| 44th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
| 43rd ←→ 45th | |
 United States Capitol (1877) | |
March 4, 1875 – March 4, 1877 | |
| Members | 76 senators 293 representatives 9 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Republican |
| Senate President | Henry Wilson (R) (until November 22, 1875) Vacant (from November 22, 1875) |
| House majority | Democratic |
| House Speaker | Michael C. Kerr (D) until August 19, 1876 Samuel J. Randall (D) from December 4, 1876 |
| Sessions | |
| Special: March 5, 1875 – March 24, 1875 1st: December 6, 1875 – August 15, 1876 2nd: December 4, 1876 – March 3, 1877 | |
The 44th 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, 1875, to March 4, 1877, during the seventh and eighth years of Ulysses S. Grant's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1870 United States census. For the first time since the American Civil War, the House had a Democratic majority. The Senate maintained a Republican majority.
Major events
- November 22, 1875: Vice President Henry Wilson died from a stroke
- June 25, 1876: Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn
- July 4, 1876: United States Centennial
- November 7, 1876: United States general elections, 1876, including the disputed Presidential election of 1876, later settled with the Compromise of 1877 which ended Reconstruction.
Major legislation
- January 29, 1877: Electoral Commission Act, ch. 37, 19 Stat. 227
- March 3, 1877: Desert Land Act, ch. 107, 19 Stat. 377
State admitted
- August 1, 1876: Colorado admitted as the 38th state
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.
During this Congress, two Senate seats and one House seat were added for the new state, Colorado.
Senate
|
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Anti- Monopoly (AM) | Republican (R) | Other |
|||
| End of previous congress | 20 | 0 | 51 | 2 | 73 | 1 |
| Begin | 28 | 1 | 44 | 0 | 73 | 1 |
| End | 30 | 45 | 76 | 0 | ||
| Final voting share | 39.5% | 1.3% | 59.2% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 35 | 1 | 39 | 1 | 76 | 0 |
House of Representatives
|
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Independent Democratic (ID) |
Independent (I) |
Independent Republican (IR) |
Republican (R) |
Other | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Congress | 95 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 199 | (Liberal Republican) 4 |
290 | 2 |
| Begin | 176 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 104 | 0 | 289 | 3 |
| End | 179 | 3 | 103 | 290 | ||||
| Final voting share | 62.8% | 1.4% | 35.8% | 0.0% | ||||
| Beginning of the next Congress | 144 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 146 | 0 | 292 | 1 |
Leadership
Senate
- President: Henry Wilson (R), until November 22, 1875; vacant thereafter.
- President pro tempore: Thomas W. Ferry (R), from March 9, 1875
- Republican Conference Chairman: Henry B. Anthony
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: John W. Stevenson
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Michael C. Kerr (D), until August 19, 1876 (died)
- Samuel J. Randall (D), elected December 4, 1876
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II
- Republican Conference Chairman: George W. McCrary
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. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1880; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, facing re-election in 1876; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1878.
House of Representatives
The names of 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: 4
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
- Deaths: 3
- Resignations: 1
- Vacancy: 1
- Interim appointments: 3
- Seats of newly admitted states: 2
- Total seats with changes: 7
| State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Louisiana (3) | Vacant | Senate had declined to seat rival claimants William L. McMillen and P. B. S. Pinchback. Successor elected January 12, 1876. | James B. Eustis (D) | January 10, 1876 |
| Tennessee (1) | Andrew Johnson (D) | Died July 31, 1875. Successor appointed August 18, 1875, to continue the term. |
David M. Key (D) | August 18, 1875 |
| Connecticut (3) | Orris S. Ferry (R) | Died November 21, 1875. Successor appointed November 27, 1875, to continue the term. |
James E. English (D) | November 27, 1875 |
| Connecticut (3) | James E. English (D) | Interim appointee retired May 17, 1876 when successor elected. Successor elected May 17, 1876. |
William H. Barnum (D) | May 18, 1876 |
| Maine (2) | Lot M. Morrill (R) | Resigned July 7, 1876 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Successor appointed July 10, 1876, to continue the term. Interim appointee later elected January 17, 1877. |
