126th Delaware General Assembly

The 126th 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 5, 1971, which was two weeks before the beginning of the third administrative year of Governor Russell W. Peterson and Eugene Bookhammer as Lieutenant Governor.

Governor Russell W. Peterson
126th General Assembly
In office January 5, 1971 – January 2, 1973
Preceded by	125th Assembly
Succeeded by	127th Assembly

Currently the distribution of seats for both houses was based on a court interpreted interpretation of the federal 1960 census. It resulted in a large shift in membership numbers to the New Castle County area and ruling that the election districts would abandonment of county lines for their boundaries, but could design whatever district boundaries that would accomplish such population equals. Subsequent census were adjusted such boundaries to continue such adjectives, the next being in 1972.

In the 126th Delaware General Assembly session both chambers had a Republican majority.

Leadership

Senate

• Reynolds du Pont, New Castle County, Republican

House of Representatives

• William L. Frederick, New Castle County, Republican

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. Michael N. Castle 2. Herman M. Holloway, Sr. 3. George F. Schlor 4. Dean C. Steele 5. Louise Conner 6. Reynolds du Pont 7. Margaret R. Manning

New Castle County 8. Anthony J. Cicione 9. William F. Hart 10. Melvin A. Slawik 11. Calvin R. McCullough 12. Everette Hale 13. J. Donald Isaacs

Kent County 14. Allen J. Cook 15. Andrew Foltz 16. George A. Robbins Sussex County 17. Frank R. Grier 18. Thomas E. Hickman, Jr. 19. David H. Elliott

House of Representative

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. Kermit H. Justice 2. Clifford B. Hearn, Jr. 3. Henrietta Johnson 4. Charles S. Miller 5. Casimir S. Jonklert 6. George C. Hering, III 7. Robert J. Berndt 8. Herbert A. Lesher 9. Clarice U. Heckert 10. Daniel E. Weiss 11. Thomas L. Little 12. William T. Poulterer, III 13. Andrew G. Knox 14. Joan C. Wright

New Castle County 15. William L. Frederick 16. Michael F. Harkins 17. Philip W. Orth 18. John A. Dillman, Jr. 19. John Matushefske 20. Kenneth W. Boulden, Sr. 21. Robert T. Connor 22. John F. Kirk, Jr. 23. George Jarvis 24. Joseph R. Murphy, Jr. 25. John G.S. Billingsley 26. Marion I. Seibel 27. Sherman W. Tribbitt

Kent County 28. Robert W. Riddagh 29. Arthur W. Dobberstein 30. Hudson E. Gruwell 31. W. Neal Moerschel 32. Ralph R. Smith 33. G. Robert Quillen Sussex County 34. Lewis B. Harrington 35. Howard A. Clendaniel 36. R. Glen Mears, Sr. 37. William J. Gordy 38. Richard S. Cordrey 39. Harry E. Derrickson

References

• Hoffecker, Carol E. (2004). Democracy in Delaware. Wilmington, Delaware: Cedar Tree Books. ISBN 1-892142-23-6.
• Martin, Roger A. (1995). Memoirs of the Senate. Newark, Delaware: Roger A. Martin.

Places with more information

• Delaware Historical Society; website; 505 North Market Street, Wilmington, Delaware 19801; [phone]
• University of Delaware; Library website; 181 South College Avenue, Newark, Delaware 19717; [phone]