| 61st United States Congress | |
|---|---|
60th ← → 62nd | |
 United States Capitol (1906) | |
March 4, 1909 – March 4, 1911 | |
| Members | 92 senators 391 representatives 7 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Republican |
| Senate President | James S. Sherman (R) |
| House majority | Republican |
| House Speaker | Joseph G. Cannon (R) |
| Sessions | |
| Special[a]: March 4, 1909 – March 6, 1909 1st: March 15, 1909 – August 5, 1909 2nd: December 6, 1909 – June 25, 1910 3rd: December 5, 1910 – March 3, 1911 | |
The61st United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, composed of theUnited States Senate and theUnited States House of Representatives. It met inWashington, D.C., from March 4, 1909, to March 4, 1911, during the first two years ofWilliam H. Taft'spresidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the1900 United States census. Both chambers had aRepublican majority.
| Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) | Republican (R) | |||
| End ofprevious congress | 31 | 61 | 92 | 0 |
| Begin | 32 | 59 | 91 | 1 |
| End | ||||
| Final voting share | 35.2% | 64.8% | ||
| Beginning ofnext congress | 40 | 50 | 90 | 2 |
| Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) | Independent Democratic (ID) | Republican (R) | Other (O) | |||
| End ofprevious congress | 164 | 1 | 220 | 0 | 385 | 6 |
| Begin | 170 | 1 | 218 | 0 | 389 | 2 |
| End | 173 | 210 | 384 | 7 | ||
| Final voting share | 45.1% | 0.3% | 54.7% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning ofnext congress | 228 | 0 | 160 | 2[b] | 390 | 1 |
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 areSenate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election, In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1910; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1912; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1914.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
| State (class) | Vacated by | Reason for vacancy | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois (3) | Vacant | Sen. was elected at beginning of term. Served in House until resigning June 18, 1909 | William Lorimer (R) | June 18, 1909 |
| Pennsylvania (1) | Philander C. Knox (R) | Resigned March 4, 1909, after being appointedUnited States Secretary of State. Successor was elected. | George T. Oliver (R) | March 17, 1909 |
| North Dakota (3) | Martin N. Johnson (R) | Died October 21, 1909. Successor was appointed. | Fountain L. Thompson (D) | November 10, 1909 |
| Mississippi (2) | Anselm J. McLaurin (D) | Died December 22, 1909. Successor was appointed. | James Gordon (D) | December 27, 1909 |
| North Dakota (3) | Fountain L. Thompson (D) | Resigned January 31, 1910. Successor was appointed. | William E. Purcell (D) | February 1, 1910 |
| Mississippi (2) | James Gordon (D) | Successor was elected. | LeRoy Percy (D) | February 23, 1910 |
| Louisiana (3) | Samuel D. McEnery (D) | Died June 28, 1910. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. | John Thornton (D) | December 7, 1910 |
| Virginia (1) | John W. Daniel (D) | Died June 29, 1910. Successor was appointed. | Claude A. Swanson (D) | August 1, 1910 |
| Iowa (2) | Jonathan P. Dolliver (R) | Died October 15, 1910 | Lafayette Young (R) | November 12, 1910 |
| Georgia (3) | Alexander S. Clay (D) | Died November 13, 1910. Successor was appointed. | Joseph M. Terrell (D) | November 17, 1910 |
| West Virginia (2) | Stephen B. Elkins (R) | Died January 4, 1911. Successor was appointed. | Davis Elkins (R) | January 9, 1911 |
| Colorado (3) | Charles J. Hughes Jr. (D) | Died January 11, 1911. | Vacant until next Congress | |
| West Virginia (2) | Davis Elkins (R) | Successor was elected. | Clarence W. Watson (D) | February 1, 1911 |
| North Dakota (3) | William E. Purcell (D) | Successor was elected. | Asle Gronna (R) | February 2, 1911 |
| District | Vacated by | Reason for vacancy | Successor | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana 2nd | Vacant | Rep.Robert C. Davey died during previous congress | Samuel L. Gilmore (D) | March 30, 1909 |
| Ohio 21st | Vacant | Rep.Theodore E. Burton resigned during previous congress | James H. Cassidy (R) | April 20, 1909 |
| Illinois 6th | William Lorimer (R) | Resigned June 17, 1909, after being elected to theU.S. Senate | William Moxley (R) | November 23, 1909 |
| Washington 2nd | Francis W. Cushman (R) | Died July 6, 1909 | William W. McCredie (R) | November 2, 1909 |
| Virginia 4th | Francis R. Lassiter (D) | Died October 31, 1909 | Robert Turnbull (D) | March 8, 1910 |
| Philippines Resident Commissioner | Pablo Ocampo | Term ended November 22, 1909 | Manuel L. Quezon (Unionist) | November 23, 1909 |
| Missouri 6th | David A. De Armond (D) | Died November 23, 1909 | Clement C. Dickinson (D) | February 1, 1910 |
| Georgia 2nd | James M. Griggs (D) | Died January 5, 1910 | Seaborn Roddenbery (D) | February 6, 1910 |
| Massachusetts 14th | William C. Lovering (R) | Died March 11, 1910 | Eugene Foss (D) | January 4, 1911 |
| New York 32nd | James B. Perkins (R) | Died February 4, 1910 | James S. Havens (D) | April 19, 1910 |
| Texas 3rd | Gordon J. Russell (D) | Resigned June 14, 1910, after being appointed judge for theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas | Robert M. Lively (D) | July 23, 1910 |
| Tennessee 1st | Walter P. Brownlow (R) | Died July 8, 1910 | Zachary D. Massey (R) | November 8, 1910 |
| Louisiana 2nd | Samuel L. Gilmore (D) | Died July 18, 1910 | H. Garland Dupré (D) | November 8, 1910 |
| Massachusetts 4th | Charles Q. Tirrell (R) | Died July 31, 1910 | John J. Mitchell (D) | November 8, 1910 |
| Pennsylvania 5th | William W. Foulkrod (R) | Died November 13, 1910 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Pennsylvania 2nd | Joel Cook (R) | Died December 15, 1910 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Massachusetts 14th | Eugene Foss (D) | Resigned January 4, 1911, after being electedGovernor of Massachusetts | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Pennsylvania 24th | John K. Tener (R) | Resigned January 16, 1911, after being electedGovernor of Pennsylvania | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Pennsylvania 19th | John M. Reynolds (R) | Resigned January 17, 1911, after being electedLieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| North Dakota 2nd | Asle Gronna (R) | Resigned February 11, 1911, after being elected to theU.S. Senate | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
| Maine 1st | Amos L. Allen (R) | Died February 20, 1911 | Seat remained vacant until next Congress | |
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.
