41st_United_States_Congress
41st United States Congress
1869-1871 U.S. Congress
The 41st 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, 1869, to March 4, 1871, during the first two years of Ulysses S. Grant's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1860 United States census. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
Quick Facts March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1871, Members ...
| 41st United States Congress | |
|---|---|
40th ← → 42nd | |
United States Capitol (1877) | |
March 4, 1869 – March 4, 1871 | |
| Members | 74 senators 243 representatives 9 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Republican |
| Senate President | Schuyler Colfax (R) |
| House majority | Republican |
| House Speaker | James G. Blaine (R) |
| Sessions | |
| 1st: March 4, 1869 – April 10, 1869 2nd: December 6, 1869 – July 15, 1870 3rd: December 5, 1870 – March 4, 1871 | |
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- March 4, 1869: Ulysses Grant became President of the United States
- March 4, 1869: Carl Schurz R-Missouri became the first German American to serve in the United States Senate
- May 10, 1869: Golden spike marked the completion of the First transcontinental railroad in Promontory, Utah[1]
- December 10, 1869: Wyoming Territory gave women the right to vote, one of the first such laws in the world
- February 12, 1870: Utah Territory gave women the right to vote
- February 25, 1870: Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American in the U.S. Congress
- March 18, 1869: Public Credit Act of 1869, Sess. 1, ch. 1, 16 Stat. 1
- April 10, 1869: Judiciary Act of 1869, Sess. 1, ch. 22, 16 Stat. 44
- May 31, 1870: Enforcement Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 114, 16 Stat. 140
- June 22, 1870: An Act to establish the Department of Justice, Sess. 2, ch. 150, 16 Stat. 162
- June 29, 1870: An Act to reorganize the Marine Hospital Service, Sess. 2, ch. 169, 16 Stat. 169
- July 12, 1870: Currency Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 252, 16 Stat. 251
- July 14, 1870: Funding Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 256, 16 Stat. 272
- February 21, 1871: District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, Sess. 3, ch. 62, Pub. L.Tooltip Public Law (United States) 41–62, 16 Stat. 419
- February 3, 1870: Fifteenth Amendment was ratified by the requisite number of states (then 28) to become part of the Constitution[2]
- January 26, 1870: Virginia rejoined the Union
- February 23, 1870: Mississippi rejoined the Union
- March 30, 1870: Texas rejoined the Union
- July 15, 1870: Georgia rejoined the Union, the last former Confederate state to be readmitted
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, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia were readmitted to representation.
Senate
More information Party (shading shows control), Total ...
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) | Other | |||
| End of previous congress | 9 | 57 | 0 | 66 | 8 |
| Begin | 9 | 57 | 0 | 66 | 8 |
| End | 12 | 62 | 74 | 0 | |
| Final voting share | 16.2% | 83.8% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 16 | 55 | 1[lower-alpha 1] | 72 | 2 |
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House of Representatives
More information Party (shading shows control), Total ...
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) | Conservative (C) | Other | |||
| End of previous congress | 45 | 170 | 2 | 3[lower-alpha 2] | 220 | 23 |
| Begin | 65 | 149 | 0 | 0 | 214 | 29 |
| End | 67 | 167 | 5 | 239 | 4 | |
| Final voting share | 28.0% | 69.9% | 2.1% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 93 | 144 | 0 | 2[lower-alpha 3] | 239 | 2 |
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Schuyler Colfax
Senate
House of Representatives
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed then by class and representatives are listed then 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 1874; "Class 2" meant their term ended in this Congress, facing re-election in 1870; and "Class 3" meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1872.
House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
More information House seats by party holding plurality in state ...
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The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
- Replacements: 6
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
- Deaths: 2
- Resignations:2
- Interim appointments: 2
- Seats of newly re-admitted states: 8
- Total seats with changes: 14
More information State (class), Vacated by ...
