55th United States Congress

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 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.

Dates of sessions

March 4 1897 - March 4 1899
*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 sessionPrevious: 54th Congress • Next: 56th Congress

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.

enate

*Republican: 44 "(majority)"
*Democratic: 34
*Populist: 5
*Silver Republican: 5
*Silver: 2TOTAL members: 90

House of Representatives

*Republican: 206 "(majority)"
*Democratic: 124
*Populist: 22
*Silver: 1
*Silver Republican: 3
*Independent Republican: 1TOTAL members: 357

Leadership

enate

*President: Garret Hobart (R)
*President "pro tempore": William P. Frye (R)

House of Representatives

*Speaker: Thomas Brackett Reed (R)

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.
*April 25 1898: Spanish-American War: The United States declared war on Spain.
*February 6 1899: Spanish-American War: U.S. Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish-American War.

Major legislation

* July 24, 1897 — Dingley tariff, ch. 11, USStat|30|151, increased trade duties for revenue and protection
* July 1, 1898 — Bankruptcy Act of 1898, ch. 541, USStat|30|544, or Nelson Act, gave companies an option of gaining protection from creditors.
* July 7, 1898 — Newlands Resolution, No. 55, USStat|30|750, authorized the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii
* March 3, 1899— Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Ch. 425, USStat|33|401, § 9, USStat|30|1151

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"

enate

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thumb|200px|left|Senate composition, by party:">legend|#ccc|Silver Republican

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: :"See also:

Officers

Notes

References

*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1989|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =
*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1982|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =

External links

* [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-222/index.html Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress]
* [http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html U.S. House of Representatives: House History]
* [http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/stats_and_lists.htm U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists]