7 January 1896 (1896-01-07) – 24 March 1896 (1896-03-24)
2nd
27 April 1897 (1897-04-27) – 27 May 1897 (1897-05-27)
3rd
4 January 1898 (1898-01-04) – 11 February 1898 (1898-02-11)
The 1896–1900 Mississippi Legislature met in three sessions between 1896 and 1900.
Members were elected on November 7, 1895, to a four-year term.[1] A vast majority of legislators elected were members of the Democratic Party.[2]
Sessions
The first session of the term, and the state's 73rd overall,[3] started on January 7, 1896, for both houses.[4][5] The House adjourned on March 16, 1896, and the Senate adjourned on March 24, 1896.[4][5]
The second session of the term, and the state's 74th overall, was a special session called by Governor Anselm J. McLaurin.[6] It convened for both houses on April 27, 1897, and the House adjourned on May 27, 1897.[3][6]
The third and final session of the term (the state's 75th) first met on January 4, 1898.[7] The session adjourned on February 11, 1898.[3][7]
The legislative term officially ended when members were sworn in for the 1900–1904 Legislature on January 2, 1900.[8]
Personnel
The Senate had 45 members from 38 districts.[4]James T. Harrison from the 25th District was elected President Pro Tempore, defeating 12th District senator William Gwin Kiger in a 25–20 vote.[5]
The House had 133 members representing different counties of Mississippi.[4]James F. McCool of Attala County was elected to the position of Speaker of the House near-unanimously, with 126 members voting for him and 7 members absent or not voting.[4] When the 1897 session began, 7 new members were sworn in to replace six members who had resigned and one member (Carroll Cooper) who had died in-between sessions.[6] At the beginning of the 1898 session, four new members were sworn in, all replacing members who had died after the 1897 session.[9]
