56th United States Congress

56th United States Congress
56th United States Congress
55th ← → 57th
	United States Capitol (1906)
March 4, 1899 – March 4, 1901
Members	90 senators; 357 representatives; 4 non-voting delegates
Senate Majority	Republican
Senate President	Garret Hobart (R) ; (until November 21, 1899); Vacant ; (from November 21, 1899)
House Majority	Republican
House Speaker	David B. Henderson (R)
Sessions
	1st: December 4, 1899 – June 7, 1900; 2nd: December 3, 1900 – March 3, 1901

The 56th 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, 1899, to March 4, 1901, during the third and fourth years of William McKinley's presidency. 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. There was one African-American member, George Henry White of North Carolina, who served his second and final term as a Representative in this Congress, and would be the last black member of Congress until 1928, and the last black member of Congress from the South until 1972.

Major events[]

June 2, 1899: The Filipino Rebellion began the Philippine–American War.
November 21, 1899: Vice President Garret Hobart died.
January 8, 1900: President McKinley placed Alaska under military rule.
January 17, 1900: Brigham H. Roberts was refused a seat in the United States House of Representatives because of his polygamy.
February 5, 1900: Britain and the United States signed a treaty for the building of a Central American shipping canal through Nicaragua.
February 16, 1900: The United States, Germany and Great Britain ratified the Tripartite Convention partitioning the Samoan Islands.
November 6, 1900: U.S. presidential election, 1900: Republican incumbent William McKinley was reelected by defeating Democratic challenger William Jennings Bryan.

Major legislation[]

March 14, 1900: Gold Standard Act, Sess. 1, ch. 41, 31 Stat. 45
April 2, 1900: Foraker Act, Sess. 1, ch. 191, 31 Stat. 77 (Puerto Rico Civil Code)

Territory organized[]

April 30, 1900: Hawaii Territory was organized, Sess. 1, ch. 339, 31 Stat. 141

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.

Senate[]

(1 Vacant)

	Party (shading shows control)					Total	Vacant

	Democratic (D)	Populist (P)	Republican (R)	Silver Republican (SR)	Silver (S)
End of previous congress	34	5	44	5	2	90	0

Begin	26	4	50	3	2	85	5
End	25	5	53	3	2	88	2
Final voting share	28.4%	5.7%	60.2%	3.4%	2.3%

Beginning of next congress	28	3	53	2	0	86	4

House of Representatives[]

	Party (shading shows control)					Total	Vacant

	Democratic (D)	Populist (P)	Republican (R)	Silver Republican (SR)	Silver (S)
End of previous congress	122	22	202	3	1	350	7

Begin	162	6	183	2	1	354	3
End	158	6	186	2	1	353	4
Final voting share	44.8%	1.7%	52.7%	0.6%	0.3%
Non-voting members	1	0	2	0	0	3	1

Beginning of next congress	152	5	196	1	1	355	2

Leadership[]

President of the Senate
Garret Hobart

Speaker of the House
David B. Henderson

Senate[]

President: Garret Hobart (R), until November 21, 1899; vacant thereafter.
President pro tempore: William P. Frye (R)
Democratic Caucus Chairman: James K. Jones
Republican Conference Chairman: William B. Allison
Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Stephen M. White
Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Babcock

House of Representatives[]

Speaker: David B. Henderson (R)
Democratic Caucus Chairman: James Hay
Republican Conference Chairman: Joseph G. Cannon

Majority (Republican) leadership[]

Majority Leader: Sereno E. Payne
Majority Whip: James A. Tawney

Minority (Democratic) leadership[]

Minority Leader: James D. Richardson
Minority Whip: Oscar Underwood

Members[]

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Senate[]

At this time, 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 with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1904; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1900; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1902.

Alabama[]

▌2. John T. Morgan (D)

▌3. Edmund W. Pettus (D)

Arkansas[]

▌2. James H. Berry (D)

▌3. James K. Jones (D)

California[]

▌1. Thomas R. Bard (R), from February 7, 1900

▌3. George C. Perkins (R)

Colorado[]

▌2. Edward O. Wolcott (R)

▌3. Henry M. Teller (SR)

Connecticut[]

▌1. Joseph R. Hawley (R)

▌3. Orville H. Platt (R)

Delaware[]

▌1. vacant

▌2. Richard R. Kenney (D)

Florida[]

▌1. Samuel Pasco (D), until April 18, 1899

▌James Taliaferro (D), from April 19, 1899

▌3. Stephen R. Mallory (D)

Georgia[]

▌2. Augustus O. Bacon (D)

▌3. Alexander S. Clay (D)

Idaho[]

▌2. George L. Shoup (R)

▌3. Henry Heitfeld (P)

Illinois[]

▌2. Shelby M. Cullom (R)

▌3. William E. Mason (R)

Indiana[]

▌1. Albert J. Beveridge (R)

▌3. Charles W. Fairbanks (R)

Iowa[]

▌2. John H. Gear (R), until July 14, 1900

▌Jonathan P. Dolliver (R), from August 22, 1900

▌3. William B. Allison (R)

Kansas[]

▌2. Lucien Baker (R)

▌3. William A. Harris (P)

Kentucky[]

▌2. William Lindsay (D)

▌3. William J. Deboe (R)

Louisiana[]

▌2. Donelson Caffery (D)

▌3. Samuel D. McEnery (D)

Maine[]

▌1. Eugene Hale (R)

▌2. William P. Frye (R)

Maryland[]

▌1. Louis E. McComas (R)

