Membership of the 110th Congress: A Profile
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Membership of the 110 Congress: A Profile
Mildred Amer
Specialist on the Congress
Government and Finance Division
Summary
This report presents a profile of the membership of the 110th Congress. Statistical
information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party
affiliation, average age and length of service, occupation, religious affiliation, female
and minority Members, foreign-born Members, and military service.
Currently, in the House of Representatives, there are 240 Democrats (including four
Delegates) and 199 Republicans (including the Resident Commissioner). The Senate
has 48 Democrats; two Independents, who have aligned themselves with the Democrats;
and 49 Republicans.
The average age of Members of both houses at the convening of the 110th Congress
was 57.0 years; of Representatives, 55.9 years; and of Senators, 61.7 years. The
overwhelming majority of Members have a college education. The dominant
professions of Members are public service/politics, business, and law. Protestants
collectively constitute the majority religious affiliation of Members. Roman Catholics
account for the largest single religious denomination, and numerous other affiliations
are represented.
The average length of service in the House at the beginning of the Congress was
about 10 years (5.1 terms); in the Senate, 12.8 years (slightly over two terms).
A record number of 91 women serve in the 110th Congress: 75 in the House, 16 in
the Senate. There are 42 African American Members, all serving in the House. Two
are Delegates. There are 30 Hispanic or Latino Members serving: 27 in the House,
including the Resident Commissioner, and three in the Senate. Eight Members (five
Representatives, one Delegate, and two Senators) are Asian or Native Hawaiian/other
Pacific Islander. There is one American Indian (Native American), who serves in the
House.
This report will be revised at the commencement of the 111th Congress.
The 110th Congress: A Profile1
Congress is composed of 540 individuals from the 50 states, as well as the District2
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa. This
count assumes that no seat is temporarily vacant.3 The following is a profile of the 110th
Congress.
Party Breakdown. In the 110th Congress, the current party breakdown in the
House is 240 Democrats (including four Delegates) and 199 Republicans (including the
Resident Commissioner). The Senate has 48 Democrats; two Independents, who have
aligned themselves with the Democrats; and 49 Republicans.
Age. The average age of Members of the 110th Congress is among the oldest of any
Congress in U.S. history.4 The average age of Senators at the beginning of the 110th
Congress was 61.7 years, two years older than the average age of Senators in the 109th
Congress.5 The average age of Representatives was 55.9 years, one year older than for
Members of the 109th Congress.6 The average age of both houses was 57.0 years.
The U.S. Constitution requires Representatives to be at least 25 years old when they
take office. The youngest Representative, as well as youngest Member of Congress, is
Patrick McHenry (R-NC), 33. The oldest Representative is Ralph Hall (R-TX), 85.
Senators must be at least 30 years old when they take office. The youngest Senator
is Senator John Sununu (R-NH), who is 44 and a former Member of the House. The
oldest Senator, as well as the oldest current Member of Congress, is Robert C. Byrd (D-
WV), 91.
1 For background information on earlier Congresses, please refer to CRS Report RS22007,
Membership of the 109th Congress: A Profile, by Mildred Amer; CRS Report RS21379,th
Membership of the 108 Congress: A Profile, by Mildred Amer; CRS Report RS20760,th
Membership of the 107 Congress: A Profile, by Mildred Amer; CRS Report RL30378, African
American Members of the United States Congress: 1870-2008, by Mildred Amer; CRS Report
RL30261, Women in the United States Congress: 1917-2008, by Mildred Amer; and CRS Report
2 This figure includes 100 Senators, 435 Representatives, four delegates (from the District of
Columbia, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands), and one Resident
Commissioner (from Puerto Rico). Since 1789, 11,829 individuals (not including Delegates and
Resident Commissioners) have served in Congress: 9,932 only in the House, 1,251 only in the
Senate, and 646 in both houses.
3 Currently, there is one vacancy in the House and one in the Senate. For information on the
special elections held in the 110th Congress, refer to [http://www.crs.gov/reference/general/
legislative/110change.shtml], This site is updated when there is a death or resignation of a
Member of Congress.
4 Complete CRS records on the ages of Members of the House begin in 1907, the 60th Congress.
5 “110th Congress: Statistically Speaking,” CQ Today, vol. 42, no. 146, November 9, 2006, p. 76,
supplemented by CRS and staff at Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
