# 55th United States Congress

The 55th 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, 1897, to March 4, 1899, during the first two years of William McKinley's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1890 United States census. Both chambers had a Republican majority. There was one African-American member, George Henry White, a Republican from the state of North Carolina, and one Kaw member, Charles Curtis, a Republican from Kansas.

## Major events

* March 4, 1897: William McKinley became President of the United States.
* February 15, 1898: Spanish–American War: USS Maine exploded in Havana harbor.
* December 10, 1898: Treaty of Paris ended Spanish–American War, 30 Stat. 1754.

## Major legislation

* July 24, 1897: Dingley tariff, ch. 11, 30 Stat. 151, increased trade duties for revenue and protection
* April 20, 1898: Teller Resolution (Cuba), 30 Stat. 738
* April 25, 1898: United States declaration of war upon Spain (Spanish–American War), 30 Stat. 364
* June 1, 1898: Erdman Act, 30 Stat. 424
* June 13, 1898: War Revenue Act of 1898, 30 Stat. 448
* June 28, 1898: Curtis Act of 1898, 30 Stat. 495, authorized the mass dispossession of territory from the Cherokee Nation, Chickasaw Nation, Choctaw Nation, Muscogee Nation, and Seminole Nation and the divestiture of power from their national governments.
* July 1, 1898: Bankruptcy Act of 1898 (Henderson-Nelson Act), ch. 541, 30 Stat. 544, gave companies an option of gaining protection from creditors.
* July 7, 1898: Newlands Resolution, No. 55, 30 Stat. 750, authorized the annexation of the Republic of Hawaii
* March 3, 1899: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1899, Ch. 425, 33 Stat. 401, § 9, 30 Stat. 1151

## Treaties ratified

* February 6, 1899: Treaty of Paris, ending the Spanish–American War. Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico became possessions of the U.S.

## 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

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Populist (P) | Republican (R) | Silver Republican (SR) | Silver (S) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 40 | 4 | 44 | 0 | 2 | 90 | 0 |
| Begin | 33 | 5 | 43 | 5 | 2 | 88 | 2 |
| End | 34 | 5 | 44 | 5 | 2 | 90 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 37.8% | 5.6% | 48.9% | 5.6% | 2.2% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 26 | 4 | 51 | 3 | 2 | 86 | 4 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Populist (P) | Republican (R) | Independent Republican (IR) | Silver Republican (SR) | Silver (S) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 94 | 9 | 252 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 356 | 1 |
| Begin | 126 | 22 | 202 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 355 | 2 |
| End | 122 | 22 | 201 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 350 | 7 |
| Final voting share | 34.9% | 6.3% | 57.4% | 0.3% | 0.9% | 0.3% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 163 | 6 | 183 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 355 | 2 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* President: Garret Hobart (R)
* President pro tempore: William P. Frye (R)
* Republican Conference Chairman: William B. Allison
* Democratic Caucus Chairman: Arthur Pue Gorman, until 1898
** David Turpie, afterwards

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: Thomas Brackett Reed (R)
* Minority Leader: Joseph W. Bailey
* Republican Conference Chairman: Charles H. Grosvenor
* Republican Campaign Committee Chairman: Joseph W. Babcock
* Democratic Caucus Chairman: James D. Richardson
* Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Charles James Faulkner

## 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

Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1898; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1900; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1902.

