51st United States Congress
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The Fifty-first United States Congress, referred to by some critics as the Billion Dollar 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, 1889, to March 4, 1891, during the first two years of the administration of U.S. President Benjamin Harrison.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Tenth Census of the United States in 1880. Both chambers had a Republican majority. This marked the first time since the 43rd United States Congress that both chambers were controlled by the president's party.
Major events
- March 4, 1889: Benjamin Harrison became President of the United States
- December 29, 1890: Wounded Knee Massacre
Major legislation
It was responsible for a number of pieces of landmark legislation, many of which asserted the authority of the federal government.
Emboldened by their success in the elections of 1888, the Republicans enacted virtually their entire platform during their first 303-day session, including a measure that provided American Civil War veterans with generous pensions and expanded the list of eligible recipients to include noncombatants and the children of veterans. Grover Cleveland had vetoed a similar bill in 1887. It was criticized as the "Billion Dollar Congress'" for its lavish spending and, for this reason it incited drastic reversals in public support that led to Cleveland's reelection in 1892.
Other important legislation passed into law by the Congress included the McKinley tariff, authored by Representative, and future President, William McKinley; the Sherman Antitrust Act, which prohibited business combinations that restricted trade; and the Sherman Silver Purchase Act, which required the U.S. government to mint silver. The last two were concessions to Western farmer interests in exchange for support of the tariff and would become central tenets of the Populist Party later in the decade. They were authored by Senator John Sherman.
The Fifty-first Congress was also responsible for passing the Land Revision Act of 1891, which created the national forests. Harrison authorized America's first forest reserve in Yellowstone, Wyoming, the same year.
Other bills were discussed but failed to pass, including two significant pieces of legislation focused on ensuring African Americans the right to vote. Henry Cabot Lodge sponsored a so-called Lodge Bill that would have established federal supervision of Congressional elections so as to prevent the disfranchisement of southern blacks. Henry W. Blair sponsored the Blair Education Bill, which advocated the use of federal aid for education in order to frustrate southern whites employing literacy tests to prevent blacks from registering to vote.
- June 27, 1890: Dependent Pension Act
- July 2, 1890: Sherman Antitrust Act, ch. 647, 26 Stat. 209
- July 14, 1890: Sherman Silver Purchase Act, ch. 708, 26 Stat. 289
- August 30, 1890: Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act
- October 1, 1890: McKinley Tariff, ch. 1244, 26 Stat. 567
- March 3, 1891: Forest Reserve Act of 1891
- March 3, 1891: Land Revision Act of 1891
- March 3, 1891: Immigration Act of 1891
- March 3, 1891: Merchant Marine Act of 1891
- March 3, 1891: International Copyright Act (The Chace Act)
States admitted and territories organized
- November 2, 1889: North Dakota and South Dakota were admitted as the 39th and 40th states.
- November 8, 1889: Montana was admitted as the 41st state.
- November 11, 1889: Washington was admitted as the 42nd state.
- May 2, 1890: Oklahoma Territory was organized.
- July 3, 1890: Idaho was admitted as the 43rd state.
- July 10, 1890: Wyoming was admitted as the 44th state.
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of this Congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
Six new states were admitted during this Congress, and their Senators and Representatives were elected throughout the Congress.
Senate
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) | Other | |||
| End of the previous congress | 37 | 38 | (Readjuster) 1 |
76 | 0 |
| Begin | 37 | 39 | 0 | 76 | 0 |
| End | 35 | 51 | 86 | 2 | |
| Final voting share | 40.7% | 59.3% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 36 | 46 |
2 (Populist) |
84 | 4 |
House of Representatives
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Socialist Labor (L) | Republican (R) | Other | |||
| End of the previous congress | 167 | 2 | 152 | (Independent Republican, National Greenback, Independent) 4 |
325 | 0 |
| Begin | 159 | 0 | 164 | 0 | 323 | 2 |
| End | 152 | 1 | 175 | 328 | 3 | |
| Final voting share | 46.3% | 0.3% | 53.4% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 238 | 0 | 86 |
8 (Populist) |
332 | 0 |
Leadership
Levi P. Morton
Senate
- President: Levi P. Morton (R)
- President pro tempore: John J. Ingalls (R), elected March 7, 1889
- Charles F. Manderson (R), elected March 2, 1891
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Thomas B. Reed (R)
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 reelection in 1892; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1894; and Class 3 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1890.
