55th Congress of the United States

The 55th United States Congress , made up of the House and Senate , was the United States' legislature . Its legislative period lasted from March 4, 1897 to March 4, 1899. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the senators ( Class III ) were elected in the 1896 congressional elections. This resulted in a majority in both chambers for the Republican Party , which with William McKinley also provided the president. The only remaining role for the Democratic Party was in the opposition. The Congress met in the American capital Washington, DC The United States at that time consisted of 45 states. The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1890 census .

Important events

See also 1897 1898 and 1899

• March 4, 1897: beginning of the legislative period of the 55th Congress. At the same time, the new President William McKinley, also elected in November 1896, was introduced into office. He replaces the Democrat Grover Cleveland .
• February 5, 1898: The Spanish-American War of 1898 begins with the explosion of the American warship Maine in the port of Havana , Cuba
• July 7, 1898: USA annexed Hawaii .
• December 10, 1898: The Paris Peace Treaty ends this war. The Philippines , Guam and Puerto Rico, among others, come under American administration.

The main laws

During the session of the 55th Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):

• July 24, 1897: Dingley Act
• April 20, 1898: Teller Resolution
• April 25, 1898: Declaration of war on Spain. See Spanish-American War
• June 1, 1898: Erdman Act
• June 13, 1898: War Revenue Act of 1898
• July 1, 1898: Bankruptcy Act of 1898
• July 7, 1898: Newlands Resolution. It was about the incorporation of Hawaii
• March 3, 1899: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899

Composition according to parties

senate

• Democratic Party: 33
• Republican Party: 43 (majority)
• Others: 12
• Vacant: 2

Total: 90

House of Representatives

• Democratic Party: 124
• Republican Party: 206 (majority)
• Other: 27
• Vacant: 0

Total: 357

There were also three congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote

Public officials

senate

• President of the Senate : Garret Hobart (R)
• President pro tempore : William P. Frye (R)

House of Representatives

• House Speaker : Thomas Brackett Reed (R)

Senate members

The following senators represented their respective states in the 55th Congress:

Alabama 2. John Tyler Morgan (D) 3. Edmund Pettus (D) Arkansas 2. James Henderson Berry (D) 3. James Kimbrough Jones (D) California 1. Stephen M. White (D) 3. George Clement Perkins (R) Colorado 2. Edward O. Wolcott (R) 3. Henry Moore Teller (SR = Silver Republican Party) Connecticut 1. Joseph Roswell Hawley (R) 3. Orville H. Platt (R) Delaware 1. George Gray (D) 2. Richard R. Kenney (R) Florida 1. Samuel Pasco (D) 3. Stephen R. Mallory Jr. (D) from May 15, 1897 Georgia 2. Augustus Octavius ​​Bacon (D) 3. Alexander S. Clay (D) Idaho 2. George Laird Shoup (R) 3. Henry Heitfeld (P = Populist Party) Illinois 2. Shelby Moore Cullom (R) 3. William E. Mason (R) Indiana 1. David Turpie (D) 3. Charles W. Fairbanks (R) Iowa 2. John H. Gear (R) 3. William B. Allison (R) Kansas 2. Lucien Baker (R) 3. William A. Harris (P) Kentucky 2. William Lindsay (D) 3. William Joseph Deboe (R) Louisiana 2. Donelson Caffery (D) 3. Samuel D. McEnery (D) Maine 1. Eugene Hale (R) 2. William P. Frye (R) Maryland 1. Arthur Pue Gorman (D) 3. George Wellington (R) Massachusetts 1. Henry Cabot Lodge (R) 2. George Frisbie Hoar (R) Michigan 1. Julius C. Burrows (R) 2. James McMillan (R) Minnesota 1. Cushman Kellogg Davis (R) 2. Knute Nelson (R) Mississippi 1. James Z. George (D) until August 14, 1897 Hernando Money (D) from October 8, 1897 2. Edward C. Walthall (D) until April 21, 1898 William V. Sullivan (D) from May 31, 1898 Missouri 1. Francis Cockrell (D) 3. George Graham Vest (D) Montana 1. Lee Mantle (SR) 2. Thomas Henry Carter (R)

