47th United States Congress
The 47th 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, 1881, to March 4, 1883, during the first and only year of James Garfield's presidency, and the first two years of his successor, Chester Arthur's tenure. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Ninth Census of the United States in 1870. The House had a Republican majority; the Senate was evenly divided.[1]
47th United States Congress | |
---|---|
46th ← → 48th | |
United States Capitol (1877) | |
March 4, 1881 – March 4, 1883 | |
Senate President | Chester A. Arthur (R) until September 19, 1881 Vacant from September 19, 1881 |
Senate President pro tem | Thomas F. Bayard (D) David Davis (I) George F. Edmunds (R) |
House Speaker | J. Warren Keifer (R) |
Members | 76 senators 293 members of the House 8 non-voting delegates |
Senate Majority | Split[1] |
House Majority | Republican |
Sessions | |
Special: March 4, 1881 – May 20, 1881 Special: October 10, 1881 – October 29, 1881 1st: December 5, 1881 – August 8, 1882 2nd: December 4, 1882 – March 3, 1883 |
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 (RA) | Republican (R) | Independent (I) | Other | |||
End of previous congress | 42 | 0 | 31 | 1 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 75 | 1 |
Begin | 37 | 1 | 36 | 1 | 0 | 75 | 1 |
End | 37 | 76 | 0 | ||||
Final voting share | 48.7% | 1.3% | 48.7% | 1.3% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 36 | 2 | 38 | 0 | 0 | 76 | 0 |
House of Representatives
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Independent Democratic (ID) | Independent (I) | Greenback (G) | Independent Republican (IR) | Republican (R) | |||
End of previous congress | 146 | 4 | 1 | 11 | 0 | 129 | 291 | 2 |
Begin | 134 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 146 | 291 | 2 |
End | 130 | 1 | 150 | 292 | 1 | |||
Final voting share | 44.5% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 3.1% | 0.3% | 51.4% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 196 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 117 | 325 | 1 |
Leadership
Senate
- President: Chester A. Arthur (R), until September 19, 1881; vacant thereafter
- President pro tempore: Thomas F. Bayard (D), October 10, 1881 – October 13, 1881
- David Davis (I), from October 13, 1881
- George F. Edmunds (R), from March 3, 1883
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: George H. Pendleton
- Republican Conference Chairman: Henry B. Anthony
House of Representatives
- Speaker: J. Warren Keifer (R)
- Republican Conference Chairman: George M. Robeson
Major events
- March 4, 1881: James A. Garfield became President of the United States
- September 19, 1881: President Garfield died. Vice President Chester A. Arthur became President of the United States
Major legislation
- February 25, 1882: Apportionment of the Tenth Census, ch. 20, 22 Stat. 5
- May 6, 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act, 22 Stat. 58
- August 2, 1882: Passenger Act of 1882, 22 Stat. 186
- August 2, 1882: Rivers and Harbors Act
- January 16, 1883: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, ch. 27, 22 Stat. 403
- March 3, 1883: Tariff of 1883 (Mongrel Tariff)
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, 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.
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
|
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
|
|
House of Representatives
Members' names are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of this Congress.
