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

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

The statistics don’t include those delegates and the resident commissioner for Puerto Rico, who cannot vote on the final passing of bills but are members of Congress.

From Seattle Times • Feb. 11, 2024

Jenniffer González-Colón, the resident commissioner of Puerto Rico and its lone representative in Congress, backed a compromise measure among competing plans.

From New York Times • Dec. 15, 2022

In 1794 he was in charge of the Melampus frigate, in 1796 he was resident commissioner of Corsica.

From The Loyalists of Massachusetts And the Other Side of the American Revolution by Stark, James H.