Nebraska 1. William V. Allen (P) 2. John Mellen Thurston (R) Nevada 1. William M. Stewart (S) 3. John P. Jones (S) New Hampshire 2. William E. Chandler (R) 3. Jacob Harold Gallinger (R) New Jersey 1. James Smith (D) 2. William Joyce Sewell (R) new York 1. Edward Murphy (D) 3. Thomas C. Platt (R) North Carolina 2. Marion Butler (P) 3. Jeter Connelly Pritchard (R) North Dakota 1. William N. Roach (D) 3. Henry C. Hansbrough (R) Ohio 1. Mark Hanna (R) from March 5, 1897 3. Joseph B. Foraker (R) Oregon 2. George W. McBride (R) 3. Joseph Simon (R) from October 7, 1898 Pennsylvania 1. Matthew Quay (R) 3. Boies Penrose (R) Rhode Island 1. Nelson W. Aldrich (R) 2. George P. Wetmore (R) South carolina 2. Benjamin Tillman (D) 3. Joseph H. Earle (D) until May 20, 1897 John L. McLaurin (D) from June 1, 1897 South Dakota 2. Richard F. Pettigrew (R) 3. James H. Kyle (P) Tennessee 1. William B. Bate (D) 2. Isham G. Harris (D) until July 8, 1897 Thomas B. Turley (D) from July 20, 1897 Texas 1. Roger Q. Mills (D) 2. Horace Chilton (D) Utah 1. Frank J. Cannon (S) 3. Joseph Lafayette Rawlins (D) Vermont 1. Redfield Proctor (R) 3. Justin Smith Morrill (R) until December 28, 1898 Jonathan Ross (R) from January 11, 1899 Virginia 1. John W. Daniel (D) 2. Thomas S. Martin (D) Washington 1. John Lockwood Wilson (R) 3. George Turner (S) West Virginia 1. Charles James Faulkner (D) 2. Stephen Benton Elkins (R) Wisconsin 1. John L. Mitchell (D) 3. John Coit Spooner (R) Wyoming 1. Clarence Don Clark (R) 2. Francis E. Warren (R)

Members of the House of Representatives

The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 55th Congress:

Alabama 9 constituencies 1. George W. Taylor (D) 2. Jesse F. Stallings (D) 3. Henry De Lamar Clayton, Jr. (D) 4. Thomas S. Plowman (D) until February 9, 1898 William F. Aldrich (R) from February 9, 1898 5. Willis Brewer (D) 6. John H. Bankhead (D) 7. Milford W. Howard (P) 8. Joseph Wheeler (D) 9. Oscar Underwood (D) Arkansas 6 constituencies. 1. Philip D. McCulloch (D) 2. John Sebastian Little (D) 3. Thomas Chipman McRae (D) 4. William L. Terry (D) 5. Hugh A. Dinsmore (D) 6. Stephen Brundidge (D) California 7 constituencies. 1. John All Barham (R) 2. Marion De Vries (D) 3. Samuel G. Hilborn (R) 4. James G. Maguire (D) 5. Eugene F. Loud (R) 6. Charles A. Barlow (P) 7. Curtis H. Castle (P) Colorado 2 constituencies 1. John F. Shafroth (SR) 2. John Calhoun Bell (P) Connecticut 4 constituencies 1. E. Stevens Henry (R) 2. Nehemiah D. Sperry (R) 3. Charles A. Russell (R) 4. Ebenezer J. Hill (R) Delaware state-wide choice L. Irving Handy (D) Florida Two constituencies 1. Stephen M. Sparkman (D) 2. Robert Wyche Davis (D) Georgia 11 constituencies 1. Rufus E. Lester (D) 2. James M. Griggs (D) 3. Elijah B. Lewis (D) 4. William C. Adamson (D) 5. Leonidas F. Livingston (D) 6. Charles Lafayette Bartlett (D) 7. John W. Maddox (D) 8. William Marcellus Howard (D) 9. Farish Carter Tate (D) 10. William Henry Fleming (D) 11. William Gordon Brantley (D) Idaho state-wide election James Gunn (P) Illinois 22 constituencies 1. James Robert Mann (R) 2. William Lorimer (R) 3. Hugh R. Belknap (R) 4. Daniel W. Mills (R) 5. George E. White (R) 6. Edward D. Cooke (R) until June 24, 1897 Henry Sherman Boutell (R) from November 23, 1897 7. George Edmund Foss (R) 8. Albert J. Hopkins (R) 9. Robert R. Hitt (R) 10. George W. Prince (R) 11. Walter Reeves (R) 12. Joseph Gurney Cannon (R) 13. Vespasian Warner (R) 14. Joseph V. Graff (R) 15. Benjamin F. Marsh (R) 16. William H. Hinrichsen (D) 17. James A. Connolly (R) 18. Thomas M. Jett (D) 19. Andrew J. Hunter (D) 20. James R. Campbell (D) 21 Jehu Baker (D) 22. George W. Smith (R) Indiana 13 constituencies 1. James A. Hemenway (R) 2. Robert W. Miers (D) 3. William T. Zenor (D) 4. William S. Holman (D) until April 22, 1897 Francis M. Griffith (D) from December 6, 1897 5. George W. Faris (R) 6. Henry U. Johnson (R) 7. Jesse Overstreet (R) 8. Charles L. Henry (R) 9. Charles B. Landis (R) 10. Edgar D. Crumpacker (R) 11. George Washington Steele (R) 12. James McClellan Robinson (D) 13. Lemuel W. Royse (R) Iowa 11 constituencies 1. Samuel M. Clark (R) 2. George M. Curtis (R) 3. David B. Henderson (R) 4. Thomas Updegraff (R) 5. Robert G. Cousins (R) 6. John F. Lacey (R) 7. John AT Hull (R) 8. William Peters Hepburn (R) 9. Alva L. Hager (R) 10. Jonathan P. Dolliver (R) 11. George D. Perkins (R) Kansas 7 constituencies. In addition, a member was elected nationwide 1. Case Broderick (R) 2. Mason S. Peters (P) 3. Edwin R. Ridgely (P) 4. Charles Curtis (R) 5. William D. Vincent (P) 6. Nelson B. McCormick (P) 7. Jerry Simpson (P) 8. Jeremiah D. Botkin (P) elected state wide Kentucky 11 constituencies 1. Charles K. Wheeler (D) 2. John Daniel Clardy (D) 3. John Stockdale Rhea (D) 4. David Highbaugh Smith (D) 5. Walter Evans (R) 6. Albert S. Berry (D) 7. Evan E. Settle (D) 8. George M. Davison (R) 9. Samuel Johnson Pugh (R) 10. Thomas Y. Fitzpatrick (D) 11. David Grant Colson (R) Louisiana 6 constituencies 1. Adolph Meyer (D) 2. Robert C. Davey (D) 3. Robert F. Broussard (D) 4. Henry Warren Ogden (D) 5. Samuel T. Baird (D) 6. Samuel Matthews Robertson (D) Maine 4 constituencies 1. Thomas Brackett Reed (R) 2. Nelson Dingley (R) until January 13, 1899, after which the seat remained vacant 3. Seth L. Milliken (R) by April 18, 1897 Edwin C. Burleigh (R) from June 21, 1897 4. Charles A. Boutelle (R) Maryland 6 constituencies. 1. Isaac Ambrose Barber (R) 2. William Benjamin Baker (R) 3. William Samuel Booze (R) 4. William Watson McIntire (R) 5. Sydney Emanuel Mudd (R) 6. John McDonald (R) Massachusetts 13 constituencies 1. Ashley B. Wright (R) until August 14, 1897 George P. Lawrence (R) from November 2, 1897 2. Frederick H. Gillett (R) 3. Joseph H. Walker (R) 4. George W. Weymouth (R) 5. William Shadrach Knox (R) 6. William H. Moody (R) 7. William Emerson Barrett (R) 8. Samuel W. McCall (R) 9. John F. Fitzgerald (D) 10. Samuel J. Barrows (R) 11. Charles F. Sprague (R) 12. William C. Lovering (R) 13. John Simpkins (R) through March 27, 1898 William S. Greene (R) from May 31, 1898 Michigan 12 constituencies 1. John Blaisdell Corliss (R) 2. George Spalding (R) 3. Albert M. Todd (D) 4. Edward L. Hamilton (R) 5. William Alden Smith (R) 6. Samuel William Smith (R) 7. Horace G. Snover (R) 8. Ferdinand Brucker (D) 9. Roswell P. Bishop (R) 10. Rousseau Owen Crump (R) 11. William S. Mesick (R) 12. Carlos D. Shelden (R) Minnesota 7th constituencies 1. James Albertus Tawney (R) 2. James McCleary (R) 3. Joel Heatwole (R) 4. Frederick Stevens (R) 5. Loren Fletcher (R) 6. Robert P. Morris (R) 7. Frank Eddy (R) Mississippi 7 constituencies 1. John Mills Allen (D) 2. William V. Sullivan (D) until May 31, 1898 Thomas Spight (D) from July 5, 1898 3. Thomas C. Catchings (D) 4. Andrew F. Fox (D) 5. John Sharp Williams (D) 6. William F. Love (D) until October 16, 1898 Frank A. McLain (D) from December 2, 1898 7. Patrick Henry (D) Missouri 15 constituencies 1. James Tilghman Lloyd (D) from June 1, 1897 2. Robert N. Bodine (D) 3. Alexander Monroe Dockery (D) 4. Charles F. Cochran (D) 5. William S. Cowherd (D) 6. David A. De Armond (D) 7. James Cooney (D) 8. Richard P. Bland (D) 9. Champ Clark (D) 10. Richard Bartholdt (R) 11. Charles Frederick Joy (R) 12. Charles Edward Pearce (R) 13. Edward Robb (D) 14. Willard Duncan Vandiver (D) 15. Maecenas Eason Benton (D) Montana state-wide choice Charles S. Hartman (SR)