▌3. George L. Wellington (R)

Massachusetts[]

▌1. Henry Cabot Lodge (R)

▌2. George F. Hoar (R)

Michigan[]

▌1. Julius C. Burrows (R)

▌2. James McMillan (R)

Minnesota[]

▌1. Cushman K. Davis (R), until November 27, 1900

▌Charles A. Towne (D), December 5, 1900 – January 23, 1901

▌Moses E. Clapp (R), from January 23, 1901

▌2. Knute Nelson (R)

Mississippi[]

▌1. Hernando D. Money (D)

▌2. William V. Sullivan (D)

Missouri[]

▌1. Francis M. Cockrell (D)

▌3. George G. Vest (D)

Montana[]

▌1. William A. Clark (D), until May 15, 1900

▌2. Thomas H. Carter (R)

Nebraska[]

▌1. Monroe L. Hayward (R), March 8, 1899 – December 5, 1899

▌William V. Allen (P), from December 13, 1899

▌2. John M. Thurston (R)

Nevada[]

▌1. William M. Stewart (S)

▌3. John P. Jones (S)

New Hampshire[]

▌2. William E. Chandler (R)

▌3. Jacob H. Gallinger (R)

New Jersey[]

▌1. John Kean (R)

▌2. William J. Sewell (R)

New York[]

▌1. Chauncey M. Depew (R)

▌3. Thomas C. Platt (R)

North Carolina[]

▌2. Marion Butler (P)

▌3. Jeter C. Pritchard (R)

North Dakota[]

▌1. Porter J. McCumber (R)

▌3. Henry C. Hansbrough (R)

Ohio[]

▌1. Marcus A. Hanna (R)

▌3. Joseph B. Foraker (R)

Oregon[]

▌2. George W. McBride (R)

▌3. Joseph Simon (R)

Pennsylvania[]

▌1. Matthew S. Quay (R), from January 16, 1901

▌3. Boies Penrose (R)

Rhode Island[]

▌1. Nelson W. Aldrich (R)

▌2. George P. Wetmore (R)

South Carolina[]

▌2. Benjamin R. Tillman (D)

▌3. John L. McLaurin (D)

South Dakota[]

▌2. Richard F. Pettigrew (SR)

▌3. James H. Kyle (P)

Tennessee[]

▌1. William B. Bate (D)

▌2. Thomas B. Turley (D)

Texas[]

▌1. Charles A. Culberson (D)

▌2. Horace Chilton (D)

Utah[]

▌1. Thomas Kearns (R), from January 23, 1901

▌3. Joseph L. Rawlins (D)

Vermont[]

▌1. Redfield Proctor (R)

▌3. Jonathan Ross (R), until October 18, 1900

▌William P. Dillingham (R), from October 18, 1900

Virginia[]

▌1. John W. Daniel (D)

▌2. Thomas S. Martin (D)

Washington[]

▌1. Addison G. Foster (R)

▌3. George Turner (SR)

West Virginia[]

▌1. Nathan B. Scott (R)

▌2. Stephen B. Elkins (R)

Wisconsin[]

▌1. Joseph V. Quarles (R)

▌3. John C. Spooner (R)

Wyoming[]

▌1. Clarence D. Clark (R)

▌2. Francis E. Warren (R)

Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 56th Congress in March 1899. The green stripes represent Populists, while the gray stripes represent Silver Republicans. One of Delaware's seats was never filled.

2 Democrats

1 Democrat and 1 Republican

2 Republicans

2 Silver

House of Representatives[]

Alabama[]

▌1. George W. Taylor (D)

▌2. Jesse F. Stallings (D)

▌3. Henry D. Clayton (D)

▌4. Gaston A. Robbins (D), until March 8, 1900

▌William F. Aldrich (R), from March 8, 1900

▌5. Willis Brewer (D)

▌6. John H. Bankhead (D)

▌7. John L. Burnett (D)

▌8. Joseph Wheeler (D), until April 20, 1900

▌William N. Richardson (D), from December 3, 1900

▌9. Oscar Underwood (D)

Arkansas[]

▌1. Philip D. McCulloch Jr. (D)

▌2. John S. Little (D)

▌3. Thomas C. McRae (D)

▌4. William L. Terry (D)

▌5. Hugh A. Dinsmore (D)

▌6. Stephen Brundidge Jr. (D)

California[]

▌1. John All Barham (R)

▌2. Marion De Vries (D), until August 20, 1900

▌Samuel D. Woods (R), from December 3, 1900

▌3. Victor H. Metcalf (R)

▌4. Julius Kahn (R)

▌5. Eugene F. Loud (R)

▌6. Russell J. Waters (R)

▌7. James C. Needham (R)

Colorado[]

▌1. John F. Shafroth (SR)

▌2. John Calhoun Bell (P)

Connecticut[]

▌1. E. Stevens Henry (R)

▌2. Nehemiah D. Sperry (R)

▌3. Charles A. Russell (R)

▌4. Ebenezer J. Hill (R)

Delaware[]

▌At-large. John H. Hoffecker (R), until June 16, 1900

▌Walter O. Hoffecker (R), from November 6, 1900

Florida[]

▌1. Stephen M. Sparkman (D)

▌2. Robert W. Davis (D)

Georgia[]

▌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 L. Bartlett (D)

▌7. John W. Maddox (D)

▌8. William M. Howard (D)

▌9. Farish C. Tate (D)

▌10. William H. Fleming (D)

▌11. William G. Brantley (D)

Idaho[]

