54th United States Congress
| 54th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
|
53rd ← → 55th | |
|
United States Capitol (1906) | |
| March 4, 1895 – March 4, 1897 | |
| Senate President | Adlai E. Stevenson (D) |
| Senate Pres. pro tem | William P. Frye (R) |
| House Speaker | Thomas B. Reed (R) |
| Members |
90 Senators 357 Representatives 4 Non-voting members |
| Senate Majority | Republican (plurality) |
| House Majority | Republican |
| Sessions | |
|
1st: December 2, 1895 – June 11, 1896 2nd: December 7, 1896 – March 3, 1897 | |
The Fifty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1895, to March 4, 1897, during the last two years of Grover Cleveland's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Eleventh Census of the United States in 1890. The House had a Republican majority, and the Republicans were the largest party in the Senate.
Major events
Major legislation
- May 21, 1896: Oil Pipe Line Act, ch. 212, 29 Stat. 127 (43 U.S.C. § 962 et seq.)
- May 22, 1896: Condemned Cannon Act, 29 Stat. 133
- May 28, 1896: United States Commissioners Act, 29 Stat. 184
- June 1, 1896: Married Women's Rights Act (District of Columbia), 29 Stat. 193
- June 6, 1896: Filled Cheese Act, 29 Stat. 253
- January 13, 1897: Stock Reservoir Act, 29 Stat. 484, (43 U.S.C. § 952 et seq.)
- March 2, 1897: Tea Importation Act, 29 Stat. 604, (21 U.S.C. § 41 et seq.)
States admitted
- January 4, 1896: Utah was admitted the 45th state.
Party summary
This count 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 | 43 | 3 | 41 | 0 | 1 | 88 | 0 |
| Begin | 39 | 4 | 42 | 0 | 2 | 87 | 1 |
| End | 40 | 44 | 90 | 0 | |||
| Final voting share | 44.4% | 4.4% | 48.9% | 0.0% | 2.2% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 33 | 5 | 43 | 6 | 1 | 88 | 2 |
House of Representatives
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Populist (P) | Republican (R) | Silver (S) | Other (O) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 217 | 11 | 123 | 1 | 2 | 354 | 2 |
| Begin | 104 | 7 | 240 | 1 | 0 | 352 | 4 |
| End | 94 | 9 | 252 | 356 | 1 | ||
| Final voting share | 26.4% | 2.5% | 70.8% | 0.3% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 124 | 22 | 206 | 1 |
4 (Silver Republican & Independent) |
357 | 0 |
Leadership
Adlai E. Stevenson
Thomas B. Reed
Senate
Majority (Republican) leadership
Minority (Democratic) leadership
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Arthur P. Gorman
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Charles James Faulkner
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Thomas B. Reed (R)
Majority (Republican) leadership
Minority (Democratic) leadership
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 began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1898; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1900; and Class 3 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1896.
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
Two seats were added when Utah was admitted and one seat was filled late.
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for Vacancy | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah (1) |
New seat | State was admitted to the Union | Frank J. Cannon (R) | January 22, 1896 |
| Utah (3) |
New seat | State was admitted to the Union | Arthur Brown (R) | January 22, 1896 |
| Delaware (2) |
Vacant | Legislature had failed to elect. A successor was eventually elected |
Richard R. Kenney (D) |
January 19, 1897 |
House of Representatives
There were 4 deaths, 2 resignations, 13 election challenges, 1 new seat, and 4 seats vacant from the previous Congress. Democrats had a 10-seat net loss; Republicans had a 12-seat net gain; and Populists had a 2-seat net gain.