James G. Blaine (R) | July 10, 1876 |
| West Virginia (1) | Allen T. Caperton (D) | Died July 26, 1876. Successor appointed August 26, 1876, to continue the term. |
Samuel Price (D) | August 26, 1876 |
| Colorado (2) | New seat | Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876 |
Henry M. Teller (R) | November 15, 1876 |
| Colorado (3) | New seat | Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. First senator elected November 15, 1876 |
Jerome B. Chaffee (R) | November 15, 1876 |
| Tennessee (1) | David M. Key (D) | Interim appointee lost special election. Successor elected January 19, 1877. |
James E. Bailey (D) | January 19, 1877 |
| West Virginia (1) | Samuel Price (D) | Interim appointee lost special election. Successor elected January 26, 1877, but seat remained vacant until successor qualified by resigning from the U.S. House on January 31, 1877. |
Frank Hereford (D) | January 31, 1877 |
House of Representatives
| House seats by party holding plurality in state | |
|---|---|
| 80+% Democratic | 80+% Republican |
| 60+ to 80% Democratic | 60+ to 80% Republican |
| Up to 60% Democratic | Up to 60% Republican |
- Replacements: 14
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: no net change
- Deaths: 9
- Resignations: 6
- Contested election: 5
- Seats of newly admitted states: 1
- Total seats with changes: 21
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Georgia 9 | Vacant | Rep-elect Garnett McMillan died before taking seat | Benjamin H. Hill (D) | May 5, 1875 |
| Maine 4 | Vacant | Rep. Samuel F. Hersey died during previous congress | Harris M. Plaisted (R) | September 13, 1875 |
| New York 33 | Vacant | Rep.-elect Augustus F. Allen died before taking seat | Nelson I. Norton (R) | December 6, 1875 |
| Massachusetts 1 | James Buffington (R) | Died March 7, 1875 | William W. Crapo (R) | November 2, 1875 |
| Oregon at-large | George A. La Dow (D) | Died May 1, 1875 | Lafayette Lane (D) | October 25, 1875 |
| Tennessee 4 | Samuel M. Fite (D) | Died October 23, 1875 | Haywood Y. Riddle (D) | December 14, 1875 |
| Connecticut 3 | Henry H. Starkweather (R) | Died January 28, 1876 | John T. Wait (R) | April 12, 1876 |
| Florida 2 | Josiah T. Walls (R) | Lost contested election April 19, 1876 | Jesse J. Finley (D) | April 19, 1876 |
| Illinois 3 | Charles B. Farwell (R) | Lost contested election May 6, 1876 | John V. Le Moyne (D) | May 6, 1876 |
| Connecticut 4 | William H. Barnum (D) | Resigned May 18, 1876, after being elected to the US Senate | Levi Warner (D) | December 4, 1876 |
| Louisiana 5 | Frank Morey (R) | Lost contested election June 8, 1876 | William B. Spencer (D) | June 8, 1876 |
| Idaho Territory at-large | Thomas W. Bennett (I) | Lost contested election June 23, 1876 | Stephen S. Fenn (D) | June 23, 1876 |
| Maine 3 | James G. Blaine (R) | Resigned July 10, 1876, after being appointed to the US Senate | Edwin Flye (R) | December 4, 1876 |
| Kentucky 5 | Edward Y. Parsons (D) | Died July 8, 1876 | Henry Watterson (D) | August 12, 1876 |
| Pennsylvania 12 | Winthrop W. Ketcham (R) | Resigned July 19, 1876, after being appointed judge to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania | William H. Stanton (D) | November 7, 1876 |
| South Carolina 2 | Edmund W. M. Mackey (IR) | Seat declared vacant July 19, 1876 | Charles W. Buttz (R) | November 7, 1876 |
| Massachusetts 4 | Rufus S. Frost (R) | Lost contested election July 28, 1876 | Josiah G. Abbott (D) | July 28, 1876 |
| Colorado Territory at-large | Thomas M. Patterson (D) | Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876 | Statehood achieved | |
| Colorado at-large | New seat | Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. Seat remained vacant until October 3, 1876. | James B. Belford (R) | October 3, 1876 |
| Indiana 3 | Michael C. Kerr (D) | Died August 19, 1876 | Nathan T. Carr (D) | December 15, 1876 |
| Indiana 2 | James D. Williams (D) | Resigned December 1, 1876, after being elected Governor of Indiana | Andrew Humphreys (D) | December 5, 1876 |
| New York 7 | Smith Ely Jr. (D) | Resigned December 11, 1876 | David D. Field II (D) | January 11, 1877 |
| Louisiana 5 | William B. Spencer (D) | Resigned January 8, 1877, to become an associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| West Virginia 3 | Frank Hereford (D) | Resigned January 31, 1877, after being elected to the US Senate | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| Georgia 9 | Benjamin H. Hill (D) | Resigned March 3, 1877, after being elected to the US Senate | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. 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
