1876 and 1877 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1876 (with one state in 1877) for Representatives to the 45th Congress. These elections coincided with the (heavily contested) election of President Rutherford B. Hayes and the United States Centennial.
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All 293 seats to the United States House of Representatives 147 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Map of U.S. House elections results from 1876 elections for 45th Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hayes' Republican Party was able to recover from the Democratic Party many of the seats it had lost two years before as the economy improved slightly. However, the Democrats retained a majority and were able to use the disinterest of the people in Republican Reconstruction-led projects to help keep crucial seats. Republican Congressional leadership had a difficult time distancing itself from the corruption of the Grant administration or the legislature's impact on the economy downturn.
Election summaries
157 | 136 |
Democratic | Republican |
State | Type | Total seats |
Democratic | Republican | ||
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Seats | Change | Seats | Change | |||
Alabama | District[lower-alpha 7] | 8 | 8 | 0 | ||
Arkansas | District | 4 | 4[lower-alpha 8] | 0 | ||
California | District | 4 | 2 | 2 | ||
Colorado | At-large | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
Connecticut | District | 4 | 3 | 1 | ||
Delaware | At-large | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
Florida | District | 2 | 2 | 0 | ||
Georgia[lower-alpha 9] | District | 9 | 9[lower-alpha 8] | 0 | ||
Illinois | District | 19 | 8 | 11 | ||
Indiana[lower-alpha 9] | District | 13 | 4 | 9 | ||
Iowa[lower-alpha 9] | District | 9 | 0 | 9 | ||
Kansas | District | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Kentucky | District | 10 | 10 | 0 | ||
Louisiana | District | 6 | 5 | 1 | ||
Maine[lower-alpha 9] | District | 5 | 0 | 5 | ||
Maryland | District | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||
Massachusetts | District | 11 | 2 | 9 | ||
Michigan | District | 9 | 1 | 8 | ||
Minnesota | District | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Mississippi | District | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||
Missouri | District | 13 | 9 | 4 | ||
Nebraska | At-large | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
Nevada | At-large | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
New Hampshire[lower-alpha 10] | District | 3 | 1 | 2 | ||
New Jersey | District | 7 | 4 | 3 | ||
New York | District | 33 | 16 | 17 | ||
North Carolina | District | 8 | 7 | 1 | ||
Ohio[lower-alpha 9] | District | 20 | 8 | 12 | ||
Oregon[lower-alpha 9] | At-large | 1 | 0 | 1 | ||
Pennsylvania | District | 27 | 10 | 17 | ||
Rhode Island | District | 2 | 0 | 2 | ||
South Carolina | District | 5 | 2 | 3 | ||
Tennessee | District | 10 | 8 | 2 | ||
Texas | District | 6 | 6 | 0 | ||
Vermont[lower-alpha 9] | District | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
Virginia | District | 9 | 8 | 1 | ||
West Virginia[lower-alpha 9] | District | 3 | 3 | 0 | ||
Wisconsin | District | 8 | 3 | 5 | ||
Total | 293 | 157[lower-alpha 2][lower-alpha 6] 53.6% |
136[lower-alpha 2] 46.4% |
The previous election included 4 Independents, in Illinois and Massachusetts.
[[File:45 us house membership.png|thumb|left|350px|
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[[File:45 us house changes.png|thumb|right|350px|
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Election dates
In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform nationwide date for choosing Presidential electors.[1] This law did not affect election dates for Congress, which remained within the jurisdiction of State governments, but over time, the States moved their Congressional elections to this date as well. In 1876–77, there were still 8 states with earlier election dates, and 1 state with a later election date.
- Early elections (1876):
- Late election (1877):
- March 13, 1877 New Hampshire
Special elections
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Connecticut 4 | William Henry Barnum | Democratic | 1867 | Incumbent resigned May 18, 1876 when elected U.S. senator. New member elected November 7, 1876. Democratic hold. Winner also elected to the next term, see below. |
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California
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
California 1 | William Adam Piper | Democratic | 1875 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain. |
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California 2 | Horace F. Page | Republican | 1872 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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California 3 | John K. Luttrell | Democratic | 1872 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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California 4 | Peter D. Wigginton | Democratic | 1875 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain. |
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Florida
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Florida 1 | William J. Purman | Republican | 1872 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Florida 2 | Jesse J. Finley | Democratic | 1874[lower-alpha 11] | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected.[lower-alpha 12] Republican gain. |
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South Carolina
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
South Carolina 1 | Joseph Rainey | Republican | 1870 (Special) | Incumbent re-elected. |
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South Carolina 2 | Edmund W. M. Mackey | Independent Republican | 1874 | Seat declared vacant July 19, 1876 due to contested election. New member elected. Republican gain. |
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South Carolina 3 | Solomon L. Hoge | Republican | 1874 | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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South Carolina 4 | Alexander S. Wallace | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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South Carolina 5 | Robert Smalls | Republican | 1874 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin elected eight members of congress on Election Day, November 7, 1876.[3][4]
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Wisconsin 1 | Charles G. Williams | Republican | 1872 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 2 | Lucien B. Caswell | Republican | 1874 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 3 | Henry S. Magoon | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Republican hold. |
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Wisconsin 4 | William Pitt Lynde | Democratic | 1874 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 5 | Samuel D. Burchard | Democratic | 1874 | Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Democratic hold. |
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Wisconsin 6 | Alanson M. Kimball | Republican | 1874 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Democratic gain. |
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Wisconsin 7 | Jeremiah McLain Rusk | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Republican hold. |
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Wisconsin 8 | George W. Cate | Democratic | 1874 | Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain. |
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See also
Notes
- The majority of states held their elections on this date. Nine states held elections on different dates between June 5, 1876 and March 13, 1877.
- Martis, pp. 130–131.
- There is a significant discrepancy for the party totals in the U.S House resulting from the 1874 elections between Dubin (p. 241, who records 150 Democrats, 2 Independent Democrats, and 141 Republicans), and Martis (pp. 130–131). The discrepancy seems to be accounted for by the fact that Dubin's party figures represent the party totals on the first day of the 45th United States Congress, while Martis' figures take into account the results of later contested elections (all of which were decided in favor of the Democratic candidates who challenged the election results).
- Included 1 Independent Democrat.
- Included 3 Independent Republicans.
- Includes 2 Independent Democrats, Jordan E. Cravens of Arkansas's 3rd congressional district, and Alexander H. Stephens of Georgia's 7th congressional district.
- At-large seats eliminated in redistricting.
- Includes 1 Independent Democrat.
- Elections held early
- Elections held late
- After disputed election
- The election in the 2nd district was extremely close, with initial returns showing a difference between the two candidates of only 3 votes. Finley challenged Bisbee's election and was eventually seated on February 20, 1879.
References
- Statutes at Large, 28th Congress, 2nd Session, p. 721.
- https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=720711
- "Wisconsin U.S. House Election Results" (PDF). Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved May 24, 2020.
- Bashford, R. M., ed. (1878). "Official Directory: Members of Congress". The legislative manual of the state of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 449–452. Retrieved July 18, 2020.
Bibliography
- 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)