Visit Project

Project Details

Since 1859, the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress has been the primary source for biographical information on Members of the United States Congress and Continental Congresses. This database also includes major bibliographic citations and research collections where applicable, for the more than 12,000 Members who have served in the Federal, Continental, and Confederation Congresses. First launched in 1998, then relaunched in 2020 with new features, the older, "retro" format still exists for the benefit of loyal users at https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/.

Subjects or Themes

United States. Congress.; United States. Congress. Senate.; United States. Congress. Senate--History.; United States. Congress. Senate--History--Sources.; United States. Congress. House.; United States. Congress. House--History.; United States. Congress. House--History--Sources.;

Project Language(s)

English

Time Period

Geographic Location

Project Categories

Content Type

Biography, Database

Target Audience(s)

Creators

Office of the House Historian
Senate Historical Office

Year(s)

1998 (updated 2020)

Host Institution / Affiliation / Project Location

Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives

Labor and Support

The Biographical Directory (known as Bioguide) was first created in 1859 and republished in print editions, the latest in 2005. Since 1998, Bioguide has been available online as a searchable, filterable database for basic biographical information on the more than 12,000 Members of the House, Senate, and Continental and Confederation Congresses. In 2020, the database was relaunched with text search, downloadable data, and other features. However, the old format was so beloved by loyal users, it still exists in "retro" format (https://bioguideretro.congress.gov/). Staff from the Senate Historical Office and the Office of the House Historian are updating the data regularly based on new research, user input, and the addition of new Members of Congress.

Project Cost