The 109th Virginia General Assembly was the meeting of the legislative branch of the Virginia state government from 1916 to 1918, after the 1915 state elections. It convened in Richmond for one session, which started on January 12, 1916, and ended on March 18, 1916.
Background The 1916 General Assembly took place during the latter half of Henry Carter Stuart's governorship. It was the last full session during which J. Taylor Ellyson served as lieutenant governor and president of the state senate; as of 2013, he is the only person in Virginia history to have served three terms in that office.
On November 1, 1916, seven months after the body adjourned, statewide prohibition went into effect. Senator G. Walter Mapp and temperance advocate James Cannon, Jr. (not to be confused with Senator James E. Cannon) drafted the final bill after voters endorsed a referendum in September 1914.
Party summary Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section, below.
Senate
Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Vacant Democratic Independent Republican End of previous session 35 0 5 40 0 Begin 35 1 4 40 0 December 7, 1917 34 39 1 Latest voting share Beginning of next session 35 1 4 40 0
House of Delegates
Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) Total Vacant Democratic Independent Republican End of previous session - - - 100 0 Begin 84 1 15 100 0 Latest voting share Beginning of next session 84 1 15 100 0
Senate
Leadership
OfficeOfficerPresident of the Senate J. Taylor Ellyson (D)President pro tempore C. Harding Walker (D)Minority Floor Leader J. Powell Royall (R)
Members DistrictSenatorPartyConstituencyBegan serving 1st John P. Buchanan Democratic Washington, Smyth, and city of Bristol 1916 2nd John M. Goodloe Republican Scott, Lee, and Wise 1916 3rd J. Powell Royall Republican Buchanan, Dickenson, Russell, and Tazewell 1912 4th William L. Andrews Democratic Roanoke, Montgomery, and cities of Roanoke and Radford 1915 5th E. Lee Trinkle Democratic Giles, Bland, Pulaski, and Wythe 1916 6th M. Price Webb Republican Carroll, Grayson, and Patrick 1916 7th William A. Rinehart Democratic Craig, Botetourt, Allegheny, Bath, and city of Clifton Forge 1912 8th George N. Conrad Democratic Rockingham 1916 9th Cornelius T. Jordan Independent Augusta, Highland, and city of Staunton 1916 10th Harry F. Byrd Democratic Shenandoah, Frederick, and city of Winchester 1916 11th Theodore C. Pilcher Democratic Fauquier and Loudoun 1916 12th Henry H. Downing Democratic Clarke, Page, and Warren 1916 13th C. O'Conor Goolrick Democratic Spotsylvania, Stafford, Louisa, and city of Fredericksburg 1915 14th R. Ewell Thornton Democratic Alexandria county, Prince William, Fairfax, and city of Alexandria 1908 15th Clyde T. Bowers Democratic Culpeper, Madison, Rappahannock, and Orange 1912 16th Thomas S. Hening Democratic Goochland, Powhatan, and Chesterfield 1916 17th Nathaniel B. Early Democratic Albemarle, Greene, and city of Charlottesville 1908 18th Sands Gayle Democratic Appomattox, Buckingham, Fluvanna, and Charlotte 1910 19th Aubrey E. Strode Democratic Amherst and Nelson 1916(previously served 1906-1912) 20th Walter E. Addison Democratic Campbell and city of Lynchburg 1916 21st James T. Lacy Democratic Halifax 1916 22nd A. Willis Robertson Democratic Bedford, Rockbridge, and city of Buena Vista 1916 23rd William A. Garrett Democratic Pittsylvania, Henry, and city of Danville 1901 24th George T. Rison Democratic Pittsylvania and city of Danville 1904 25th William H. Jeffreys Jr. Democratic Mecklenburg and Brunswick 1916 26th Beverly A. Davis Republican Franklin and Floyd 1916 27th Sidney B. Barham Jr. Democratic Greensville, Sussex, Surry, and Prince George 1916 28th George E. Allen Democratic Nottoway, Amelia, Lunenburg, Prince Edward, and Cumberland 1916 29th Patrick H. Drewry Democratic Dinwiddie and city of Petersburg 1912 30th Junius E. West Democratic Isle of Wight, Southampton, and Nansemond 1912 31st Earl C. Mathews Democratic Norfolk city 1916 32nd Charles U. Gravatt Democratic Caroline, Hanover, and King William 1908 33rd William C. Corbitt Democratic Norfolk county and city of Portsmouth 1915 34th C. Harding Walker Democratic King George, Richmond, Westmoreland, Lancaster, and Northumberland 1899 35th Julien Gunn Democratic Henrico, New Kent, Charles City, James City, and city of Williamsburg 1916 36th Saxon W. Holt Democratic Elizabeth City, York, Warwick, and city of Newport News 1904 37th G. Walter Mapp Democratic Accomac, Northampton, and Princess Anne 1912 38th James E. Cannon Democratic Richmond city 1914 Louis O. Wendenburg Democratic 1912 39th John R. Saunders Democratic King and Queen, Middlesex, Essex, Gloucester, and Mathews 1908
