61st United States Congress

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61st United States Congress
60th ←
→ 62nd
USCapitol1906.jpg
United States Capitol (1906)

March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1911
Members92 senators
391 representatives
7 non-voting delegates
Senate MajorityRepublican
Senate PresidentJames S. Sherman (R)
House MajorityRepublican
House SpeakerJoseph G. Cannon (R)
Sessions
Special: March 4, 1909 – March 6, 1909
1st: March 15, 1909 – August 5, 1909
2nd: December 6, 1909 – June 25, 1910
3rd: December 5, 1910 – March 3, 1911

The 61st 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, 1909, to March 4, 1911, during the first two years of William H. Taft's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Twelfth Census of the United States in 1900. Both chambers had a Republican majority.

Major events[]

  • March 4, 1909: William Howard Taft became President of the United States.

Major legislation[]

Constitutional amendments[]

  • July 12, 1909: Approved an amendment to the United States Constitution allowing the Congress to levy an income tax without apportioning it among the states or basing it on the United States Census, and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification
    • Amendment was later ratified on February 3, 1913, becoming the Sixteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Party summary[]

Senate[]

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)
Republican
(R)
End of previous congress 31 61 92 0
Begin 32 59 91 1
End
Final voting share 35.2% 64.8%
Beginning of next congress 40 50 90 2

House of Representatives[]

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)
Independent
Democratic

(ID)
Republican
(R)
Other
(O)
End of previous congress 164 1 220 0 385 6
Begin 170 1 218 0 389 2
End 173 210 3847
Final voting share 45.1% 0.3% 54.7% 0.0%
Beginning of next congress 228 0 160 2[a] 390 1

Leadership[]

Senate leaders
Senate President James S. Sherman
Senate President
James S. Sherman (R)
Senate President pro tempore William P. Frye
Senate President pro tempore
William P. Frye (R)

Senate[]

  • President: James S. Sherman (R)
  • President pro tempore: William P. Frye (R)
  • Republican Conference Chairman: Eugene Hale
  • Republican Conference Secretary: Charles Curtis
  • Democratic Caucus Chairman: Hernando Money
  • Democratic Caucus Secretary: Robert Latham Owen

House of Representatives[]

House leader
Speaker of the House Joseph Gurney Cannon
House Speaker
Joseph Gurney Cannon (R)
  • Speaker: Joseph Gurney Cannon (R)

Majority (Republican) leadership[]

  • Majority Leader: Sereno E. Payne
  • Majority Whip: John W. Dwight
  • Republican Conference Chairman: Frank Dunklee Currier

Minority (Democratic) leadership[]

  • Minority Leader: Champ Clark
  • Minority Whip: vacant
  • Democratic Caucus Chairman: Henry De Lamar Clayton Jr.
  • Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: James Tilghman Lloyd

Members[]

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Senate[]

At this time, most senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. A few senators were elected directly by the residents of the state. 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 1910; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1912; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1914.

House of Representatives[]

Changes in membership[]

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

Senate[]

  • Replacements: 13
    • Democratic: 1 seat net gain
    • Republican: 1 seat net loss
  • Deaths: 8
  • Resignations: 2
  • Vacancy: 1
  • Total seats with changes: 14
State
(class)
Vacated by Reason for vacancy Subsequent Date of successor's installation
Illinois
(3)
Vacant Sen. was elected at beginning of term. Served in House until resigning June 18, 1909 William Lorimer (R) June 18, 1909
Pennsylvania
(1)
Philander C. Knox (R) Resigned March 4, 1909, after being appointed United States Secretary of State. Successor was elected. George T. Oliver (R) March 17, 1909
North Dakota
(3)
Martin N. Johnson (R) Died October 21, 1909. Successor was appointed. Fountain L. Thompson (D) November 10, 1909
Mississippi
(2)
Anselm J. McLaurin (D) Died December 22, 1909. Successor was appointed. James Gordon (D) December 27, 1909
North Dakota
(3)
Fountain L. Thompson (D) Resigned January 31, 1910. Successor was appointed. William E. Purcell (D) February 1, 1910
Mississippi
(2)
James Gordon (D) Successor was elected. LeRoy Percy (D) February 23, 1910
Louisiana
(3)
Samuel D. McEnery (D) Died June 28, 1910. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. John Thornton (D) December 7, 1910
Virginia
(1)
John W. Daniel (D) Died June 29, 1910. Successor was appointed. Claude A. Swanson (D) August 1, 1910
Iowa
(2)
Jonathan P. Dolliver (R) Died October 15, 1910 Lafayette Young (R) November 12, 1910
Georgia
(3)
Alexander S. Clay (D) Died November 13, 1910. Successor was appointed. Joseph M. Terrell (D) November 17, 1910
West Virginia
(2)
Stephen B. Elkins (R) Died January 4, 1911. Successor was appointed. Davis Elkins (R) January 9, 1911
Colorado
(3)
Charles J. Hughes Jr. (D) Died January 11, 1911. Vacant until next Congress
West Virginia
(2)
Davis Elkins (R) Successor was elected. Clarence W. Watson (D) February 1, 1911
North Dakota
(3)
William E. Purcell (D) Successor was elected. Asle Gronna (R) February 2, 1911

