The 1900–1904 Mississippi Legislature was convened in two sessions: a regular session that lasted from January 2, 1900 to March 12, 1900, and a special session that lasted from January 7, 1902, to March 5, 1902.
| 1900–1904 Mississippi Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Mississippi Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | Mississippi,  United States | ||||
| Meeting place | Old Mississippi State Capitol | ||||
| Term | 2 January 1900 – 5 January 1904 | ||||
| Election | 1899 Mississippi elections | ||||
| Mississippi State Senate | |||||
| Members | 45 | ||||
| President | James T. Harrison | ||||
| President pro tempore | John R. Dinsmore (1900 session) William Gwin Kiger (1902 session) | ||||
| Party control | Democratic | ||||
| Mississippi House of Representatives | |||||
| Members | 133 | ||||
| Speaker | A. J. Russell | ||||
| Party control | Democratic | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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History
editMembers were elected on November 7, 1899, for four-year terms.[1] The 1900–1904 Legislature met in two sessions.[2] The term's first session, and the legislature's 76th overall, met on January 2, 1900, for both houses.[3][4] This was considered a regular session.[3] That session ended when both houses adjourned on March 12, 1900.[4] During this session, the legislature passed a bill funding 1 million dollars for the construction of a new state capitol building.[5]
The term's second and final session, and the legislature's 77th overall, met on January 7, 1902.[6] This was called as a special session.[6] The Senate adjourned on March 5, 1902.[6] This was the last Mississippi Legislature session held in the Old Mississippi State Capitol, as the state government moved to the new and current state capitol in September 1903.[5] The term officially ended when members were sworn in for the 1904–1908 session on January 5, 1904.[7]
Officers
editSenate
editJ. H. Jones, as Lieutenant Governor, served as President of the Senate at the start of the term.[3] Senate officers were elected on the first day of the session.[3] First, elections of offices held by non-senators were held.[3] John Y. Murry Jr. was unanimously elected Secretary of the Senate.[3] A. R. Govan was elected Sergeant-at-Arms, defeating three other candidates in three ballots.[3] H. J. Thornton was then elected Door-Keeper in four ballots.[3]
Next, the election for President pro tempore was held.[3] Twelfth District senator William Gwin Kiger nominated 16th District senator John R. Dinsmore for the office, and 25th District senator S. M. Meek seconded the nomination.[3] A voice vote was held.[3] Dinsmore won the office, with 42 of 45 senators voting for him.[3] (Two senators, Wesley G. Evans and W. P. S. Ventress, were absent that day, and Dinsmore voted for Kiger.)[3] Later during the 1900 session, the newly inaugurated Lieutenant Governor James T. Harrison replaced Jones as Senate President.[3]
Dinsmore died in office on April 27, 1900.[8] On the second day of the 1902 session (January 8), the Senate elected a new President pro tempore.[6] Edmond Noel nominated Kiger.[6] Richard Abbay nominated 30th District senator E. H. Moore, and Elias A. Rowan seconded Moore's nomination.[6] Moore then requested his nomination be withdrawn from consideration.[6] Then a ballot vote was held.[6] As the only candidate remaining, Kiger won the election with 37 senators voting for him, and 7 absent or not voting.[6] Kiger was then sworn in as president pro tempore for the 1902 session.[6]
House
editOfficer elections were held on the first day of the 1900 session.[4] Washington County representative E. N. Thomas nominated Lauderdale County representative A. J. Russell for Speaker pro tempore, and Russell was elected unanimously.[4] Alcorn County representative T. N. Underwood nominated L. Pink Smith to be the House Clerk pro tempore (a non-representative-held position), and Smith was also elected unanimously.[4] Then, elections for permanent positions were held. Russell was nominated and then won the election for Speaker with a 130-3 vote, with two members absent and Russell not voting.[4] Smith was then elected House Clerk with a 131-2 vote and the same absent representatives not voting.[4]
