42nd United States Congress

42nd United States Congress

41st ← → 43rd United States Capitol (1877) Duration: March 4, 1871 – March 4, 1873 Senate President: Schuyler Colfax Senate Pres. pro tem: Henry B. Anthony House Speaker: James G. Blaine Members: 74 Senators 243 Representatives 10 Non-voting members Senate Majority: Republican House Majority: Republican Sessions 1st: March 4, 1871 – April 20, 1871 2nd: December 4, 1871 – June 10, 1872 3rd: December 2, 1872 – March 4, 1873

The Forty-second 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, 1871 to March 4, 1873, during the third and fourth years of Ulysses S. 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

• June 10, 1871: U.S. Marines make naval attack on the Han River forts in Korea
• March 1, 1872: Yellowstone National Park was established as the world's first national park
• November 5, 1872: United States presidential election, 1872

Major legislation

• April 20, 1871: Civil Rights Act of 1871
• March 1, 1872: Yellowstone National Park founded
• May 10, 1872: General Mining Act of 1872
• May 23, 1872: Amnesty Act of 1872
• June 1, 1872: Practice Conformity Act (precursor to the Rules Enabling Act), ch. 255, 17 Stat. 196
• February 12, 1873: Coinage Act of 1873
• March 3, 1873: Timber Culture Act
• March 3, 1873: Comstock Act

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.

Senate

	Party (Shading shows control)			Total	Vacant
	Democratic (D)	Liberal Republican (LR)	Republican (R)
End of the previous congress	12	0	62	74	0
Begin	15	1	55	71	3
End	17		54	72	2
Final voting share	23.6%	1.4%	75.0%
Beginning of the next congress	19	3	50	72	2

House of Representatives

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)					Total
	Democratic (D)	Liberal Republican (LR)	Republican (R)	Independent Republican (IR)	Other		Vacant
End of previous Congress	67	0	169	0	(Conservative -Virginia) 5	241	2
Begin	93	3	144	1	0	243	2
End	97		141	242		1
Final voting share	41.3%		58.7%	0.0%
Beginning of the next Congress	91	4	189	0	(Independent Democratic) 6	290	2

Leadership

President of the Senate Schuyler Colfax

Senate

• President: Schuyler Colfax (R)
• 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

President pro tempore Henry B. Anthony

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 the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1874; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1876; and Class 3 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1872.

Alabama 3. George E. Spencer (R) 2. George Goldthwaite (D) Arkansas 3. Benjamin F. Rice (R) 2. Powell Clayton (R) California 3. Cornelius Cole (R) 1. Eugene Casserly (D) Connecticut 3. Orris S. Ferry (R) 1. William A. Buckingham (R) Delaware 1. Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. (D) 2. Eli M. Saulsbury (D) Florida 3. Thomas W. Osborn (R) 1. Abijah Gilbert (R) Georgia 3. Joshua Hill (R) 2. Thomas M. Norwood (D), from November 14, 1871 Illinois 3. Lyman Trumbull (R) 2. John A. Logan (R) Indiana 3. Oliver H. P. T. Morton (R) 1. Daniel D. Pratt (R) Iowa 3. James Harlan (R) 2. George G. Wright (R) Kansas 3. Samuel C. Pomeroy (R) 2. Alexander Caldwell (R) Kentucky 3. Garrett Davis (D), until September 22, 1872 Willis B. Machen (D), from September 27, 1872 2. John W. Stevenson (D) Louisiana 3. William P. Kellogg (R), until November 1, 1872 2. J. Rodman West (R) Maine 1. Hannibal Hamlin (R) 2. Lot M. Morrill (R) Maryland 3. George Vickers (D) 1. William T. Hamilton (D) Massachusetts 1. Charles Sumner (R) 2. Henry Wilson (R), until March 3, 1873 Michigan 1. Zachariah Chandler (R) 2. Thomas W. Ferry (R) Minnesota 1. Alexander Ramsey (R) 2. William Windom (R) Mississippi 1. Adelbert Ames (R) 2. James L. Alcorn (R), from December 1, 1871