▌At-large. Edgar Wilson (SR)

Illinois[]

▌1. James R. Mann (R)

▌2. William Lorimer (R)

▌3. George P. Foster (D)

▌4. Thomas Cusack (D)

▌5. Edward T. Noonan (D)

▌6. Henry S. Boutell (R)

▌7. George E. Foss (R)

▌8. Albert J. Hopkins (R)

▌9. Robert R. Hitt (R)

▌10. George W. Prince (R)

▌11. Walter Reeves (R)

▌12. Joseph G. Cannon (R)

▌13. Vespasian Warner (R)

▌14. Joseph V. Graff (R)

▌15. Benjamin F. Marsh (R)

▌16. William E. Williams (D)

▌17. Ben F. Caldwell (D)

▌18. Thomas M. Jett (D)

▌19. Joseph B. Crowley (D)

▌20. James R. Williams (D)

▌21. William A. Rodenberg (R)

▌22. George W. Smith (R)

Indiana[]

▌1. James A. Hemenway (R)

▌2. Robert W. Miers (D)

▌3. William T. Zenor (D)

▌4. Francis M. Griffith (D)

▌5. George W. Faris (R)

▌6. James E. Watson (R)

▌7. Jesse Overstreet (R)

▌8. George W. Cromer (R)

▌9. Charles B. Landis (R)

▌10. Edgar D. Crumpacker (R)

▌11. George W. Steele (R)

▌12. James M. Robinson (D)

▌13. Abraham L. Brick (R)

Iowa[]

▌1. Thomas Hedge (R)

▌2. Joseph R. Lane (R)

▌3. David B. Henderson (R)

▌4. Gilbert N. Haugen (R)

▌5. Robert G. Cousins (R)

▌6. John F. Lacey (R)

▌7. John A. T. Hull (R)

▌8. William P. Hepburn (R)

▌9. Smith McPherson (R), until June 6, 1900

▌Walter I. Smith (R), from December 3, 1900

▌10. Jonathan P. Dolliver (R), until August 22, 1900

▌James P. Conner (R), from December 4, 1900

▌11. Lot Thomas (R)

Kansas[]

▌At-large. Willis Joshua Bailey (R)

▌1. Charles Curtis (R)

▌2. Justin De Witt Bowersock (R)

▌3. Edwin R. Ridgely (P)

▌4. James Monroe Miller (R)

▌5. William A. Calderhead (R)

▌6. William A. Reeder (R)

▌7. Chester I. Long (R)

Kentucky[]

▌1. Charles K. Wheeler (D)

▌2. Henry Dixon Allen (D)

▌3. John S. Rhea (D)

▌4. David Highbaugh Smith (D)

▌5. Oscar Turner (D)

▌6. Albert S. Berry (D)

▌7. Evan E. Settle (D), until November 16, 1899

▌June Ward Gayle (D), from January 15, 1900

▌8. George G. Gilbert (D)

▌9. Samuel Johnson Pugh (R)

▌10. Thomas Y. Fitzpatrick (D)

▌11. Vincent Boreing (R)

Louisiana[]

▌1. Adolph Meyer (D)

▌2. Robert C. Davey (D)

▌3. Robert F. Broussard (D)

▌4. Phanor Breazeale (D)

▌5. Samuel T. Baird (D), until April 22, 1899

▌Joseph E. Ransdell (D), from August 29, 1899

▌6. Samuel M. Robertson (D)

Maine[]

▌1. Thomas B. Reed (R), until September 4, 1899

▌Amos L. Allen (R), from November 6, 1899

▌2. Charles E. Littlefield (R), from June 19, 1899

▌3. Edwin C. Burleigh (R)

▌4. Charles A. Boutelle (R), until March 3, 1901

Maryland[]

▌1. John W. Smith (D), until January 12, 1900

▌Josiah Kerr (R), from November 6, 1900

▌2. William B. Baker (R)

▌3. Frank C. Wachter (R)

▌4. James W. Denny (D)

▌5. Sydney E. Mudd (R)

▌6. George A. Pearre (R)

Massachusetts[]

▌1. George P. Lawrence (R)

▌2. Frederick H. Gillett (R)

▌3. John R. Thayer (D)

▌4. George W. Weymouth (R)

▌5. William S. Knox (R)

▌6. William H. Moody (R)

▌7. Ernest W. Roberts (R)

▌8. Samuel W. McCall (R)

▌9. John Fitzgerald (D)

▌10. Henry F. Naphen (D)

▌11. Charles F. Sprague (R)

▌12. William C. Lovering (R)

▌13. William S. Greene (R)

Michigan[]

▌1. John B. Corliss (R)

▌2. Henry C. Smith (R)

▌3. Washington Gardner (R)

▌4. Edward L. Hamilton (R)

▌5. William Alden Smith (R)

▌6. Samuel W. Smith (R)

▌7. Edgar Weeks (R)

▌8. Joseph W. Fordney (R)

▌9. Roswell P. Bishop (R)

▌10. Rousseau O. Crump (R)

▌11. William S. Mesick (R)

▌12. Carlos D. Shelden (R)

Minnesota[]

▌1. James A. 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[]

▌1. John M. Allen (D)

▌2. Thomas Spight (D)

▌3. Thomas C. Catchings (D)

▌4. Andrew F. Fox (D)

▌5. John Sharp Williams (D)

▌6. Frank A. McLain (D)

▌7. Patrick Henry (D)

Missouri[]

▌1. James T. Lloyd (D)

