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, comprised 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 the first administration of U.S. President William McKinley.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Eleventh Census of the United States in 1890. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
[edit] Dates of sessions
- Special session of the Senate: March 4, 1897 – March 10, 1897
- First session: March 15, 1897 – July 24, 1897
- Second session: December 6, 1897 - July 8, 1898
- Third session: December 5, 1898 - March 4, 1899 — a lame duck session
Previous congress: 54th Congress
Next congress: 56th Congress
[edit] 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.
TOTAL members: 90 |
TOTAL members: 357 |
[edit] Leadership
- Senate
- Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
- President pro tempore of the Senate:
- William P. Frye, Republican of Maine, elected March 4, 1897
- House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- Thomas Brackett Reed, Republican of Maine, elected March 15, 1897
[edit] Major events
- Main article: Events of 1897; Events of 1898; Events of 1899
- March 4, 1897: William McKinley became President of the United States.
- February 15, 1898: Spanish-American War: USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor.
- April 25, 1898: Spanish-American War: The United States declared war on Spain.
- December 10, 1898: Spanish-American War: - Treaty of Paris is signed with Spain.
- February 6, 1899: Spanish-American War: U.S. Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish-American War.
[edit] Major legislation
- July 24, 1897: The Dingley Tariff Act, increased trade duties for revenue and protection.
- July 1, 1898 : The Bankruptcy Act of 1898, or Nelson Act, gave companies an option of gaining protection from creditors.
- July 7, 1898: The Newlands Resolution authorized the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii
[edit] Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
- See also: 55th United States Congress - political parties
- See also: 55th United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House election, 1896
[edit] 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 reelection in 1898; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1900; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1902.
- See also: U.S. Senators
- See also: U.S. Congressional Delegations by state
[edit] House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
- See also:U.S. Representatives
- See also:U.S. Congressional Delegations by state
[edit] Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
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[edit] Officers
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[edit] Notes
- ^ Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
- ^ Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
[edit] References
- 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.
[edit] External links
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
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