139th Delaware General Assembly explained
The 139th Delaware General Assembly was a meeting of the legislative branch of the state government, consisting of the Delaware Senate and the Delaware House of Representatives. Elections were held the first Tuesday after November 1 and terms began in Dover on the first Tuesday in January. This date was January 7, 1997, which was two weeks before the beginning of the fifth administrative year of Democratic Governor Thomas R. Carper from New Castle County and Democratic Lieutenant Governor Ruth Ann Minner from Kent County.
Currently the distribution of seats for both houses was based on the interpretation of the federal 1990 census. It resulted in a large numbers of membership numbers in the New Castle County area and ruling that the election districts would abandonment of county lines for their boundaries, but would design whatever district boundaries that would accomplish such population equals.
In the 139th Delaware General Assembly session the Senate had a Democratic majority and the House had a Republican majority.
Party summary
Senate
13 (majority)
8TOTAL members: 21
| House of Representatives
13
28 (majority)TOTAL members: 41
| |
Leadership
Senate
| House of Representatives
| |
Members
Senate
About half the State Senators were elected every two years for a four-year term, except the decade district redesign year, when all served two years. They were designed for equal populations from all districts and its accomplishment occasionally included some territory from two counties.
New Castle County
- 1. Harris B. McDowell, III (D)
- 2. Margaret R. Henry (D)
- 3. Robert I. Marshall (D)
- 4. Richard A. Hauge (D)
- 5. Myrna L. Bair (R)
- 6. Liane M. Sorenson (R)
- 7. Patricia M. Blevins (D)
| New Castle County
- 8. David P. Sokola (D)
- 9. Thomas B. Sharp (D)
- 10. Steven H. Amick (R)
- 11. Donna Reed (R)
- 12. Robert T. Connor (R)
- 13. David B. McBride (D)
- 14. James T. Vaughn (D)
| Kent County
- 15. Nancy W. Cook (D)
- 16. Colin R.J. Bonini (R)
- 17. John C. Still, III (R)
- 18. F. Gary Simpson (R)
Sussex County
- 19. Thurman G. Adams, Jr. (D)
- 20. George H. Bunting, Jr. (D)
- 21. Robert L. Venables, Sr. (D)
| |
House of Representatives
All the State Representatives were elected every two years for a two-year term. They were designed for equal populations from all districts and its accomplishment occasionally included some territory from two counties.
New Castle County
- 1. Dennis P. Williams (D)
- 2. Al O. Plant, Sr. (D)
- 3. Arthur Scott (D)
- 4. Joseph G. DiPinto (R)
- 5. Helene M. Keeley (D)
- 6. David H. Ennis (R)
- 7. Wayne A. Smith (R)
- 8. David D. Brady (D)
- 9. Oakley M. Banning, Jr. (D)
- 10. Jane P. Maroney (R)
- 11. Philip D. Cloutier (R)
- 12. Deborah H. Capano (R)
- 13. John F. Van Sant, III (D)
| New Castle County
- 14. Richard A. DiLiberto (D)
- 15. Bruce C. Reynolds (R)
- 16. William I. Houghton (D)
- 17. Jeffery G. Mack (R)
- 18. Terry R. Spence (R)
- 19. Robert F. Gilligan (D)
- 20. Roger P. Roy (R)
- 21. Pamela S. Maier (R)
- 22. Joseph R. Petrilli (R)
- 23. Timothy U. Boulden (R)
- 24. William A. Oberle, Jr. (R)
- 25. Stephanie A. Ulbrich (R)
- 26. Richard F. Davis (R)
- 27. Vincent A. Lofink (R)
| Kent County
- 28: Bruce C. Ennis (D)
- 29. Charles W. Welch, III (R)
- 30. C. Robert Quillen (R)
- 31. Nancy H. Wagner (R)
- 32. Donna D. Stone (R)
- 33. G. Wallace Caulk, Jr. (R)
- 34. Gerald A. Buckworth (R)
Sussex County
- 35. J. Benjamin Ewing (R)
- 36. V. George Carey (R)
- 37. John R. Schroeder (D)
- 38. Shirley A. Price (D)
- 39. Evelyn K. Fallon (R)
- 40. Clifford G. Lee (R)
- 41. Charles P. West (D)
| |
References
- The 1997-1999 Legislative Roster, Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, 1997
Places with more information
- website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; (302) 655-7161
- Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; (302) 831-2965
