62nd United States Congress
| 62nd United States Congress | |||
United States Capitol (1906) |
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| Duration: March 4, 1911 – March 4, 1913 | |||
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| Senate President: | James S. Sherman (1911–1912) Vacant (1912–1913) |
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| Senate Pres. pro tem: | Augustus O. Bacon Charles Curtis Jacob H. Gallinger Frank B. Brandegee Henry Cabot Lodge |
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| House Speaker: | Champ Clark | ||
| Members: | 96 Senators 394 Representatives 7 Non-voting members |
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| Senate Majority: | Republican | ||
| House Majority: | Democratic | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| 1st: April 4, 1911 – August 22, 1911 2nd: December 4, 1911 – August 26, 1912 3rd: December 2, 1912 – March 3, 1913 |
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The Sixty-second 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, 1911 to March 4, 1913, during the third and fourth 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. Additional House seats were assigned to the two new states of New Mexico and Arizona. The size of the House was to be 435 starting with the new Congress coming into session in 1913. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.
[edit] Major events
- April 27, 1911: Following the resignation and death of William P. Frye, a compromise is reached to rotate the office of President pro tempore of the United States Senate.
- April 30, 1911: Great Fire of 1911
- May 15, 1911: The Supreme Court declared Standard Oil to be an "unreasonable" monopoly under the Sherman Antitrust Act and orderd the company to be dissolved.
- April 15, 1912: The RMS Titanic sank.
- June 5, 1912: U.S. Marines landed in Cuba.
- June 18, 1912: The Republican National Convention nominated incumbent President William Taft in Chicago, defeating a challenge by former President Theodore Roosevelt, whose delegates bolted the convention.
- June 25, 1912: The Democratic National Convention nominated New Jersey Gov. Woodrow Wilson in Baltimore.
- August 5, 1912: Dissident Republicans formed the Progressive or Bull Moose Party, and nominated former President Theodore Roosevelt as their presidential candidate.
- October 30, 1912: Vice President James S. Sherman died.
- November 5, 1912: U.S. presidential election, 1912: Woodrow Wilson (D) beat incumbent William Howard Taft (R) and Theodore Roosevelt (P).
[edit] Major legislation
- August 8, 1911: Public Law 62-5, Pub.L. 62-5 (set House of Representatives size at 435 members)
- August 24, 1912: Lloyd-La Follette Act, ch. 389, §6, 37 Stat. 539
- February 13, 1913: Carlin Act
- March 1, 1913: Webb-Kenyon Act
- March 1, 1913: Railway Evaluation Act
- March 3, 1913: Publicity In Taking Evidence Act
- March 3, 1913: Virus-Sirum-Toxin Act
- March 3, 1913: Gould Amendment
- March 4, 1913: Arlington Memorial Amphitheater Act
- March 4, 1913: Road and Trails Fund Act
- March 4, 1913: Burnett Act
- March 4, 1913: Weeks-McLean Act
- March 4, 1913: Federal Revenue Sharing Act
- March 4, 1913: Rivers and Harbors Act of 1913
- March 4, 1913: Burnt Timber Act
- March 4, 1913: Labor Department Act, 37 Stat. 736
[edit] Constitutional amendments
- February 3, 1913: 16th Amendment was ratified, authorizing the Federal government to impose and collect income taxes.
[edit] States admitted and territories created
- January 6, 1912: New Mexico admitted to the Union.
- February 14, 1912: Arizona admitted to the Union
- August 24, 1912: Alaska Territory created.
[edit] Party summary
[edit] Senate
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Progressive (P) |
Republican (R) |
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| End of the previous congress | 32 | 0 | 60 | 92 | 0 |
| Begin | 43 | 0 | 48 | 91 | 1 |
| End | 47 | 95 | |||
| Final voting share | 49.5% | 0.0% | 50.5% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 49 | 1 | 42 | 92 | 4 |
[edit] House of Representatives
- Democratic (D): 230 (majority)
- Republican (R): 162
- Socialist (S): 1
- Independent (I): 1
TOTAL members: 394
[edit] Leaders
[edit] Senate
- President: James S. Sherman, died October 30, 1912; thereafter vacant
- Presidents pro tempore – See Presidents pro tempore of the United States Senate, 1911-1913
[edit] House of Representatives
- Speaker: Champ Clark (D)
[edit] Members
[edit] 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.
[edit] House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
[edit] Changes in membership
[edit] Senate
There were 20 changes: 6 deaths, 2 resignations, 1 invalidated election, 6 appointees replaced by electees, 4 seats added from new states, and 1 seat vacant from the previous Congress. Democrats had a 4-seat net gain, and no other parties had a net change.
