53rd United States Congress

53rd United States Congress
52nd ←
→ 54th
United States Capitol (1906)
March 4, 1893 – March 4, 1895
Members88 senators
356 representatives
4 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityDemocratic (plurality)
Senate PresidentAdlai E. Stevenson (D)
House majorityDemocratic
House SpeakerCharles F. Crisp (D)
Sessions
1st: August 7, 1893 – November 3, 1893
2nd: December 4, 1893 – August 28, 1894
3rd: December 3, 1894 – March 3, 1895
"Gorman's Triumph— A Humiliating Spectacle", cartoon by W. A. Rogers depicting President Cleveland's humiliation by the Sugar Trust.

The 53rd United States 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, 1893, to March 4, 1895, during the first two years of Grover Cleveland's second presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1890 United States census.

The Democrats maintained their majority in the House (albeit reduced) and won back control of the Senate. With Grover Cleveland being sworn in on March 4, 1893, for his second stint as President, this also gave the Democrats an overall federal government trifecta for the first time since the establishment of the Republican Party in 1854.

Party summary

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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

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Party
(shading shows control) 		Total Vacant
Democratic
(D) 		Populist
(P)		Republican
(R)		Silver
(S)
End of previous congress 39 2 47 0 88 0
Begin 44 3 37 1 85 3
End 43 41 880
Final voting share 48.9% 3.4% 46.6% 1.1%
Beginning of next congress 39 4 42 2 87 1

House of Representatives

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Party
(shading shows control) 		Total Vacant
Democratic
(D) 		Independent
Democratic
(ID)		Populist
(P)		Republican
(R)		Silver
(S)
End of previous congress 233 0 9 86 0 328 4
Begin 213 1 11 127 1 353 3
End 214 123 3506
Final voting share 61.1% 0.3% 3.1% 35.1% 0.3%
Beginning of next congress 104 0 7 240 1 352 4

Leadership

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Senate President
Adlai Stevenson

Senate

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House of Representatives

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House Speaker
Charles F. Crisp

Major events

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Main articles: 1893 in the United States, 1894 in the United States, and 1895 in the United States

Major legislation

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Main article: List of United States federal legislation § 53rd United States Congress

Members

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This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and Members of the House are listed by district.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Senate

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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 this Congress, facing re-election in 1898; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, facing re-election in 1894; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1896.

House of Representatives

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Changes in membership

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

Senate

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  • Replacements: 6
  • Deaths: 4
  • Resignations: 8
  • Interim appointments: 2
  • Total seats with changes: 12
State
(class) 		Vacated by Reason for vacancy Subsequent Date of successor's installation
Montana
(1) 		Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.
Successor elected January 16, 1895. 		Lee Mantle (R) January 16, 1895
Wyoming
(1) 		Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.
Successor was elected January 23, 1895. 		Clarence D. Clark (R) January 23, 1895
Washington
(1) 		Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.
John Allen was appointed to serve until March 20, 1893, but the Senate rejected his credentials.
Successor elected February 1, 1895. 		John L. Wilson (R) February 19, 1895
California
(3) 		Leland Stanford (R) Died June 21, 1893.
Successor was appointed July 26, 1893, and elected January 23, 1895. 		George C. Perkins (R) July 26, 1893
Mississippi
(2) 		Edward C. Walthall (D) Resigned January 24, 1894, due to ill health.
Successor was elected. 		Anselm J. McLaurin (D) February 27, 1894
Louisiana
(3) 		Edward D. White (D) Resigned March 12, 1894, to become Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Successor was appointed March 12, 1894, and subsequently elected May 23, 1894. 		Newton C. Blanchard (D) March 12, 1894
Georgia
(2) 		Alfred H. Colquitt (D) Died March 26, 1894.
Successor was appointed April 2, 1894, and subsequently elected November 7, 1894. 		Patrick Walsh (D) April 2, 1894
North Carolina
(3) 		Zebulon B. Vance (D) Died April 14, 1894.
Successor was appointed. 		Thomas J. Jarvis (D) April 19, 1894
Michigan
(1) 		Francis B. Stockbridge (R) Died April 30, 1894.
Successor was appointed. 		John Patton Jr. (R) May 5, 1894
Michigan
(1) 		John Patton Jr. (R) Successor was elected January 14, 1895. Julius C. Burrows (R) January 24, 1895
North Carolina
(3) 		Thomas J. Jarvis (D) Successor was elected January 23, 1895. Jeter C. Pritchard (R) January 23, 1895