House of Representatives[]

  • Replacements: 12
    • Democratic: 3 seat gain
    • Republican: 3 seat loss
  • Deaths: 12
  • Resignations: 6
  • Contested elections: 0
  • Total seats with changes: 21
District Vacated by Reason for vacancy Successor Date of successor's installation
Louisiana 2nd Vacant Rep. Robert C. Davey died during previous congress Samuel L. Gilmore (D) March 30, 1909
Ohio 21st Vacant Rep. Theodore E. Burton resigned during previous congress James H. Cassidy (R) April 20, 1909
Illinois 6th William Lorimer (R) Resigned June 17, 1909, after being elected to the U.S. Senate William Moxley (R) November 23, 1909
Washington 2nd Francis W. Cushman (R) Died July 6, 1909 William W. McCredie (R) November 2, 1909
Virginia 4th Francis R. Lassiter (D) Died October 31, 1909 Robert Turnbull (D) March 8, 1910
Philippines Resident Commissioner Pablo Ocampo Term ended November 22, 1909 Manuel L. Quezon (Unionist) November 23, 1909
Missouri 6th David A. De Armond (D) Died November 23, 1909 Clement C. Dickinson (D) February 1, 1910
Georgia 2nd James M. Griggs (D) Died January 5, 1910 Seaborn Roddenbery (D) February 6, 1910
Massachusetts 14th William C. Lovering (R) Died March 11, 1910 Eugene Foss (D) January 4, 1911
New York 32nd James B. Perkins (R) Died February 4, 1910 James S. Havens (D) April 19, 1910
Texas 3rd Gordon J. Russell (D) Resigned June 14, 1910, after being appointed judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas Robert M. Lively (D) July 23, 1910
Tennessee 1st Walter P. Brownlow (R) Died July 8, 1910 Zachary D. Massey (R) November 8, 1910
Louisiana 2nd Samuel L. Gilmore (D) Died July 18, 1910 H. Garland Dupré (D) November 8, 1910
Massachusetts 4th Charles Q. Tirrell (R) Died July 31, 1910 John J. Mitchell (D) November 8, 1910
Pennsylvania 5th William W. Foulkrod (R) Died November 13, 1910 Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Pennsylvania 2nd Joel Cook (R) Died December 15, 1910 Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Massachusetts 14th Eugene Foss (D) Resigned January 4, 1911, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Pennsylvania 24th John K. Tener (R) Resigned January 16, 1911, after being elected Governor of Pennsylvania Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Pennsylvania 19th John M. Reynolds (R) Resigned January 17, 1911, after being elected Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania Seat remained vacant until next Congress
North Dakota 2nd Asle Gronna (R) Resigned February 11, 1911, after being elected to the U.S. Senate Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Maine 1st Amos L. Allen (R) Died February 20, 1911 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: Charles A. Culberson; Ranking Member: Shelby M. Cullom)
  • Agriculture and Forestry (Chairman: Jonathan P. Dolliver; Ranking Member: Hernando D. Money)
  • Appropriations (Chairman: Eugene Hale; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
  • Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: John Kean; Ranking Member: Hernando D. Money)
  • Canadian Relations (Chairman: William A. Smith; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
  • Census (Chairman: Robert M. La Follette; Ranking Member: Samuel D. McEnery)
  • Civil Service and Retrenchment (Chairman: Albert B. Cummins; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • Claims (Chairman: Henry E. Burnham; Ranking Member: Thomas S. Martin)
  • Coast and Insular Survey (Chairman: Samuel H. Piles; Ranking Member: Alexander S. Clay)
  • Coast Defenses (Chairman: George S. Nixon; Ranking Member: James P. Taliaferro)
  • Commerce (Chairman: William P. Frye; Ranking Member: Thomas S. Martin)
  • Conservation of National Resources (Chairman: Joseph M. Dixon; Ranking Member: Francis G. Newlands)
  • Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia (Chairman: James P. Taliaferro; Ranking Member: Norris Brown)
  • Cuban Relations (Chairman: George Sutherland; Ranking Member: Jacob H. Gallinger)
  • (Chairman: Furnifold M. Simmons; Ranking Member: Jacob H. Gallinger)
  • (Select)
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: Jacob H. Gallinger; Ranking Member: Norris Brown)
  • Education and Labor (Chairman: William E. Borah; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
  • Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Augustus O. Bacon; Ranking Member: Henry Cabot Lodge)
  • Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Robert J. Gamble; Ranking Member: Murphy James Foster Jr.)
  • (Select) (Chairman: Simon Guggenheim)
  • (Select)
  • (Chairman: Isaac Stephenson; Ranking Member: Charles A. Culberson)
