United States House of Representatives elections, 1894

November 6, 1894^{[Note 1]}

All 357^{[Note 2]} seats in the U.S. House of Representatives 179 seats needed for a majority

	Majority party	Minority party

Leader	Thomas Brackett Reed	Charles Frederick Crisp
Party	Republican	Democratic
Last election	124 seats	220 seats^{[Note 3]}
Seats won	254^[1]^{[Note 4]}	93^[1]^{[Note 4]}
Seat change	130	127
Popular vote	6,745,611	4,954,805
Percentage	49.96%	36.70%
Swing	7.08%	9.47%

	Third party	Fourth party

Leader	John Calhoun Bell
Party	Populist	Silver
Last election	11 seats	1 seat
Seats won	9^[1]^{[Note 4]}	1^[1]
Seat change	2
Popular vote	1,412,078	4,581
Percentage	10.46%	0.03%
Swing	2.57%	0.01%

Speaker before election

Charles Crisp
Democratic

Elected Speaker

Thomas Reed
Republican

The elections to the United States House of Representatives 1894 comprised a significant realigning election — a major Republican landslide that set the stage for the decisive election of 1896. The elections of members of the United States House of Representatives in 1894 came in the middle of President Grover Cleveland's second term. The nation was in its deepest economic depression ever following the Panic of 1893, so economic issues were at the forefront. In the spring, a major coal strike damaged the economy of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. It was accompanied by violence; the miners lost and many moved toward the Populist party. Immediately after the coal strike concluded, Eugene V. Debs led a nationwide railroad strike, called the Pullman Strike. It shut down the nation's transportation system west of Detroit for weeks, until President Cleveland's use of federal troops ended the strike. Debs went to prison (for disobeying a court order). Illinois's Governor John Peter Altgeld, a Democrat, broke bitterly with Cleveland.

The fragmented and disoriented Democratic Party was crushed everywhere outside the South, losing more than half its seats to the Republican Party. Even in the South, the Democrats lost seats to Republican-Populist electoral fusion in Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, and North Carolina.^[2]^[3] The Democrats ultimately lost 127 seats in the election while the Republicans gained 130 seats (after the resolution of several contested elections). This is the largest swing in the history of the House of Representatives, and also makes the 1894 election the single largest midterm election victory in the entire history of the United States. (A political party would not suffer triple-digit losses again until 1932.)

The main issues revolved around the severe economic depression, which the Republicans blamed on the conservative Bourbon Democrats led by Cleveland. Cleveland supporters lost heavily, weakening their hold on the party and setting the stage for an 1896 takeover by the silverist wing of the party. The Populist Party ran candidates in the South and Midwest, but generally lost ground, outside Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas where state-level fusion with the Republicans was successful despite Populist and Republican antagonism at the national level. The Democrats tried to raise a religious issue, claiming the GOP was in cahoots with the American Protective Association. The allegations seem to have fallen flat as Catholics moved toward the GOP.^[4]

Election summaries

One seat was added for the new State of Utah.