House of Representatives

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  • Replacements: 22
  • Deaths: 11
  • Resignations: 13
  • Contested election: 3
  • Total seats with changes: 30
District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date successor seated
Rhode Island 2nd Vacant Late run-off election. Charles H. Page (D) April 5, 1893
Massachusetts 7th Vacant Rep. Henry Cabot Lodge resigned during previous congress William Everett (D) April 25, 1893
Wisconsin 4th Vacant Elected to finish term of Rep. John L. Mitchell who resigned during previous congress Peter J. Somers (D) August 27, 1893
Pennsylvania 8th William Mutchler (D) Died June 23, 1893 Howard Mutchler (D) August 7, 1893
Ohio 10th William H. Enochs (R) Died July 13, 1893 Hezekiah S. Bundy (R) December 4, 1893
Michigan 1st J. Logan Chipman (D) Died August 17, 1893 Levi T. Griffin (D) December 4, 1893
Pennsylvania 2nd Charles O'Neill (R) Died November 25, 1893 Robert Adams Jr. (R) December 19, 1893
Pennsylvania At-large William Lilly (R) Died December 1, 1893 Galusha A. Grow (R) February 26, 1894
New York 15th Ashbel P. Fitch (D) Resigned December 26, 1893, after becoming New York City Comptroller Isidor Straus (D) December 30, 1894
Virginia 7th Charles T. O'Ferrall (D) Resigned December 28, 1893, after being elected Governor of Virginia Smith S. Turner (D) January 30, 1894
New York 14th John R. Fellows (D) Resigned December 31, 1893, after becoming District Attorney of New York City Lemuel E. Quigg (R) January 30, 1894
Ohio 3rd George W. Houk (D) Died February 9, 1894 Paul J. Sorg (D) May 21, 1894
South Carolina 1st William H. Brawley (D) Resigned February 12, 1894, after being appointed judge for the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina James F. Izlar (D) April 12, 1894
Louisiana 4th Newton C. Blanchard (D) Resigned March 12, 1894, after being appointed to the U.S. Senate Henry W. Ogden (D) December 3, 1894
Missouri 11th Charles F. Joy (R) Election was successfully challenged April 3, 1894 John J. O'Neill (D) April 3, 1894
California 3rd Samuel G. Hilborn (R) Election was successfully challenged April 4, 1894 Warren B. English (D) May 12, 1894
Ohio 2nd John A. Caldwell (R) Resigned April 4, 1894, after becoming Mayor of Cincinnati Jacob H. Bromwell (R) December 3, 1894
Maryland 1st Robert F. Bratton (D) Died May 10, 1894 W. Laird Henry (D) November 6, 1894
Maryland 5th Barnes Compton (D) Resigned May 15, 1894, after being appointed as a naval officer Charles E. Coffin (R) November 6, 1894
Kentucky 10th Marcus C. Lisle (D) Died July 7, 1894 William M. Beckner (D) December 3, 1894
Kansas 2nd Edward H. Funston (R) Election was successfully challenged August 2, 1894 Horace L. Moore (D) August 2, 1894
Arkansas 2nd Clifton R. Breckinridge (D) Resigned August 14, 1894, after being appointed Minister to Russia John S. Little (D) December 3, 1894
Wisconsin 7th George B. Shaw (R) Died August 27, 1894 Michael Griffin (R) November 5, 1894
Alabama 3rd William C. Oates (D) Resigned November 5, 1894, after being elected Governor of Alabama George P. Harrison Jr. (D) November 6, 1894
Pennsylvania 15th Myron B. Wright (R) Died November 13, 1894 Edwin J. Jorden (R) February 23, 1895
New York 11th Amos J. Cummings (D) Resigned November 21, 1894 Vacant until next Congress
Kentucky 9th Thomas H. Paynter (D) Resigned January 5, 1895, after being elected judge for the Kentucky Court of Appeals Vacant until next Congress
Illinois 10th Philip S. Post (R) Died January 6, 1895 Vacant until next Congress
Illinois At-large John C. Black (D) Resigned January 12, 1895, to become United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Vacant until next Congress
Michigan 3rd Julius C. Burrows (R) Resigned January 23, 1895, after being elected to the U.S. Senate Vacant until next Congress
Washington At-large John L. Wilson (R) Resigned February 18, 1895, after being elected to the U.S. Senate Vacant until next Congress

Committees

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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

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House of Representatives

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Joint committees

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Caucuses

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Employees

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Legislative branch agency directors

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Senate

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House of Representatives

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See also

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References

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  • 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.
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