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User:Stilltim/congress - 46th United States Congress - general

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United States Capitol
President of the Senate
Vice President
William A. Wheeler

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 3, 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. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

See also: 46th Congress - state detail

Dates of sessions

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March 4, 1879 - March 3, 1881

  • First session: March 18, 1879 – July 1, 1879
  • Second session: December 1, 1879 - June 16, 1880
  • Third session: December 6, 1880 - March 3, 1881 — a lame duck session

Previous congress: 45th Congress - general
Next congress: 47th Congress - general

Party summary

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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

TOTAL members: 76

House of Representatives

TOTAL members: 293

Leadership

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Senate
House of Representatives

Major events

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Main article: Events of 1879; Events of 1880; Events of 1881

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).

Major legislation

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Main article: List of United States federal legislation in the 46th Congress

Membership highlights by chamber

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This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.

Senate

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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 reelection in 1880; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1882; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1884.

See also: Category:United States Senators
See also: Category:United States congressional delegations by state
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
President pro tempore
Allen G. Thurman

House of Representatives

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The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

See also: Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives
See also: Category:United States congressional delegations by state
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
Speaker of the House
Samuel J. Randall

Delegates

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Arizona Territory
Dakota Territory
Idaho Territory
Montana Territory
New Mexico Territory
Utah Territory
Washington Territory
Wyoming Territory

Membership detail by Chamber/Party

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The list below is arranged by chamber, then by political party. Members are shown in alphabetical order.

Senate

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Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress.

A-F
G-O
P-Z
A-F
G-O
P-Z

House of Representatives

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Members of the House of Representatives were elected by popular vote, variously to single member districts or at-large.

A-B-C
D-E-F
G-H-I
J-K-L
M-N-O
P-Q-R
S-T-U-V
W-X-Y-Z
A-B-C
D-E-F
G-H-I
J-K-L
M-N-O
P-Q-R
S-T-U-V
W-X-Y-Z
A-O
P-Z
A-F
G-O
P-Z


Changes in membership

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The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

Senate
  • replacements: 4
  • deaths: 3
  • resignations: 1
  • interim appointments: 2
  • Total seats with changes: 5
House of Representatives
  • replacements: 8
  • deaths: 6
  • resignations: 4
  • contested election: 2
  • Total seats with changes: 12

Officers

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Senate
Other
House of Representatives

References

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  • Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  • Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
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