▌2. William W. Rucker (D)

▌3. John Dougherty (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), until June 15, 1899

▌Dorsey W. Shackleford (D), from August 29, 1899

▌9. James Beauchamp Clark (D)

▌10. Richard Bartholdt (R)

▌11. Charles F. Joy (R)

▌12. Charles E. Pearce (R)

▌13. Edward Robb (D)

▌14. Willard D. Vandiver (D)

▌15. Maecenas E. Benton (D)

Montana[]

▌At-large. Albert J. Campbell (D)

Nebraska[]

▌1. Elmer J. Burkett (R)

▌2. David H. Mercer (R)

▌3. John S. Robinson (D)

▌4. William L. Stark (P)

▌5. Roderick D. Sutherland (P)

▌6. William L. Greene (P), until March 11, 1899

▌William Neville (P), from December 4, 1899

Nevada[]

▌At-large. Francis G. Newlands (S)

New Hampshire[]

▌1. Cyrus A. Sulloway (R)

▌2. Frank Gay Clarke (R) until January 9, 1901

New Jersey[]

▌1. Henry C. Loudenslager (R)

▌2. John J. Gardner (R)

▌3. Benjamin F. Howell (R)

▌4. Joshua S. Salmon (D)

▌5. James F. Stewart (R)

▌6. Richard W. Parker (R)

▌7. William D. Daly (D), until July 31, 1900

▌Allan L. McDermott (D), from December 3, 1900

▌8. Charles N. Fowler (R)

New York[]

▌1. Townsend Scudder (D)

▌2. John J. Fitzgerald (D)

▌3. Edmund H. Driggs (D)

▌4. Bertram T. Clayton (D)

▌5. Frank E. Wilson (D)

▌6. Mitchell May (D)

▌7. Nicholas Muller (D)

▌8. Daniel J. Riordan (D)

▌9. Thomas J. Bradley (D)

▌10. Amos J. Cummings (D)

▌11. William Sulzer (D)

▌12. George B. McClellan Jr. (D)

▌13. Jefferson M. Levy (D)

▌14. William A. Chanler (D)

▌15. Jacob Ruppert (D)

▌16. John Q. Underhill (D)

▌17. Arthur S. Tompkins (R)

▌18. John H. Ketcham (R)

▌19. Aaron V.S. Cochrane (R)

▌20. Martin H. Glynn (D)

▌21. John Knox Stewart (R)

▌22. Lucius N. Littauer (R)

▌23. Louis W. Emerson (R)

▌24. Charles A. Chickering (R), until February 13, 1900

▌Albert D. Shaw (R), November 6, 1900 – February 10, 1901

▌25. James S. Sherman (R)

▌26. George W. Ray (R)

▌27. Michael E. Driscoll (R)

▌28. Sereno E. Payne (R)

▌29. Charles W. Gillet (R)

▌30. James Wolcott Wadsworth (R)

▌31. James M.E. O'Grady (R)

▌32. William H. Ryan (D)

▌33. De Alva S. Alexander (R)

▌34. Edward B. Vreeland (R), from November 7, 1899

North Carolina[]

▌1. John Humphrey Small (D)

▌2. George H. White (R)

▌3. Charles R. Thomas (D)

▌4. John W. Atwater (P)

▌5. William W. Kitchin (D)

▌6. John D. Bellamy (D)

▌7. Theodore F. Kluttz (D)

▌8. Romulus Z. Linney (R)

▌9. William T. Crawford (D), until May 10, 1900

▌Richmond Pearson (R), from May 10, 1900

North Dakota[]

▌At-large. Burleigh F. Spalding (R)

Ohio[]

▌1. William B. Shattuc (R)

▌2. Jacob H. Bromwell (R)

▌3. John L. Brenner (D)

▌4. Robert B. Gordon (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. Stephen Morgan (R)

▌11. Charles H. Grosvenor (R)

▌12. John J. Lentz (D)

▌13. James A. Norton (D)

▌14. Winfield S. Kerr (R)

▌15. Henry C. Van Voorhis (R)

▌16. Lorenzo Danford (R), until June 19, 1899

▌John J. Gill (R), from December 4, 1899

▌17. John A. McDowell (D)

▌18. Robert W. Tayler (R)

▌19. Charles W. F. Dick (R)

▌20. Fremont O. Phillips (R)

▌21. Theodore E. Burton (R)

Oregon[]

▌1. Thomas H. Tongue (R)

▌2. Malcolm A. Moody (R)

Pennsylvania[]

▌At-large. Samuel A. Davenport (R)

▌At-large. Galusha A. Grow (R)

▌1. Henry H. Bingham (R)

▌2. (R)

▌3. William McAleer (D)

▌4. James R. Young (R)

▌5. Alfred C. Harmer (R), until March 6, 1900

▌Edward D. Morrell (R), from November 6, 1900

▌6. Thomas S. Butler (R)

▌7. Irving P. Wanger (R)

▌8. Laird H. Barber (D)

▌9. Daniel Ermentrout (D), until September 17, 1899

▌Henry D. Green (D), from November 7, 1899

▌10. Marriott Brosius (R)

▌11. William Connell (R)

▌12. Stanley W. Davenport (D)

▌13. James W. Ryan (D)

▌14. Marlin E. Olmsted (R)

▌15. Charles F. Wright (R)

▌16. Horace B. Packer (R)

▌17. Rufus K. Polk (D)

▌18. Thaddeus M. Mahon (R)

▌19. Edward D. Ziegler (D)