Nebraska 6 constituencies 1. Jesse Burr Strode (R) 2. David Henry Mercer (R) 3. Samuel Maxwell (P) 4. William Ledyard Stark (P) 5. Roderick Dhu Sutherland (P) 6. William Laury Greene (P) Nevada state-wide election Francis G. Newlands (S) New Hampshire 2 electoral divisions 1. Cyrus A. Sulloway (R) 2. Frank Gay Clarke (R) New Jersey 8 constituencies 1. Henry C. Loudenslager (R) 2. John J. Gardner (R) 3. Benjamin Franklin Howell (R) 4. Mahlon Pitney (R) until January 10, 1899, after which the seat remained vacant 5. James F. Stewart (R) 6. Richard W. Parker (R) 7. Thomas McEwan (R) 8. Charles N. Fowler (R) New York 34 constituencies 1. Joseph M. Belford (R) 2. Denis M. Hurley (R) until February 26, 1899, after which the seat remained vacant 3. Francis H. Wilson (R) until September 30, 1897 Edmund H. Driggs (D) from December 6, 1897 4. Israel F. Fischer (R) 5. Charles G. Bennett (R) 6. James R. Howe (R) 7. John HG Vehslage (D) 8. John M. Mitchell (R) 9. Thomas J. Bradley (D) 10. Amos J. Cummings (D) 11. William Sulzer (D) 12. George B. McClellan Jr. D) 13. Richard C. Shannon (R) 14. Lemuel E. Quigg (R) 15. Philip B. Low (R) 16. William L. Ward (R) 17. Benjamin Barker Odell (R) 18. John H. Ketcham (R) 19. Aaron Van Schaick Cochrane (R) 20. George N. Southwick (R) 21. David F. Wilber (R) 22. Lucius Littauer (R) 23. Wallace T. Foote (R) 24. Charles A. Chickering (R) 25. James S. Sherman (R) 26. George W. Ray (R) 27. James J. Belden (R) 28. Sereno E. Payne (R) 29. Charles W. Gillet (R) 30. James Wolcott Wadsworth (R) 31. Henry C. Brewster (R) 32. Rowland B. Mahany (R) 33.De Alva S. Alexander (R) 34. Warren B. Hooker (R) until November 10, 1898, after which the seat remained vacant North Carolina 9 constituencies 1. Harry Skinner (P) 2. George Henry White (R) 3. John Edgar Fowler (P) 4. William Franklin Strowd (P) 5. William Walton Kitchin (D) 6. Charles H. Martin (P) 7. Alonzo C. Shuford (P) 8. Romulus Zachariah Linney (R) 9. Richmond Pearson (R) North Dakota State Election Martin N. Johnson (R) Ohio 21 constituencies 1. William B. Shattuc (R) 2. Jacob H. Bromwell (R) 3. John Lewis Brenner (D) 4. George A. Marshall (D) 5. David Meekison (D) 6. Seth W. Brown (R) 7. Walter L. Weaver (R) 8. Archibald Lybrand (R) 9. James H. Southard (R) 10. Lucien J. Fenton (R) 11. Charles H. Grosvenor (R) 12. John J. Lentz (D) 13. James A. Norton (D) 14. Winfield S. Kerr (R) 15. H. Clay Van Voorhis (R) 16. Lorenzo Danford (R) 17. John A. McDowell (D) 18. Robert Walker Tayler (R) 19. Stephen A. Northway (R) through September 8, 1898 Charles WF Dick (R) from November 8, 1898 20. Clifton B. Beach (R) 21. Theodore E. Burton (R) Oregon 2 constituencies 1. Thomas H. Tongue (R) 2. William R. Ellis (R) Pennsylvania 28 constituencies. In addition, two representatives were elected nationwide 1. Henry H. Bingham (R) 2. Robert Adams (R) 3. William McAleer (D) 4. James R. Young (R) 5. Alfred C. Harmer (R) 6. Thomas S. Butler (Independent Republican) 7. Irving Price Wanger (R) 8. William Sebring Kirkpatrick (R) 9. Daniel Ermentrout (D) 10. Marriott Henry Brosius (R) 11. William Connell (R) 12. Morgan B. Williams (R) 13. Charles N. Brumm (R) 14. Marlin Edgar Olmsted (R) 15. James Hodge Codding (R) 16. Horace Billings Packer (R) 17. Monroe