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Origins & Development of the United States Senate

The framers of the United States Constitution deliberated at length over the Senate's role in the new federal government. Since that time, the Senate has evolved into a complex legislative body, while remaining true to its constitutional origins.


Original Ledger Found

Image of Senate Ledger Spine

"Probably the oldest book of consecutive accounts kept by government officers," noted an 1885 newspaper article, "is a time-worn volume kept in the office of General Anson G. McCook, secretary of the senate." Marked S-1, this financial ledger records nearly a century of salary and mileage payments to senators, from 1790 to 1881. McCook, recognizing the ledger's importance, had it restored and rebound in 1884. Future employees were not so careful. In the early 1960s, S-1 and nearly sixty other financial ledgers were stored in the basement of the Capitol, and then forgotten. Rediscovered in late 2002, this collection is a unique treasure of Senate history. S-1 has been digitized by the Library of Congress and is now available online.

This Week in Senate History

December 20, 1860
JudahBenjamin

The Senate established its so-called "Committee of Thirteen" as a last-ditch effort to prevent the breakup of the Union. This action occurred on the same day that South Carolina voted for secession. More manageable than its House counterpart--the "Committee of Thirty-Three"--the Senate panel nonetheless faced insurmountable odds. After four meetings, the committee reported to the full Senate that it had been unable to agree on "any general plan of adjustment." Louisiana's Senator Judah Benjamin sounded the effort's death knell when he said, "The day for adjustment has passed. If you would give it now, you are too late. We desire, we beseech you, [to let our] parting be in peace."

December 21, 1995
Photo of Senator Bob Dole of Kansas
Bob Dole (R-KS)

Senator Robert J. Dole (KS) tied Charles McNary's (OR) record for service as Senate Republican floor leader. When McNary died in February 1944, he had held that post for ten years, eleven months, and seventeen days. Senator Dole broke that record on December 22, 1995.  

December 22, 1935
ThomasSchall

An automobile struck and killed fifty-seven-year-old Senator Thomas Schall (R-MN). A ten-year Senate veteran, Schall was blind.

December 25, 1848
Image of Senator Henry Dodge
Henry Dodge (D-WI)

Senator Henry Dodge (WI) must have had a very merry Christmas in 1848. He knew that on the following day, his son, Augustus Caesar Dodge, would take his oath as one of Iowa's first two United States senators. Six months earlier, Henry Dodge had become one of Wisconsin's first two senators. Henry and Augustus served together for the next seven years, the only father-son team in Senate history.

December 26, 1941
Photo of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill

Less than three weeks after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Congress conducted a dramatic joint meeting in the Senate chamber to hear an address by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Although joint meetings are customarily held in the House chamber, congressional leaders, recognizing that many members were out of town for the Christmas holidays, chose the smaller Senate chamber for its better acoustics.

 
  

Senate and the Constitution
Senate is Created
Senate Moves to Washington
Permanent Committees Created
Annotated Senate Time Line
Majority & Minority Parties
Institutional Bibliography (pdf)



Historical information provided by the Senate Historical Office.