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York 10th | Vacant | Rep-elect Andrew J. Campbell died before the start of Congress | Amos J. Cummings (D) | November 5, 1895 |
| Pennsylvania 15th |
Edwin J. Jordan (R) |
Resigned March 4, 1895 | James H. Codding (R) | November 5, 1895 |
| Illinois 10th | Vacant | Philip S. Post (R) was re-elected, but died before this Congress | George W. Prince (R) | December 2, 1895 |
| Michigan 3rd | Vacant | Julius C. Burrows (R) was re-elected, but resigned in the previous Congress to serve in the Senate | Alfred Milnes (R) | December 2, 1895 |
| Utah At-large | New seat | State was admitted to the Union | Clarence E. Allen (R) | January 4, 1896 |
| Georgia 10th | James C. C. Black (D) | Resigned March 4, 1895, and was later elected to fill his own vacancy | James C. C. Black (D) | October 2, 1895 |
| Massachusetts 6th | William Cogswell (R) | Died May 22, 1895 | William H. Moody (R) | November 5, 1895 |
| Illinois 18th | Frederick Remann (R) | Died July 14, 1895 | William F. L. Hadley (R) | December 2, 1895 |
| Illinois 3rd | Lawrence E. McGann (D) | Election was successfully challenged on December 27, 1895 | Hugh R. Belknap (R) | December 27, 1895 |
| Utah Territory AL | Frank J. Cannon (R) | Resigned January 4, 1896 | Statehood achieved | |
| Texas 11th | William H. Crain (D) | Died February 10, 1896 | Rudolph Kleberg (D) | April 7, 1896 |
| Missouri 5th | John C. Tarsney (D) | Election was successfully challenged on February 27, 1896 | Robert T. Van Horn (R) | February 27, 1896 |
| Alabama 4th | Gaston A. Robbins (D) | Election was successfully challenged on March 13, 1896 | William F. Aldrich (R) | March 13, 1896 |
| Virginia 4th | William R. McKenney (D) | Election was successfully challenged on May 2, 1896 | Robert T. Thorp (R) | May 2, 1896 |
| Louisiana 5th | Charles J. Boatner (D) | Election was challenged and declared vacant March 20, 1896. He was subsequently elected | Charles J. Boatner (D) | June 10, 1896 |
| Alabama 5th | James E. Cobb (D) | Election was successfully challenged on April 21, 1896 | Albert T. Goodwyn (P) | April 22, 1896 |
| South Carolina 7th | J. William Stokes (D) | Seat declared vacant June 1, 1896, but he won re-election | J. William Stokes (D) | November 3, 1896 |
| New York 8th | James J. Walsh (D) | Election was successfully challenged on June 2, 1896 | John M. Mitchell (R) | June 2, 1896 |
| South Carolina 1st | William Elliott (D) | Election was successfully challenged on June 4, 1896 | George W. Murray (R) | June 4, 1896 |
| Illinois 16th | Finis E. Downing (D) | Election was successfully challenged on June 5, 1896 | John I. Rinaker (R) | June 5, 1896 |
| North Carolina 6th | James A. Lockhart (D) | Election was successfully challenged on June 5, 1896 | Charles H. Martin (P) | June 5, 1896 |
| Alabama 9th | Oscar W. Underwood (D) | Election was successfully challenged on June 9, 1896 | Truman H. Aldrich (R) | June 9, 1896 |
| Georgia 3rd | Charles F. Crisp (D) | Died October 23, 1896 | Charles R. Crisp (D) | December 19, 1896 |
| New York 19th | Frank S. Black (R) | Resigned January 7, 1897 | Vacant until next Congress | |
| Kentucky 10th | Joseph M. Kendall (D) | Election was successfully challenged on February 18, 1897 | Nathan T. Hopkins (R) | February 18, 1897 |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders, for members (House and Senate) of the committees and their assignments, go into the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of the article and click on the link (4 links), in the directory after the pages of terms of service, you will see the committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and after the committee pages, you will see the House/Senate committee assignments in the directory, on the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.
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
- Epidemic Diseases
- 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 (Select)
- 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)
- 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)
- Tennessee Centennial Exposition (Select)
- Territories
- Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select)
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
- 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
- Irrigation of Arid Lands
- Indian Affairs
- Interstate and Foreign Commerce
- Invalid Pensions
- 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
- 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
- Ford's Theater Disaster
Employees
- Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
- Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford
- Public Printer of the United States: Thomas E. Benedict
Senate
- Chaplain: William H. Millburn (Methodist)
- Secretary: William Ruffin Cox
- Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Henry N. Couden (Universalist)
- Clerk: Alexander McDowell
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Asher C. Hinds
- Doorkeeper: William J. Glenn
- Postmaster: Joseph C. McElroy
- Reading Clerks: [Data unknown/missing. You can help!]
- Sergeant at Arms: Benjamin F. Russell
See also
- United States elections, 1894 (elections leading to this Congress)
- United States elections, 1896 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
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.
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 54th Congress, 1st Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 54th Congress, 1st Session (Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 54th Congress, 2nd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 54th Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).