### 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: 5
** Democratic: no net change
** Republican: no net change
* Deaths: 5
* Resignations: 0
* Total seats with changes: 8
| State (class) | Vacated by | Reason for vacancy | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
| Ohio (1) | John Sherman (R) | Resigned March 4, 1897, to become U.S. Secretary of State. Elected to fill remainder of term. | Mark Hanna (R) | March 5, 1897 |
| Florida (3) | Vacant | Failure to elect. Successor elected May 14, 1897. | Stephen R. Mallory (D) | May 15, 1897 |
| Oregon (3) | Vacant | Failure to elect. Successor elected October 8, 1898. | Joseph Simon (R) | October 8, 1898 |
| South Carolina (3) | Joseph H. Earle (D) | Died May 20, 1897. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. | John L. McLaurin (D) | June 1, 1897 |
| Tennessee (2) | Isham G. Harris (D) | Died July 8, 1897. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. | Thomas B. Turley (D) | July 20, 1897 |
| Mississippi (1) | James Z. George (D) | Died August 14, 1897. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. | Hernando Money (D) | October 8, 1897 |
| Mississippi (2) | Edward C. Walthall (D) | Died April 21, 1898. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. | William V. Sullivan (D) | May 31, 1898 |
| Vermont (3) | Justin S. Morrill (R) | Died December 28, 1898. Successor was appointed. | Jonathan Ross (R) | January 11, 1899 |

### House of Representatives

* Replacements: 14
** Democratic: 1 seat net loss
** Republican: 1 seat net gain
* Deaths: 10
* Resignations: 9
* Contested election: 3
* Total seats with changes: 23
| District | Previous | Reason for change | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
| Pennsylvania 25th | Vacant | Rep.-elect James J. Davidson died before being seated. Showalter was elected to finish term. | Joseph B. Showalter (R) | April 20, 1897 |
| Missouri 1st | Vacant | Rep.-elect Richard P. Giles died before being seated. Lloyd was elected to finish term. | James T. Lloyd (D) | June 1, 1897 |
| Maine 3rd | Seth L. Milliken (R) | Died April 18, 1897 | Edwin C. Burleigh (R) | June 21, 1897 |
| Indiana 4th | William S. Holman (D) | Died April 22, 1897. | Francis M. Griffith (D) | December 6, 1897 |
| South Carolina 6th | John L. McLaurin (D) | Resigned May 31, 1897, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate | James Norton (D) | December 6, 1897 |
| Illinois 6th | Edward D. Cooke (R) | Died June 24, 1897 | Henry S. Boutell (R) | November 23, 1897 |
| Massachusetts 1st | Ashley B. Wright (R) | Died August 14, 1897 | George P. Lawrence (R) | November 2, 1897 |
| New York 3rd | Francis H. Wilson (R) | Resigned September 30, 1897, to become Postmaster of Brooklyn, New York | Edmund H. Driggs (D) | December 6, 1897 |
| Alabama 4th | Thomas S. Plowman (D) | Lost contested election February 9, 1898 | William F. Aldrich (R) | February 9, 1898 |
| Virginia 4th | Sidney P. Epes (D) | Lost contested election March 23, 1898 | Robert T. Thorp (R) | March 23, 1898 |
| Massachusetts 13th | John Simpkins (R) | Died March 27, 1898 | William S. Greene (R) | May 31, 1898 |
| Virginia 2nd | William A. Young (D) | Lost contested election April 26, 1898 | Richard A. Wise (R) | April 26, 1898 |
| Mississippi 2nd | William V. Sullivan (D) | Resigned May 31, 1898, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate | Thomas Spight (D) | July 5, 1898 |
| Ohio 19th | Stephen A. Northway (R) | Died September 8, 1898 | Charles W. F. Dick (R) | November 8, 1898 |
| Mississippi 6th | William F. Love (D) | Died October 16, 1898 | Frank A. McLain (D) | December 12, 1898 |
| Pennsylvania 23rd | William A. Stone (R) | Resigned November 9, 1898, to run for Governor of Pennsylvania | William H. Graham (R) | November 29, 1898 |
| New York 34th | Warren B. Hooker (R) | Resigned November 10, 1898, after being appointed judge for the New York Supreme Court | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Tennessee 4th | Benton McMillin (D) | Resigned January 6, 1899, after being elected Governor of Tennessee | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| New Jersey 4th | Mahlon Pitney (R) | Resigned January 10, 1899, after being elected to the New Jersey Senate | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Maine 2nd | Nelson Dingley Jr. (R) | Died January 13, 1899 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Texas 9th | Joseph D. Sayers (D) | Resigned January 16, 1899, after being elected Governor of Texas | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| New York 2nd | Denis M. Love (R) | Died February 26, 1899 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |
| Texas 4th | John W. Cranford (D) | Died March 3, 1899 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | Seat remained vacant until next Congress |

## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. 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) (Chairman: George Gray; Ranking Member: Shelby M. Cullom)
* Agriculture and Forestry (Chairman: Redfield Proctor; Ranking Member: James Z. George)
* 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: James K. Jones)
* Canadian Relations (Chairman: John C. Spooner; Ranking Member: Edward Murphy Jr.)
* Census (Chairman: Thomas H. Carter; Ranking Member: David Turpie)
* Civil Service and Retrenchment (Chairman: Jeter C. Pritchard; Ranking Member: Edward C. Walthall)
* Claims (Chairman: Henry M. Teller; Ranking Member: Samuel Pasco)
* Coast Defenses (Chairman: George W. McBride; Ranking Member: Roger Q. Mills)
* Commerce (Chairman: William P. Frye; Ranking Member: George G. Vest)
* Corporations Organized in the District of Columbia (Chairman: John W. Daniel)
* Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
* District of Columbia (Chairman: James McMillan; Ranking Member: Isham G. Harris then Charles J. Faulkner)
* Education and Labor (Chairman: James H. Kyle; Ranking Member: James Z. George)
* Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Francis M. Cockrell; Ranking Member: Lucien Baker)
* Enrolled Bills (Chairman: William J. Sewell; Ranking Member: Donelson Caffery)
* Establish a University in the United States (Select) (Chairman: George L. Wellington)
* Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service (Chairman: Joseph B. Foraker)
* Finance (Chairman: Justin S. Morrill; Ranking Member: Isham G. Harris)
* Fisheries (Chairman: George C. Perkins; Ranking Member: John L. Mitchell)
* Five Civilized Tribes of Indians (Select) (Chairman: Samuel Pasco; Ranking Member: Orville H. Platt)
* Foreign Relations (Chairman: Cushman K. Davis; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
* Forest Reservations and the Protection of Game (Chairman: William V. Allen; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
* Geological Survey (Select) (Chairman: Stephen B. Elkins; Ranking Member: Edward C. Walthall)
* Immigration (Chairman: Charles W. Fairbanks; Ranking Member: Charles J. Faulkner)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: Richard F. Pettigrew; Ranking Member: James K. Jones)
* Indian Depredations (Chairman: John L. Wilson; Ranking Member: William Lindsay)
* International Expositions (Select) (Chairman: John M. Thurston; Ranking Member: George G. Vest)
* Interstate Commerce (Chairman: Shelby M. Cullom; Ranking Member: Arthur P. Gorman)
* Irrigation and Reclamation of Arid Lands (Chairman: Francis E. Warren; Ranking Member: Stephen M. White)
* Judiciary (Chairman: George F. Hoar; Ranking Member: James Z. George)
* Library (Chairman: George P. Wetmore; Ranking Member: Francis M. Cockrell)
* Manufactures (Chairman: William E. Mason; Ranking Member: James Smith Jr.)
* Military Affairs (Chairman: Joseph R. Hawley; Ranking Member: William B. Bate)
* Mines and Mining (Chairman: William M. Stewart; Ranking Member: Roger Q. Mills)
* Mississippi River and its Tributaries (Select)
* National Banks (Select) (Chairman: Lee Mantle; Ranking Member: John L. Mitchell)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: Eugene Hale; Ranking Member: James Smith Jr.)
* Nicaragua Canal (Select) (Chairman: John Tyler Morgan; Ranking Member: Joseph R. Hawley)
* Omaha Exposition (Select)
* Pacific Railroads (Chairman: John H. Gear; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
* Patents (Chairman: Orville H. Platt; Ranking Member: Roger Q. Mills)
* Pensions (Chairman: Jacob H. Gallinger; Ranking Member: John L. Mitchell)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Edward O. Wolcott; Ranking Member: Marion Butler)
* Potomac River Front (Select) (Chairman: David Turpie; Ranking Member: William P. Frye)
* Printing (Chairman: Henry Cabot Lodge; Ranking Member: Arthur P. Gorman)
* Private Land Claims (Chairman: James K. Jones; Ranking Member: Eugene Hale)
* Privileges and Elections (Chairman: William E. Chandler; Ranking Member: Charles J. Faulkner)
* Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Matthew S. Quay; Ranking Member: George G. Vest)
* Public Health and National Quarantine (Chairman: George G. Vest; Ranking Member: Samuel D. McEnery)
* Public Lands (Chairman: Henry C. Hansbrough; Ranking Member: James H. Berry)
* Railroads (Chairman: Clarence D. Clark; Ranking Member: William J. Deboe)
* Revision of the Laws (Chairman: Julius C. Burrows; Ranking Member: John W. Daniel)
* Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Edward C. Walthall; Ranking Member: William B. Bate)
* Rules (Chairman: Nelson W. Aldrich; Ranking Member: Isham G. Harris)
* Tariff Regulation (Select)
* Territories (Chairman: George L. Shoup; Ranking Member: Thomas C. Platt)
* Transportation and Sale of Meat Products (Select) (Chairman: William B. Bate; Ranking Member: Edward O. Wolcott)
* Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Chairman: George L. Shoup; Ranking Member: James Z. George)
* Trespassers upon Indian Lands (Chairman: Lucien Baker; Ranking Member: William N. Roach)
* Washington City Centennial (Select)
* Whole
* Woman Suffrage (Select) (Chairman: James H. Berry; Ranking Member: Matthew S. Quay)