Henry Kulp (R) 18. Thaddeus Maclay Mahon (R) 19. George Jacob Benner (D) 20. Josiah Duane Hicks (R) 21. Edward Everett Robbins (R) 22. John Dalzell (R) 23. William A. Stone (R) until November 9, 1898 William Harrison Graham (R) from November 29, 1898 24. Ernest F. Acheson (R) 25. Joseph Baltzell Showalter (R) from April 20, 1897 26. John Cirby Sturtevant (R) 27. Charles Warren Stone (R) 28. William Carlile Arnold (R) 29. Samuel Arza Davenport (R) elected state wide 30. Galusha A. Grow (R) elected nationwide Rhode Island 2 electoral districts 1. Melville Bull (R) 2. Adin B. Capron (R) South Carolina 7 constituencies. 1. William Elliott (D) 2. W. Jasper Talbert (D) 3. Asbury Latimer (D) 4. Stanyarne Wilson (D) 5. Thomas J. Strait (D) 6. John L. McLaurin (D) until May 31, 1897 James Norton (D) from December 6, 1897 7. J. William Stokes (D) South Dakota State-wide election for both MPs John Edward Kelley (P) Freeman Knowles (R) Tennessee 10 constituencies 1. Walter P. Brownlow (R) 2. Henry R. Gibson (R) 3. John A. Moon (D) 4. Benton McMillin (D) until January 6, 1899, after which the seat remained vacant 5. James D. Richardson (D) 6. John W. Gaines (D) 7. Nicholas N. Cox (D) 8. Thetus W. Sims (D) 9. Rice Alexander Pierce (D) 10. Edward W. Carmack (D) Texas 13 constituencies. 1. Thomas Henry Ball (D) 2. Samuel B. Cooper (D) 3. Reese C. De Graffenreid (D) 4. John W. Cranford (D) until March 3, 1899, after which the seat was vacant for a day. 5. Joseph Weldon Bailey (D) 6. Robert E. Burke (D) 7. Robert Lee Henry (D) 8. Samuel WT Lanham (D) 9. Joseph D. Sayers (D) until January 16, 1899, after which the seat remained vacant 10. Robert B. Hawley (R) 11. Rudolph Kleberg (D) 12. James Luther Slayden (D) 13. John Hall Stephens (D) Utah State Election William H. King (D) Vermont 2 constituencies 1. H. Henry Powers (R) 2. William W. Grout (R) Virginia 10 constituencies 1. William Atkinson Jones (D) 2. William Albin Young (D) until April 26, 1898 Richard Alsop Wise (R) from April 26, 1898 3. John Lamb (D) 4. Sydney Parham Epes (D) until March 23, 1898 Robert Taylor Thorp (R) from March 23, 1898 5. Claude A. Swanson (D) 6. Peter J. Otey (D) 7. James Hay (D) 8. John Franklin Rixey (D) 9. James A. Walker (R) 10. Jacob Yost (R) Washington state wide election William Carey Jones (S) J. Hamilton Lewis (D) West Virginia 4 electoral divisions 1. Blackburn B. Dovener (R) 2. Alston G. Dayton (R) 3. Charles Dorr (R) 4. Warren Miller (R) Wisconsin 10 constituencies 1. Henry A. Cooper (R) 2. Edward Sour Herring (R) 3. Joseph W. Babcock (R) 4. Theobald Otjen (R) 5. Samuel S. Barney (R) 6. James H. Davidson (R) 7. Michael Griffin (R) 8. Edward S. Minor (R) 9. Alexander Stewart (R) 10. John J. Jenkins (R) Wyoming state-wide elections John E. Osborne (D)

Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:

• Arizona Territory : Marcus A. Smith (D)
• New Mexico Territory : Harvey Butler Fergusson (D)
• Oklahoma Territory : James Yancy Callahan (Free Silver Party)

Web links

Commons : 55th United States Congress  - Collection of Images, Videos, and Audio Files

• bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 55 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 55th Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)