64th United States Congress

The 64th 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, 1915, to March 4, 1917, during the third and fourth years of Woodrow Wilson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1910 United States census.

64th United States Congress
63rd ←
→ 65th
United States Capitol (1906)
March 4, 1915 – March 4, 1917
Members96 senators
435 representatives
5 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityDemocratic
Senate PresidentThomas R. Marshall (D)
House majorityDemocratic
House SpeakerChamp Clark (D)
Sessions
1st: December 6, 1915 – September 8, 1916
2nd: December 4, 1916 – March 3, 1917 (lame duck)

The Democrats maintained a majority in both chambers (albeit reduced in the House) and, along with President Wilson, also maintained an overall federal government trifecta.

Major events
President Wilson before Congress, announcing the break in the official relations with Germany. February 3, 1917.
Main articles: 1915 in the United States, 1916 in the United States, and 1917 in the United States
  • June 9, 1915 (Prelude to World War I): U.S. Secretary of State William Jennings Bryan resigned over a disagreement regarding the nation's handling of the RMS Lusitania sinking.
  • July 24, 1915: The steamer SS Eastland capsized in central Chicago, with the loss of 844 lives.
  • July 28, 1915: The United States occupation of Haiti began.
  • August 5–August 23, 1915: Hurricane Two of the 1915 Atlantic hurricane season over Galveston and New Orleans left 275 dead.
  • March 8–March 9, 1916: Mexican Revolution: Pancho Villa led about 500 Mexican raiders in an attack against Columbus, New Mexico, killing 12 U.S. soldiers. A garrison of the U.S. 13th Cavalry Regiment fights back and drives them away.
  • March 15, 1916: President Woodrow Wilson sent 12,000 United States troops over the U.S.-Mexico border to pursue Pancho Villa.
  • May 5, 1916: United States Marines invaded and started the occupation of the Dominican Republic.
  • July 30, 1916: German agents caused the Black Tom explosion in Jersey City, New Jersey, an act of sabotage destroying an ammunition depot and killing at least seven people.
  • November 7, 1916: U.S. presidential election, 1916: Democratic President Woodrow Wilson narrowly defeated Republican Charles E. Hughes.
  • January 11, 1917 (Prelude to World War I): German saboteurs set off the Kingsland Explosion at Kingsland, New Jersey (now Lyndhurst, New Jersey), one of the events leading to U.S. involvement in World War I.
  • February 3, 1917 (Prelude to World War I): The United States severs diplomatic relations with Germany

Major legislation
  • May 15, 1916: Kern Amendment
  • May 29, 1916: Fraudulent Advertising Act of 1916
  • May 31, 1916: Tillman Act
  • June 3, 1916: National Defense Act of 1916
  • June 9, 1916: Chamberlain–Ferris Act
  • July 11, 1916: Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 (Bankhead–Shackleford Act, also known as Federal "Good Roads" Act)
  • July 11, 1916: Terminal Inspection Act of 1916
  • July 17, 1916: Federal Farm Loan Act (Hollis–Lever Act)
  • July 27, 1916: River and Harbors Act of 1916
  • July 28, 1916: Post Office Appropriation Act of 1916
  • August 9, 1916: Uniform Bill of Lading Act of 1916
  • August 11, 1916: Irrigation District Act of 1916 (Smith Act)
  • August 11, 1916: Wildlife Game Refuges Act of 1916
  • August 11, 1916: Grain Standards Act of 1916
  • August 11, 1916: Cotton Futures Act of 1916
  • August 11, 1916: Brush Disposal Act of 1916
  • August 11, 1916: Warehouse Act of 1916
  • August 25, 1916: National Park Service Act (Kent–Smoot Act)
  • August 29, 1916: 2nd Uniform Bill of Lading Act of 1916
  • August 29, 1916: Jones Act (Philippines)
  • August 29, 1916: Federal Possession and Control Act of 1916
  • August 29, 1916: Army Appropriations Act of 1916
  • August 29, 1916: Naval Act of 1916
  • August 29, 1916: Naval Reserve Force Act
  • August 31, 1916: Federal Standard Container Act
  • August 31, 1916: Standard Fruits and Vegetable Baskets and Containers Act of 1916
  • September 1, 1916: Keating–Owen Act
  • September 3, 1916: Adamson Act
  • September 7, 1916: Merchant Marine Act of 1916 (Alexander Act)
  • September 7, 1916: Workingmen's Compensation Act (Kern–McGillicuddy Act)
  • September 8, 1916: Anti-Dumping Act of 1916
  • September 8, 1916: Emergency Revenue Act of 1916
  • October 20, 1916: Special Air Preparedness Act
  • December 29, 1916: Stock-Raising Homestead Act
  • February 5, 1917: Immigration Act of 1917
  • February 22, 1917: Federal Interpleader Act of 1917
  • February 23, 1917: Smith–Hughes Act
  • February 26, 1917: Mount McKinley National Park Act of 1917
  • March 1, 1917: Flood Control Act of 1917 (Ransdell–Humphreys Act)
  • March 2, 1917: Jones–Shafroth Act
  • March 3, 1917: Reed Amendment
  • March 3, 1917: Sheppard Bone-Dry Act
  • March 3, 1917: Special Preparedness Fund Act of 1917
  • March 4, 1917: Timber Export Act

Treaties

Party summary

Senate
Party
(shading shows control)		 Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)		 Republican
(R)		Other
End of previous congress 53 42 1[lower-alpha 1] 96 0
Begin 56 40 0 96 0
End 55 41
Final voting share 57.3% 42.7% 0.0%
Beginning of next congress 54 42 0 96 0