### House of Representatives

* Accounts (Chairman: Benjamin B. Odell Jr.; Ranking Member: Charles L. Bartlett)
* Agriculture (Chairman: James W. Wadsworth; Ranking Member: John S. Williams)
* Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Chairman: Henry C. Brewster; Ranking Member: John E. Osborne)
* Appropriations (Chairman: Joseph G. Cannon; Ranking Member: Joseph D. Sayers)
* Banking and Currency (Chairman: Joseph H. Walker; Ranking Member: Nicholas N. Cox)
* Claims (Chairman: Charles N. Brumm; Ranking Member: John E. Osborne)
* Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: Charles W. Stone; Ranking Member: Richard P. Bland)
* Disposition of Executive Papers
* District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph W. Babcock; Ranking Member: James D. Richardson)
* Education (Chairman: Galusha A. Grow; Ranking Member: John E. Fowler)
* Election of the President, Vice President and Representatives in Congress (Chairman: John B. Corliss; Ranking Member: Milford W. Howard)
* Elections No.#1 (Chairman: Robert W. Tayler; Ranking Member: Charles L. Bartlett)
* Elections No.#2 (Chairman: Henry U. Johnson; Ranking Member: James G. Maguire)
* Elections No.#3 (Chairman: James A. Walker; Ranking Member: Robert W. Miers)
* Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Alva L. Hager; Ranking Member: Asbury C. Latimer)
* Expenditures in the Agriculture Department (Chairman: Charles W. Gillet; Ranking Member: William F. Strowd)
* Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: Charles Curtis; Ranking Member: Jehu Baker)
* Expenditures in the Justice Department (Chairman: Cyrus A. Sulloway; Ranking Member: Thomas C. Catchings)
* 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: Milford W. Howard)
* Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Lemuel E. Quigg; 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: Joseph Wheeler)
* Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: David G. Colson; Ranking Member: Richard P. Bland)
* Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Robert R. Hitt; Ranking Member: Hugh A. Dinsmore)
* Immigration and Naturalization (Chairman: Lorenzo Danford; Ranking Member: John M. Allen)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: James S. Sherman; Ranking Member: John S. Little)
* Interstate and Foreign Commerce (Chairman: William P. Hepburn; Ranking Member: William McAleer)
* Invalid Pensions (Chairman: George W. Ray; Ranking Member: George B. McClellan Jr.)
* Irrigation of Arid Lands (Chairman: William R. Ellis; Ranking Member: John F. Shafroth)
* Judiciary (Chairman: David B. Henderson; Ranking Member: William L. Terry)
* Labor (Chairman: John J. Gardner; Ranking Member: W. Jasper Talbert)
* Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River (Chairman: Richard Bartholdt; Ranking Member: John M. Allen)
* Manufactures (Chairman: George W. Faris; Ranking Member: Willard D. Vandiver)