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for vacancy | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado (3) |
Vacant | Incumbent Charles J. Hughes, Jr. (D) died before the end of the previous Congress. Successor was elected in a special election. | Charles S. Thomas (D) | January 15, 1913 |
| Arizona (1) |
Vacant | New State | Henry F. Ashurst (D) | March 27, 1912 |
| Arizona (3) |
Marcus A. Smith (D) | |||
| New Mexico (1) |
Thomas B. Catron (R) | |||
| New Mexico (2) |
Albert B. Fall (R) | |||
| Iowa (2) |
Lafayette Young (R) | Appointment expired April 11, 1911 upon successor's special election. | William S. Kenyon (R) | April 12, 1911 |
| Georgia (3) |
Joseph M. Terrell (D) | Resigned July 14, 1911, due to health reasons. Successor was elected in a special election. | Hoke Smith (D) | November 16, 1911 |
| Maine (2) |
William P. Frye (R) | Died August 8, 1911. Successor was elected in a special election. | Obadiah Gardner (D) | September 23, 1911 |
| Tennessee (2) |
Robert L. Taylor (D) | Died March 31, 1912. Successor was appointed until a special election. | Newell Sanders (R) | April 11, 1912 |
| Nevada (1) |
George S. Nixon (R) | Died June 5, 1912. Successor was appointed until a special election. | William A. Massey (R) | July 1, 1912 |
| Illinois (3) |
William Lorimer (R) | Senate invalidated election July 13, 1912. | Vacant until next Congress | |
| Idaho (3) |
Weldon B. Heyburn (R) | Died October 17, 1912. Successor was appointed until a special election. | Kirtland I. Perky (D) | November 18, 1912 |
| Maryland (1) |
Isidor Rayner (D) | Died November 25, 1912. Successor was appointed. | William P. Jackson (R) | November 29, 1912 |
| Arkansas (2) |
Jeff Davis (D) | Died January 3, 1913. Successor was appointed until a special election. | John N. Heiskell (D) | January 6, 1913 |
| Texas (2) |
Joseph W. Bailey (D) | Resigned January 3, 1913 due to investigations brought to light suspicious income and financial ties to the oil industry. Successor was appointed until a special election. | Rienzi Melville Johnston (D) | January 29, 1913 |
| Tennessee (2) |
Newell Sanders (R) | Appointment expired January 24, 1913 upon successor's special election. | William R. Webb (D) | January 24, 1913 |
| Arkansas (2) |
John N. Heiskell (D) | Appointment expired January 29, 1913 upon successor's special election. | William M. Kavanaugh (D) | January 29, 1913 |
| Nevada (1) |
William A. Massey (R) | Key Pittman (D) | ||
| Texas (2) |
Rienzi M. Johnston (D) | Morris Sheppard (D) | ||
| Idaho (3) |
Kirtland I. Perky (D) | Appointment expired February 5, 1913 upon successor's special election. | James H. Brady (R) | February 6, 1913 |
[edit] House of Representatives
Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy
House vacancies are only filled by elections. State laws regulate when (and if) there will be special elections.
| Date seat became vacant | District | Previous | Reason for change | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] | [Data unknown/missing. You can help!] |
[edit] Employees
[edit] Senate
- Chaplain: Ulysses G.B. Pierce, Unitarian
- Secretary: Charles G. Bennett of New York
- Sergeant at Arms:
- Daniel M. Ransdell of Indiana
- E. Livingston Cornelius of Maryland, elected December 10, 1912
[edit] House of Representatives
- Clerk: South Trimble of Kentucky
- Chaplain: Henry N. Couden, Universalist
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Charles R. Crisp
- Doorkeeper: Joseph J. Sinnott of Virginia
- Postmaster: William M. Dunbar of Georgia
- Sergeant at Arms:
- W. Stokes Jackson of Indiana, died June 1912.
- Charles F. Riddell of Indiana, elected July 18, 1912.
[edit] References
- Gould, Lewis L. (2005). The Most Exclusive Club. Cambridge, MA: Perseus Books Group. ISBN 0-465-02778-4.
- Remini, Robert V. (2006). The House. New York: HarperCollins Publishers, Inc. ISBN 0-06-088434-7.
- U.S. Congress (2005). "Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress". http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-222/index.html. Retrieved June 1, 2006.
- U.S. House of Representatives (2006). "Congressional History". http://clerk.house.gov/histHigh/Congressional_History/index.html. Retrieved June 1, 2006.[dead link]
- U.S. Senate (2006). "Statistics and Lists". http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/stats_and_lists.htm. Retrieved June 1, 2006.
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