Missouri 1. Carl Schurz (LR) 3. Francis P. Blair, Jr. (D) Nebraska 1. Thomas Tipton (R) 2. Phineas Hitchcock (R) Nevada 1. William M. Stewart (R) 3. James W. Nye (R) New Hampshire 2. Aaron H. Cragin (R) 3. James W. Patterson (R) New Jersey 1. John P. Stockton (D) 2. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (R) New York 3. Roscoe Conkling (R) 1. Reuben Fenton (R) North Carolina 3. John Pool (R) 2. Matt W. Ransom (D) Ohio 3. John Sherman (R) 1. Allen G. Thurman (D) Oregon 3. Henry W. Corbett (R) 2. James K. Kelly (D) Pennsylvania 3. Simon Cameron (R) 1. John Scott (R) Rhode Island 2. Henry B. Anthony (R) 1. William Sprague (R) South Carolina 2. Thomas J. Robertson (R) 3. Frederick A. Sawyer (R) Tennessee 1. William G. Brownlow (R) 2. Henry Cooper (D) Texas 2. Morgan C. Hamilton (R) 1. James W. Flanagan (R) Vermont 1. George F. Edmunds (R) 3. Justin S. Morrill (R) Virginia 2. John W. Johnston (D), from March 15, 1871 1. John F. Lewis (R) West Virginia 1. Arthur I. Boreman (R) 2. Henry G. Davis (D) Wisconsin 3. Timothy O. Howe (R) 1. Matthew H. Carpenter (R)

