (R) | Lost contested election June 9, 1914 | Michael J. Gill (D) | June 9, 1914 |
Illinois 4th | James T. McDermott (D) | Resigned July 21, 1914 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Ohio 14th | William G. Sharp (D) | Resigned July 23, 1914 after being appointed United States Ambassador to France | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Massachusetts 11th | Andrew J. Peters (D) | Resigned August 15, 1914 after being appointed Assistant Secretary of the Treasury | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Massachusetts 10th | William F. Murray (D) | Resigned September 28, 1914 after being appointed Postmaster of Boston | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Maryland 1st | J. Harry Covington (D) | Resigned September 30, 1914 after being appointed to serve as chief justice of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | Jesse Price (D) | November 3, 1914 |
New Jersey 9th | Walter I. McCoy (D) | Resigned October 3, 1914 after being appointed associate justice for the United States District Court for the District of Columbia | Richard W. Parker (R) | December 1, 1914 |
Georgia 10th | Thomas W. Hardwick (D) | Resigned November 2, 1914 after being elected to the US Senate | Carl Vinson (D) | November 3, 1914 |
New York 36th | Sereno E. Payne (R) | Died December 10, 1914 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
New York 31st | Edwin A. Merritt (R) | Died December 14, 1914 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
New York 2nd | Denis O'Leary (D) | Resigned December 31, 1914 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Minnesota 2nd | Winfield Scott Hammond (D) | Resigned January 6, 1915 after being elected Governor of Minnesota | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Ohio 5th | Timothy T. Ansberry (D) | Resigned January 9, 1915 after being appointed associate justice of the Ohio Court of Appeals | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
Ohio 8th | Frank B. Willis (R) | Resigned January 9, 1915 after being elected Governor of Ohio | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
New Jersey 8th | Eugene F. Kinkead (D) | Resigned February 4, 1915 after becoming sheriff of Hudson County, New Jersey | 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
- Banking and Currency
- Canadian Relations
- Census
- Civil Service and Retrenchment
- Claims
- Coast and Insular Survey
- Coast Defenses
- Commerce
- Conservation of National Resources
- Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia
- Cuban Relations
- Disposition of Useless Papers in the Executive Departments
- 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
- Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture
- Expenditures in the Department of Commerce
- Expenditures in the Interior Department
- Expenditures in the Department of Justice
- Expenditures in the Department of Labor
- Expenditures in the Navy Department
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department
- Expenditures in the Department of State
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department
- Expenditures in the War Department
- Finance
- Fisheries
- Five Civilized Tribes of Indians
- Foreign Relations
- Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game
- Geological Survey
- Immigration
- Immigration and Naturalization
- Indian Affairs
- Industrial Expositions
- Interoceanic Canals
- Interstate Commerce
- Irrigation and Reclamation
- Judiciary
- Library
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River and its Tributaries (Select)
- National Banks
- Naval Affairs
- Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico
- Pacific Railroads
- Patents
- Pensions
- Philippines
- Post Office and Post Roads
- 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
- Standards, Weights and Measures
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Telepost (Select)
- Territories
- Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select)
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
- Trespassers upon Indian Lands (Select)
- Whole
- Woman Suffrage
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Census
- 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 Commerce Department
- Expenditures in the Interior Department
- Expenditures in the Justice Department
- Expenditures in the Labor 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
- Industrial Arts and Expositions
- Insular Affairs
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Invalid Pensions
- Irrigation of Arid Lands
- Labor
- Merchant Marine and Fisheries
- Mileage
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- 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
- Roads
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Armor Plant Costs (Special)
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Federal Aid in Construction of Post Roads
- Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
- Investigate the General Parcel Post
- Postage on 2nd Class Mail Matter and Compensation for Transportation of Mail
- Second Class Mail Matter and Compensation for Rail Mail Service
Employees
- Architect of the Capitol: Elliott Woods
- Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam
- Public Printer of the United States: Samuel B. Donnelly (until 1913), Cornelius Ford (starting 1913)
Senate
- Secretary:
- Charles G. Bennett of New York
- James M. Baker of South Carolina, elected March 13, 1913.
- Sergeant at Arms:
- E. Livingston Cornelius of Maryland, elected December 10, 1912
- Charles P. Higgins of Indiana, elected March 13, 1913
- Chaplain: Edward Everett Hale, Unitarian, until March 13, 1913, F.J. Prettyman, Methodist, elected March 13, 1913.
House of Representatives
- Clerk: South Trimble of Kentucky, elected April 7, 1913.
- Sergeant at Arms: Robert B. Gordon of Ohio, elected April 7, 1913.
- Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott of Virginia, elected April 7, 1913.
- Postmaster: William M. Dunbar of Georgia, elected April 7, 1913.
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Bennett C. Clark
- Chaplain: Henry N. Couden, Universalist, elected April 7, 1913.
See also
- United States elections, 1912 (elections leading to this Congress)
- United States elections, 1914 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
References
- Gould, Lewis L. (2005). The Most Exclusive Club. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Group. ISBN 0-465-02778-4.
- Remini, Robert V. (2006). The House. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-06-088434-7.
- U.S. Congress (2005). "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress". Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2006.
- U.S. House of Representatives (2006). "Congressional History". Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2006.
- U.S. Senate (2006). "Statistics and Lists". Archived from the original on 1 June 2006. Retrieved June 1, 2006.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 63rd Congress, 1st Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 63rd Congress, 2nd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 63rd Congress, 2nd Session (1st Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 63rd Congress, 2nd Session (2nd Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 63rd Congress, 3rd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 63rd Congress, 3rd Session (Revision).