  • Expenditures in the Department of Agriculture (Chairman: Harry A. Richardson; Ranking Member: Furnifold M. Simmons)
  • Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: Coe I. Crawford; Ranking Member: Jeff Davis)
  • (Select) (Chairman: William O. Bradley; Ranking Member: Joseph W. Bailey)
  • (Select) (Chairman: William Lorimer; Ranking Member: Thomas S. Martin)
  • Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Joseph L. Bristow; Ranking Member: Augustus O. Bacon)
  • (Select) (Chairman: Elihu Root; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • (Select) (Chairman: Theodore E. Burton; Ranking Member: James P. Clarke)
  • (Select) (Chairman: Henry A. du Pont; Ranking Member: Hernando D. Money)
  • Finance (Chairman: Nelson W. Aldrich; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
  • (Chairman: Jonathan Bourne Jr.; Ranking Member: Samuel D. McEnery)
  • (Select) (Chairman: Benjamin R. Tillman; Ranking Member: Moses E. Clapp)
  • Foreign Relations (Chairman: Shelby M. Cullom; Ranking Member: Augustus O. Bacon)
  • Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game (Chairman: Frank B. Brandegee; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
  • (Chairman: Frank O. Briggs; Ranking Member: Hernando D. Money)
  • Immigration (Chairman: William P. Dillingham; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • Indian Affairs (Chairman: Moses E. Clapp; Ranking Member: William J. Stone)
  • Indian Depredations (Chairman: Charles Curtis; Ranking Member: Thomas S. Martin)
  • (Select)
  • Industrial Expositions (Chairman: Wesley L. Jones; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
  • Interoceanic Canals (Chairman: Frank P. Flint; Ranking Member: James P. Taliaferro)
  • Interstate Commerce (Chairman: Stephen B. Elkins; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
  • Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands (Chairman: Thomas H. Carter; Ranking Member: Joseph W. Bailey)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: Clarence D. Clark; Ranking Member: Augustus O. Bacon)
  • Library (Chairman: George P. Wetmore; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
  • Manufactures (Chairman: Weldon B. Heyburn; Ranking Member: Alexander S. Clay)
  • Military Affairs (Chairman: Francis E. Warren; Ranking Member: James P. Taliaferro)
  • Mines and Mining (Chairman: Charles Dick; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
  • (Select) (Chairman: William Warner; Ranking Member: Samuel D. McEnery)
  • (Chairman: N/A; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • Naval Affairs (Chairman: George C. Perkins; Ranking Member: Benjamin R. Tillman)
  • Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico (Chairman: Chauncey M. Depew; Ranking Member: James P. Clarke)
  • Pacific Railroads (Chairman: Elmer J. Burkett; Ranking Member: James P. Taliaferro)
  • Patents (Chairman: Norris Brown; Ranking Member: Murphy J. Foster Jr.)
  • Pensions (Chairman: Porter J. McCumber; Ranking Member: James P. Taliaferro)
  • Philippines (Chairman: Henry Cabot Lodge; Ranking Member: Joseph F. Johnston)
  • Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Boies Penrose; Ranking Member: Alexander S. Clay)
  • (Select)
  • Printing (Chairman: Reed Smoot; Ranking Member: John W. Smith)
  • Private Land Claims (Chairman: John W. Daniel; Ranking Member: Julius Kahn)
  • Privileges and Elections (Chairman: Julius C. Burrows; Ranking Member: John Kean)
  • Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Nathan B. Scott; Ranking Member: Charles A. Culberson)
  • (Chairman: Eugene Hale; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • Public Health and National Quarantine (Chairman: Thomas S. Martin; Ranking Member: Chauncey M. Depew)
  • Public Lands (Chairman: Knute Nelson; Ranking Member: Samuel D. McEnery)
  • Railroads (Chairman: Morgan G. Bulkeley; Ranking Member: Augustus O. Bacon)
  • (Chairman: Weldon B. Heyburn; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Joseph W. Bailey; Ranking Member: William O. Bradley)
  • Rules (Chairman: Winthrop Murray Crane; Ranking Member: Augustus O. Bacon)
  • (Select) (Chairman: Carroll S. Page; Ranking Member: Augustus O. Bacon)
  • Tariff Regulation (Select)
  • Territories (Chairman: Albert J. Beveridge; Ranking Member: James P. Clarke)
  • Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select) (Chairman: Samuel D. McEnery; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
  • Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Chairman: George T. Oliver; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
  • (Select) (Chairman: N/A; Ranking Member: N/A)
  • (Select)
  • Whole
  • (Chairman: Alexander S. Clay; Ranking Member: Albert J. Beveridge)