* Merchant Marine and Fisheries (Chairman: Sereno E. Payne; 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: Benjamin F. Marsh; Ranking Member: Rudolph Kleberg)
* Mines and Mining (Chairman: Charles H. Grosvenor; Ranking Member: Charles S. Hartman)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: Charles A. Boutelle; Ranking Member: Amos J. Cummings)
* Pacific Railroads (Chairman: H. Henry Powers; Ranking Member: James G. Maguire)
* Patents (Chairman: Josiah D. Hicks; Ranking Member: William Sulzer)
* Pensions (Chairman: Henry C. Loudenslager; Ranking Member: Jesse F. Stallings)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Eugene F. Loud; Ranking Member: Claude A. Swanson)
* 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: Peter J. Otey)
* Reform in the Civil Service (Chairman: Marriott Brosius; Ranking Member: Alexander M. Dockery)
* Revision of Laws (Chairman: Vespasian Warner; Ranking Member: John W. Maddox)
* Rivers and Harbors (Chairman: Warren B. Hooker; Ranking Member: Thomas C. Catchings)
* Rules (Chairman: Thomas B. Reed; Ranking Member: Joseph W. Bailey)
* Standards of Official Conduct
* Territories (Chairman: William S. Knox; Ranking Member: William McAleer)
* Ventilation and Acoustics (Chairman: Joel P. Heatwole; Ranking Member: Harry Skinner)
* War Claims (Chairman: Thaddeus M. Mahon; Ranking Member: George M. Davison)
* Ways and Means (Chairman: Nelson Dingley; Ranking Member: Joseph W. Bailey)
* Whole

### Joint committees

* Alcohol in the Arts (Select)
* Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
* Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
* Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Rep. Alva L. Hager; Vice Chairman: Sen. Asbury C. Latimer)
* Investigate Charities and Reformatory Institutions in the District of Columbia
* The Library (Chairman: Rep. Alfred C. Harmer; Vice Chairman: Rep. Amos J. Cummings)
* Printing (Chairman: Rep. George D. Perkins; Vice Chairman: Rep. James D. Richardson)

## Caucuses

* Democratic (House)
* Democratic (Senate)

## Employees
### Legislative branch agency directors

* Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
* Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford, until 1897
** John Russell Young, from 1897
* Public Printer of the United States: Thomas E. Benedict, until 1897
** Francis W. Palmer, from 1897

### Senate

* Secretary: William Ruffin Cox
* Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright
* Librarian: Alonzo M. Church
* Chaplain: William H. Millburn Methodist

### House of Representatives

* Clerk: Alexander McDowell
* Sergeant at Arms: Benjamin F. Russell
* Doorkeeper: William J. Glenn
* Postmaster: Joseph C. McElroy
* Clerk at the Speaker's Table: Asher C. Hinds
* Reading Clerks: E. L. Sampson (D) and Dennis E. Alward (R)
* Chaplain: Henry N. Couden Universalist