6 Ibid.
Occupations.7 According to CQ Today, in the 110th Congress, law is the dominant
declared profession of Senators, followed by public service/politics; for Representatives,8
public service/politics is first, followed by business and law. A closer look at the prior
occupations of Members of the 110th Congress also shows:
!13 medical doctors (including a psychiatrist), two dentists, three nurses,
two veterinarians, one psychologist, an optometrist, and one pharmacist;
!six ministers;
!38 mayors, nine state governors, nine lieutenant governors (including two
Delegates), two state first ladies (one of whom was also the first lady of
the United States), and one territorial first lady;
!three former Cabinet secretaries, two former Secretaries of the Navy, a
vice admiral in the navy, a former Deputy Administrator in the
Department of Veterans’ Affairs, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of
State, a former Defense Department counter terrorism consultant, a
former ambassador, three state supreme court justices, and a federal
judge;
!270 (231 in the House and 39 in the Senate) former state legislators;9
!at least 110 former congressional staffers (including 10 congressional
pages),10 16 White House former staffers or fellows, several former
executive branch employees, and a former parliamentary aide in the
British House of Commons;
!four sheriffs, a deputy sheriff, four police officers (including a Capitol
policeman), two state troopers, two probation officers, a volunteer
fireman, an FBI agent, and a former border patrol chief;
!three chemists, three physicists, a biomedical engineer, and a
microbiologist;
!six Peace Corps volunteers;
!two radio talk show hosts, a radio broadcaster, a radio newscaster, a
television talk show host, and a television commentator;
!five accountants;
!a corporate pilot, and an astronaut;
!three professional musicians, a semi-professional musician, a
screenwriter, a documentary film maker, a major league baseball player,
a major league football player; and
7 The professions described here are not necessarily the ones practiced by Members immediately
prior to entering Congress.
8 “110th Congress: Statistically Speaking,” p. 76. In the overwhelming majority of previous
Congresses, business has followed law as the dominant occupation of Members. At the beginningth
of the 110 Congress, 215 Members (159 Representatives, 58 Senators) list their occupation as
law, 202 Members (172 Representatives, 31 Senators) list public service/politics, and 189
Members (162 Representatives, 26 Senators) list business. Eighty-two Representatives and 14
Senators list education as a profession. Members often list more than one profession when
surveyed by Congressional Quarterly, Inc.
9 National Conference of State Legislators, “Former State Legislators in the 110th Congress,”
internal report made available to CRS.
10 Michael L. Koempel and Judy Schneider, Congressional Deskbook, 5th ed. (Washington:
TheCapital.Net, 2007), pp. 206-209.
!three carpenters, two vintners, two bank tellers, a furniture salesman, an
organic farmer, a ski instructor, an ironworker, an auto worker, a clothing
factory worker, a mortician, a waitress, a teamster member/dairy worker,
a paper mill worker, a cement plant worker, a meat cutter, a cannery
worker, a shellfish specialist, a river boat captain, a taxicab driver, an
auctioneer, a toll booth collector, a hotel clerk, a hotel bellhop, and a fruit
orchard worker.
Education. As has been true in previous Congresses, most Members of the 110th
Congress hold university degrees.11 CRS research indicates 401 Members of the House
and 98 Senators hold bachelor’s degrees; 123 Members of the House and 19 Senators
have master’s degrees; 179 Members of the House and 56 Senators hold law degrees; 23
Members of the House have doctoral (Ph.D) degrees; and 13 Members of the House and
four Senators hold medical degrees.12
In addition, two Representatives and one Senator are graduates of the U.S. Military
Academy; two Senators and one Representative are graduates of the U.S. Naval Academy;
and one Representative (a woman) is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy. Three
Representatives and three Senators were Rhodes Scholars, three Representatives were
Fulbright Scholars, and one Representative was a Marshall Scholar.
Congressional Service. The average length of service of Members of the House
was approximately 10 years (5.1 terms) at the beginning of the present Congress.
Representatives are elected for two-year terms. Representative John Dingell (D-MI), the
dean of the House, has the longest consecutive service of any Member of the 110th
Congress (nearly 53 years). He began serving on December 13, 1955.
The average length of service of Members of the Senate at the beginning of the
present Congress was 12.8 years (approximately two terms). Senators are elected for
six-year terms. Senator Robert C. Byrd (D-WV), the President Pro Tem of the Senate,
has served longer (49 years) than any other Senator in history.13 His service began on
January 3, 1959. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) is the current Republican Senator with the
longest Senate service (nearly 40 years). He has been a Member of the Senate since14
December 24, 1968, and is the longest serving Republican Senator in history.
11 “110th Congress: Statistically Speaking,” p. 76, supplemented by CRS.
12 Ten Representatives, two Senators, and one Delegate have an M.D. degree; two
Representatives have a D.D.S. (doctor of dental surgery) degree; and two Senators have a D.V.M.
(doctor of veterinary medicine) degree. One Representative has an O.D. (doctor of optometry)
degree, but is not included in the count of those with medical degrees.
13 Senator Byrd also served in the House of Representatives from January 3, 1953 to January 3,
14 For additional information, see CRS Report RL32648, Average Years of Service for Members
of the Senate and House of Representatives, First - 110th Congress, by Mildred Amer; and CRS
Report RL34581, Members Who Have Served in the U.S. Congress for 30 Years or More.
Religion.15 Most Members of the 110th Congress cite a specific religious affiliation.
