144th Delaware General Assembly

Governor Ruth Ann Minner
144th General Assembly
In office January 9, 2007 – January 6, 2009
Preceded by	143rd Assembly
Succeeded by	145th Assembly

The 144th Delaware General Assembly was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government, consisting of the Delaware Senate and the Delaware House of Representatives. Elections were held the first Tuesday after November 1 and terms began in Dover on the first Tuesday in January. This date was January 9, 2007, which was two weeks before the beginning of the seventh administrative year of Democratic Governor Ruth Ann Minner from Kent County and Democratic Lieutenant Governor John Carney from New Castle County.

Currently the distribution of seats for both houses was based on the interpretation of the federal 2000 census. It resulted from a large number of memberships in the New Castle County area and ruling that the election districts would abandon county lines for their boundaries, but would design whatever district boundaries that would accomplish such population equals.

In the 144th Delaware General Assembly session the Senate had a Democratic majority and the House had a Republican majority.

Party summary

Senate Democratic (D): 13 (majority) Republican (R): 8 TOTAL members: 21

House of Representatives Democratic (D): 18 Republican (R): 23 (majority) TOTAL members: 41

Leadership

Senate Lieutenant Governor (President of the Senate): John Carney Democratic of New Castle County President pro tempore of the Senate: Thurman G. Adams, Jr. Democratic of Sussex County.

House of Representatives Speaker of the House Terry R. Spence, Republican of New Castle County.

Party leadership

Senate Majority Leader: Anthony J. DeLuca, Democratic Majority Whip: Patricia M. Blevins, Democratic Minority Leader: Charles L. Copeland, Republican Minority Whip: Liane M. Sorenson, Republican

House of Representatives Majority Leader: Richard C. Cathcart, Republican Majority Whip: Clifford G. Lee, Republican Minority Leader: Robert F. Gilligan, Democratic Minority Whip: Helene M. Keeley, Democratic

Members

Senate

About half the State Senators were elected every two years for a four-year term, except the decade district redesign year, when all served two years. They were designed for equal populations from all districts and its accomplishment occasionally included some territory from two counties.

New Castle County 1: Harris B. McDowell, III (D) 2: Margaret Rose Henry (D) 3: Robert I. Marshall (D) 4: Charles L. Copeland (R) 5: Catherine L. Cloutier (R) 6: Liane M. Sorenson (R)

New Castle County 7: Patricia M. Blevins (D) 8: David P. Sokola (D) 9: Karen E. Peterson (D) 10: Steven H. Amick (R) 11: Anthony J. DeLuca (D) 12: Dorinda A. Connor (R) 13: David B. McBride (D)

Kent County 14: James T. Vaughn (D) 15: Nancy W. Cook (D) 16: Colin R.J. Bonini (R) 17: John C. Still, III (R) Sussex County 18: F. Gary Simpson (R) 19: Thurman G. Adams, Jr. (D) 20: George H. Bunting, Jr. (D) 21: Robert L. Venables, Sr. (D)

House of Representatives

All the State Representatives were elected every two years for a two-year term. They were designed for equal populations from all districts and its accomplishment occasionally included some territory from two counties.

New Castle County 1: Dennis P. Williams (D) 2: Hazel D. Plant (D) 3: Helene M. Keeley (D) 4: Gerald L. Brady (D) 5: Melanie George Marshall (D) 6: Diana M. McWilliams (D) 7: Wayne A. Smith (R) 8: Bethany A. Hall-Long (D) 9: Richard C. Cathcart (R) 10: Robert J. Valihura, Jr. (R) 11: Gregory F. Lavelle (R) 12: Deborah D. Hudson (R) 13: John L. Mitchell (D) 14: Peter C. Schwartzkopf (D)

New Castle County 15: Valerie J. Longhurst (D) 16: James Johnson (D) 17: Michael P. Mulrooney (D) 18: Terry R. Spence (R) 19: Robert F. Gilligan (D) 20: Nick T. Manolakos (R) 21: Pamela S. Maier (R) 22: Joseph E. Miro (R) 23: Teresa L. Schooley (D) 24: William A. Oberle, Jr. (R) 25: John Kowalko (D) 26: John J. Viola (D) 27: Vincent A. Loflink (R)

Kent County 28: Bruce E. Ennis (D) 29: Pamela J. Thornburg (R) 30: William R. Outten (R) 31: Nancy H. Wagner (R) 32: Donna D. Stone (R) 33: Robert E. Walls (D) 34: Donald A. Blakey (R) Sussex County 35: J. Benjamin Ewing (R) 36: V. George Carey (R) 37: Joseph W. Booth (R) 38: Gerald W. Hocker (R) 39: Daniel B. Short (R) 40: Clifford G. "Biff" Lee (R) 41: John C. Atkins (R) Gregory A. Hastings (R)

References

• The 2007-2008 Legislative Roster. Delaware State Chamber of Commerce. 2007.

Places with more information

• Delaware Historical Society; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
• University of Delaware; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965