resident commissioner

American  

noun

1. a representative from a dependency, as Guam or Puerto Rico, who is entitled to speak, but not to vote, in the U.S. House of Representatives.

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resident commissioner British  

noun

1. the representative of Puerto Rico in the US House of Representatives. He or she may speak but has no vote

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Etymology

Origin of resident commissioner

First recorded in 1900–05

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

resident commissioner

She was elected chair of the Republican Party of Puerto Rico in 2015 and two years later became resident commissioner, a role similar to a U.S. representative but with limited voting power in Congress.

From Salon ● May 6, 2026

Mr. Hernandez, a Democrat, is resident commissioner of Puerto Rico.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

Attorney Pablo José Hernández is running unopposed to be the party’s candidate for resident commissioner, the first person in 20 years to seek that nomination.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2024

Jennifer Gonzalez-Colon, who as Puerto Rico’s resident commissioner is the territory’s nonvoting member, ranked 23rd out of 222 among House Republicans.

From Washington Times ● Mar. 27, 2023

The state has already erected a house on the bank of Itasca lake, and has a resident commissioner in charge of the park.

From The History of Minnesota and Tales of the Frontier by Flandrau, Charles E. (Charles Eugene)