Senate
- Deaths: 2
- Resignations: 8
- Interim appointments: 1
- Total replacements: 8
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: no net change
- Total seats with changes: 10
State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 2] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Wisconsin (3) | Vacant | Senator Matthew H. Carpenter died in the previous congress. Successor elected March 14, 1881. |
Angus Cameron (R) | March 14, 1881 |
Maine (2) | James G. Blaine (R) | Resigned March 5, 1881, to become U.S. Secretary of State. Successor elected March 18, 1881. |
William P. Frye (R) | March 15, 1881 |
Iowa (2) | Samuel J. Kirkwood (R) | Resigned March 7, 1881, to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Successor appointed March 8, 1881, to continue the term. Appointee elected January 25, 1882, to finish the term. |
James W. McDill (R) | March 8, 1881 |
Minnesota (2) | William Windom (R) | Resigned March 7, 1881, to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Successor appointed March 12, 1881, to continue the term. |
Alonzo J. Edgerton (R) | March 12, 1881 |
New York (1) | Thomas C. Platt (R) | Resigned May 16, 1881, as a protest against federal appointments made in New York. Successor elected October 11, 1881. |
Warner Miller (R) | July 27, 1881 |
New York (3) | Roscoe Conkling (R) | Resigned May 16, 1881, as a protest against federal appointments made in New York. Successor elected October 11, 1881. |
Elbridge G. Lapham (R) | August 2, 1881 |
Rhode Island (1) | Ambrose Burnside (R) | Died September 13, 1881. Successor elected October 5, 1881. |
Nelson W. Aldrich (R) | October 5, 1881 |
Minnesota (2) | Alonzo J. Edgerton (R) | Interim appointee replaced by successor elected October 30, 1881. | William Windom (R) | November 15, 1881 |
Colorado (2) | Henry M. Teller (R) | Resigned April 17, 1882, to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior. Successor appointed April 17, 1882. |
George M. Chilcott (R) | April 17, 1882 |
Georgia (2) | Benjamin H. Hill (D) | Died August 16, 1882. Successor elected November 15, 1882. |
M. Pope Barrow (D) | November 15, 1882 |
Colorado (2) | George M. Chilcott (R) | Interim appointee replaced by successor elected January 27, 1883. | Horace Tabor (R) | January 27, 1883 |
House of Representatives
- Deaths: 6
- Resignations: 9
- Contested elections: 8
- Total replacements: 14
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
- Total seats with changes: 22
District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 2] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Michigan 7 | Vacant | Rep. Omar D. Conger resigned during previous congress | John T. Rich (R) | April 5, 1881 |
New York 9 | Vacant | Rep. Fernando Wood resigned during previous congress | John Hardy (D) | December 5, 1881 |
Maine 2 | William P. Frye (R) | Resigned March 17, 1881 when elected U.S. Senator. | Nelson Dingley Jr. (R) | September 12, 1881 |
New York 11 | Levi P. Morton (R) | Resigned March 21, 1881 to become U.S. Minister to France. | Roswell P. Flower (D) | November 8, 1881 |
South Carolina 2 | Michael P. O'Connor (D) | Died April 26, 1881, during a contested election. Dibble presented credentials to replace him due to his death. | Samuel Dibble (D) | June 9, 1881 |
New York 22 | Warner Miller (R) | Resigned July 26, 1881 when elected U.S. Senator. | Charles R. Skinner (R) | November 8, 1881 |
New York 27 | Elbridge G. Lapham (R) | Resigned July 29, 1881 when elected U.S. Senator. | James W. Wadsworth (R) | November 8, 1881 |
Rhode Island 1 | Nelson W. Aldrich (R) | Resigned October 5, 1881 when elected U.S. Senator. Successor elected November 22, 1881. |
Henry J. Spooner (R) | December 5, 1881 |
Missouri 2 | Thomas Allen (D) | Died April 8, 1882 | James H. McLean (R) | December 15, 1882 |
Mississippi 6 | James R. Chalmers (D) | Lost contested election April 29, 1882 | John R. Lynch (R) | April 29, 1882 |
South Carolina 2 | Samuel Dibble (D) | Lost contested election May 31, 1882, during an election originally contested with Michael P. O'Connor. Dibble presented credentials to replace him until Mackey was determined to be the victor under terms of the original election. | Edmund W. M. Mackey (IR) | May 31, 1882 |