House of Representatives

Speaker of the House James G. Blaine

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Alabama 1. Benjamin S. Turner (R) 2. Charles W. Buckley (R) 3. William A. Handley (D) 4. Charles Hays (R) 5. Peter M. Dox (D) 6. Joseph H. Sloss (D) Arkansas 1. James M. Hanks (D) 2. Oliver P. Snyder (R) 3. John Edwards (LR), until February 9, 1872 Thomas Boles (R), from February 9, 1872 California 1. Sherman O. Houghton (R) 2. Aaron A. Sargent (R) 3. John M. Coghlan (R) Connecticut 1. Julius L. Strong (R), until September 7, 1872 Joseph R. Hawley (R), from December 2, 1872 2. Stephen W. Kellogg (R) 3. Henry H. Starkweather (R) 4. William H. Barnum (D) Delaware At-large. Benjamin T. Biggs (D) Florida At-large. Josiah T. Walls (R), until January 29, 1873 Silas L. Niblack (D), from January 29, 1873 Georgia 1. Archibald T. MacIntyre (D) 2. Richard H. Whiteley (R) 3. John S. Bigby (R) 4. Thomas J. Speer (R), until August 18, 1872 Erasmus W. Beck (D), from December 2, 1872 5. Dudley M. Du Bose (D) 6. William P. Price (D) 7. Pierce M. B. Young (D) Illinois 1. Charles B. Farwell (R) 2. John F. Farnsworth (R) 3. Horatio C. Burchard (R) 4. John B. Hawley (R) 5. Bradford N. Stevens (D) 6. Burton C. Cook (R), until August 26, 1871 Henry Snapp (R), from December 4, 1871 7. Jesse H. Moore (R) 8. James C. Robinson (D) 9. Thompson W. McNeely (D) 10. Edward Y. Rice (D) 11. Samuel S. Marshall (D) 12. John B. Hay (R) 13. John M. Crebs (D) At-large. John L. Beveridge (R), November 7, 1871 – January 4, 1873 Indiana 1. William E. Niblack (D) 2. Michael C. Kerr (D) 3. William S. Holman (D) 4. Jeremiah M. Wilson (R) 5. John Coburn (R) 6. Daniel W. Voorhees (D) 7. Mahlon D. Manson (D) 8. James N. Tyner (R) 9. John P. C. Shanks (R) 10. William Williams (R) 11. Jasper Packard (R) Iowa 1. George W. McCrary (R) 2. Aylett R. Cotton (R) 3. William G. Donnan (R) 4. Madison M. Walden (R) 5. Francis W. Palmer (R) 6. Jackson Orr (R) Kansas At-large. David P. Lowe (R) Kentucky 1. Edward Crossland (D) 2. Henry D. McHenry (D) 3. Joseph H. Lewis (D) 4. William B. Read (D) 5. Boyd Winchester (D) 6. William E. Arthur (D) 7. James B. Beck (D) 8. George M. Adams (D) 9. John M. Rice (D) Louisiana 1. J. Hale Sypher (R) 2. Lionel A. Sheldon (R) 3. Chester B. Darrall (R) 4. James McCleery (R), until November 5, 1871 Alexander Boarman (LR), from December 3, 1872 5. Frank Morey (R) Maine 1. John Lynch (R) 2. William P. Frye (R) 3. James G. Blaine (R) 4. John A. Peters (R) 5. Eugene Hale (R) Maryland 1. Samuel Hambleton (D) 2. Stevenson Archer (D) 3. Thomas Swann (D) 4. John Ritchie (D) 5. William M. Merrick (D) Massachusetts 1. James Buffinton (R) 2. Oakes Ames (R) 3. Ginery Twichell (R) 4. Samuel Hooper (R) 5. Benjamin F. Butler (R) 6. Nathaniel P. Banks (R) 7. George M. Brooks (R), until May 13, 1872 Constantine C. Esty (R), from December 2, 1872 8. George F. Hoar (R) 9. William B. Washburn (R), until December 5, 1871 Alvah Crocker (R), from January 2, 1872 10. Henry L. Dawes (R) Michigan 1. Henry Waldron (R) 2. William L. Stoughton (R) 3. Austin Blair (R) 4. Wilder D. Foster (R), from December 4, 1871 5. Omar D. Conger (R) 6. Jabez G. Sutherland (D) Minnesota 1. Mark H. Dunnell (R) 2. John T. Averill (R) Mississippi 1. George E. Harris (R) 2. Joseph L. Morphis (R) 3. Henry W. Barry (R) 4. George C. McKee (R) 5. Legrand W. Perce (R) Missouri 1. Erastus Wells (D) 2. Gustavus A. Finkelnburg (LR) 3. James R. McCormick (D) 4. Harrison E. Havens (R) 5. Samuel S. Burdett (R) 6. Abram Comingo (D) 7. Isaac C. Parker (R) 8. James G. Blair (LR) 9. Andrew King (D) Nebraska At-large. John Taffe (R) Nevada At-large. Charles W. Kendall (D) New Hampshire 1. Ellery A. Hibbard (D) 2. Samuel N. Bell (D) 3. Hosea W. Parker (D)