- Agriculture (Chairman: Frederick T. Frelinghuysen; Ranking Member: Henry G. Davis)
- Appropriations (Chairman: William Windom; Ranking Member: Stephen W. Dorsey)
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: John P. Jones; Ranking Member: George R. Dennis)
- Civil Service and Retrenchment (Chairman: Thomas F. Bayard; Ranking Member: John J. Patterson)
- Claims (Chairman: George G. Wright; Ranking Member: Samuel J.R. McMillan)
- Commerce (Chairman: Roscoe Conkling; Ranking Member: Samuel J.R. McMillan)
- Counting the Electoral Vote (Select)
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: George E. Spencer; Ranking Member: Thomas J. Robertson)
- Education and Labor (Chairman: John J. Patterson; Ranking Member: William Sharon)
- Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Thomas F. Bayard; Ranking Member: Henry B. Anthony)
- Enrolled Bills
- Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service (Select) (Chairman: James M. Harvey; Ranking Member: Augustus S. Merrimon)
- Finance (Chairman: John Sherman; Ranking Member: John P. Jones)
- Foreign Relations (Chairman: Simon Cameron; Ranking Member: Roscoe Conkling)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: William B. Allison; Ranking Member: Powell Clayton)
- Judiciary (Chairman: George F. Edmunds; Ranking Member: Timothy O. Howe)
- Manufactures (Chairman: Thomas J. Robertson; Ranking Member: William A. Wallace)
- Military Affairs (Chairman: John A. Logan; Ranking Member: Ambrose E. Burnside)
- Mines and Mining (Chairman: Aaron A. Sargent; Ranking Member: William Sharon)
- Mississippi River Levee System (Select) (Chairman: James L. Alcorn; Ranking Member: Henry Cooper)
- Mississippi Election Frauds, 1876 (Chairman: George S. Boutwell; Ranking Member: Joseph E. McDonald)
- Naval Affairs (Chairman: Aaron H. Cragin; Ranking Member: Simon B. Conover)
- Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
- Patents (Chairman: Bainbridge Wadleigh; Ranking Member: John W. Johnston)
- Pensions (Chairman: John J. Ingalls; Ranking Member: Blanche Bruce)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Hannibal Hamlin; Ranking Member: Algernon S. Paddock)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: Allen G. Thurman; Ranking Member: George F. Edmunds)
- Privileges and Elections (Chairman: Oliver P. Morton; Ranking Member: Samuel J.R. McMillan)
- Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Justin S. Morrill; Ranking Member: Newton Booth)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Richard J. Oglesby; Ranking Member: Newton Booth)
- Railroads (Chairman: Joseph R. West; Ranking Member: John H. Mitchell)
- Revision of the Laws (Chairman: George S. Boutwell; Ranking Member: Isaac P. Christiancy)
- Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: John W. Stevenson; Ranking Member: George G. Wright)
- Rules (Chairman: Thomas W. Ferry; Ranking Member: Augustus S. Merrimon)
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Territories (Chairman: Phineas W. Hitchcock; Ranking Member: William Sharon)
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Select)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts (Chairman: Charles B. Roberts; Ranking Member: George G. Hoskins)
- Agriculture (Chairman: John H. Caldwell; Ranking Member: William B. Anderson)
- Appropriations (Chairman: William S. Holman; Ranking Member: William A. Wheeler)
- Banking and Currency (Chairman: Samuel S. Cox; Ranking Member: Scott Wike)
- Claims (Chairman: John M. Bright; Ranking Member: John F. Philips)
- Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: Alexander H. Stephens; Ranking Member: Levi Maish)
- Commerce (Chairman: Elijah Ward; Ranking Member: Henry Myer Phillips)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Aylett H. Buckner; Ranking Member: George Willard)
- Education and Labor (Chairman: Gilbert C. Walker; Ranking Member: William M. Springer)
- Elections (Chairman: John T. Harris; Ranking Member: Earley F. Poppleton)
- Enrolled Bills
- Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: William Mutchler; Ranking Member: Laurin D. Woodworth)
- Expenditures in the Justice Department (Chairman: Bernard G. Caulfield; Ranking Member: Edwin R. Meade)
- Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: George M. Beebe; Ranking Member: John H. Burleigh)
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: William H. Stone; Ranking Member: William H.H. Stowell)
- Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: William M. Springer; Ranking Member: John W. Wallace)
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: John M. Bright; Ranking Member: John S. Savage)
- Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: John Robbins; Ranking Member: Lyman K. Bass)
- Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Henry B. Metcalfe; Ranking Member: Samuel N. Bell)
- Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Thomas Swann; Ranking Member: William H. Forney)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: Alfred M. Scales; Ranking Member: Lafayette Lane)
- Invalid Pensions (Chairman: George A. Jenks; Ranking Member: Jesse J. Yeates)
- Judiciary (Chairman: J. Proctor Knott; Ranking Member: Bernard G. Caulfield)
- Manufactures (Chairman: William H. Stone; Ranking Member: Samuel D. Burchard)
- Mileage (Chairman: Albert G. Egbert; Ranking Member: Nathaniel H. Odell)
- Military Affairs (Chairman: Henry B. Banning; Ranking Member: Augustus A. Hardenbergh)
- Militia (Chairman: Jacob P. Cowan; Ranking Member: John K. Tarbox)
- Mines and Mining (Chairman: Richard P. Bland; Ranking Member: Alexander Campbell)
- Mississippi Levees (Chairman: E. John Ellis; Ranking Member: James Sheakley)
- Naval Affairs (Chairman: Washington C. Whitthorne; Ranking Member: John Robbins)
- Pacific Railroads (Chairman: Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II; Ranking Member: John F. Philips)
- Patents (Chairman: Robert B. Vance; Ranking Member: William E. Smith)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: John B. Clark Jr.; Ranking Member: William F. Slemons)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: Thomas M. Gunter; Ranking Member: Lucien L. Ainsworth)
- Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: William S. Holman; Ranking Member: Casey Young)
- Public Expenditures (Chairman: Charles W. Milliken; Ranking Member: Alexander Campbell)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Milton Sayler; Ranking Member: Lafayette Lane)
- Railways and Canals (Chairman: Thomas L. Jones; Ranking Member: Levi A. Mackey)
- Reform in the Civil Service (Chairman: John O. Whitehouse; Ranking Member: Augustus W. Cutler)
- Revision of Laws (Chairman: Milton J. Durham; Ranking Member: Milton J. Durham)
- Revolutionary Pensions and War of 1812 (Chairman: Eppa Hunton; Ranking Member: John G. Schumaker)
- Rules (Select) (Chairman: Michael C. Kerr; Ranking Member: James G. Blaine)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories (Chairman: Milton I. Southard; Ranking Member: Peter D. Wigginton)
- War Claims (Chairman: John R. Eden; Ranking Member: John H. Caldwell)
- Ways and Means (Chairman: William R. Morrison; Ranking Member: James G. Blaine)
- Whole
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Rep. Henry R. Harris; Vice Chairman: Rep. Harris M. Plaisted)
- Frame a Form of Government for the District of Columbia
- Investigate Chinese Immigration
- The Library (Chairman: Rep. Hiester Clymer; Vice Chairman: Rep. James Monroe)
- Printing (Chairman: Rep. John L. Vance; Vice Chairmam: Rep. Latimer W. Ballou)
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: Almon M. Clapp, from 1876
Senate
- Chaplain: Byron Sunderland (Presbyterian)
- Librarian: George F. Dawson
- Secretary: George C. Gorham
- Sergeant at Arms: John R. French
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: John George Butler (Lutheran), until December 6, 1875
- I. L. Townsend (Episcopalian), from December 6, 1875
- Clerk: Edward McPherson, until December 6, 1875
- George M. Adams, elected December 6, 1875
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: William H. Scudder
- Doorkeeper: Lafayette H. Fitzhugh
- Postmaster: James M. Steuart
- Reading Clerks: Thomas S. Pettit (D) and Neill S. Brown Jr. (R)
- Sergeant at Arms: Nehemiah G. Ordway, until December 6, 1875
- John G. Thompson, elected December 6, 1875
See also
- 1874 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1876 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
Notes
- Special session of the Senate.
- Liberal
Republican - Independent
- ^ When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.
References
- Taft, George S. (1885). Compilation of Senate Election Cases from 1789 to 1885 - Pages 483 - 512. U.S. Government Publishing Office.
- 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
- Congressional Directory for the 44th Congress, 1st Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 44th Congress, 1st Session (1st Revision).
- Congressional Directory for the 44th Congress, 1st Session (2nd Revision).
- Congressional Directory for the 44th Congress, 2nd Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 44th Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).
| United States congresses (and year convened) | ||||||||||||||
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