First-Term Members of the House of Representatives
The roles and expectations for first-term Members of the House of Representatives have changed over time. The earliest Congresses typically featured a large number of first-term Representatives after each election cycle because Members did not usually pursue long congressional careers in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. This meant that first-term Members occasionally assumed prominent roles in the House. Henry Clay of Kentucky, for instance, won election as Speaker in his first term in the House.
But by the early 20th century, first-term Members were expected to go through a period of apprenticeship, learning about the House’s rhythms and procedures from more senior Members before taking on complex policies and managing legislation on the floor. As House Speaker Champ Clark of Missouri once said, “A man has to learn to be a Representative just as he must learn to be a blacksmith, a carpenter, a farmer . . . or a doctor.”1 By the mid-20th century, first-term Members were often called “freshmen.”
The table below documents the number of Representatives serving their first term for each Congress:
A “pre-convening” freshman is a Member (present on Opening Day of a new Congress) who won a seat in the general election. This category also includes people who won a special election prior to the first meeting of a new Congress. This often occurred in the 19th century as Congress typically did not convene for more than a year after the states held their general elections, leaving plenty of time for Members-elect to die, accept an appointment elsewhere in the government, or decide not to serve.
A “post-convening” freshman is someone who entered office mid-Congress and served a partial term. This includes those who won a special election after Congress convened, those who successfully contested an election, and Members whose office was established mid-Congress, such as when a new state is admitted to the Union.
Congress | Pre-convening Freshmen | Post-convening Freshmen | Total2 |
---|---|---|---|
2nd Congress (1791–1793) | 28 | 5 | 33 |
3rd Congress (1793–1795) | 56 | 4 | 60 |
4th Congress (1795–1797) | 35 | 10 | 45 |
5th Congress (1797–1799) | 38 | 12 | 50 |
6th Congress (1799–1801) | 32 | 9 | 41 |
7th Congress (1801–1803) | 40 | 7 | 47 |
8th Congress (1803–1805) | 64 | 7 | 71 |
9th Congress (1805–1807) | 48 | 8 | 56 |
10th Congress (1807–1809) | 42 | 8 | 50 |
11th Congress (1809–1811) | 43 | 12 | 55 |
12th Congress (1811–1813) | 53 | 4 | 57 |
13th Congress (1813–1815) | 90 | 14 | 104 |
14th Congress (1815–1817) | 72 | 15 | 87 |
15th Congress (1817–1819) | 102 | 13 | 115 |
16th Congress (1819–1821) | 71 | 12 | 83 |
17th Congress (1821–1823) | 84 | 9 | 93 |
18th Congress (1823–1825) | 81 | 7 | 88 |
19th Congress (1825–1827) | 75 | 13 | 88 |
20th Congress (1827–1829) | 66 | 7 | 73 |
21st Congress (1829–1831) | 83 | 9 | 92 |
22nd Congress (1831–1833) | 79 | 4 | 83 |
23rd Congress (1833–1835) | 114 | 19 | 133 |
24th Congress (1835–1837) | 87 | 16 | 103 |
25th Congress (1837–1839) | 110 | 16 | 126 |
26th Congress (1839–1841) | 103 | 14 | 117 |
27th Congress (1841–1843) | 91 | 6 | 97 |
28th Congress (1843–1845) | 142 | 13 | 155 |
29th Congress (1845–1847) | 99 | 17 | 116 |
30th Congress (1847–1849) | 110 | 9 | 119 |
31st Congress (1849–1851) | 118 | 10 | 128 |
32nd Congress (1851–1853) | 121 | 6 | 127 |
33rd Congress (1853–1855) | 138 | 7 | 145 |
34th Congress (1855–1857) | 132 | 5 | 137 |
35th Congress (1857–1859) | 102 | 10 | 112 |
36th Congress (1859–1861) | 106 | 4 | 110 |
37th Congress (1861–1863) | 88 | 19 | 107 |
38th Congress (1863–1865) | 104 | 4 | 108 |
39th Congress (1865–1867) | 75 | 11 | 86 |
40th Congress (1867–1869) | 70 | 40 | 110 |
41st Congress (1869–1871) | 97 | 29 | 126 |
42nd Congress (1871–1873) | 106 | 12 | 118 |
43rd Congress (1873–1875) | 147 | 10 | 157 |
44th Congress (1875–1877) | 159 | 15 | 174 |
45th Congress (1877–1879) | 126 | 6 | 132 |