↓
254	1	9	93
Republican	S	P	Democratic

State	Type	Total seats	Republican	Democratic	Populist	Silver
State	Type	Total seats	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Alabama	District	9	2	2	5	4	2	2	0
Arkansas	District	6	0		6		0		0
California	District	7	6	3	1	2	0	1	0
Colorado	District	2	1	1	0		1	1	0
Connecticut	District	4	4	3	0	3	0		0
Delaware	At-large	1	1	1	0	1	0		0
Florida	District	2	0		2		0		0
Georgia	District	11	0		11		0		0
Idaho	At-large	1	1		0		0		0
Illinois	District^{[Note 5]}	22	22	11	0	11	0		0
Indiana	District	13	13	11	0	11	0		0
Iowa	District	11	11	1	0	1	0		0
Kansas	District +at-large	8	7	4	0		1	4	0
Kentucky	District	11	6	5	5	5	0		0
Louisiana	District	6	0		6		0		0
Maine^{[Note 6]}	District	4	4		0		0		0
Maryland	District	6	3	3	3	3	0		0
Massachusetts	District	13	12	3	1	3	0		0
Michigan	District	12	12	5	0	5	0		0
Minnesota	District	7	7	3	0	2	0	1	0
Mississippi	District	7	0		7		0		0
Missouri	District	15	11	9	4	9	0		0
Montana	At-large	1	1		0		0		0
Nebraska	District	6	5	2	0	1	1	1	0
Nevada	At-large	1	0		0	1	0		1
New Hampshire	District	2	2		0		0		0
New Jersey	District	8	8	6	0	6	0		0
New York	District	34	30	16	4	16	0		0
North Carolina	District	9	3	2	2	6	4	4	0
North Dakota	At-large	1	1		0		0		0
Ohio	District	21	19	9	2	9	0		0
Oregon^{[Note 6]}	District	2	2		0		0		0
Pennsylvania	District +2 at-large	30	28	8	2	8	0		0
Rhode Island	District	2	2	2	0	2	0		0
South Carolina	District	7	1		6		0		0
South Dakota	At-large	2	2		0		0		0
Tennessee	District	10	4	2	6	2	0		0
Texas	District	13	1	1	12	1	0		0
Vermont^{[Note 6]}	District	2	2		0		0		0
Virginia	District	10	2	2	8	2	0		0
Washington	At-large	2	2		0		0		0
West Virginia	District	4	4	4	0	4	0		0
Wisconsin	District	10	10	6	0	6	0		0
Wyoming	At-large	1	1	1	0	1	0		0
1895 election
Utah^{[Note 7]}	At-large	1	1	1	0		0		0
Total^{[Note 2]}		357	254^[1] 71.1%	111	93^[1] 26.1%	107	9^[1] 2.5%	4	1^[1] 0.3%	1

House seats

Republican			71.15%
Democratic			26.05%
Populist			2.52%
Silver			0.28%

The previous election of 1892 saw 11 Populists and a Silver Party member win seats.

[[Image:54 us house membership.png|thumb|450px|

House seats by party holding plurality in state
80.1-100% Democratic		80.1-100% Republican
60.1-80% Democratic		60.1-80% Republican
Up to 60% Democratic	Up to 60% Populist	Up to 60% Republican

]]

[[Image:54 us house changes.png|thumb|450px|

Net gain in party representation
6+ Democratic gain		6+ Republican gain
3 to 5 Democratic gain		3 to 5 Republican gain
1 to 2 Democratic gain	1 to 2 Populist gain	1 to 2 Republican gain
no net change

]]

Early election dates

In 1894, three states, with 8 seats among them, held elections early:

June 4 Oregon
September 4 Vermont
September 10 Maine

Complete returns

California

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in California, 1894

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
California 1	Thomas J. Geary	Democratic	1890	Lost re-election Republican gain	John All Barham (R) 41.1% Thomas J. Geary (D) 37.0% Roger F. Grigsby (Pop) 19.7% J. R. Gregory (Pr)
California 2	Anthony Caminetti	Democratic	1890	Lost re-election Republican gain	Grove L. Johnson (R) 43.0% Anthony Caminetti (D) 35.1% Burdelli Cornell (Pop) 20.0% Elam Briggs (Pr) 1.9%
California 3	Warren B. English	Democratic	1892^{[Note 8]}	Lost re-election Republican gain	Samuel G. Hilborn^{[Note 9]} (R) 45.5% Warren B. English (D) 37.8% W. A. Vann (Pop) 14.9% L. B. Scranton (Pr) 1.8%
California 4	James G. Maguire	Democratic	1892	Re-elected	James G. Maguire (D) 48.3% Thomas Bowles Shannon (R) 32.0% B. K. Collier (Pop) 18.4% Joseph Rowell (Pr) 1.3%
California 5	Eugene F. Loud	Republican	1890	Re-elected	Eugene F. Loud (R) 36.8% Joseph P. Kelly (D) 23.0% James T. Rogers (Pop) 21.5% James Denman (Pr) 18.7%
California 6	Marion Cannon	Populist	1892	Retired Republican gain	James McLachlan (R) 44.3% George S. Patton (D) 27.6% W. C. Bowman (Pop) 23.1% J. E. McComas (Pr) 5.0%
California 7	William W. Bowers	Republican	1890	Re-elected	William W. Bowers (R) 42.9% W. H. Alford (D) 28.2% J. L. Gilbert (Pop) 25.0% W. H. Somers (Pr) 3.9%