| State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia (1) | Vacant | Virginia re-admitted to the Union | John F. Lewis (R) | January 26, 1870 |
| Virginia (2) | John W. Johnston (D) | |||
| Mississippi (1) | Vacant | Mississippi re-admitted to the Union | Adelbert Ames (R) | February 23, 1870 |
| Mississippi (2) | Hiram R Revels (R) | |||
| Texas (1) | Vacant | Texas re-admitted to the Union | James W. Flanagan (R) | March 30, 1870 |
| Texas (2) | Morgan C. Hamilton (R) | March 31, 1870 | ||
| Georgia (3) | Vacant | Georgia re-admitted to the Union | Joshua Hill (R) | February 1, 1871 |
| Georgia (2) | Homer V. M. Miller (D) | February 28, 1871 | ||
| Maine (2) | William P. Fessenden (R) | Died September 8, 1869. Successor appointed October 30, 1869. Successor was subsequently elected January 19, 1870 to finish the term. |
Lot M. Morrill (R) | October 30, 1869 |
| Iowa (2) | James W. Grimes (R) | Resigned December 6, 1869, because of failing health. Successor elected January 18, 1870. |
James B. Howell (R) | January 18, 1870 |
| Minnesota (2) | Daniel S. Norton (R) | Died July 13, 1870. Successor appointed July 15, 1870. |
William Windom (R) | July 15, 1870 |
| Missouri (3) | Charles D. Drake (R) | Resigned December 19, 1870, after being appointed chief justice of the United States Court of Claims. Successor appointed December 19, 1870. |
Daniel T. Jewett (R) | December 19, 1870 |
| Missouri (3) | Daniel T. Jewett (R) | Interim appointee retired. Successor elected January 20, 1871. |
Francis P. Blair Jr. (D) | January 20, 1871 |
| Minnesota (2) | William Windom (R) | Successor elected January 22, 1871. | Ozora P. Stearns (R) | January 22, 1871 |
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House of Representatives
- Replacements: 14
- Democratic: 3 seat net loss
- Republican: 3 seat net gain
- Conservative Party of Virginia: no net change
- Deaths: 6
- Resignations: 6
- Contested election: 8
- Seats of newly re-admitted states: 17
- Total seats with changes: 44
More information District, Vacated by ...
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 4] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| South Carolina 3rd | Vacant | Contested election with J.P. Reed. Reed was never seated. House declared Hoge entitled to seat. | Solomon L. Hoge (R) | April 8, 1869 |
| Wyoming Territory At-large | Vacant | Territory organized in previous congress and remained vacant until December 6, 1869 | Stephen F. Nuckolls (D) | December 6, 1869 |
| Virginia 2nd | Vacant | Virginia re-admitted into the Union | James H. Platt Jr. (R) | January 26, 1870 |
| Virginia 3rd | Charles H. Porter (R) | |||
| Virginia 4th | George Booker (C) | |||
| Virginia 5th | Robert Ridgway (C) | January 27, 1870 | ||
| Virginia 6th | William Milnes Jr. (C) | |||
| Virginia 8th | James K. Gibson (C) | January 28, 1870 | ||
| Virginia 1st | Richard S. Ayer (R) | January 31, 1870 | ||
| Virginia 7th | Lewis McKenzie (C) | |||
| Pennsylvania 21st | Vacant | Contested election with Henry D. Foster. House declared neither was entitled to seat. House then declared Covode duly elected February 9, 1870 | John Covode (R) | February 9, 1870 |
| Mississippi 1st | Vacant | Mississippi re-admitted into the Union | George E. Harris (R) | February 23, 1870 |
| Mississippi 2nd | Joseph L. Morphis (R) | |||
| Mississippi 3rd | Henry W. Barry (R) | |||
| Mississippi 4th | George C. McKee (R) | |||
| Mississippi 5th | Legrand W. Perce (R) | |||
| Texas 1st | Vacant | Texas re-admitted into the Union | George W. Whitmore (R) | March 30, 1870 |
| Texas 2nd | John C. Conner (D) | March 31, 1870 | ||
| Texas 3rd | William T. Clark (R) | |||
| Texas 4th | Edward Degener (R) | |||
| Louisiana 4th | Vacant | Contested election with Michael Ryan. House declared neither was entitled to seat. Elected to seat thus caused | Joseph P. Newsham (R) | May 23, 1870 |
| South Carolina 4th | Vacant | Contested election with William D. Simpson. Simpson was never seated. House declared Wallace entitled to seat. | Alexander S. Wallace (R) | May 27, 1870 |
| Louisiana 1st | Vacant | Contested election with Louis St. Martin. House declared neither was entitled to seat. Elected to seat thus caused | J. Hale Sypher (R) | November 7, 1870 |
| Georgia 1st | Vacant | Vacancy caused by House declaring Joseph W. Clift not entitled to seat | William W. Paine (D) | December 22, 1870 |
| Georgia 2nd | Vacancy caused by House declaring Nelson Tift not entitled to seat | Richard H. Whiteley (R) | ||
| Georgia 3rd | Vacancy caused by House declaring William P. Edwards not entitled to seat | Marion Bethune (R) | ||