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
- Replacements: 3
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: no net change
- Liberal Republican: 1-seat net loss
- Deaths: 3
- Resignations: 2
- Interim appointments: 1
- Seats of newly admitted states: 12
- Total seats with changes: 17
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for vacancy | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island (2) |
Jonathan Chace (R) | Resigned April 9, 1889. Successor was elected. |
Nathan F. Dixon III (R) | April 10, 1889 |
| New Hampshire (2) |
Gilman Marston (R) | Successor was elected June 18, 1889. | William E. Chandler (R) | June 18, 1889 |
| South Dakota (2) |
New seats | South Dakota achieved statehood November 2, 1889. First senators were elected October 16, 1889.[1] |
Richard F. Pettigrew (R) | November 2, 1889 |
| South Dakota (3) |
Gideon C. Moody (R) | |||
| Montana (1) |
New seats | Montana achieved statehood November 8, 1889. First Senator was elected January 1, 1890.[2] His election was challenged based on the legitimacy of the nacent state legislature. The Senate resolved the dispute in his favor April 16, 1890 and he was seated that day.[3] |
Wilbur F. Sanders (R) | April 16, 1890 |
| Montana (2) |
Montana achieved statehood November 8, 1889. First Senator was elected January 2, 1890.[2] His election was challenged based on the legitimacy of the nacent state legislature. The Senate resolved the dispute in his favor April 16, 1890 and he was seated that day.[3] |
Thomas C. Power (R) | April 16, 1890 | |
| Washington (1) |
New seats | Washington achieved statehood November 11, 1889. | John B. Allen (R) | November 20, 1889 |
| Washington (3) |
Watson C. Squire (R) | |||
| Kentucky (2) |
James B. Beck (D) | Died May 3, 1890. Successor was elected. |
John G. Carlisle (D) | May 26, 1890 |
| North Dakota (3) |
New seats | North Dakota achieved statehood November 2, 1889. First senators were elected November 25, 1889. |
Gilbert A. Pierce (R) | November 21, 1889 |
| North Dakota (1) |
Lyman R. Casey (R) | November 25, 1889 | ||
| Idaho (2) |
New seats | Idaho achieved statehood July 3, 1890. | George L. Shoup (R) | December 18, 1890 |
| Idaho (3) |
William J. McConnell (R) | |||
| Wyoming (2) |
New seats | Wyoming achieved statehood July 10, 1890. New Senator was elected November 15, 1890. |
Joseph M. Carey (R) | November 15, 1890 |
| Wyoming (1) |
Wyoming achieved statehood July 10, 1890. New Senator was elected November 18, 1890. |
Francis E. Warren (R) | November 24, 1890 | |
| Maryland (3) |
Ephraim K. Wilson (D) | Died February 24, 1891. | Vacant until next Congress | |
| California (1) |
George Hearst (D) | Died February 28, 1891. | Vacant until next Congress | |
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 16
- Democratic: 2-seat net gain
- Republican: 2-seat net loss
- Deaths: 11
- Resignations: 6
- Contested election:8
- Seats of newly admitted states: 7
- Total seats with changes: 33
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri 4th | Vacant | Elected to finish Rep. James N. Burnes who was re-elected to this Congress, but died during previous one. In addition, Rep. Charles F. Booher was elected to finish Burnes's term in previous Congress but chose not to run for re-election for this Congress. | Robert P. C. Wilson (D) | December 2, 1889 |
| Illinois 19th | Richard W. Townshend (D) | Died March 9, 1889 | James R. Williams (D) | December 2, 1889 |
| Kansas 4th | Thomas Ryan (R) | Resigned April 4, 1889 after being appointed U.S. Minister to Mexico | Harrison Kelley (R) | December 2, 1889 |
| Louisiana 3rd | Edward J. Gay (D) | Died May 30, 1889 | Andrew Price (D) | December 2, 1889 |
| Nebraska 2nd | James Laird (R) | Died August 17, 1889 | Gilbert L. Laws (R) | December 2, 1889 |
| New York 9th | Samuel S. Cox (D) | Died September 10, 1889 | Amos J. Cummings (D) | November 5, 1889 |
| New York 27th | Newton W. Nutting (R) | Died October 15, 1889 | Sereno E. Payne (R) | December 2, 1889 |
| Dakota Territory At-large | George A. Mathews (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Remained in seat until November 2, 1889 | Territory achieved statehood | |
| North Dakota At-large | Henry C. Hansbrough (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Took seat November 2, 1889 | New seat | |
| South Dakota At-large | Oscar S. Gifford (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Took seats November 2, 1889 | New seats | |
| John Pickler (R) | ||||
| Montana Territory At-large | Thomas H. Carter (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Remained in seat until November 7, 1889 | Territory achieved statehood | |
| New York 6th | Frank T. Fitzgerald (D) | Resigned November 4, 1889 after being elected Register of New York County | Charles H. Turner (D) | December 9, 1889 |
| Washington Territory At-large | John B. Allen (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Remained in seat until November 11, 1889 | Territory achieved statehood | |
| Pennsylvania 4th | William D. Kelley (R) | Died January 9, 1890 | John E. Reyburn (R) | February 18, 1890 |
| West Virginia 4th | James M. Jackson (D) | Election was successfully challenged on February 3, 1890 | Charles B. Smith (R) | February 3, 1890 |
| West Virginia 1st | John O. Pendleton (D) | Election was successfully challenged on February 26, 1890 | George W. Atkinson (R) | February 26, 1890 |
| Maryland 5th | Barnes Compton (D) | Election was successfully challenged on March 20, 1890 | Sydney E. Mudd (R) | March 20, 1890 |
| New York 24th | David Wilber (R) | Died April 1, 1890 | John S. Pindar (D) | November 4, 1890 |
| Virginia 3rd | George D. Wise (D) | Election was successfully challenged on April 10, 1890 | Edmund Waddill, Jr. (R) | April 12, 1890 |
| Pennsylvania 3rd | Samuel J. Randall (D) | Died April 13, 1890 | Richard Vaux (D) | May 20, 1890 |
| Kentucky 6th | John G. Carlisle (D) | Resigned May 26, 1890 after being elected to the U.S. Senate | William W. Dickerson (D) | June 21, 1890 |