▌20. Joseph E. Thropp (R)

▌21. Summers M. Jack (R)

▌22. John Dalzell (R)

▌23. William H. Graham (R)

▌24. Ernest F. Acheson (R)

▌25. Joseph B. Showalter (R)

▌26. Athelston Gaston (D)

▌27. Joseph C. Sibley (D)

▌28. James K.P. Hall (D)

Rhode Island[]

▌1. Melville Bull (R)

▌2. Adin B. Capron (R)

South Carolina[]

▌1. William Elliott (D)

▌2. W. Jasper Talbert (D)

▌3. Asbury Latimer (D)

▌4. Stanyarne Wilson (D)

▌5. David E. Finley (D)

▌6. James Norton (D)

▌7. J. William Stokes (D)

South Dakota[]

▌At-large. Charles H. Burke (R)

▌At-large. Robert J. Gamble (R)

Tennessee[]

▌1. Walter P. Brownlow (R)

▌2. Henry R. Gibson (R)

▌3. John A. Moon (D)

▌4. Charles E. Snodgrass (D)

▌5. James D. Richardson (D)

▌6. John W. Gaines (D)

▌7. Nicholas N. Cox (D)

▌8. Thetus W. Sims (D)

▌9. Rice A. Pierce (D)

▌10. Edward W. Carmack (D)

Texas[]

▌1. Thomas H. Ball (D)

▌2. Samuel B. Cooper (D)

▌3. Reese C. De Graffenreid (D)

▌4. John L. Sheppard (D)

▌5. Joseph W. Bailey (D)

▌6. Robert E. Burke (D)

▌7. Robert L. Henry (D)

▌8. Samuel W.T. Lanham (D)

▌9. Albert S. Burleson (D)

▌10. Robert B. Hawley (R)

▌11. Rudolph Kleberg (D)

▌12. James L. Slayden (D)

▌13. John H. Stephens (D)

Utah[]

▌At-large. William H. King (D), from April 2, 1900

Vermont[]

▌1. H. Henry Powers (R)

▌2. William W. Grout (R)

Virginia[]

▌1. William A. Jones (D)

▌2. William A. Young (D), until March 12, 1900

▌Richard A. Wise (R), March 12, 1900 – December 21, 1900

▌3. John Lamb (D)

▌4. Sydney P. Epes (D), until March 3, 1900

▌Francis R. Lassiter (D), from April 19, 1900

▌5. Claude A. Swanson (D)

▌6. Peter J. Otey (D)

▌7. James Hay (D)

▌8. John F. Rixey (D)

▌9. William F. Rhea (D)

▌10. Julian M. Quarles (D)

Washington[]

▌At-large. Francis W. Cushman (R)

▌At-large. Wesley L. Jones (R)

West Virginia[]

▌1. Blackburn B. Dovener (R)

▌2. Alston G. Dayton (R)

▌3. David Emmons Johnston (D)

▌4. Romeo H. Freer (R)

Wisconsin[]

▌1. Henry Allen Cooper (R)

▌2. Herman B. Dahle (R)

▌3. Joseph W. Babcock (R)

▌4. Theobald Otjen (R)

▌5. Samuel S. Barney (R)

▌6. James H. Davidson (R)

▌7. John J. Esch (R)

▌8. Edward S. Minor (R)

▌9. Alexander Stewart (R)

▌10. John J. Jenkins (R)

Wyoming[]

▌At-large. Frank W. Mondell (R)

Non-voting members[]

▌Arizona Territory. John F. Wilson (D)

▌Hawaii Territory. Robert W. Wilcox (Home Rule), from November 6, 1900

▌New Mexico Territory. Pedro Perea (R)

▌Oklahoma Territory. Dennis T. Flynn (R)

House seats by party holding plurality in state
80+% to 100% Democratic	80+% to 100% Republican
60+% to 80% Democratic	60+% to 80% Republican
Up to 60% Democratic	Up to 60% Republican

Changes in membership[]

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

Senate[]

Replacements: 7
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: 1 seat loss
- Populist: 1 seat gain
Deaths: 3
Resignations: 1
Vacancies: 5
Interim appointments: 2
Total seats with changes: 9

State (class)	Vacated by	Reason for vacancy	Subsequent	Date of successor's installation
Delaware (1)	Vacant	Senator George Gray's (D) term had expired at the end of previous Congress having failed to get re-elected. Legislature failed to elect Senator for this Congress, seat remained vacant for the entire Congress.	Seat remained vacant until next Congress.
Nebraska (1)	Vacant	Legislature failed to elect to fill vacancy in term.	Monroe Hayward (R)	March 8, 1899
California (1)	Vacant	Legislature failed to elect to fill vacancy in term.	Thomas R. Bard (R)	February 7, 1900
Florida (1)	Samuel Pasco (D)	Successor was elected April 18, 1899.	James Taliaferro (D)	April 20, 1899
Nebraska (1)	Monroe Hayward (R)	Died December 5, 1899. Successor was appointed.	William V. Allen (Pop.)	December 13, 1899
Montana (1)	William A. Clark (D)	Resigned May 15, 1900, over claim of election fraud. Seat remained vacant until the next Congress.	Vacant
Iowa (2)	John H. Gear (R)	Died July 14, 1900. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected.	Jonathan P. Dolliver (R)	August 22, 1900
Vermont (3)	Jonathan Ross (R)	Successor was elected October 18, 1900.	William P. Dillingham (R)	October 18, 1900
Minnesota (1)	Cushman K. Davis (R)	Died November 27, 1900. Successor was appointed.	Charles A. Towne (D)	December 5, 1900
Pennsylvania (1)	Vacant	Due to a failure to elect, Governor appointed Quay at beginning of term, but Senate refused to seat him. He then won a special election.	Matthew Quay (R)	January 16, 1901
Minnesota (1)	Charles A. Towne (D)	Successor was elected January 23, 1901.	Moses E. Clapp (R)	January 28, 1901
Utah (1)	Vacant	failure to elect	Thomas Kearns (R)	January 23, 1901