Florida

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in Florida, 1894

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Florida 1	Stephen R. Mallory	Democratic	1890	Retired Democratic hold	Stephen M. Sparkman (D) 85.3% D. L. McKinnon (Pop) 14.7%
Florida 2	Charles Merian Cooper	Democratic	1892	Re-elected	Charles Merian Cooper (D) 79.8% Montholom Atkinson (Pop) 20.2%

Ohio

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates^[5]
Ohio 1	Bellamy Storer	Republican	1890	Retired Republican hold	Charles Phelps Taft (R) 65.0% Hiram D, Peck (D) 35.0%
Ohio 2	Jacob H. Bromwell	Republican	1894 (s)	Re-elected	Jacob H. Bromwell (R) 67.6% James B. Matson (D) 32.4%
Ohio 3	Paul J. Sorg	Democratic	1894 (s)	Re-elected	Paul J. Sorg (D) 50.2% Andrew L. Harris (R) 49.8%
Ohio 4	Fernando C. Layton	Democratic	1892	Re-elected	Fernando C. Layton (D) 52.5% William D. Davies (R) 47.5%
Ohio 5	Dennis D. Donovan	Democratic	1892	Lost re-nomination Republican gain	Francis B. De Witt (R) 52.6% John S. Snook (D) 47.4%
Ohio 6	George W. Hulick	Republican	1892	Re-elected	George W. Hulick (R) 61.9% Joseph L. Stephens (D) 38.1%
Ohio 7	George W. Wilson	Republican	1892	Re-elected	George W. Wilson (R) 60.6% Charles E. Gain (D) 39.4%
Ohio 8	Luther M. Strong	Republican	1892	Re-elected	Luther M. Strong (R) 64.9% Elijah T. Dunn (D) 35.1%
Ohio 9	Byron F. Ritchie	Democratic	1892	Lost re-election Republican gain	James H. Southard (R) 59.5% Byron F. Ritchie (D) 40.5%
Ohio 10	Hezekiah S. Bundy	Republican	1893 (s)	Retired Republican hold	Lucien J. Fenton (R) 67.6% John O. Yates (D) 32.4%
Ohio 11	Charles H. Grosvenor	Republican	1892	Re-elected	Charles H. Grosvenor (R) 64.1% Eli R. Lash (D) 35.9%
Ohio 12	Joseph H. Outhwaite	Democratic	1892	Lost re-election Republican gain	David K. Watson (R) 52.2% Joseph H. Outhwaite (D) 47.8%
Ohio 13	Darius D. Hare	Democratic	1892	Retired Republican gain	Stephen Ross Harris (R) 50.9% Boston G. Young (D) 49.1%
Ohio 14	Michael D. Harter	Democratic	1892	Retired Republican gain	Winfield S. Kerr (R) 59.9% James C. Laser (D) 40.1%
Ohio 15	H. Clay Van Voorhis	Republican	1892	Re-elected	H. Clay Van Voorhis (R) 61.6% Charles Richardson (D) 38.4%
Ohio 16	Albert J. Pearson	Democratic	1892	Retired Republican gain	Lorenzo Danford (R) 62.9% Albert O. Barnes (D) 37.1%
Ohio 17	James A. D. Richards	Democratic	1892	Lost re-election Republican gain	Addison S. McClure (R) 52.3% James A. D. Richards (D) 47.7%
Ohio 18	George P. Ikirt	Democratic	1892	Retired Republican gain	Robert W. Tayler (R) 51.0% Edward S. Raff (D) 27.1% Jacob S. Coxey, Sr. (Pop) 21.9%
Ohio 19	Stephen A. Northway	Republican	1892	Re-elected	Stephen A. Northway (R) 75.7% Henry Apthorp (D) 24.3%
Ohio 20	William J. White	Republican	1892	Retired Republican hold	Clifton B. Beach (R) 67.5% H. B. Harrington (D) 32.5%
Ohio 21	Tom L. Johnson	Democratic	1890	Lost re-election Republican gain	Theodore E. Burton (R) 57.5% Tom L. Johnson (D) 42.5%

