41st United States Congress
41st United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Forty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1869 to March 4, 1871, during the first two years of Ulysses Grant's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Eighth Census of the United States in 1860. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1869: Ulysses Grant became President of the United States
- May 10, 1869: Golden spike marked the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in Promontory, Utah[1]
- December 10, 1869: Wyoming Territory gave women the right to vote, one of the first such laws in the world
- February 12, 1870: Utah Territory gave women the right to vote
- February 25, 1870: Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American ever to sit in the U.S. Congress
Major legislation
- March 18, 1869: Public Credit Act of 1869, Sess. 1, ch. 1, 16 Stat. 1
- May 31, 1870: Force Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 114, 16 Stat. 140
- June 22, 1870: An Act to establish the Department of Justice, Sess. 2, ch. 150, 16 Stat. 162
- July 12, 1870: Currency Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 252, 16 Stat. 251
- July 14, 1870: Funding Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 256, 16 Stat. 272
Constitutional amendment
- February 3, 1870: Fifteenth Amendment ratified
States readmitted
- January 26, 1870: Virginia rejoined the Union
- February 23: Mississippi rejoined the Union
- March 30, 1870: Texas rejoined the Union
- July 15, 1870: Georgia rejoined the Union, the last former Confederate state to be readmitted
Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
During this Congress, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia were readmitted to representation.
Senate
Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) | Other | |||
End of the previous congress | 9 | 55 | 0 | 64 | 10 |
Begin | 9 | 57 | 0 | 66 | 8 |
End | 12 | 62 | 74 | 0 | |
Final voting share | 16.2% | 83.8% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of the next congress | 16 | 55 | (Liberal Republican) 1 |
72 | 2 |
House of Representatives
Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) | Conservative (C) | Other | |||
End of the previous congress | 45 | 170 | 2 | (Independent Republican, & Conservative Republican) 3 |
220 | 23 |
Begin | 65 | 150 | 0 | 0 | 215 | 28 |
End | 67 | 169 | 5 | 241 | 1 | |
Final voting share | 27.8% | 70.1% | 2.1% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of the next congress | 93 | 144 | 0 | (Liberal Republican & Independent Republican) 2 |
239 | 2 |
Leadership
Senate
- President (R): Schuyler Colfax
- President pro tempore: Henry B. Anthony (R)
House of Representatives
- Speaker: James G. Blaine (R)
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
Senate
Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six-year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1874; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1870; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1872.
House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
- replacements: 6
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 2
- resignations:2
- interim appointments: 2
- seats of newly re-admitted states: 8
- Total seats with changes: 14
State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Virginia (1) | Vacant | Virginia re-admitted to the Union | John F. Lewis (R) | January 26, 1870 |
Virginia (2) | John W. Johnston (D) | |||
Mississippi (1) | Vacant | Mississippi re-admitted to the Union | Adelbert Ames (R) | February 23, 1870 |
Mississippi (2) | Hiram R Revels (R) | |||
Texas (1) | Vacant | Texas re-admitted to the Union | James W. Flanagan (R) | March 30, 1870 |
Texas (2) | Morgan C. Hamilton (R) | March 31, 1870 | ||
Georgia (3) | Vacant | Georgia re-admitted to the Union | Joshua Hill (R) | February 1, 1871 |
Georgia (2) | Homer V. M. Miller (D) | February 28, 1871 | ||
Maine (2) | William P. Fessenden (R) | Died September 8, 1869 | Lot M. Morrill (R) | October 30, 1869 |
Iowa (2) | James W. Grimes (R) | Resigned December 6, 1869 because of failing health | James B. Howell (R) | January 18, 1870 |
Minnesota (2) | Daniel S. Norton (R) | Died July 13, 1870 | William Windom (R) | July 15, 1870 |
Missouri (3) | Charles D. Drake (R) | Resigned December 19, 1870 after being appointed chief justice of the United States Court of Claims | Daniel T. Jewett (R) | December 19, 1870 |
Missouri (3) | Daniel T. Jewett (R) | Successor elected January 20, 1871 | Francis P. Blair, Jr. (D) | January 20, 1871 |
Minnesota (2) | William Windom (R) | Successor elected January 22, 1871 | Ozora P. Stearns (R) | January 22, 1871 |
House of Representatives
- replacements: 14
- Democratic: 3 seat net loss
- Republican: 3 seat net gain
- Conservative Party of Virginia: no net change
- deaths: 6
- resignations: 6
- contested election: 8
- seats of newly re-admitted states: 17
- Total seats with changes: 44
District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
---|---|---|---|---|
South Carolina 3rd | Vacant | Contested election with J.P. Reed. Reed was never seated. House declared Hoge entitled to seat. | Solomon L. Hoge (R) | April 8, 1869 |
Wyoming Territory At-large | Vacant | Territory organized in previous congress and remained vacant until December 6, 1869 | Stephen F. Nuckolls (D) | December 6, 1869 |
Virginia 2nd | Vacant | Virginia re-admitted into the Union | James H. Platt, Jr. (R) | January 26, 1870 |
Virginia 3rd | Charles H. Porter (R) | |||
Virginia 4th | George Booker (C) | |||