House of Representatives[]

Replacements: 21
- Democratic: 5 seat loss
- Republican: 5 seat gain
- Populist: no net change
Deaths: 12
Resignations: 7
Contested election: 3
New seats: 1
Total seats with changes: 26

District	Previous	Reason for change	Subsequent	Date of successor's installation
Maine 2nd	Vacant	Rep. Nelson Dingley Jr. died during previous congress	Charles E. Littlefield (R)	June 19, 1899
Utah At-large	Vacant	B. H. Roberts was denied seat. King was elected to finish term.	William H. King (D)	June 19, 1899
New York 34th	Vacant	Rep. Warren B. Hooker resigned during previous congress	Edward B. Vreeland (R)	November 7, 1899
Nebraska 6th	William L. Greene (Pop.)	Died March 11, 1899.	William Neville (Pop.)	December 4, 1899
Louisiana 5th	Samuel T. Baird (D)	Died April 22, 1899.	Joseph E. Ransdell (D)	August 29, 1899
Missouri 8th	Richard P. Bland (D)	Died June 15, 1899.	Dorsey W. Shackleford (D)	August 29, 1899
Ohio 16th	Lorenzo Danford (R)	Died June 19, 1899	Joseph J. Gill (R)	December 4, 1899
Maine 1st	Thomas B. Reed (R)	Resigned September 4, 1899.	Amos L. Allen (R)	November 6, 1899
Pennsylvania 9th	Daniel Ermentrout (D)	Died September 17, 1899.	Henry D. Green (D)	November 7, 1899
Kentucky 7th	Evan E. Settle (D)	Died November 16, 1899.	June Ward Gayle (D)	January 15, 1900
Maryland 1st	John W. Smith (D)	Resigned January 12, 1900, after being elected Governor of Maryland	Josiah Kerr (R)	November 6, 1900
New York 24th	Charles A. Chickering (R)	Died February 13, 1900	Albert D. Shaw (R)	November 6, 1900
Virginia 4th	Sidney P. Epes (D)	Died March 3, 1900.	Francis R. Lassiter (D)	April 9, 1900
Pennsylvania 5th	Alfred C. Harmer (R)	Died March 6, 1900	Edward Morrell (R)	November 6, 1900
Alabama 4th	Gaston A. Robbins (D)	Lost contested election March 8, 1900	William F. Aldrich (R)	March 8, 1900
Virginia 2nd	William A. Young (D)	Lost contested election March 12, 1900	Richard A. Wise (R)	March 12, 1900
Alabama 8th	Joseph Wheeler (D)	Resigned April 20, 1900.	William N. Richardson (D)	December 3, 1900
North Carolina 9th	William T. Crawford (D)	Lost contested election May 10, 1900	Richmond Pearson (R)	May 10, 1900
Iowa 9th	Smith McPherson (R)	Resigned June 6, 1900, after being appointed judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa	Walter I. Smith (R)	December 3, 1900
Delaware At-large	John H. Hoffecker (R)	Died June 16, 1900	Walter O. Hoffecker (R)	November 6, 1900
New Jersey 7th	William D. Daly (D)	Died July 31, 1900.	Allan L. McDermott (D)	December 3, 1900
California 2nd	Marion De Vries (D)	Resigned August 20, 1900, after being appointed to the Board of General Appraisers	Samuel D. Woods (R)	December 3, 1900
Iowa 10th	Jonathan P. Dolliver (R)	Resigned August 22, 1900, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate	James P. Conner (R)	December 4, 1900
Hawaii Territory	New seat	Seat established by the Hawaiian Organic Act April 30, 1900	Robert W. Wilcox (Home Rule)	November 6, 1900
Virginia 2nd	Richard A. Wise (R)	Died December 21, 1900	Seat remained vacant until next Congress
New Hampshire 2nd	Frank G. Clarke (R)	Died January 9, 1901	Seat remained vacant until next Congress
New York 24th	Albert D. Shaw (R)	Died February 10, 1901	Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Maine 4th	Charles A. Boutelle (R)	Resigned March 3, 1901	Seat remained vacant until next Congress

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[]

