46th United States Congress
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The Forty-sixth 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, 1879 to March 4, 1881, during the last two years of the administration of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Ninth Census of the United States in 1870. The Senate had a Democratic majority, while the House of Representatives had a Democratic plurality. The Democrats were still able to control the House, however, with the help of the Independent politicians who caucused with them.
Party summary
Senate
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Independent (I) | Independent Republican (IR) | Republican (R) | Readjuster (RA) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 36 | 1 | 0 | 39 | 0 | 76 | 0 |
| Begin | 42 | 1 | 1 | 32 | 0 | 76 | 0 |
| End | 31 | 75 | 1 | ||||
| Final voting share | 56.0% | 1.3% | 1.3% | 41.3% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 37 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 1 | 76 | 0 |
House of Representatives
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Independent Democratic (ID) | Independent (I) | National Greenback (NG) | Republican (R) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 154 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 136 | 291 | 2 |
| Begin | 145 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 131 | 292 | 1 |
| End | 146 | 129 | 291 | 2 | |||
| Final voting share | 50.2% | 1.4% | 0.3% | 3.8% | 44.3% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 128 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 151 | 291 | 0 |
Leadership
Senate
President of the Senate
William A. Wheeler
William A. Wheeler
Senate President pro tempore Allen G. Thurman
House of Representatives
House Speaker Samuel J. Randall
- Speaker: Samuel J. Randall (D)
Major events
- Depression of 1873–79
- March 18, 1879: Samuel J. Randall was elected in one of the most tightly fought contests for the speakership after the Civil War. Randall, who favored the protective tariff and "hard money," drew his greatest strength from northern cities and greatest opposition from the west and south. The midterm elections of 1878 had gone badly for the Democrats, with the Greenback Party making inroads in key districts. This emboldened Randall's opponents, who rallied to the support of Joseph Blackburn from Kentucky. In the end, Randall prevailed in the Democratic caucus to receive the nomination, with 75 votes to Blackburn's 57 and a scattering of 9 votes to three other candidates. Blackburn, in moving to make Randall's nomination unanimous, steered his supporters away from the nomination of Hendrick B. Wright, a Democrat from Pennsylvania who was nominated by the Greenbacks. In the eventual vote in the House to elect the Speaker, Randall prevailed with 144 votes, to 125 for James Garfield (Republican from Ohio), 13 for Wright, and one for William "Pig Iron" Kelley (Pennsylvania).
- November 2, 1880: U.S. presidential election, 1880: James Garfield (R) defeated Winfield S. Hancock (D)
- February 19, 1881: Kansas became the first state to prohibit alcohol.
Major legislation
Main article: List of United States federal legislation, 1789–1901
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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 ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1880; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1882; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1884.
House of Representatives
The names of members 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: 4
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: no net change
- deaths: 3
- resignations: 1
- interim appointments: 2
- Total seats with changes: 5
See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate and List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
| State (class) | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire (3) | Vacant | Vacancy in term. An interim successor was appointed. | Charles H. Bell (R) | March 13, 1879 |
| New Hampshire (3) | Charles H. Bell (R) | Successor elected June 18, 1879 | Henry W. Blair (R) | June 20, 1879 |
| Michigan (1) | Zachariah Chandler (R) | Died November 1, 1879 | Henry P. Baldwin (R) | November 17, 1879 |
| Alabama (3) | George S. Houston (D) | Died December 31, 1879. An interim successor was appointed. | Luke Pryor (D) | January 7, 1880 |
| Georgia (3) | John B. Gordon (D) | Resigned May 26, 1880 to promote building of the Georgia Pacific Railway | Joseph E. Brown (D) | May 26, 1880 |
| Alabama (3) | Luke Pryor (D) | Successor elected November 23, 1880. | James L. Pugh (D) | November 24, 1880 |
| Wisconsin (3) | Matthew H. Carpenter (R) | Died February 24, 1881 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
- House of Representatives
- replacements: 8
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 4
- resignations: 3
- contested election: 2
- Total seats with changes: 11
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Texas 6th | Vacant | Rep. Gustav Schleicher died during previous congress | Christopher C. Upson (D) | April 15, 1879 |
| New York 12th | Vacant | Rep.-elect Alexander Smith died during previous congress | Waldo Hutchins (D) | November 4, 1879 |
| Iowa 5th | Rush Clark (R) | Died April 29, 1879 | William G. Thompson (R) | October 14, 1879 |
| Missouri 7th | Alfred M. Lay (D) | Died December 8, 1879 | John F. Philips (D) | January 10, 1880 |
| New York 32nd | Ray V. Pierce (R) | Resigned September 18, 1880 | Jonathan Scoville (D) | November 12, 1880 |
| Alabama 6th | Burwell B. Lewis (D) | Resigned October 1, 1880 to accept presidency of the University of Alabama | Newton N. Clements (D) | December 8, 1880 |
| Ohio 19th | James A. Garfield (R) | Resigned November 8, 1880 | Ezra B. Taylor (R) | December 13, 1880 |
| New Hampshire 3rd | Evarts W. Farr (R) | Died November 30, 1880 | Ossian Ray (R) | January 8, 1881 |
| Florida 2nd | Noble A. Hull (D) | Lost contested election January 22, 1881 | Horatio Bisbee, Jr. (R) | January 22, 1881 |
| North Carolina 1st | Joseph J. Martin (R) | Lost contested election January 29, 1881 | Jesse J. Yeates (D) | January 29, 1881 |
| New York 9th | Fernando Wood (D) | Died February 14, 1881 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| Michigan 7th | Omar D. Conger (R) | Resigned March 3, 1881 after being elected to the US Senate | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Employees
Senate
- Secretary: George C. Gorham
- John C. Burch elected March 24, 1879
- Sergeant at Arms: John R. French
- Richard J. Bright, elected March 23, 1879
- Chaplain: Joseph J. Bullock (Presbyterian)
House of Representatives
- Clerk: George M. Adams
- Sergeant at Arms: John G. Thompson
- Doorkeeper: Charles W. Field
- Postmaster: James M. Steuart
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: J. Randolph Tucker, Jr.
- George P. Miller
- Michael Sullivan
- Chaplain: W.P. Harrison (Methodist)
References
- 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
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
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