Nebraska Senate

This article is about the defunct upper house of the old Nebraska bicameral legislature. For the current Nebraska unicameral legislature, which is still sometimes referred to as the "Nebraska Senate", see Nebraska Legislature.

Nebraska Senate
Nebraska Legislature
Type
Type	Upper house
History
Established	1854
Disbanded	1936
Succeeded by	Nebraska Legislature
Leadership
First Territorial President	Joseph L. Sharp
First President	Frank Welch
Structure
Seats	13 (1854–1875) 30 (1876–1880) 33 (1881–1936)
Length of term	2 years
Authority	Article III, Nebraska Constitution (pre-1936)
Salary	$800/year (1936)
Meeting place
East Chamber, Nebraska State Capitol Omaha (1854–1867) Lincoln (1867–1936)

The Nebraska Senate was the upper house of the Nebraska Legislature during the days when Nebraska was a territory from 1854 to 1867 (when it was called the Nebraska Territorial Council) and then again when Nebraska was a state from 1867 until 1936. In 1934, Nebraska voters amended the Nebraska Constitution to reconfigure the Nebraska Legislature to a unicameral system. This system became effective for the 1937 legislative session. Beginning as a territorial upper house in 1854, it had 13 members; this number was raised to 30 members when the second state constitution was adopted in 1875. In 1881, the Senate increased to 33 members, and although a later constitutional amendment allowed it to increase to 50 members, it remained at 33 members until it was abolished in 1936. The last senators of the bicameral legislature were elected to a two-year term in 1934 and began their service with the final legislative session in 1935.

See also

• List of presidents pro tempore of the Nebraska Senate