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 Dick Durbin (IL) as Whip or Assistant Majority Leader, Senator Charles Schumer (NY) as Vice-Chairman, and Senator Patty Murray (WA) as Secretary.

Contents 1 History 2 List of caucus chairpersons 3 Vice Chairmanship 4 References 5 External links

[edit] History

The Caucus 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

See also: United States Senate Democratic Conference Chairman

• John W. Stevenson (inception-1877)
• William A. Wallace (1877-1881)
• George H. 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] Vice Chairmanship

After the victory of Democrats in the Midterm Elections of 2006, an overwhelming majority of the caucus thought of rewarding Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) a position in the hierarchy after knocking off six incumbent Republicans. In response, Democratic Leader Harry Reid created a position of the Vice Chairman, making it the third ranking Democratic position, after Leader and Whip.

• Chuck Schumer (2007-Present)

[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
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
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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