House of Representatives[]

  • Accounts (Chairman: James A. Hughes; Ranking Member: Charles L. Bartlett)
  • Agriculture (Chairman: Charles Frederick Scott; Ranking Member: John Lamb)
  • Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Chairman: Nehemiah D. Sperry; Ranking Member: Ezekiel S. Candler Jr.)
  • Appropriations (Chairman: James A. Tawney; Ranking Member: Leonidas F. Livingston)
  • Banking and Currency (Chairman: Edward B. Vreeland; Ranking Member: Arsene Pujo)
  • Census (Chairman: Edgar D. Crumpacker; Ranking Member: James Hay)
  • Claims (Chairman: George W. Prince; Ranking Member: Henry M. Goldfogle)
  • Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: William B. McKinley; Ranking Member: Thomas W. Hardwick)
  • Disposition of Executive Papers (Chairman: Arthur L. Bates; Ranking Member: Joshua Frederick Cockey Talbott)
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: Samuel W. Smith; Ranking Member: Dorsey W. Shackleford)
  • Education (Chairman: James F. Burke; Ranking Member: Asbury F. Lever)
  • Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress (Chairman: Joseph H. Gaines; Ranking Member: William W. Rucker)
  • Elections No.#1 (Chairman: Charles L. Knapp; Ranking Member: Ollie M. James)
  • Elections No.#2 (Chairman: James M. Miller; Ranking Member: William E. Tou Velle)
  • Elections No.#3 (Chairman: Michael E. Driscoll; Ranking Member: Charles C. Carlin)
  • Enrolled Bills (Chairman: William W. Wilson; Ranking Member: Henry Thomas Rainey)
  • Expenditures in the Agriculture Department (Chairman: William H. Graham; Ranking Member: Henry D. Flood)
  • Expenditures in the Commerce and Labor Departments (Chairman: David J. Foster; Ranking Member: Arsene P. Pujo)
  • Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: Bird S. McGuire; Ranking Member: Robert N. Page)
  • Expenditures in the Justice Department (Chairman: Sydney E. Mudd; Ranking Member: Henry M. Goldfogle)
  • Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Henry S. Boutell; Ranking Member: Lemuel P. Padgett)
  • Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Irving P. Wanger; Ranking Member: Carter Glass)
  • Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Don C. Edwards; Ranking Member: Courtney W. Hamlin)
  • Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: Ebenezer J. Hill; Ranking Member: John Lamb)
  • Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: George P. Lawrence; Ranking Member: Joseph L. Rhinock)
  • Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: E. Stevens Henry; Ranking Member: John H. Small)
  • Foreign Affairs (Chairman: James B. Perkins; Ranking Member: William M. Howard)
  • Immigration and Naturalization (Chairman: Benjamin F. Howell; Ranking Member: John L. Burnett)
  • Indian Affairs (Chairman: Charles H. Burke; Ranking Member: John H. Stephens)
  • (Chairman: William A. Rodenberg; Ranking Member: Harry L. Maynard)
  • Insular Affairs (Chairman: Marlin E. Olmsted; Ranking Member: William A. Jones)
  • Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: James R. Mann; Ranking Member: William C. Adamson)
  • Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Cyrus A. Sulloway; Ranking Member: George H. Lindsay)
  • Irrigation of Arid Lands (Chairman: William A. Reeder; Ranking Member: William R. Smith)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: Richard W. Parker; Ranking Member: Henry De Lamar Clayton)
