In the 212 years since the United States Congress began, 11,637 individuals have served as Members of Congress. This number includes 9,775 individuals who served only in the House of Representatives and 1,232 individuals who served only in the U.S. Senate. The number of individuals who served in both is 630. These are the figures provided by the Congressional Research Service as of January 3, 2001: "Membership of the 107th Congress: A Profile" by Mildred Amer, available from any congressional office. Deaths and resignations from Congress which are then filled by special election or by gubernatorial appointment can cause changes in these figures prior to the next regular election.

There is one authoritative source which lists all Members by name, the dates of their tenure, and biographical information. It is the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, 1774-1989. This reference book is updated every 10 years and will be revised again in 2000. It includes biographies for Members of the Continental Congress [1774-1788] as well as for the U.S. Congress [1789-1989].

The Directory is published by the Government Printing Office and obtainable either through GPO [ask for Senate Document 100-34] or at a federal depository or good university library. The Library of Congress call number is JK1010.A5 1989. The Dewey Decimal number is 973.3/12/0922 B.

An on-line version of the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress permits you to search for archival, biographical, and bibliographical information about every current and former Member. However, in order to access the site, you need to search by the name of each individual Member for whom you are seeking information. The site does not allow you to browse a comprehensive list of all Members who have ever served.

For information on Members elected to Congress since the 100th Congress in 1989, I would recommend you consult the Congressional Directory, also published by GPO. This reference book is issued at the start of each new Congress. The current edition for the 105th Congress, 1997-1998, is Senate Publication 105-20. The official directories for the 104th, 103rd, 102nd, and 101st Congresses are probably only still available through libraries, but check with GPO.

Information on how to order GPO documents is available on their web-site. You can also write them: U.S. Government Printing Office, Superintendent of Documents, Washington, D.C. 20402.