Florida 2 | Jesse J. Finley (D) | Lost contested election June 1, 1882 | Horatio Bisbee Jr. (R) | June 1, 1882 |
Alabama 8 | Joseph Wheeler (D) | Lost contested election June 3, 1882 | William M. Lowe (G) | June 3, 1882 |
Illinois 5 | Robert M. A. Hawk (R) | Died June 29, 1882 | Robert R. Hitt (R) | November 7, 1882 |
South Carolina 5 | George D. Tillman (D) | Lost contested election July 19, 1882 | Robert Smalls (R) | July 19, 1882 |
Alabama 4 | Charles M. Shelley (D) | Election contested by James Q. Smith. Seat declared vacant July 20, 1882. Shelley re-elected to fill seat. |
Charles M. Shelley (D) | November 7, 1882 |
Alabama 8 | William M. Lowe (G) | Died October 12, 1882 | Joseph Wheeler (D) | January 15, 1883 |
Georgia 8 | Alexander H. Stephens (D) | Resigned November 4, 1882 when elected Governor of Georgia. | Seaborn Reese (D) | December 4, 1882 |
Ohio 16 | Jonathan T. Updegraff (R) | Died November 30, 1882 | Joseph D. Taylor (R) | January 2, 1883 |
Indiana 9 | Godlove S. Orth (R) | Died December 16, 1882 | Charles T. Doxey (R) | January 17, 1883 |
North Carolina 3 | John W. Shackelford (D) | Died January 18, 1883 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Missouri 3 | Richard G. Frost (D) | Lost contested election March 2, 1883 | Gustavus Sessinghaus (R) | March 2, 1883 |
Iowa 6 | Marsena E. Cutts (R) | Lost election contest March 3, 1883 | John C. Cook (D) | March 3, 1883 |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders, for members (House and Senate) of the committees and their assignments, go into the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of the article and click on the link (4 links), in the directory after the pages of terms of service, you will see the committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and after the committee pages, you will see the House/Senate committee assignments in the directory, on the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.
Senate
- Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress (Select) (Chairman: Daniel W. Voorhees; Ranking Member: N/A)
- Agriculture (Chairman: William Mahone; Ranking Member: Henry G. Davis)
- Appropriations (Chairman: William B. Allison; Ranking Member: Henry G. Davis)
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: John P. Jones; Ranking Member: Zebulon B. Vance)
- Cabinet Officers on the Floor of the Senate (Select)
- Civil Service and Retrenchment (Chairman: Joseph R. Hawley; Ranking Member: Matthew C. Butler)
- Claims (Chairman: Angus Cameron; Ranking Member: James L. Pugh)
- Commerce (Chairman: Samuel J.R. McMillan; Ranking Member: Matt W. Ransom)
- Distilled Spirit Tax Bill (Select)
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: John J. Ingalls; Ranking Member: Isham G. Harris)
- Education and Labor (Chairman: Henry W. Blair; Ranking Member: Samuel B. Maxey)
- Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Eli Saulsbury; Ranking Member: Warner Miller)
- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: William J. Sewell; Ranking Member: James L. Pugh)
- Epidemic Diseases (Select) (Chairman: Isham G. Harris; Ranking Member: Henry M. Teller)
- Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service (Select)
- Finance (Chairman: Justin S. Morrill; Ranking Member: Thomas F. Bayard)
- Foreign Relations (Chairman: William Windom; Ranking Member: John W. Johnston)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: Henry L. Dawes; Ranking Member: Richard Coke)
- Judiciary (Chairman: George F. Edmunds; Ranking Member: Augustus H. Garland)
- Manufactures (Chairman: Omar D. Conger; Ranking Member: John R. McPherson)
- Military Affairs (Chairman: John A. Logan; Ranking Member: Francis M. Cockrell)
- Mines and Mining (Chairman: Nathaniel P. Hill; Ranking Member: Wade Hampton)
- Mississippi River and its Tributaries (Select) (Chairman: Charles H. Van Wyck; Ranking Member: Benjamin F. Jonas)
- Naval Affairs (Chairman: J. Donald Cameron; Ranking Member: John R. McPherson)
- Nicaraguan Claims (Select) (Chairman: Henry G. Davis; Ranking Member: Nathaniel P. Hill)
- Ordnance and Gunnery (Select)
- Ordnance and Projectiles (Select)
- Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
- Patents (Chairman: Orville H. Platt; Ranking Member: Richard Coke)
