Democratic Caucus of the United States Senate
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The Senate Democratic Caucus (or Conference) is the formal organization of the current 49 Democratic Senators in the United States Senate. In the 110th Congress, the Democratic Caucus includes two Independent senators that formally caucus with the Democrats for the purpose of committee assignments and Senate organization, bringing the total membership of the caucus to 51. The primary organizational front for Democrats in the Senate, its primary function is communicating the party's message to and unifying all of its members. Caucus leadership consists of Senator Harry Reid (NV) as Chairman and Senate Majority Leader, Senator Charles Schumer (NY) as Vice-Chairman, and Senator Patty Murray (WA) as Secretary.
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[edit] History
The Democratic Caucus of the United States Senate was formally organized on March 6, 1903, electing a chairman to preside over its members and a secretary to keep minutes. Until that time, the caucus was often disorganized, philosophically divided, and had neither firm written rules of governance nor a clear mission.
[edit] List of caucus chairpersons
- John W. Stevenson (inception-1877)
- William A. Wallace (1877-1881)
- George Pendleton (1881-1885)
- James B. Beck (1885-1890)
- Arthur P. Gorman (1890-1898)
- David Turpie (1898-1899)
- James K. Jones (1899-1903)
- Arthur P. Gorman (1903-1906) 1
- Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn (1906-1907)
- Charles A. Culberson (1907-1909)
- Hernando D. Money (1909-1911)
- Thomas S. Martin (1911-1913)
- John Worth Kern (1913-1917)
- Thomas S. Martin (1917-1919)
- Oscar W. Underwood (1920-1923) 2
- Joseph T. Robinson (1923-1937)
- Alben W. Barkley (1937-1949)
- Scott W. Lucas (1949-1951)
- Ernest W. McFarland (1951-1953)
- Lyndon B. Johnson (1953-1961)
- Mike Mansfield (1961-1977)
- Robert C. Byrd (1977-1989)
- George J. Mitchell (1989-1995)
- Thomas A. Daschle (1995-2005)
- Harry M. Reid (2005-present)
[edit] Footnotes
- Gorman was the first elected by a formally organized caucus.[1]
- Beginning in 1920, the Democratic Conference chairperson also served as Democratic floor leader. In that year, Oscar Underwood became the first officially designated Democratic floor leader, and the tradition of combining the two positions continues to this day.
[edit] References
- Donald A. Ritchie (ed). Minutes of the Senate Democratic Conference: Fifty-eighth through Eighty-eighth Congress, 1903-1964. Washington, D.C., GPO, 1999. Available online in PDF or Text format.
[edit] External links
- Official Home of the Senate Democratic Caucus on the Internet
- Senate Party Leadership -- Much of this article's content was adapted from this useful public domain resource.
- First Formal Organization of the Senate Democratic Caucus
| Party conferences in the United States Congress | ||
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| Senate Republican Conference | Senate | Senate Democratic Caucus |
| Conference Chairman | Chairperson | Caucus Chairperson |
| Conference Vice-Chair/Secretary | Secretary | Caucus Secretary |
| Policy Committee Chair | Policy Committee | Policy Committee Chair |
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| House Republican Conference | House of Representatives |
House Democratic Caucus |
| Conference Chairperson | Presiding Officer | Caucus Chairperson |
| Vice-Chair | Vice Chairman | Vice-Chair / Secretary |
| Conference Secretary | Secretary | |
| Policy Committee Chair | Policy Committee | Policy Committee Co-Chair |
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