  • Labor (Chairman: John J. Gardner; Ranking Member: Henry Thomas Rainey)
  • (Chairman: Philip P. Campbell; Ranking Member: Robert B. Macon)
  • Library (Chairman: Samuel W. McCall; Ranking Member: William M. Howard)
  • Manufactures (Chairman: Henry McMorran; Ranking Member: Joseph T. Johnson)
  • Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Chairman: William S. Greene; Ranking Member: Thomas Spight)
  • Mileage (Chairman: Charles A. Kennedy; Ranking Member: Matthew R. Denver)
  • Military Affairs (Chairman: John A.T. Hull; Ranking Member: William Sulzer)
  • Militia (Chairman: Halvor Steenerson; Ranking Member: John Gill Jr.)
  • Mines and Mining (Chairman: George F. Huff; Ranking Member: George A. Bartlett)
  • Naval Affairs (Chairman: George E. Foss; Ranking Member: Lemuel P. Padgett)
  • (Chairman: Thomas S. Butler; Ranking Member: James L. Slayden)
  • Patents (Chairman: Frank D. Currier; Ranking Member: William Sulzer)
  • (Chairman: Henry C. Loudenslager; Ranking Member: William Richardson)
  • Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: John W. Weeks; Ranking Member: John A. Moon)
  • Printing (Chairman: Allen F. Cooper; Ranking Member: David E. Finley)
  • Private Land Claims (Chairman: Ernest W. Roberts; Ranking Member: William A. Jones)
  • Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Richard Bartholdt; Ranking Member: William G. Brantley)
  • Public Lands (Chairman: Frank W. Mondell; Ranking Member: Adam M. Byrd)
  • Railways and Canals (Chairman: James H. Davidson; Ranking Member: William Hughes)
  • (Chairman: Frederick H. Gillett; Ranking Member: William O. Barnard)
  • Revision of Laws (Chairman: Reuben O. Moon; Ranking Member: John T. Watkins)
  • Rivers and Harbors (Chairman: De Alva S. Alexander; Ranking Member: Stephen M. Sparkman)
  • Rules (Chairman: John Dalzell; Ranking Member: Champ Clark)
  • Standards of Official Conduct
  • Territories (Chairman: Edward L. Hamilton; Ranking Member: James T. Lloyd)
  • Ventilation and Acoustics (Chairman: George D. McCreary; Ranking Member: George W. Rauch)
  • War Claims (Chairman: Charles B. Law; Ranking Member: Thetus W. Sims)
  • Ways and Means (Chairman: Sereno E. Payne; Ranking Member: Champ Clark)
  • 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: Elliott Woods
  • Librarian of Congress: Herbert Putnam
  • Public Printer of the United States: Samuel B. Donnelly

Senate[]

  • Chaplain: Edward E. Hale (Unitarian) until June 10, 1909
    • Ulysses G.B. Pierce (Unitarian) elected June 18, 1909
  • Librarian:
  • Secretary: Charles G. Bennett
  • Sergeant at Arms:

House of Representatives[]

  • Chaplain: Henry N. Couden (Universalist)
  • Clerk: Alexander McDowell
  • Doorkeeper:
  • Clerk at the Speaker's Table: Asher C. Hinds
  • Postmaster:
  • Reading Clerks: (D) and (R)
  • Sergeant at Arms: Henry Casson

See also[]

  • United States elections, 1908 (elections leading to this Congress)
  • United States elections, 1910 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
    • United States Senate elections, 1910
    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1910

References[]

  1. ^ Progressive Republican & Socialist
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