- Pensions (Chairman: John I. Mitchell; Ranking Member: James B. Groome)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Thomas W. Ferry; Ranking Member: Samuel B. Maxey)
- Potomac River Front (Select)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: Thomas F. Bayard; Ranking Member: George F. Edmunds)
- Privileges and Elections (Chairman: George F. Hoar; Ranking Member: Eli Saulsbury)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Preston B. Plumb; Ranking Member: Charles W. Jones)
- Railroads (Chairman: William P. Kellogg; Ranking Member: Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar)
- Revenue Collections in North Carolina (Special)
- Revision of the Laws (Chairman: John F. Miller; Ranking Member: David Davis)
- Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: John W. Johnston; Ranking Member: Henry B. Anthony)
- Rules (Chairman: William P. Frye; Ranking Member: Wilkinson Call)
- Sioux and Crow Indians (Select)
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Tenth Census (Select) (Chairman: Eugene Hale; Ranking Member: George H. Pendleton)
- Territories (Chairman: Alvin Saunders; Ranking Member: Matthew C. Butler)
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Chairman: Benjamin Harrison; Ranking Member: James B. Beck)
- Whole
- Woman Suffrage (Select) (Chairman: Elbridge G. Lapham; Ranking Member: James Z. George)
House of Representatives
- Accounts (Chairman: Milton G. Urner; Ranking Member: Edward L. Martin)
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Select) (Chairman: John T. Wait; Ranking Member: Thomas Williams)
- Agriculture (Chairman: Edward K. Valentine; Ranking Member: William Cullen)
- Appropriations (Chairman: Frank Hiscock; Ranking Member: John H. Ketcham)
- Banking and Currency (Chairman: William W. Crapo; Ranking Member: John H. Ketcham)
- Claims (Chairman: Richard Crowley; Ranking Member: Robert J.C. Walker)
- Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: Horatio G. Fisher; Ranking Member: Ira S. Hazeltine)
- Commerce (Chairman: Horace F. Page; Ranking Member: Melvin C. George)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Henry S. Neal; Ranking Member: John F. Dezendorf)
- Education and Labor (Chairman: John C. Sherwin; Ranking Member: Albert S. Willis)
- Elections (Chairman: William H. Calkins; Ranking Member: Ferris Jacobs, Jr.)
- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: William Aldrich; Ranking Member: Cornelius C. Jadwin)
- Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: Jay Abel Hubbell; Ranking Member: Charles B. Simonton)
- Expenditures in the Justice Department (Chairman: Edwin Willits; Ranking Member: Otho R. Singleton)
- Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: George M. Robeson; Ranking Member: Leopold Morse)
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Joseph G. Cannon; Ranking Member: John H. Reagan)
- Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Nathaniel C. Deering; Ranking Member: Thomas H. Herndon)
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: James B. Belford; Ranking Member: William H. Forney)
- Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: James F. Briggs; Ranking Member: Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn)
- Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Russell Errett; Ranking Member: Morgan R. Wise)
- Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Charles G. Williams; Ranking Member: Robert J.C. Walker)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: Dudley C. Haskell; Ranking Member: David P. Richardson)
- Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Thomas M. Browne; Ranking Member: James Wolcott Wadsworth)
- Judiciary (Chairman: Thomas B. Reed; Ranking Member: Amasa Norcross)
- Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River (Chairman: John R. Thomas; Ranking Member: Julius C. Burrows)
- Manufactures (Chairman: James M. Campbell; Ranking Member: Jonathan Chace)
- Memorial on Services Rendered by Carlisle P. Patterson (Select) (Chairman: John A. Kasson; Ranking Member: John D.C. Atkins)
- Mileage (Chairman: Joseph Jorgensen; Ranking Member: Thomas R. Cobb)
- Military Affairs (Chairman: Thomas J. Henderson; Ranking Member: Henry J. Spooner)
- Militia (Chairman: Horace B. Strait; Ranking Member: Edward K. Valentine)
