The 50th Illinois General Assembly met from 1917 to 1919. John G. Oglesby of Decatur was the Lieutenant Governor of Illinois and thus ex officio President of the Senate.[a]Adam C. Cliffe of Sycamore was President pro tempore of the Senate. David Shanahan of Chicago was the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
There were 33 Republicans and 18 Democrats in the Illinois Senate and 85 Republicans 67 Democrats and 1 independent in the Illinois House of Representatives.[1]
Illinois was divided into 51 districts, each of which elected one Senator and three Representatives. Districts were last reapportioned in 1901[2] and would not be reapportioned again until 1947.[3]