109th Virginia General Assembly

{{Infobox legislative session

| name = 109th Virginia General Assembly

| image = Virginia Capitol 1916.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Virginia State Capitol (1912)

| body = Virginia General Assembly

| country = United States

| state = Virginia

| meeting_place =

| term_start = {{Start date|1916|1|12}}

| term_end = {{End date|1918|1|9}}

| before = 108th

| after = 110th

| website =

| chamber1 = Senate of Virginia

| membership1 = 40 senators

| control1 = Democratic Party

| chamber1_leader1_type = President

| chamber1_leader1 = J. Taylor Ellyson (D)

| chamber1_leader2_type = President pro tempore

| chamber1_leader2 = C. Harding Walker (D)

| chamber2 = Virginia House of Delegates

| membership2 = 100 delegates

| control2 = Democratic Party

| chamber2_leader1_type = Speaker

| chamber2_leader1 = Harry R. Houston (D)

| session1_start = {{Start date|1916|1|12}}

| session1_end = {{End date|1916|3|18}}

}}

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.{{cite book |title=List of Members and Committees and Rules Senate and House of Delegates: Session 1916|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y4EfAAAAYAAJ&q=%22T.+C.+Pilcher%22+%22Virginia%22+%22senate%22|access-date=May 3, 2013|year=1916|publisher=Virginia State Library|location=Richmond}}{{cite book |title=Register of the General Assembly of Virginia, 1776–1918|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_faY9AAAAYAAJ|quote=Virginia House of Delegates October 10, 1814.|access-date=May 3, 2013|year=1918|publisher=Virginia State Library|location=Richmond}}

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=

[[File:Virginia Senate Composition, 1916-1917.png|thumb|375px|Senate Party standings (at the beginning of this session)

{{legend|#900000|4 Republicans}}]]

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
style="vertical-align:bottom;" ! rowspan=3 \| ! colspan=3 \| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) ! rowspan=3 \| Total ! rowspan=3 \| Vacant
style="height:5px" \| style="background-color:{{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}}" \| \| style="background-color:{{party color\|Independent Party (United States)}}" \| \| style="background-color:{{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}}" \|
Democratic ! Independent ! Republican
nowrap style="font-size:80%" \| End of previous session \| {{party shading/Democratic}} \| 35 \| 0 \| 5 ! 40 \| 0
colspan=6 \|
style="font-size:80%" \| Begin \| {{party shading/Democratic}} \| 35 \| rowspan=2\| 1 \| rowspan=2\| 4 ! 40 \| 0
style="font-size:80%" \| December 7, 1917 \| {{party shading/Democratic}} \| 34 ! 39 \| 1
Latest voting share ! {{party shading/Democratic}} \| {{percentage\|34\|39\|1}} ! colspan=2 \| {{percentage\|5\|39\|1}} ! colspan=2 \|
colspan=6 \|
style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:80%;"\| Beginning of next session \| {{party shading/Democratic}} \| 35 \| 1 \| 4 ! 40 \| 0

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"

style="vertical-align:bottom;"

! rowspan=3 |

! colspan=3 | Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

! rowspan=3 | Total

! rowspan=3 | Vacant

style="height:5px"

| style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |

| style="background-color:{{party color|Independent Party (United States)}}" |

| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |

Democratic

! Independent

! Republican

nowrap style="font-size:80%" | End of previous session

| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 35

| 0

| 5

! 40

| 0

colspan=6 |

style="font-size:80%" | Begin

| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 35

| rowspan=2| 1

| rowspan=2| 4

! 40

| 0

style="font-size:80%" | December 7, 1917

| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 34

! 39

| 1

Latest voting share

! {{party shading/Democratic}} | {{percentage|34|39|1}}

! colspan=2 | {{percentage|5|39|1}}

! colspan=2 |

colspan=6 |

style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:80%;"| Beginning of next session

| {{party shading/Democratic}} | 35

| 1

| 4

! 40

| 0

=House of Delegates=

[[File:Virginia House of Delegates Composition, 1916-1917.png|thumb|375px|House Party standings (at the beginning of this session)

{{legend|#900000|15 Republicans}}]]

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
style="vertical-align:bottom;" ! rowspan=3 \| ! colspan=3 \| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) ! rowspan=3 \| Total ! rowspan=3 \| Vacant
style="height:5px" \| style="background-color:{{party color\|Democratic Party (United States)}}" \| \| style="background-color:{{party color\|Independent Party (United States)}}" \| \| style="background-color:{{party color\|Republican Party (United States)}}" \|
Democratic ! Independent ! Republican
nowrap style="font-size:80%" \| End of previous session \| {{party shading/Democratic}} \| - \| - \| - ! 100 \| 0
colspan=6 \|
style="font-size:80%" \| Begin \| {{party shading/Democratic}} \| 84 \| 1 \| 15 ! 100 \| 0
Latest voting share ! {{party shading/Democratic}} \| {{percentage\|84\|100\|0}} ! colspan=2 \|{{percentage\|16\|100\|0}} ! colspan=2 \|
colspan=6 \|
style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:80%;"\| Beginning of next session \| {{party shading/Democratic}} \| 84 \| 1 \| 15 ! 100 \| 0

class=wikitable style="text-align:center"

style="vertical-align:bottom;"

! rowspan=3 |

! colspan=3 | Party

(Shading indicates majority caucus)

! rowspan=3 | Total

! rowspan=3 | Vacant

style="height:5px"

| style="background-color:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}}" |

| style="background-color:{{party color|Independent Party (United States)}}" |

| style="background-color:{{party color|Republican Party (United States)}}" |

Democratic