- Mines and Mining (Chairman: John Van Voorhis; Ranking Member: Thomas L. Young)
- Naval Affairs (Chairman: Benjamin W. Harris; Ranking Member: John F. Dezendorf)
- Pacific Railroads (Chairman: George C. Hazelton; Ranking Member: Charles B. Farwell)
- Patents (Chairman: Thomas L. Young; Ranking Member: Henry J. Spooner)
- Pensions (Chairman: Benjamin F. Marsh; Ranking Member: Dietrich C. Smith)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Henry H. Bingham; Ranking Member: Henry L. Morey)
- Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: William S. Shallenberger; Ranking Member: J. Hyatt Smith)
- Public Expenditures (Chairman: Samuel J. Randall; Ranking Member: George W. Ladd)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Thaddeus C. Pound; Ranking Member: Theron M. Rice)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: Romualdo Pacheco; Ranking Member: Henry L. Muldrow)
- Railways and Canals (Chairman: Amos Townsend; Ranking Member: J. Hart Brewer)
- Revision of Laws (Chairman: William McKinley; Ranking Member: Cornelius C. Jadwin)
- Rules (Chairman: J. Warren Keifer; Ranking Member: Joseph Clay Stiles Blackburn)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories (Chairman: Julius C. Burrows; Ranking Member: William W. Grout)
- War Claims (Chairman: Leonidas C. Houk; Ranking Member: Edward W. Robertson)
- Ways and Means (Chairman: William D. Kelley; Ranking Member: Russell Errett)
- Whole
Joint committees
- American Shipbuilding (Select)
- Budget Control
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Sen. William Aldrich; Vice Chairman: Rep. John E. Kenna)
- The Library (Chairman: Sen. John Sherman; Vice Chairman: Rep. George W. Geddes)
- Printing (Chairman: Sen. Henry B. Anthony; Vice Chairman: Rep. William M. Springer)
- Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Sen. William Mahone; Vice Chairman: Rep. J. Hyatt Smith)
- State, War and Navy Department Building
Caucuses
- Democratic (House)
- Democratic (Senate)
Employees
Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
- Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford
- Public Printer of the United States: John D. Defrees, until 1882
- Sterling P. Rounds, from 1882
Senate
- Secretary: John C. Burch, elected March 24, 1879, died July 28, 1881
- Francis E. Shober, (Acting), elected October 25, 1881
- Librarian: P. J. Pierce
- Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright
- Chaplain: Joseph J. Bullock (Presbyterian)
House of Representatives
- Clerk: George M. Adams, until December 5, 1881
- Edward McPherson, from December 5, 1881
- Sergeant at Arms: John G. Thompson, until December 5, 1881
- George W. Hooker, from December 5, 1881
- Doorkeeper: Walter P. Brownlow, elected December 5, 1881
- Postmaster: Henry Sherwood, elected December 5, 1881
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: J. Guilford White
- Michael Sullivan
- Reading Clerks: Charles N. Clisbee (D) and Neill S. Brown, Jr. (R)
- Chaplain: William P. Harrison (Methodist), until December 5, 1881
- Frederick D. Power (Disciples of Christ), from December 5, 1881
See also
- United States elections, 1880 (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1880 United States presidential election
- United States Senate elections, 1880
- United States House of Representatives elections, 1880
- United States elections, 1882 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
- United States Senate elections, 1882
- United States House of Representatives elections, 1882
Notes
- Anti-Monopoly
- This is the date the member was seated or an oath administered, not necessarily the same date her/his service began.
References
- "The Great Senate Deadlock of 1881". Senate.gov. US Senate. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- 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
- The Great Senate Deadlock of 1881
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
- Congressional Directory for the 47th Congress, 1st Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 47th Congress, 1st Session (1st Revision).
- Congressional Directory for the 47th Congress, 1st Session (2nd Revision).
- Congressional Directory for the 47th Congress, 2nd Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 47th Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).