(Select) (Chairman: James H. Berry; Ranking Member: Shelby M. Cullom)
Agriculture and Forestry (Chairman: Redfield Proctor; Ranking Member: William B. Bate)
Appropriations (Chairman: William B. Allison; Ranking Member: Francis M. Cockrell)
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: John P. Jones; Ranking Member: Jacob H. Gallinger)
Canadian Relations (Chairman: Mark Hanna; Ranking Member: Richard F. Pettigrew)
Census (Chairman: Thomas H. Carter; Ranking Member: Samuel D. McEnery)
Civil Service and Retrenchment (Chairman: Lucien Baker; Ranking Member: Horace Chilton)
Claims (Chairman: Francis E. Warren; Ranking Member: Henry M. Teller)
Coast and Insular Survey (Chairman: Addison G. Foster; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
Coast Defenses (Chairman: George W. McBride; Ranking Member: Marion Butler)
Commerce (Chairman: William P. Frye; Ranking Member: George G. Vest)
Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia (Chairman: Donelson Caffery; Ranking Member: Nelson W. Aldrich)
Cuban Relations (Chairman: Orville H. Platt; Ranking Member: Henry M. Teller)
(Select)
District of Columbia (Chairman: James McMillan; Ranking Member: Nelson W. Aldrich)
Education and Labor (Chairman: James H. Kyle; Ranking Member: Donelson Caffery)
Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Francis M. Cockrell; Ranking Member: George F. Hoar)
Enrolled Bills (Chairman: William J. Sewell; Ranking Member: Donelson Caffery)
(Select) (Chairman: George L. Wellington; Ranking Member: James K. Jones)
(Chairman: Jonathan Rose; Ranking Member: Thomas B. Turley)
Expenditures in Executive Departments
Finance (Chairman: Nelson W. Aldrich; Ranking Member: John P. Jones)
(Chairman: George C. Perkins; Ranking Member: Marion Butler)
(Select) (Chairman: William B. Bate; Ranking Member: Orville H. Platt)
Foreign Relations (Chairman: Cushman K. Davis; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game (Chairman: Albert J. Beveridge; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
(Select) (Chairman: Stephen B. Elkins; Ranking Member: Hernando D. Money)
Immigration (Chairman: Boies Penrose; Ranking Member: Joseph L. Rawlins)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: John M. Thurston; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
Indian Depredations (Chairman: William J. Deboe; Ranking Member: William Lindsay)
Irrigation and Reclamation (Chairman: Joseph Simon; Ranking Member: William A. Harris)
Industrial Expositions (Select) (Chairman: Chauncey M. Depew; Ranking Member: George G. Vest)
Interoceanic Canals (Chairman: John Tyler Morgan; Ranking Member: Joseph R. Hawley)
Interstate Commerce (Chairman: Shelby M. Cullom; Ranking Member: William Lindsay)
Judiciary (Chairman: George F. Hoar; Ranking Member: Henry M. Teller)
Library (Chairman: George P. Wetmore; Ranking Member: Francis M. Cockrell)
Manufactures (Chairman: William E. Mason; Ranking Member: William A. Harris)
Military Affairs (Chairman: Joseph Hawley; Ranking Member: William B. Bate)
Mines and Mining (Chairman: William M. Stewart; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
(Select) (Chairman: Knute Nelson; Ranking Member: William B. Bate)
(Select) (Chairman: John Kean; Ranking Member: Horace Chilton)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: Eugene Hale; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
(Select)
Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico (Chairman: Joseph B. Foraker; Ranking Member: Francis M. Cockrell)
Pacific Railroads (Chairman: John H. Gear; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
Patents (Chairman: Jeter C. Pritchard; Ranking Member: Stephen R. Mallory)
Pensions (Chairman: Jacob H. Gallinger; Ranking Member: William Lindsay)
Philippines (Chairman: Henry Cabot Lodge; Ranking Member: Joseph L. Rawlins)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Edward O. Wolcott; Ranking Member: Marion Butler)
(Select) (Chairman: Nathan B. Scott; Ranking Member: Thomas S. Martin)
Printing (Chairman: Thomas C. Platt; Ranking Member: James K. Jones)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: Henry M. Teller; Ranking Member: Eugene Hale)
Privileges and Elections (Chairman: William E. Chandler; Ranking Member: Donelson Caffery)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Charles W. Fairbanks; Ranking Member: George G. Vest)
Public Health and National Quarantine (Chairman: George G. Vest; Ranking Member: Jacob H. Gallinger)
Public Lands (Chairman: Henry C. Hansbrough; Ranking Member: James H. Berry)
Railroads (Chairman: Clarence D. Clark; Ranking Member: Augustus O. Bacon)
(Chairman: Julius C. Burrows; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: William Lindsay; Ranking Member: William J. Deboe)
Rules (Chairman: John C. Spooner; Ranking Member: Henry M. Teller)
Tariff Regulation (Select)
Territories (Chairman: George L. Shoup; Ranking Member: William B. Bate)
Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select) (Chairman: Richard F. Pettigrew; Ranking Member: Edward O. Wolcott)
Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Chairman: Joseph V. Quarles; Ranking Member: George Turner)
(Chairman: Porter J. McCumber; Ranking Member: N/A)
(Select)
Whole
Woman Suffrage (Select) (Chairman: John W. Daniel; Ranking Member: George Frisbie Hoar)

House of Representatives[]