House of Delegates
Leadership OfficeOfficerSpeaker of the House Harry R. Houston (D)Majority Floor Leader R. Holman Willis (D)Minority Floor Leader Marion K. Lowry (R)
Members
ConstituencyDelegateParty Accomac (part) J. Harry Rew Democratic AlbemarleCharlottesville David H. Pitts Democratic Samuel M. Page Democratic Alexandria CityAlexandria County J. Frederick Birrell Democratic AlleghanyCraig Bernard C. Goodwin Democratic Amherst T. Freeman Epes Democratic Appomattox M. P. Gatewood Democratic AmeliaNottoway Richard L. Burke Democratic AugustaStaunton Herbert J. Taylor Democratic W. W. Sproul Democratic BathHighlandBuena Vista (part)Rockbridge (part) John W. Stephenson Democratic Bedford H. C. Lowry Democratic George G. Turner Democratic Botetourt J. B. Buhrman Republican Brunswick W. B. Valentine Democratic BuckinghamCumberland H. P. Baker Democratic Campbell Robert A. Russell Democratic Caroline R. L. Beale Democratic Carroll W. Glenn Edwards Republican Charlotte Berkley D. Adams Democratic Chesterfield (part) W. W. Baker Democratic Chesterfield (part)Powhatan Emmett Lee Mann Democratic ClarkeWarren Kenneth N. Gilpin Democratic Culpeper Harry B. Smith Democratic DickensonWise W. H. Roberts Republican Dinwiddie John Y. Harris Democratic Elizabeth City Harry R. Houston Democratic Fairfax Franklin Williams Jr. Democratic Fauquier (part) W. N. Tiffany Democratic Fauquier (part)Loudoun (part) John O. Daniel Democratic Floyd W. E. Phillips Republican Franklin A. S. Adams Democratic FrederickWinchester John M. Steck Democratic GilesBland Anderson E. Shumate Democratic Gloucester M. E. Bristow Democratic GoochlandFluvanna George A. Bowles Democratic Grayson M. O. Cornett Republican Halifax S. T. A. Kent Democratic Daniel W. Owen Democratic Hanover (part) W. B. Walton Democratic Henrico Harry C. Beattie Democratic Henry John W. Ramsey Democratic Isle of Wight Thomas B. Wright Democratic King and QueenEssex Deane Hundley Democratic King WilliamHanover (part) Thomas C. Commins Democratic LancasterRichmond County Robert O. Norris Jr. Democratic Lee W. S. Coldiron Republican Loudoun (part) B. F. Noland Democratic Louisa R. Lindsay Gordon Jr. Democratic Lunenburg Stephen Henry Love Democratic
ConstituencyDelegateParty Lynchburg J. Calvin Moss Democratic MadisonGreene Will A. Cook Independent MathewsMiddlesex R. H. Stubbs Democratic Mecklenburg Edward W. Hudgins Democratic MontgomeryRadford U. G. Flanagan Republican Nansemond Richard L. Brewer Jr. Democratic Nelson Thomas M. Horsley Democratic Newport News Philip W. Murray Democratic New KentCharles CityJames CityYorkWarwickWilliamsburg Norvell L. Henley Democratic Norfolk City W. P. Cousins Democratic Lucian B. Cox Democratic Norfolk County Quinton C. Davis Jr. Democratic Channing W. Hall Democratic NorthamptonAccomac (part) G. Frederick Floyd Democratic NorthumberlandWestmoreland T. A. Jett Democratic Orange George L. Browning Democratic PageRappahannock Robert F. Leedy Democratic Patrick Edmund Parr Republican Petersburg Robert W. Price Democratic PittsylvaniaDanville N. E. Clement Democratic R. L. Dodson Democratic Berryman Green Democratic Portsmouth J. Davis Reed Democratic Prince Edward Peter Winston Democratic Princess Anne A. O. Baum Democratic Prince William C. J. Meetze Democratic Pulaski O. E. Jordan Democratic Richmond City Edward R. Fuller Democratic Graham B. Hobson Democratic James P. Jones Democratic William M. Myers Democratic James H. Price Democratic Roanoke City R. Holman Willis Democratic Roanoke County J. Sinclair Brown Democratic Rockbridge (part)Buena Vista (part) Hugh A. White Democratic Rockingham Charles H. Rolston Democratic Frank J. Wright Republican Russell L. B. Sutherland Republican Scott G. Claude Bond Republican Shenandoah Otto V. Pence Republican Smyth Hezekiah L. Bonham Republican Southampton J. S. Musgrave Democratic SpotsylvaniaFredericksburg Granville R. Swift Democratic StaffordKing George Marion K. Lowry Republican SurryPrince George David A. Harrison Jr. Democratic SussexGreensville William Rufus Cato Democratic TazewellBuchanan Ebb H. Witten Republican WashingtonBristol E. C. Buck Democratic Donald T. Stant Democratic Wythe John H. Crockett Democratic
Changes in membership Senate December 7, 1917, Theodore C. Pilcher (D-11th district) dies. Seat remains unfilled until start of next regular session.
See also List of Virginia state legislatures
References