Virginia 5th | Robert Ridgway (C) | January 27, 1870 | ||
Virginia 6th | William Milnes, Jr. (C) | |||
Virginia 8th | James K. Gibson (C) | January 28, 1870 | ||
Virginia 1st | Richard S. Ayer (R) | January 31, 1870 | ||
Virginia 7th | Lewis McKenzie (C) | |||
Pennsylvania 21st | Vacant | Contested election with Henry D. Foster. House declared neither was entitled to seat. House then declared Covode duly elected February 9, 1870 | John Covode (R) | February 9, 1870 |
Mississippi 1st | Vacant | Mississippi re-admitted into the Union | George E. Harris (R) | February 23, 1870 |
Mississippi 2nd | Joseph L. Morphis (R) | |||
Mississippi 3rd | Henry W. Barry (R) | |||
Mississippi 5th | Legrand W. Perce (R) | |||
Texas 1st | Vacant | Texas re-admitted into the Union | George W. Whitmore (R) | March 30, 1870 |
Texas 2nd | John C. Conner (D) | March 31, 1870 | ||
Texas 3rd | William T. Clark (R) | |||
Texas 4th | Edward Degener (R) | |||
Louisiana 4th | Vacant | Contested election with Michael Ryan. House declared neither was entitled to seat. Elected to seat thus caused | Joseph P. Newsham (R) | May 23, 1870 |
South Carolina 4th | Vacant | Contested election with William D. Simpson. Simpson was never seated. House declared Wallace entitled to seat. | Alexander S. Wallace (R) | May 27, 1870 |
Louisiana 1st | Vacant | Contested election with Louis St. Martin. House declared neither was entitled to seat. Elected to seat thus caused | J. Hale Sypher (R) | November 7, 1870 |
Georgia 1st | Vacant | Vacancy caused by House declaring Joseph W. Clift not entitled to seat | William W. Paine (D) | December 22, 1870 |
Georgia 2nd | Vacancy caused by House declaring Nelson Tift not entitled to seat | Richard H. Whiteley (R) | ||
Georgia 3rd | Vacancy caused by House declaring William P. Edwards not entitled to seat | Marion Bethune (R) | ||
Georgia 4th | Vacancy caused by House declaring Samuel F. Gove not entitled to seat | Jefferson F. Long (R) | ||
Georgia 5th | Vacancy caused by House declaring Charles H. Prince not entitled to seat | Stephen A. Corker (D) | ||
Georgia 6th | Failure to elect | William P. Price (D) | ||
Georgia 7th | Vacancy caused by House declaring Pierce M. B. Young not entitled to seat. He was subsequently elected to fill the vacancy thus caused | Pierce M. B. Young (D) | ||
Illinois 3rd | Elihu B. Washburne (R) | Resigned March 6, 1869 after being appointed United States Secretary of State | Horatio C. Burchard (R) | December 6, 1869 |
Massachusetts 7th | George S. Boutwell (R) | Resigned March 12, 1869 after being appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury | George M. Brooks (R) | November 2, 1869 |
Pennsylvania 3rd | John Moffet (D) | Lost contested election April 9, 1869 | Leonard Myers (R) | April 9, 1869 |
Wisconsin 2nd | Benjamin F. Hopkins (R) | Died January 1, 1870 | David Atwood (R) | February 23, 1870 |
Ohio 10th | Truman H. Hoag (D) | Died February 5, 1870 | Erasmus D. Peck (R) | April 23, 1870 |
New York 11th | George W. Greene (D) | Lost contested election February 17, 1870 | Charles Van Wyck (R) | February 17, 1870 |
South Carolina 1st | Benjamin F. Whittemore (R) | Resigned February 24, 1870 pending an investigation of certain appointments to the US Military and Naval Academies | Joseph Rainey (R) | December 12, 1870 |
Kentucky 3rd | Jacob Golladay (D) | Resigned February 28, 1870 | Joseph H. Lewis (D) | May 10, 1870 |
North Carolina 4th | John T. Deweese (R) | Resigned February 28, 1870 pending an investigation of certain appointments to the US Military and Naval Academies | John Manning, Jr. (D) | December 7, 1870 |
Pennsylvania 5th | John R. Reading (D) | Lost contested election April 13, 1870 | Caleb N. Taylor (R) | April 13, 1870 |
North Carolina 2nd | David Heaton (R) | Died June 25, 1870 | Joseph Dixon (R) | December 5, 1870 |
New York 28th | Noah Davis (R) | Resigned July 15, 1870 before being appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Charles H. Holmes (R) | December 6, 1870 |
Iowa 2nd | William Smyth (R) | Died September 30, 1870 | William P. Wolf (R) | December 6, 1870 |
Virginia 5th | Robert Ridgway (C) | Died October 16, 1870 | Richard T. W. Duke (C) | November 8, 1870 |
Ohio 3rd | Robert C. Schenck (R) | Resigned January 5, 1871 after being appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Pennsylvania 21st | John Covode (R) | Died January 11, 1871 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Illinois At-large | John A. Logan (R) | Resigned at end of congress March 3, 1871 after being elected to the US Senate for the following term | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Michigan 4th | Thomas W. Ferry (R) | Resigned at end of congress March 3, 1871 after being elected to the US Senate for the following term | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain: John P. Newman (Methodist)
- Secretary: George C. Gorham
- Sergeant at Arms: George T. Brown
- John R. French, elected March 22, 1869
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: John G. Butler (Presbyterian)
- Clerk: Edward McPherson
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: John M. Barclay
- Doorkeeper: Otis S. Buxton
- Postmaster: William S. King
- Sergeant at Arms: Nehemiah G. Ordway
References
- ↑ "Ceremony at "Wedding of the Rails," May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah". World Digital Library. 1869-05-10. Retrieved 2013-07-21.
Bibliography
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
External links
- Statutes at Large, 1789-1875
- Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
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