New Jersey 1. John W. Hazelton (R) 2. Samuel C. Forker (D) 3. John T. Bird (D) 4. John Hill (R) 5. George A. Halsey (R) New York 1. Dwight Townsend (D) 2. Thomas Kinsella (D) 3. Henry W. Slocum (D) 4. Robert Roosevelt (D) 5. William R. Roberts (D) 6. Samuel S. Cox (D) 7. Smith Ely, Jr. (D) 8. James Brooks (D) 9. Fernando Wood (D) 10. Clarkson N. Potter (D) 11. Charles St. John (R) 12. John H. Ketcham (R) 13. Joseph H. Tuthill (D) 14. Eli Perry (D) 15. Joseph M. Warren (D) 16. John Rogers (D) 17. William A. Wheeler (R) 18. John M. Carroll (D) 19. Elizur H. Prindle (R) 20. Clinton L. Merriam (R) 21. Ellis H. Roberts (R) 22. William E. Lansing (R) 23. R. Holland Duell (R) 24. John E. Seeley (R) 25. William H. Lamport (R) 26. Milo Goodrich (R) 27. H. Boardman Smith (R) 28. Freeman Clarke (R) 29. Seth Wakeman (R) 30. William Williams (D) 31. Walter L. Sessions (R) North Carolina 1. Clinton L. Cobb (R) 2. Charles R. Thomas (R) 3. Alfred M. Waddell (D) 4. Sion H. Rogers (D) 5. James M. Leach (D) 6. Francis E. Shober (D) 7. James C. Harper (D) Ohio 1. Aaron F. Perry (R), until July 14, 1872 Ozro J. Dodds (D), from October 9, 1872 2. Job E. Stevenson (R) 3. Lewis D. Campbell (D) 4. John F. McKinney (D) 5. Charles N. Lamison (D) 6. John A. Smith (R) 7. Samuel Shellabarger (R) 8. John Beatty (R) 9. Charles Foster (R) 10. Erasmus D. Peck (R) 11. John T. Wilson (R) 12. Philadelph Van Trump (D) 13. George W. Morgan (D) 14. James Monroe (R) 15. William P. Sprague (R) 16. John Bingham (R) 17. Jacob A. Ambler (R) 18. William H. Upson (R) 19. James A. Garfield (R) Oregon At-large. James H. Slater (D) Pennsylvania 1. Samuel J. Randall (D) 2. John V. Creely (IR) 3. Leonard Myers (R) 4. William D. Kelley (R) 5. Alfred C. Harmer (R) 6. Ephraim L. Acker (D) 7. Washington Townsend (R) 8. J. Lawrence Getz (D) 9. Oliver J. Dickey (R) 10. John W. Killinger (R) 11. John B. Storm (D) 12. Lazarus D. Shoemaker (R) 13. Ulysses Mercur (R), until December 2, 1872 Frank C. Bunnell (R), from December 24, 1872 14. John B. Packer (R) 15. Richard J. Haldeman (D) 16. Benjamin F. Meyers (D) 17. R. Milton Speer (D) 18. Henry Sherwood (D) 19. Glenni W. Scofield (R) 20. Samuel Griffith (D) 21. Henry D. Foster (D) 22. James S. Negley (R) 23. Ebenezer McJunkin (R) 24. William McClelland (D) Rhode Island 1. Benjamin T. Eames (R) 2. James M. Pendleton (R) South Carolina 1. Joseph Rainey (R) 2. Robert C. De Large (R), until January 24, 1873; vacant thereafter 3. Robert B. Elliott (R) 4. Alexander S. Wallace (R) Tennessee 1. Roderick R. Butler (R) 2. Horace Maynard (R) 3. Abraham E. Garrett (D) 4. John M. Bright (D) 5. Edward I. Golladay (D) 6. Washington C. Whitthorne (D) 7. Robert P. Caldwell (D) 8. William W. Vaughan (D) Texas 1. William S. Herndon (D) 2. John C. Conner (D) 3. William T. Clark (R), until May 13, 1872 De Witt C. Giddings (D), from May 13, 1872 4. John Hancock (D) Vermont 1. Charles W. Willard (R) 2. Luke P. Poland (R) 3. Worthington C. Smith (R) Virginia 1. John Critcher (D) 2. James H. Platt, Jr. (R) 3. Charles H. Porter (R) 4. William H. H. Stowell (R) 5. Richard T. W. Duke (D) 6. John T. Harris (D) 7. Elliott M. Braxton (D) 8. William Terry (D) West Virginia 1. John J. Davis (D) 2. James C. McGrew (R) 3. Frank Hereford (D) Wisconsin 1. Alexander Mitchell (D) 2. Gerry W. Hazelton (R) 3. J. Allen Barber (R) 4. Charles A. Eldredge (D) 5. Philetus Sawyer (R) 6. Jeremiah M. Rusk (R) Non-voting members Arizona Territory. Richard C. McCormick (D) Colorado Territory. Jerome B. Chaffee (R) Dakota Territory. Moses K. Armstrong (D) District of Columbia. Norton P. Chipman (R), from April 21, 1871 Idaho Territory. Samuel A. Merritt (D) Montana Territory. William H. Clagett (R) New Mexico Territory. José Manuel Gallegos (D) Utah Territory. William H. Hooper (D) Washington Territory. Selucius Garfielde (R) Wyoming Territory. William T. Jones (R)

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

Senate

• replacements: 0
  • Democratic: no net change
  • Republican: no net change
• deaths: 0
• resignations: 2
• contested elections: 0
• Total seats with changes: 4

