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ASK!: Who's in the House?

By Mike Rudeen, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 12, 2009 at 6 p.m.

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DS asked why, when Congress includes the Senate and the House of Representatives, only members of the House are called congressmen.

Although congressmen originally meant members of both houses, the tradition of using the term just for House members began even before the first federal congress was seated in 1789, said Matthew Wasniewski, historian in the U.S. House Office of History and Preservation.

Both congressman and representative were used, but the former dominated, especially in the popular press of the 19th century, and Wasniewski couldn't find a specific reason.

Members of the more genteel Senate, frequently called the upper chamber, apparently preferred the distinction of a separate name to differentiate themselves from the House, Wasniewski said.

Congresswoman appeared when Jeannette Rankin of Montana was elected the first female member in 1916. Initially, women in the House didn't use that term because they didn't want to be distinguished from the men. That's changed as more women have been elected, Wasniewski said.

Here's a new one:

What exactly is a legume? I hear references to beans and legumes, but I don't know how they're different. - Renise

Know the answer? Post it on the Ask! blog, blogs.RockyMountainNews.com/denver/ask, or e-mail rudeenm@RockyMountainNews.com. While you're on the blog, check out the other questions on the Ask! home page, or post one of your own by clicking on the link to the right on the page.