109th Virginia General Assembly
# 109th Virginia General Assembly

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) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | Independent | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous session | 35 | 0 | 5 | 40 | 0 |
| Begin | 35 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 0 |
| December 7, 1917 | 34 | 1 | 4 | 39 | 1 |
| Latest voting share | 87.2% | 12.8% | 12.8% | | |
| Beginning of next session | 35 | 1 | 4 | 40 | 0 |

### House of Delegates

| | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | Democratic | Independent | Republican | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous session | - | - | - | 100 | 0 |
| Begin | 84 | 1 | 15 | 100 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 84% | 16% | 16% | | |
| Beginning of next session | 84 | 1 | 15 | 100 | 0 |

## Senate

### Leadership

| Office | Officer |
| - | - |
| President of the Senate | J. Taylor Ellyson (D) |
| President pro tempore | C. Harding Walker (D) |
| Minority Floor Leader | J. Powell Royall (R) |

### Members

| District | Senator | Party | Constituency | Began 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 |
| 38th | Louis O. Wendenburg | Democratic | Richmond city | 1912 |
| 39th | John R. Saunders | Democratic | King and Queen, Middlesex, Essex, Gloucester, and Mathews | 1908 |

## House of Delegates

### Leadership

| Office | Officer |
| - | - |
| Speaker of the House | Harry R. Houston (D) |
| Majority Floor Leader | R. Holman Willis (D) |
| Minority Floor Leader | Marion K. Lowry (R) |

### Members

| Constituency | Delegate | Party |
| - | - | - |
| Accomac (part) | J. Harry Rew | Democratic |
| Albemarle Charlottesville | David H. Pitts | Democratic |
| Albemarle Charlottesville | Samuel M. Page | Democratic |
| Alexandria City Alexandria County | J. Frederick Birrell | Democratic |
| Alleghany Craig | Bernard C. Goodwin | Democratic |
| Amherst | T. Freeman Epes | Democratic |
| Appomattox | M. P. Gatewood | Democratic |
| Amelia Nottoway | Richard L. Burke | Democratic |
| Augusta Staunton | Herbert J. Taylor | Democratic |
| Augusta Staunton | W. W. Sproul | Democratic |
| Bath Highland Buena Vista (part) Rockbridge (part) | John W. Stephenson | Democratic |
| Bedford | H. C. Lowry | Democratic |
| Bedford | George G. Turner | Democratic |
| Botetourt | J. B. Buhrman | Republican |
| Brunswick | W. B. Valentine | Democratic |
| Buckingham Cumberland | 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 |
| Clarke Warren | Kenneth N. Gilpin | Democratic |
| Culpeper | Harry B. Smith | Democratic |
| Dickenson Wise | 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 |
| Frederick Winchester | John M. Steck | Democratic |
| Giles Bland | Anderson E. Shumate | Democratic |
| Gloucester | M. E. Bristow | Democratic |
| Goochland Fluvanna | George A. Bowles | Democratic |
| Grayson | M. O. Cornett | Republican |
| Halifax | S. T. A. Kent | Democratic |
| Halifax | 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 Queen Essex | Deane Hundley | Democratic |
| King William Hanover (part) | Thomas C. Commins | Democratic |
| Lancaster Richmond 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 |
| Constituency | Delegate | Party |
| Lynchburg | J. Calvin Moss | Democratic |
| Madison Greene | Will A. Cook | Independent |
| Mathews Middlesex | R. H. Stubbs | Democratic |
| Mecklenburg | Edward W. Hudgins | Democratic |
| Montgomery Radford | U. G. Flanagan | Republican |
| Nansemond | Richard L. Brewer Jr. | Democratic |
| Nelson | Thomas M. Horsley | Democratic |
| Newport News | Philip W. Murray | Democratic |
| New Kent Charles City James City York Warwick Williamsburg | Norvell L. Henley | Democratic |
| Norfolk City | W. P. Cousins | Democratic |
| Norfolk City | Lucian B. Cox | Democratic |
| Norfolk County | Quinton C. Davis Jr. | Democratic |
| Norfolk County | Channing W. Hall | Democratic |
| Northampton Accomac (part) | G. Frederick Floyd | Democratic |
| Northumberland Westmoreland | T. A. Jett | Democratic |
| Orange | George L. Browning | Democratic |
| Page Rappahannock | Robert F. Leedy | Democratic |
| Patrick | Edmund Parr | Republican |
| Petersburg | Robert W. Price | Democratic |
| Pittsylvania Danville | N. E. Clement | Democratic |
| Pittsylvania Danville | R. L. Dodson | Democratic |
| Pittsylvania Danville | 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 |
| Richmond City | Graham B. Hobson | Democratic |
| Richmond City | James P. Jones | Democratic |
| Richmond City | William M. Myers | Democratic |
| Richmond City | 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 |
| Rockingham | 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 |
| Spotsylvania Fredericksburg | Granville R. Swift | Democratic |
| Stafford King George | Marion K. Lowry | Republican |
| Surry Prince George | David A. Harrison Jr. | Democratic |
| Sussex Greensville | William Rufus Cato | Democratic |
| Tazewell Buchanan | Ebb H. Witten | Republican |
| Washington Bristol | E. C. Buck | Democratic |
| Washington Bristol | 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.