House of Representatives
Party
(shading shows control)		 Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)		 Bull
Moose
(Prog.)		Socialist
(Soc.)		Independent
(I)		Prohibition
(Proh.)		Republican
(R)
End of previous congress 282 11 0 1 0 130 424 11
Begin 230 6 1 1 1 192 431 4
End 227 4 200 4341
Final voting share 52.3% 0.9% 0.2% 0.2% 0.2% 46.1%
Beginning of next congress 213 3 1 0 1 216 434 1

Leadership

Senate

House of Representatives

Majority (Democratic) leadership

Minority (Republican) leadership

Members
Skip to House of Representatives, below

Senate

Prior to the 64th Congress, per Article 1, Section 3, Clause 1 of the Constitution, all senators had been "chosen by the [State] Legislature thereof." (As a practical matter, many senators had been "elected"; however, technically, those elections were subject to affirmation by the State Legislatures.)[1]

However, 32 senators of the 64th Congress - those of Senate Class 3 - were directly elected by popular vote in the 1914 United States Senate Elections as directed by the 17th Amendment. The 17th stipulated that it "...shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution." Thus, Class 1 and 2 senators were not subject to election until 1916 and 1918, respectively. (Note, however, that should a senator have perished prior to the end of his term, then their replacement would have been subject to direct election as they would not have been "chosen before" ratification. This is why Augustus Bacon was the first senator constitutionally elected on July 15, 1913.)[1]

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
  • Deaths: 3
  • Resignations: 0
  • Vacancy: 0
  • Total seats with changes: 4
State Senator Reason for vacancy Successor Date of successor's installation
Indiana
(3)		 Benjamin F. Shively (D) Died March 14, 1916. Successor was appointed. Thomas Taggart (D) March 20, 1916
Maine
(2)		 Edwin C. Burleigh (R) Died June 16, 1916. Successor was elected. Bert M. Fernald (R) September 12, 1916
Arkansas
(3)		 James P. Clarke (D) Died October 1, 1916. Successor was elected. William F. Kirby (D) November 8, 1916
Indiana
(3)		 Thomas Taggart (D) Successor was elected. James E. Watson (R) November 8, 1916

House of Representatives
  • Replacements: 9
  • Deaths: 8
  • Resignations: 12
  • Contested elections: 4
  • Total seats with changes: 15
District Vacated by Reason for vacancy Successor Date of successor's installation
New York 31st Vacant Rep. Edwin A. Merritt died during previous congress Bertrand Snell (R) November 2, 1915
New York 36th Vacant Rep. Sereno E. Payne died during previous congress Norman J. Gould (R) November 2, 1915
Pennsylvania 24th Vacant Rep.-elect William M. Brown died during previous congress Henry W. Temple (R) November 2, 1915
New York 1st Vacant Election was tied up in the courts Frederick C. Hicks (R) January 4, 1916
South Carolina 4th Joseph T. Johnson (D) Resigned April 19, 1915 Samuel J. Nicholls (D) September 4, 1915
New York 23rd Joseph A. Goulden (D) Died May 3, 1915 William S. Bennet (R) November 2, 1915
Mississippi 5th Samuel A. Witherspoon (D) Died November 24, 1915 William W. Venable (D) January 4, 1916
West Virginia 2nd William Gay Brown Jr. (D) Died March 9, 1916 George M. Bowers (R) May 9, 1916
West Virginia 4th Hunter H. Moss Jr. (R) Died July 15, 1916 Harry C. Woodyard (R) November 7, 1916
California 10th William Stephens (Prog.) Resigned July 22, 1916, after being elected Lieutenant Governor of California Henry S. Benedict (R) November 7, 1916
Virginia 7th James Hay (D) Resigned October 1, 1916, after being appointed judge of the United States Court of Claims Thomas W. Harrison (D) November 7, 1916
Philippines Resident Commissioner Manuel L. Quezon Resigned October 15, 1916, after being elected to the Senate of the Philippines Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Luis Muñoz Rivera Died November 15, 1916 Seat remained vacant until next Congress
Georgia 8th Samuel J. Tribble (D) Incumbent died December 8, 1916.
Successor elected January 11, 1917.		 Tinsley W. Rucker Jr. (D) January 11, 1917
South Carolina 5th David E. Finley (D) Resigned January 26, 1917.
Successor elected February 21, 1917.		 Paul G. McCorkle (D) February 21, 1917
New York 15th Michael F. Conry (D) Died March 2, 1917 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

House of Representatives

Joint committees
  • Armor Plant Costs (Special)
  • Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
  • Federal Aid in Construction of Post Roads
  • Disposition of (Useless) Executive Papers
  • The Library (Chairman: Sen. John Sharp Williams)
  • Interstate Commerce (Chairman: Sen. Francis G. Newlands)
  • Investigate the General Parcel Post
  • Printing (Chairman: Sen. Duncan U. Fletcher)
  • Postage on 2nd Class Mail Matter and Compensation for Transportation of Mail (Chairman: Sen. Jonathan Bourne Jr.)
  • Rural Credits (Chairman: Rep. Carter Glass)
  • Second Class Mail Matter and Compensation for Rail Mail Service

Caucuses

Employees

Legislative branch agency directors

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes
  1. Progressive

References
  1. "Landmark Legislation: The Seventeenth Amendment to the Constitution". United States Senate (Senate.gov). Retrieved February 19, 2023.
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