46th Congress (1879–1881) | 119 | 7 | 126 |
47th Congress (1881–1883) | 93 | 7 | 100 |
48th Congress (1883–1885) | 159 | 14 | 173 |
49th Congress (1885–1887) | 118 | 6 | 124 |
50th Congress (1887–1889) | 112 | 3 | 115 |
51st Congress (1889–1891) | 114 | 17 | 131 |
52nd Congress (1891–1893) | 142 | 9 | 151 |
53rd Congress (1893–1895) | 135 | 18 | 153 |
54th Congress (1895–1897) | 166 | 12 | 178 |
55th Congress (1897–1899) | 132 | 14 | 146 |
56th Congress (1899–1901) | 105 | 11 | 116 |
57th Congress (1901–1903) | 86 | 13 | 99 |
58th Congress (1903–1905) | 121 | 9 | 130 |
59th Congress (1905–1907) | 82 | 8 | 90 |
60th Congress (1907–1909) | 88 | 8 | 96 |
61st Congress (1909–1911) | 74 | 13 | 87 |
62nd Congress (1911–1913) | 118 | 17 | 135 |
63rd Congress (1913–1915) | 148 | 18 | 166 |
64th Congress (1915–1917) | 118 | 6 | 124 |
65th Congress (1917–1919) | 69 | 21 | 90 |
66th Congress (1919–1921) | 97 | 19 | 116 |
67th Congress (1921–1923) | 102 | 17 | 119 |
68th Congress (1923–1925) | 117 | 6 | 123 |
69th Congress (1925–1927) | 68 | 5 | 73 |
70th Congress (1927–1929) | 50 | 9 | 59 |
71st Congress (1929–1931) | 59 | 21 | 80 |
72nd Congress (1931–1933) | 76 | 9 | 85 |
73rd Congress (1933–1935) | 150 | 13 | 163 |
74th Congress (1935–1937) | 97 | 10 | 107 |
75th Congress (1937–1939) | 88 | 16 | 104 |
76th Congress (1939–1941) | 104 | 24 | 128 |
77th Congress (1941–1943) | 60 | 19 | 79 |
78th Congress (1943–1945) | 94 | 17 | 111 |
79th Congress (1945–1947) | 66 | 15 | 81 |
80th Congress (1947–1949) | 90 | 18 | 108 |
81st Congress (1949–1951) | 93 | 11 | 104 |
82nd Congress (1951–1953) | 58 | 11 | 69 |
83rd Congress (1953–1955) | 77 | 9 | 86 |
84th Congress (1955–1957) | 49 | 4 | 53 |
85th Congress (1957–1959) | 40 | 10 | 50 |
86th Congress (1959–1961) | 79 | 10 | 89 |
87th Congress (1961–1963) | 55 | 11 | 66 |
88th Congress (1963–1965) | 65 | 12 | 77 |
89th Congress (1965–1967) | 83 | 9 | 92 |
90th Congress (1967–1969) | 60 | 6 | 66 |
91st Congress (1969–1971) | 36 | 13 | 49 |
92nd Congress (1971–1973) | 48 | 10 | 58 |
93rd Congress (1973–1975) | 66 | 10 | 76 |
94th Congress (1975–1977) | 86 | 9 | 95 |
95th Congress (1977–1979) | 63 | 6 | 69 |
96th Congress (1979–1981) | 75 | 7 | 82 |
97th Congress (1981–1983) | 72 | 9 | 81 |
98th Congress (1983–1985) | 77 | 8 | 85 |
99th Congress (1985–1987) | 38 | 5 | 43 |
100th Congress (1987–1989) | 46 | 8 | 54 |
101st Congress (1989–1991) | 31 | 11 | 42 |
102nd Congress (1991–1993) | 41 | 8 | 49 |
103rd Congress (1993–1995) | 108 | 8 | 116 |
104th Congress (1995–1997) | 84 | 6 | 90 |
105th Congress (1997–1999) | 67 | 9 | 76 |
106th Congress (1999–2001) | 39 | 3 | 42 |
107th Congress (2001–2003) | 40 | 9 | 49 |
108th Congress (2003–2005) | 52 | 4 | 56 |
109th Congress (2005–2007) | 37 | 5 | 42 |
110th Congress (2007–2009) | 51 | 13 | 64 |
111th Congress (2009–2011) | 54 | 11 | 65 |
112th Congress (2011–2013) | 89 | 10 | 99 |
113th Congress (2013–2015) | 72 | 10 | 82 |
114th Congress (2015–2017) | 56 | 6 | 62 |
Footnotes
1Richard F. Fenno Jr., “The Freshman Congressman: His View of the House,” in American Governmental Institutions, ed. Aaron Wildavsky and Nelson Polsby (Chicago, IL: Rand McNally and Co., 1968): 21.
2These figures only include Representatives; they do not include Delegates and Resident Commissioners. In many cases, the total number of freshmen in each Congress were not concurrently serving. Sources for this data include: Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774–Present, http://bioguide.congress.gov; Michael J. Dubin, United States Congressional Elections, 1788–1997 (Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., 1998); Journal of the United States House of Representatives, various editions; Jennifer E. Manning, “First-Term Members of the House of Representatives and Senate, 64th–114th Congresses,” Report R41283, 7 March 2016, Congressional Research Service; “Session Dates of Congress”; Congressional Directory, various editions.