Party Leaders in Congress, 1789-2002: Vital Statistics

Publication Date: February 2002

Publisher: Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service

Author(s):

Research Area: Government

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Abstract:

This report presents tables that provide historical data, including service dates, party affiliation, and other information, for 15 House and Senate party leadership posts. This information has been updated to reflect leadership changes in the 107th Congress, as of its issuance date. The report will be updated, as changes in House and Senate party leadership positions occur.

Although party divisions appeared almost from the First Congress, the formally structured party leadership organizations now taken for granted are a relatively modern development. Constitutionally-specified leaders, namely the Speaker of the House and the President pro tempore of the Senate, can be identified since the first Congress. Other leadership posts, however, were not officially recognized until about the middle of the 19th century, and some are 20th century creations.

The Senate was slower than the House to develop a separate, identifiable party leadership. Records of party conferences in the 19th century Senate are not available. Memoirs and other secondary sources reveal the identities of party conference or caucus chairmen for some, but not all, Congresses after about 1850; but these posts carried very little authority. It was not uncommon for Senators to publicly declare that within the Senate parties, there was no single leader. Rather, through the turn of the 20th century, individuals who led the Senate achieved their position through recognized personal attributes, including persuasion and oratorical skills, rather than election or appointment to official leadership posts.

The development of Senate party floor leaders was, like in the House, one of slow evolution, linked for the most part to the post of conference chairman. Not until 1945 did Senate Republicans specify that the conference chairmanship and floor leader posts must be held by separate Senators. Among Senate Democrats, the floor leader is also chairman of the conference.

The tables in this report do not list all Senators and Representatives who have held all leadership posts. Some leadership posts are excluded in order to provide a manageable amount of data. An appendix explains the abbreviations used to denote political parties. This report will be updated when leadership changes occur.