48th United States Congress
| 48th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Forty-eighth 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, 1883 to March 4, 1885, during the last two years of the administration of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Tenth Census of the United States in 1880. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.
Major events
Major legislation
Territories organized
- May 17, 1884: District of Alaska was organized.
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) |
Readjuster (RD) | Independent (I) | Republican (R) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 37 | 1 | 1 | 37 | 76 | 0 |
| Begin | 36 | 2 | 0 | 38 | 76 | 0 |
| End | ||||||
| Final voting share | 47.4% | 2.6% | 0.0% | 50.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 34 | 0 | 0 | 42 | 76 | 0 |
House of Representatives
- Democratic: 196 (majority)
- Republican: 117
- Readjuster: 4
- National Greenback: 2
- Independent: 2
- Independent Democratic: 3
- Independent Republican: 1
TOTAL members: 325
Leadership
Senate
- President: Vacant
- President pro tempore: George F. Edmunds (R)
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John G. Carlisle (D)
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 the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1886; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1888; and Class 3 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1884.
House of Representatives
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: 1
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: no net change
- Liberal Republican: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 1
- resignations: 0
- interim appointment: 1
- Total seats with changes: 1
| State (class) | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rhode Island (2) | Henry B. Anthony (R) | Died September 2, 1884 | William P. Sheffield (R) | November 19, 1884 |
| Rhode Island (2) | William P. Sheffield (R) | Successor elected January 20, 1885 | Jonathan Chace (R) | January 20, 1885 |
House of Representatives
- replacements: 15
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
- National Greenback: 1 seat net gain
- deaths: 9
- resignations: 9
- contested election: 8
- Total seats with changes: 25
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mississippi 2nd | Vacant | Chalmers took seat after an election contest with Van H. Manning who challenged his election | James R. Chalmers (I) | June 25, 1884 |
| West Virginia 3rd | John E. Kenna (D) | Resigned March 4, 1883 after being elected to the US Senate | Charles P. Snyder (D) | May 15, 1883 |
| Alabama 1st | Thomas H. Herndon (D) | Died March 28, 1883 | James T. Jones (D) | December 3, 1883 |
| Virginia 7th | John Paul (D) | Resigned September 5, 1883 after being appointed judge of the US District Court of the Western District of Virginia. The House election was subsequently contested. | Charles T. O'Ferrall (D) | May 5, 1884 |
| Kansas 2nd | Dudley C. Haskell (R) | Died December 16, 1883 | Edward H. Funston (R) | March 21, 1884 |
| North Carolina 1st | Walter F. Pool (R) | Died August 25, 1883 | Thomas G. Skinner (D) | November 20, 1883 |
| Massachusetts 12th | George D. Robinson (R) | Resigned January 7, 1884 after being elected Governor of Massachusetts | Francis W. Rockwell (R) | January 17, 1884 |
| South Carolina 7th | Edmund W. M. Mackey (R) | Died January 27, 1884 | Robert Smalls (R) | March 18, 1884 |
| New Mexico Territory At-large | Tranquilino Luna (R) | Lost contested election March 5, 1884 | Francisco A. Manzanares (D) | March 5, 1884 |
| Virginia 1st | Robert M. Mayo (Readjuster) | Lost contested election March 20, 1884 | George T. Garrison (D) | March 20, 1884 |
| Indiana 7th | Stanton J. Peelle (R) | Lost contested election May 22, 1884 | William E. English (D) | May 22, 1884 |
| Ohio 18th | William McKinley (R) | Lost contested election May 27, 1884 | Jonathan H. Wallace (D) | May 27, 1884 |
| Ohio 7th | Henry L. Morey (R) | Lost contested election June 20, 1884 | James E. Campbell (D) | June 20, 1884 |
| Iowa 7th | John A. Kasson (R) | Resigned July 13, 1884 after being appointed Minister to Germany | Hiram Y. Smith (R) | December 2, 1884 |
| Indiana 13th | William H. Calkins (R) | Resigned October 20, 1884 | Benjamin F. Shively (Anti-Monopoly) | December 1, 1884 |
| South Carolina 4th | John H. Evins (D) | Died October 20, 1884 | John Bratton (D) | December 8, 1884 |
| Pennsylvania 19th | William A. Duncan (D) | Died November 14, 1884 | John A. Swope (D) | December 23, 1884 |
| North Carolina 5th | Alfred M. Scales (D) | Resigned December 30, 1884 after being elected Governor of North Carolina | James W. Reid (D) | January 28, 1885 |
| Alabama 4th | Charles M. Shelley (D) | Lost contested election January 9, 1885 | George H. Craig (R) | January 9, 1885 |
| Ohio 9th | James S. Robinson (R) | Resigned January 12, 1885 after becoming Ohio Secretary of State | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| Rhode Island 2nd | Jonathan Chace (R) | Resigned January 26, 1885 after being elected to the US Senate | Nathan F. Dixon III (R) | February 12, 1885 |
| Arkansas 2nd | James K. Jones (D) | Resigned February 19, 1885 after being elected to the US Senate | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| Iowa 5th | James Wilson (R) | Lost contested election March 3, 1885 | Benjamin T. Frederick (D) | March 3, 1885 |
| Iowa 6th | Marsena E. Cutts (R) | Lost contested election March 3, 1885 | John C. Cook (D) | March 3, 1885 |
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain: Elias D. Huntley (Methodist)
- Secretary: Francis E. Shober (Acting), to December 18, 1883
- Anson G. McCook, from December 18, 1883
- Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright, to December 18, 1883
- William P. Canady, from December 18, 1883
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: John S. Lindsay (Episcopalian)
- Clerk: John B. Clark, Jr.
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
- Doorkeeper: James G. Wintersmith
- Postmaster: Lycurgus Dalton
- Sergeant at Arms: John P. Leedom
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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