South Carolina

Main article: United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 1894

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
South Carolina 1	George W. Murray Redistricted from the 7th district	Republican	1892	Lost re-election Democratic gain	William Elliott (D) 59.1% George W. Murray (R) 40.9%
South Carolina 2	W. Jasper Talbert	Democratic	1892	Re-elected	W. Jasper Talbert (D) 99.5% Others 0.5%
South Carolina 3	Asbury Latimer	Democratic	1892	Re-elected	Asbury Latimer (D) 81.3% Robert Moorman (R) 13.9% Others 4.8%
South Carolina 4	George W. Shell	Democratic	1890	Retired Democratic hold	Stanyarne Wilson (D) 75.1% Lawson D. Melton (R) 24.7% Others 0.2%
South Carolina 5	Thomas J. Strait	Democratic	1892	Re-elected	Thomas J. Strait (D) 67.6% G. G. Alexander (R) 17.0% W. R. Davie (I) 12.8% Others 2.6%
South Carolina 6	John L. McLaurin	Democratic	1892	Re-elected	John L. McLaurin (D) 76.9% J. P. Wilson (R) 23.1%
South Carolina 7	None (open seat due to redistricting)			Democratic gain	J. William Stokes (D) 73.0% T. B. Johnson (R) 26.3% Others 0.7%

In the 1st district, Murray successfully challenged Elliott's election and was awarded the seat on June 4, 1896.

The election in the 7th district was declared void on June 1, 1896 due to electoral fraud

Utah

Main article: United States House of Representatives election in Utah, 1895

This was Utah's first election for Representatives.

District	Incumbent	Party	First elected	Result	Candidates
Utah at-large	None (new state)			Republican win	Clarence E. Allen (R) 49.7% Brigham H. Roberts (D) 47.5% J. Hogan (Pr) 2.8%

Notes

↑ Three states held early elections between June 4 and September 10.
1 2 Includes late elections.
↑ Included two Independent Democrats.
1 2 3 Dubin (p. 312) counts 244 Republicans, 105 Democrats, 7 Populists, and 1 Silver at the opening of the 54th Congress, before the results of several contested elections were overturned in favor of Republican (and a few Populist) candidates. Dubin counts 253 Republicans, 93 Democrats, 9 Populists, and 1 Silver at the start of the 2nd session of the 54th Congress, which closely matches Martis' figure (pp. 148–49).
↑ At-large seats eliminated in redistricting.
1 2 3 Elections held early.
↑ Newly admitted state.
↑ After contested election.
↑ Had been the initial winner in 1892 but lost contested election

References

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Martis, pp. 148–149.
↑ http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9A00E7DF1231E033A2575AC0A9679D94659ED7CF
↑ http://history.missouristate.edu/wrmiller/Populism/Texts/Documents/Bibliography/african_American.htm
↑ Jensen (1971), Chap. 9.
↑ Smith, Joseph P, ed. (1898). History of the Republican Party in Ohio I. Chicago: the Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 656, 657.

Bibliography

Republican Congressional Committee, Republican Campaign Text Book: 1894 (1894).
Jensen, Richard. The Winning of the Midwest: Social and Political Conflict, 1888–1896 (1971).
Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
"Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.

External links

Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)

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