Personnel
editSenate
editForty-five senators were elected to represent 38 different districts.[1] All senators were Democrats.[1][3] Three senators were sworn in during the 1902 session to fill vacancies.[6]
| District Number | Counties | Senator Name | Residence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hancock, Harrison, Jackson | Wesley G. Evans | Mississippi City |
| 2 | Wayne, Jones, Perry, Greene | F. M. Sheppard | Henderson |
| 3 | Jasper, Clarke | B. W. Sharbrough | Paulding |
| 4 | Simpson, Covington, Marion, Pearl River | Albert W. Dent | Westville |
| 5 | Rankin, Smith | William H. Hughes | Raleigh |
| 6 | Pike, Franklin | J. H. McGehee | Little Springs |
| 7 | Amite, Wilkinson | W. P. S. Ventress | Woodville |
| 8 | Lincoln, Lawrence | Charles Chrisman | Brookhaven |
| 9 | Adams | James A. Clinton | Natchez |
| 10 | Claiborne, Jefferson | William D. Torrey (1900) | Fayette |
| T. M. Shelton (1902) | |||
| 11 | Copiah | Elias Alford Rowan | Wesson |
| 12 | Hinds, Warren | Richard L. Bradley | Bolton |
| William Gwin Kiger | Brunswick | ||
| Ramsey Wharton | Jackson | ||
| 13 | Scott, Newton | John B. Bailey | Conehatta |
| 14 | Lauderdale | Chris C. Dunn | Meridian |
| 15 | Kemper, Winston | James R. Key | Oak Grove |
| 16 | Noxubee | John R. Dinsmore (1900) | Macon |
| A. T. Dent (1902) | |||
| 17 | Leake, Neshoba | George E. Wilson | Philadelphia |
| 18 | Madison | Robert C. Lee | Madison Station |
| 19 | Yazoo | Allen M. Hicks | Myrleville |
| 20 | Sharkey, Issaquena | Lorraine C. Dulaney | Duncansby |
| 21 | Holmes | Edmond F. Noel | Lexington |
| 22 | Attala | Wiley Sanders | Kosciusko |
| 23 | Oktibbeha, Choctaw | Lem T. Seawright | Ackerman |
| 24 | Clay, Webster | J. Walter Heard | West Point |
| 25 | Lowndes | Samuel M. Meek | Columbus |
| 26 | Carroll, Montgomery | Alfred H. George | Carrollton |
| 27 | Leflore, Tallahatchie | Artemus F. Gardner | Greenwood |
| 28 | Yalobusha, Grenada | Benjamin C. Adams | Grenada |
| 29 | Washington, Sunflower | Robert B. Campbell | Greenville |
| William B. Martin | Indianola | ||
| 30 | Bolivar | Edward H. Moore | Rosedale |
| 31 | Chickasaw, Calhoun, Pontotoc | Nathan B. Crawford | Atlanta |
| Joseph I. Ballinger (1900) | Pittsboro | ||
| T. W. Young (1902) | |||
| 32 | Lafayette | John W. T. Falkner | Oxford |
| 33 | Panola | Archibald S. Yarbrough | Como |
| 34 | Coahoma, Tunica, Quitman | R. F. Abbay | Commerce |
| 35 | DeSoto | Leonard J. Farley | Hernando |
| 36 | Tate, Benton | Thomas L. Cooper | Looxahama |
| Marshall | Sam Hinton | Mount Pleasant | |
| Union, Tippah | Gaston L. Jones | New Albany | |
| 37 | Tishomingo, Alcorn, Prentiss | James O. Looney | Jacinto |
| 38 | Monroe | Henry F. Broyles | Greenwood Springs |
| Lee, Itawamba | Leroy T. Taylor | Verona |
House
editIn the 1900 session, the House had 131 Democrats and 2 Populists.[1][4] In the 1902 session, five new members were sworn in to fill vacancies.[9]
References
edit- ^ a b c d "Department Reports 1897-99". HathiTrust. pp. 405–406, 437–445. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ "Mississippi official and statistical register 1964/68". HathiTrust. p. 203. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "Journal of the Senate of the State of Mississippi ... 1900". HathiTrust. pp. 1–7, 78. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Journal 1900". HathiTrust. pp. 3–7, 782. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ a b Official and Statistical Register of the State of Mississippi. 1904. pp. 597, 666.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Journal of the Senate of the State of Mississippi ... 1902 special session". HathiTrust. pp. 3, 55–56, 450, 524. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ Senate, Mississippi Legislature (1904). Journal. p. 5.
- ^ "Clarion-Ledger from Jackson, Mississippi". Newspapers.com. 1900-04-28. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
- ^ "Journal 1902". HathiTrust. p. 5. Retrieved 2024-08-18.
- ^ "Mississippi Legislature Alphabetically, 1900". The Grenada Sentinel. 1899-12-30. p. 2. Retrieved 2024-08-21.