(1783-1870) a U.S. Representative, was born in Sutton, Massachusetts on July 9, 1783. He attended the common schools, studied medicine and began his practice in Livermore in 1814. Holland moved to Canton in 1815 also engaging in agricultural pursuits. A delegate to the Maine Constitutional Convention in 1819, he became a member of the Maine…
The legislature was established: in 1820 “To make and establish all reasonable laws and regulations for the defense and benefit of the people of this State, not repugnant to the Constitution, nor to that of the United States.” Maine Constitution, Article IV, Part Third, Section I. It consists of a 35 member Senate and a…
The Legislative Council is the administrative body for the Legislative Branch. It comprises the ten members of legislative leadership: the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House, the Majority and Minority Floor Leaders and the Majority and Minority Assistant Floor Leaders for both the Senate and House of Representatives. Council members elect a…
Idea developed A legislator decides to sponsor a bill, sometimes at the suggestion of a constituent, interest group, public official or the Governor. The legislator may ask other legislators in either chamber to join as co-sponsors. While the Maine legislator performs a number of different tasks, the legislative function is essentially that of proposing, considering…
The Maine House of Representatives, on of the two houses of the Maine Legislature, contains 151 voting members elected from as many House Districts. House members are assigned to Joint Standing Committees, as are members of the Senate, to hear and recommend proposed legislation. Both House and Senate districts are reapportioned every ten…
The overall political party balance in the Legislature is important since a joint convention of both bodies elects the Attorney General, Secretary of State, State Treasurer, and State Auditor. The Republican party controlled that joint convention from 1917 through 1974 except for 1965-1966 and 2011-2012. Since 1974 the Democratic party has had an overall…
Political party electoral strength has followed certain geographic patterns in recent years. In the maps below Maine Senate district election results are illustrated: blue for Democrats, red for Republicans, and yellow for non-party (“independent”) candidates. During this period the only independent elected to the Senate has been Richard Woodbury of Yarmouth representing Senate District 11.…
One-hundred sixteen different people have served as Presidents of the Maine Senate since 1820. Until 1880, terms were typically for one year only. In 1880 the Maine Constitution was amended to provide for two-year terms for legislators instead of the one-year terms established in 1820. With that, typical terms for president quickly moved to two…
There have been 101 Speaker-terms in the House of Representatives since 1820. Six Speakers served two separate terms each, making 95 individuals who have held that office through 2013. During that time 93 terms were of one year of less; two terms were two years or less; three were three years, one was five years,…
Year House Senate Total 1923 1 0 1 1925 1 0 1 1927 4 2 6 1929 4 3 7 1931 4 1 5 1933 3 1 4 1935 6 1 7 1937 6 2 8 1939 4 1 5 1941 5 1 6 1943 6 0 6 1945 5 1 6 1947 3 1…
The Senate currently has 35 members, although the number has varied over the years. The President of the Senate presides over that body and is constitutionally eligible to act as Governor in the event of the chief executive’s disability or death. Its smaller number of members compared to the House (35 v. 151) make each…