Protestants (Episcopalians, Methodists, Baptists, Presbyterians, and others) collectively
constitute the majority religious affiliation of Members. Roman Catholics, however,
account for the largest single religious denomination. Other affiliations include Greek
Orthodox, Jewish, Christian Scientist, Quaker, and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-
Day Saints (Mormon). There are also two Buddhists and two Muslims in the House.
This is the first time that members of these two faiths have served in Congress.
Female Members. Ninety-one women serve in the 110th Congress.16 Seventy-
five serve in the House and 16 in the Senate. Of the 75 women in the House, 55 are
Democrats, including three Delegates, and 20 are Republicans. Of women serving in the
Senate, 11 are Democrats and five are Republicans.
African American Members. There are 42 African American Members in the
African American Members are women, including two Delegates. For most of the 110
Congress, there were 43 African American Members (42 in the House and one in the
Senate). However, President-elect Barack Obama (D-IL), the first African American
male Democrat to serve in the Senate, resigned on November 16, 2008.
Hispanic Members. There are 30 Hispanic or Latino Members of the 110th
Congress, the same number as in the 109th Congress, which had the largest number of
Hispanic Members in a single Congress.18 Twenty-seven serve in the House and three in
the Senate. Of the Members of the House, 22 are Democrats, five are Republicans
15 Congressional Quarterly, Inc., “Religions in the 110th,” CQ Today, vol. 42, no. 146, November
16 Ninety-five different women have served at some point in the 110th Congress; 79 in the House,
McDonald (D-CA), who died on April 22, 2007, was replaced by Rep. Laura Richardson (D-CA)
on September 4, 2007; Rep. Jo Ann Davis (R-VA), who died on October 6, 2007, was replaced
by Rep. Rob Wittman (D-VA) on December 13, 2007; Rep. Rep. Martin Meehan (D-MA), who
resigned on July 1, 2007, was replaced by Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA) on October 18, 2007; Rep.
Julia Carson (D-IN), who died on December 15, 2007, was replaced by her grandson Rep. André
Carson, on March 13, 2008; Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA) who died on February 11, 2008, was
replaced by Rep. Jackie Speier on April 10, 2008; Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD) who resigned on
May 31, 2008, was replaced by Rep. Donna Edwards (D-MD) on June 19, 2008; and Rep.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) who died on August 20, 2008, was replaced by Rep. Marcia L.
Fudge (D-OH) on November 19, 2008.
17 Forty-seven different African American Members have served in the 110th Congress (46 in the
House, one in the Senate). However, only 43 have served at any one time. President-elect Barack
Obama (D-IL) served in the Senate until his resignation on November 16, 2008. Rep. Juanita
Millender-McDonald (D-CA), who died on April 22, 2007, was replaced by Rep. Laura
Richardson (D-CA); Rep. Julia Carson (D-IN), who died on December 15, 2007, was replaced
by her grandson, Rep. André Carson, on March 13, 2008; Rep. Albert Wynn (D-MD), who
resigned on May 31, 2008, was replaced by Rep. Donna Edwards on June 19, 2008; and Rep.
Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), who died on August 20, 2008, was replaced by Rep. Marcia L.
Fudge (D-OH) on November 19, 2008.
18 This number includes three Members of the House who are of Portuguese decent and belong
to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
(including the Resident Commissioner), and seven are women. The Hispanic Senators
include two Democrats and one Republican. All are male.
Two sets of Hispanic Members are brothers, and one set are sisters. Mario and
Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Republicans from Florida, serve in the House. Ken Salazar (D-CO)
serves in the Senate, and his brother, John Salazar (D-CO), serves in the House. Linda
Sánchez and Loretta Sanchez, Democrats from California, serve in the House.19
Asian Pacific Americans. Eight Members are of Asian or Native Hawaiian/other
Pacific Islander heritage. All are Democrats. Six serve in the House; two in the Senate.
Of those serving in the House, one is a Delegate and one is an African American Member
with Filipino heritage.
American Indians. There is one American Indian (Native American) Member of
the 110th Congress, who is a Republican Member of the House.
Foreign Born.20 Ten Representatives and one Senator were born outside the
United States. Their places of birth include Cuba, Mexico, Taiwan, Japan, Pakistan,
Canada, and the Netherlands.
Military Service. According to the Military Officers Association of America, 126
Members of the 110th Congress have served in the military.21 The House has 98; the
Senate 28. They have served in World War II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Persian Gulf
(1990-1991), Iraq (2003-present), and Kosovo, as well as during times of peace. Some
have served in the Reserves and the National Guard. Several Members are still serving
as Reservists. As noted above, two Senators are former Secretaries of the Navy.
The number of veterans in the 110th Congress reflects the trend of a steady decline
in the number of Members who have served in the military. For example, 390 veterans
served in the 93rd Congress (1973-1975); and 236 served in the 103rd (1993-1995).
19 Note that brothers Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) and Rep. Sander Levin (D-MI) also serve in the
RI).
20 “Born Abroad,” CQ Today, vol. 43, no, 175, October 30, 2007, p. 9, supplemented by CRS.
21 Military Officers Association of America, unpublished data supplemented by CRS.