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation
Virginia (2)	Vacant	Legislature had failed to elect. Previous incumbent re-elected March 15, 1871.	John W. Johnston (D)	March 15, 1871
Georgia (2)	Vacant	Foster Blodgett presented credentials as Senator-elect, but the Senate declared him not elected. Successor elected November 14, 1871.	Thomas M. Norwood (D)	November 14, 1871
Mississippi (2)	Vacant	Delayed taking seat in order to serve as Governor of Mississippi	James L. Alcorn (R)	December 1, 1871
Kentucky (3)	Garrett Davis (D)	Died September 22, 1872. Successor appointed September 27, 1872. Appointee was later elected January 21, 1873, to finish the term.[1]	Willis B. Machen (D)	September 27, 1872
Louisiana (3)	William P. Kellogg (R)	Resigned November 1, 1872 after being elected Governor of Louisiana	Vacant	Not filled this Congress
Massachusetts (2)	Henry Wilson (R)	Resigned March 3, 1873 after being elected U.S. Vice President	Vacant	Not filled this Congress

House of Representatives

• replacements: 11
  • Democratic: 4 seat net gain
  • Republican: 4 seat net loss
  • Liberal Republican: 0 net change
• deaths: 3
• resignations: 6
• contested election: 4
• Total seats with changes: 16

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date successor seated
District of Columbia At-large	New seat	District of Columbia's At-large district created March 4, 1871 and remained vacant until April 21, 1871	Norton P. Chipman (R)	April 21, 1871
Illinois At-large	Vacant	Rep. John A. Logan resigned at the end of the previous congress after being elected to the US Senate	John L. Beveridge (R)	November 7, 1871
Michigan 4th	Vacant	Rep. Thomas W. Ferry resigned at the end of the previous congress after being elected to the US Senate	Wilder D. Foster (R)	December 4, 1871
Illinois 6th	Burton C. Cook (R)	Resigned August 26, 1871	Henry Snapp (R)	December 4, 1871
Louisiana 4th	James McCleery (R)	Died November 5, 1871	Alexander Boarman (LR)	December 3, 1872
Massachusetts 9th	William B. Washburn (R)	Resigned December 5, 1871 after being elected Governor of Massachusetts	Alvah Crocker (R)	January 2, 1872
Arkansas 3rd	John Edwards (LR)	Lost contested election February 9, 1872	Thomas Boles (R)	February 9, 1872
Massachusetts 7th	George M. Brooks (R)	Resigned May 13, 1872 after becoming judge of probate for Middlesex County	Constantine C. Esty (R)	December 2, 1872
Texas 3rd	William T. Clark (R)	Lost contested election May 13, 1872	Dewitt C. Giddings (D)	December 13, 1872
Ohio 1st	Aaron F. Perry (R)	Resigned July 14, 1872	Ozro J. Dodds (D)	October 9, 1872
Georgia 4th	Thomas J. Speer (R)	Died August 18, 1872	Erasmus W. Beck (D)	December 2, 1872
Connecticut 1st	Julius L. Strong (R)	Died September 7, 1872	Joseph R. Hawley (R)	December 2, 1872
Pennsylvania 13th	Ulysses Mercur (R)	Resigned December 2, 1872 after becoming an assoc. justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania	Frank C. Bunnell (R)	December 24, 1872
Illinois At-large	John L. Beveridge (R)	Resigned January 4, 1873 after being elected Lieutenant Governor of Illinois	Vacant	Not filled this term
South Carolina 2nd	Robert C. De Large (R)	Seat declared vacant January 24, 1873 after election was contested by Christopher C. Bowen	Vacant	Not filled this term
Florida At-large	Josiah T. Walls (R)	Lost contested election January 29, 1873	Silas L. Niblack (D)	January 29, 1873

Employees

• Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark

Senate

• Chaplain: John P. Newman (Methodist)
• Secretary: George C. Gorham of Massachusetts
• Sergeant at Arms: John R. French

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

1. Byrd & Wolff, p. 112

• Byrd, Robert C.; Wolff, Wendy (October 1, 1993). "The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992" (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office.
• 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