House of Representatives
    n 1: the lower legislative house of the United States Congress
         [syn: United States House of Representatives, U.S. House
         of Representatives, US House of Representatives, House
         of Representatives, U.S. House, US House]

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, government. The popular branch of the legislature. 
     2. The Constitution of the United States, art. 1, s. 2, 1, provides, 
that "the house of representatives shall be composed of members chosen every 
second year by the people of, the several states; and the electors of each 
state, shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the most 
numerous branch of the state legislature." 
     3. The general qualifications of electors of the assembly, or most 
numerous branch of the legislature, in the several state governments, are, 
that they be of the age of twenty-one years and upwards, and free resident 
citizens of the state in which they vote, and have paid taxes: several of 
the state constitutions have prescribed the same or higher qualifications, 
as to property, in the elected, than in the electors. 
     4. The constitution of the United States, however, requires no evidence 
of property in the representatives, nor any declarations as to his religious 
belief. He must be free from undue bias or dependence, by not holding any 
office under the United States. Art. 1, s. 6, 2. 
     5. By the constitutions of the several states, the most numerous branch 
of the legislature generally bears the name of the house of representatives. 
Vide Story on Constitution of the United States, chap. 9 1 Kent's Com. 228. 
     6. By the Act of June 22, 1842, c. 47, it is provided, 
     Sec. 1. That from and after the third day of March, one thousand eight 
hundred and forty-three, the house of representatives shall be composed of 
members elected agreeably to a ratio of one representative for every seventy 
thousand six hundred and eighty persons in each state, and of one additional 
representative for each state having a fraction greater than one moiety of 
the said ratio, computed according to the rule prescribed by the 
constitution of the United States; that is to say: within the state of 
Maine, seven; within the state of New Hampshire, four; within the state of 
Massachusetts, ten; within the state of Rhode Island, two within the state 
of Connecticut, four; within the state of Vermont, four; within the state of 
New York, thirty-four; within the state of New Jersey, five; within the 
state of Pennsylvania, twenty-four; within the state of Delaware, one; 
within the state of Maryland, six; within the state of Virginia, fifteen; 
within the state of North Carolina, nine; within the state of South 
Carolina, seven; within the state of Georgia, eight; within the state of 
Alabama, seven; within state of Louisiana, four; within the state of 
Mississippi, four; within the state of Tennessee, eleven; within the state 
of Kentucky, ten; within the state of Ohio, twenty-one; within the state of 
Indiana, ten; within the state of Illinois, seven; within the state of 
Missouri, five; within the state of Arkansas, one; within the State of 
Michigan, three. 
     7.-2. That in every case where a state is entitled to more than one 
representative, the number to which each state shall be entitled under this 
apportionment shall be elected by districts. composed of contiguous 
territory, equal in number to the number of representatives to which said 
state may be entitled, no one district electing more than one 
representative. 
     8. For the constitutions of the houses of representatives in the 
several states, the reader is referred to the names of the states in this 
work. Vide Congress.