| Alabama 4th | Louis W. Turpin (D) | Election was successfully challenged on June 4, 1890 | John V. McDuffie (R) | June 4, 1890 |
| Idaho Territory At-large | Fred Dubois (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Remained in seat until July 3, 1890 | Territory achieved statehood | |
| Wyoming Territory At-large | Joseph M. Carey (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Remained in seat until July 10, 1889 | Territory achieved statehood | |
| Montana At-large | Thomas H. Carter (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Took seat November 8, 1889 | New seat | |
| Washington At-large | John L. Wilson (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Took seat November 20, 1889 | New seat | |
| Missouri 14th | James P. Walker (D) | Died July 19, 1890 | Robert H. Whitelaw (D) | November 4, 1890 |
| Pennsylvania 27th | Lewis F. Watson (R) | Died August 25, 1890 | Charles W. Stone (R) | November 4, 1890 |
| Arkansas 2nd | Clifton R. Breckinridge (D) | Election was successfully challenged on September 5, 1890, however Rep-elect John M. Clayton died during election challenge, so seat was declared vacant. Breckinridge was elected to open seat. | Clifton R. Breckinridge (D) | November 4, 1890 |
| South Carolina 7th | William Elliott (D) | Election was successfully challenged on September 23, 1890 | Thomas E. Miller (R) | September 24, 1890 |
| Virginia 4th | Edward C. Venable (D) | Election was successfully challenged on September 23, 1890 | John M. Langston (R) | September 23, 1890 |
| California 1st | John J. De Haven (R) | Resigned October 1, 1890 | Thomas J. Geary (D) | December 9, 1890 |
| Idaho At-large | Willis Sweet (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Took seat October 1, 1890 | New seat | |
| Iowa 7th | Edwin H. Conger (R) | Resigned October 3, 1890 after being appointed U.S. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Brazil | Edward R. Hays (R) | November 4, 1889 |
| Oklahoma Territory At-large | David A. Harvey (R) | Territory organized from Indian Territory. Took seat November 4, 1890 | New seat | |
| Wyoming At-large | Clarence D. Clark (R) | Territory achieved statehood. Took seat December 1, 1890 | New seat | |
| New York 8th | John H. McCarthy (D) | Resigned January 14, 1891 after being appointed justice of the City Court of New York | Vacant until next Congress | |
| Tennessee 10th | James Phelan Jr. (D) | Died January 30, 1891 | Vacant until next Congress | |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
- Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress (Select)
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Canadian Relations (Select)
- Census
- Civil Service and Retrenchment
- Claims
- Coast Defenses
- Commerce
- 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
- Executive Departments Methods (Select)
- Finance
- Fisheries
- Five Civilized Tribes of Indians (Select)
- Foreign Relations
- Immigration
- Immigration and Naturalization (Select)
- Indian Affairs
- Interstate Commerce
- Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands (Select)
- Judiciary
- Library
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River and its Tributaries (Select)
- Naval Affairs
- Nicaraguan Claims (Select)
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Potomac River Front (Select)
- Printing
- Private Land Claims
- Privileges and Elections
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Quadrocentennial (Select)
- Railroads
- Revision of the Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Senate Administrative Services (Select)
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Territories
- Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select)
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
- Whole
- Woman Suffrage (Select)
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Select)
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Commerce
- Disposition of Executive Papers
- District of Columbia
- Education
- 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
- Indian Affairs
- 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
- Revision of Laws
- Rivers and Harbors
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
Employees
- Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
- Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford
- Public Printer of the United States: Thomas E. Benedict (until 1889), Frank W. Palmer (starting 1889)
Senate
- Chaplain: John G. Butler (Lutheran)
- Secretary: Anson G. McCook
- Sergeant at Arms: William P. Canady, until June 30, 1890
- Edward K. Valentine, from June 30, 1890
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: William H. Milburn (Methodist)
- Clerk: Edward McPherson
- Doorkeeper: Charles E. Adams
- Postmaster: James L. Wheat, resigned October 1, 1890
- James W. Hathaway
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
- Edward F. Goodwin
- Sergeant at Arms: Adoniram J. Holmes
See also
- United States elections, 1888 (elections leading to this Congress)
- United States elections, 1890 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
References
- ↑ Journal of the House of Representatives…, p. 21
- 1 2 "Congressional Series of United States Public Documents". Government Printing Office. 1893. p. 64.
- 1 2 Taft, George S.; Furber, George P.; Buck, George M.; Webb, Charles A.; Pierce, Herbert R. (1913). "Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1913". U.S. Senate Committee on Privileges and Elections. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office., p. 727
- 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 51st Congress, 1st Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 51st Congress, 1st Session (Revision).
- Official Congressional Directory for the 51st Congress, 2nd Session.
- Official Congressional Directory for the 51st Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).