Accounts (Chairman: Melville Bull; Ranking Member: Charles L. Bartlett)
Agriculture (Chairman: James W. Wadsworth; Ranking Member: John S. Williams)
Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Chairman: Nehemiah D. Sperry; Ranking Member: Oscar Turner)
Appropriations (Chairman: Joseph G. Cannon; Ranking Member: Leonidas F. Livingston)
Banking and Currency (Chairman: Marriott Brosius; Ranking Member: Nicholas N. Cox)
Claims (Chairman: Joseph V. Graff; Ranking Member: Edward Robb)
Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: James H. Southard; Ranking Member: Edwin R. Ridgely)
Disposition of Executive Papers
District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph W. Babcock; Ranking Member: Adolph Meyer)
Education (Chairman: Galusha A. Grow; Ranking Member: David A. De Armond)
Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress (Chairman: John B. Corliss; Ranking Member: William W. Rucker)
Elections No.#1 (Chairman: Robert W. Tayler; Ranking Member: Charles L. Bartlett)
Elections No.#2 (Chairman: Walter L. Weaver; Ranking Member: James M. Robinson)
Elections No.#3 (Chairman: William S. Mesick; Ranking Member: Robert W. Miers)
Enrolled Bills (Chairman: William B. Baker; Ranking Member: James T. Lloyd)
Expenditures in the Agriculture Department (Chairman: Charles W. Gillet; Ranking Member: James W. Ryan)
Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: Charles Curtis; Ranking Member: Thomas C. Catchings)
Expenditures in the Justice Department (Chairman: Jonathan P. Dolliver; Ranking Member: Daniel J. Riordan)
Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: James F. Stewart; Ranking Member: Stanyarne Wilson)
Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Irving P. Wanger; Ranking Member: Edward Robb)
Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: William A. Smith; Ranking Member: Rufus E. Lester)
Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: Robert G. Cousins; Ranking Member: William L. Terry)
Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: William W. Grout; Ranking Member: William L. Stark)
Expenditures on Public Buildings
Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Robert R. Hitt; Ranking Member: Hugh A. Dinsmore)
Immigration and Naturalization (Chairman: William B. Shattuc; Ranking Member: Peter J. Otey)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: James S. Sherman; Ranking Member: John S. Little)
Insular Affairs (Chairman: Henry A. Cooper; Ranking Member: William A. Jones)
Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: William P. Hepburn; Ranking Member: William McAleer)
Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Cyrus A. Sulloway; Ranking Member: Robert W. Miers)
Irrigation of Arid Lands (Chairman: Thomas H. Tongue; Ranking Member: John F. Shafroth)
Judiciary (Chairman: George W. Ray; Ranking Member: William L. Terry)
Labor (Chairman: John J. Gardner; Ranking Member: W. Jasper Talbert)
(Chairman: Richard Bartholdt; Ranking Member: John M. Allen)
Library (Chairman: Alfred C. Harmer; Ranking Member: Amos J. Cummings)
Manufactures (Chairman: George W. Faris; Ranking Member: Willard D. Vandiver)
Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Chairman: Charles H. Grosvenor; Ranking Member: John F. Fitzgerald)
Mileage (Chairman: John A. Barham; Ranking Member: Samuel B. Cooper)
Military Affairs (Chairman: John A.T. Hull; Ranking Member: William Sulzer)
Militia (Chairman: Charles Dick; Ranking Member: William L. Stark)
Mines and Mining (Chairman: Rousseau O. Crump; Ranking Member: Farish C. Tate)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: Charles A. Boutelle; Ranking Member: Amos J. Cummings)
(Chairman: H. Henry Powers; Ranking Member: James L. Slayden)
Patents (Chairman: Winfield S. Kerr; Ranking Member: William Sulzer)
(Chairman: Henry C. Loudenslager; Ranking Member: Jesse F. Stallings)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Eugene F. Loud; Ranking Member: Claude A. Swanson)
Printing (Chairman: Joel P. Heatwole; Ranking Member: Farish C. Tate)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: George W. Smith; Ranking Member: William A. Jones)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: David H. Mercer; Ranking Member: John H. Bankhead)
Public Lands (Chairman: John F. Lacey; Ranking Member: John F. Shafroth)
Railways and Canals (Chairman: Charles A. Chickering; Ranking Member: Reese C. De Graffenreid)
(Chairman: Frederick H. Gillett; Ranking Member: Samuel M. Robertson)
Revision of Laws (Chairman: Vespasian Warner; Ranking Member: James T. Lloyd)
Rivers and Harbors (Chairman: Theodore E. Burton; Ranking Member: Thomas C. Catchings)
Rules (Chairman: John Dalzell; Ranking Member: James D. Richardson)
Standards of Official Conduct
Territories (Chairman: William S. Knox; Ranking Member: William McAleer)
Ventilation and Acoustics (Chairman: George W. Prince; Ranking Member: David H. Smith)
War Claims (Chairman: Thaddeus M. Mahon; Ranking Member: Patrick Henry)
Ways and Means (Chairman: Sereno E. Payne; Ranking Member: James D. Richardson)
Whole

Joint committees[]

Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
The Library
Printing

Caucuses[]

Democratic (House)
Democratic (Senate)

Employees[]

Legislative branch agency directors[]

Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
Librarian of Congress: John Russell Young, until 1899
- Herbert Putnam, from 1899
Public Printer of the United States: Francis W. Palmer

Senate[]

Chaplain: William H. Millburn (Methodist)
Secretary: William Ruffin Cox, until February 1, 1900
- Charles G. Bennett, elected February 1, 1900
Librarian:
Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright, until February 1, 1900
- , elected February 1, 1900

House of Representatives[]

Chaplain: Henry N. Couden (Universalist)
Clerk: Alexander McDowell
Clerk at the Speaker's Table: Asher C. Hinds
Doorkeeper:
Postmaster:
Reading Clerks: (D) and (R)
Sergeant at Arms: , until December 4, 1899
- Henry Casson, from December 4, 1899

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.

56th United States Congress
55th ← → 57th
United States Capitol (1906)
March 4, 1899 – March 4, 1901
Members	90 senators 357 representatives 4 non-voting delegates
Senate Majority	Republican
Senate President	Garret Hobart (R) (until November 21, 1899) Vacant (from November 21, 1899)
House Majority	Republican
House Speaker	David B. Henderson (R)
Sessions
1st: December 4, 1899 – June 7, 1900 2nd: December 3, 1900 – March 3, 1901