1855 Massachusetts legislature

Last updated
76th
Massachusetts General Court
75th 77th
Overview
Legislative body General Court
Senate
Members40
President Henry Wetherby Benchley
Party control Know-Nothing [1]
House
Members380 [2]
Speaker Daniel C. Eddy
Party controlKnow-Nothing [1]
Sessions
1stJanuary 3, 1855 (1855-01-03) – May 21, 1855 (1855-05-21) [3]
Henry Wetherby Benchley.png
Henry Benchley, Senate president.
1855 Daniel Clarke Eddy Massachusetts House of Representatives US.png
Daniel Eddy, House speaker.
Leaders of the Massachusetts General Court, 1855.

The 76th Massachusetts General Court, consisting of the Massachusetts Senate and the Massachusetts House of Representatives, met in 1855 during the governorship of Henry Gardner. Henry Wetherby Benchley served as president of the Senate and Daniel C. Eddy served as speaker of the House. [4]

Contents

"Know-Nothings won all 40 state Senate seats and all but three of the 379 state House seats in 1854, in addition to the governorship.... Once in power, the Know-Nothings passed legislation to deport poor or mentally ill Irish residents; to 'inspect' Catholic schools and convents; and to order daily readings from the Protestant Bible in public schools." [1]

On May 9, 1855, Joseph Hiss became the first Massachusetts state representative to be expelled from the House. [5]

Notable legislation

This legislature passed the nation's first statute racially integrating public education. [6]

Senators

Representatives

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Robert David Sullivan (2005). "A Toast to the General Court". CommonWealth Magazine . 10 (4).
  2. "Composition of the State of Massachusetts House of Representatives", Resources on Massachusetts Political Figures in the State Library, Mass.gov, archived from the original on June 6, 2020
  3. "Length of Legislative Sessions". Manual for the Use of the General Court. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2009. p. 348+.
  4. "Organization of the Legislature Since 1780". Manual for the Use of the General Court. Boston: Commonwealth of Massachusetts. 2009. p. 340+.
  5. Lucas, Peter (February 11, 2014). "Legislative expulsion? It started with a wayward Hiss". Lowell Sun.
  6. "In Pursuit of Equality – Separate Is Not Equal". americanhistory.si.edu.
  7. "Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Civil Government, 1855". Massachusetts Register, 1855 via Archive.org.

Further reading