| Georgia 4th | Vacancy caused by House declaring Samuel F. Gove not entitled to seat | Jefferson F. Long (R) | ||
| Georgia 5th | Vacancy caused by House declaring Charles H. Prince not entitled to seat | Stephen A. Corker (D) | ||
| Georgia 6th | Failure to elect | William P. Price (D) | ||
| Georgia 7th | Vacancy caused by House declaring Pierce M. B. Young not entitled to seat. He was subsequently elected to fill the vacancy thus caused | Pierce M. B. Young (D) | ||
| Illinois 3rd | Elihu B. Washburne (R) | Resigned March 6, 1869, after being appointed United States Secretary of State | Horatio C. Burchard (R) | December 6, 1869 |
| Massachusetts 7th | George S. Boutwell (R) | Resigned March 12, 1869, after being appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury | George M. Brooks (R) | November 2, 1869 |
| Pennsylvania 3rd | John Moffet (D) | Lost contested election April 9, 1869 | Leonard Myers (R) | April 9, 1869 |
| Wisconsin 2nd | Benjamin F. Hopkins (R) | Died January 1, 1870 | David Atwood (R) | February 23, 1870 |
| Ohio 10th | Truman H. Hoag (D) | Died February 5, 1870 | Erasmus D. Peck (R) | April 23, 1870 |
| New York 11th | George W. Greene (D) | Lost contested election February 17, 1870 | Charles Van Wyck (R) | February 17, 1870 |
| South Carolina 1st | Benjamin F. Whittemore (R) | Resigned February 24, 1870, pending an investigation of certain appointments to the US Military and Naval Academies | Joseph Rainey (R) | December 12, 1870 |
| Kentucky 3rd | Jacob Golladay (D) | Resigned February 28, 1870 | Joseph H. Lewis (D) | May 10, 1870 |
| North Carolina 4th | John T. Deweese (R) | Resigned February 28, 1870, pending an investigation of certain appointments to the US Military and Naval Academies | John Manning Jr. (D) | December 7, 1870 |
| Pennsylvania 5th | John R. Reading (D) | Lost contested election April 13, 1870 | Caleb N. Taylor (R) | April 13, 1870 |
| North Carolina 2nd | David Heaton (R) | Died June 25, 1870 | Joseph Dixon (R) | December 5, 1870 |
| New York 28th | Noah Davis (R) | Resigned July 15, 1870, before being appointed U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York | Charles H. Holmes (R) | December 6, 1870 |
| Iowa 2nd | William Smyth (R) | Died September 30, 1870 | William P. Wolf (R) | December 6, 1870 |
| Virginia 5th | Robert Ridgway (C) | Died October 16, 1870 | Richard T. W. Duke (C) | November 8, 1870 |
| Ohio 3rd | Robert C. Schenck (R) | Resigned January 5, 1871, after being appointed U.S. Ambassador to the United Kingdom | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
| Pennsylvania 21st | John Covode (R) | Died January 11, 1871 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
| Illinois At-large | John A. Logan (R) | Resigned at end of congress March 3, 1871, after being elected to the US Senate for the following term | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
| Michigan 4th | Thomas W. Ferry (R) | Resigned at end of congress March 3, 1871, after being elected to the US Senate for the following term | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
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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: Simon Cameron; Ranking Member: Abijah Gilbert)
- Appropriations (Chairman: Lot M. Morrill; Ranking Member: William Sprague IV)
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Orris S. Ferry; Ranking Member: Garrett Davis)
- Claims (Chairman: Timothy O. Howe; Ranking Member: Thomas J. Robertson)
- Commerce (Chairman: Zachariah Chandler; Ranking Member: Roscoe Conkling)
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: James W. Patterson; Ranking Member: John S. Harris)
- Education (Chairman: Frederick A. Sawyer; Ranking Member: Henry W. Corbett)
- Engrossed Bills (Chairman: William A. Buckingham; Ranking Member: Daniel S. Norton)
- Finance (Chairman: John Sherman; Ranking Member: Willard Warner)
- Foreign Relations (Chairman: Charles Sumner; Ranking Member: Oliver P. Morton)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: James Harlan; Ranking Member: William A. Buckingham)
- Judiciary (Chairman: Lyman Trumbull; Ranking Member: Benjamin F. Rice)
- Manufactures (Chairman: Oliver P. Morton; Ranking Member: Arthur I. Boreman)
- Memorial of Davis Hatch (Select)
- Military Affairs and the Militia (Chairman: Henry Wilson; Ranking Member: John M. Thayer)
- Mines and Mining (Chairman: William M. Stewart; Ranking Member: Edmund G. Ross)
- Mississippi River Levee System (Select)
- Naval Affairs (Chairman: Aaron H. Cragin; Ranking Member: Charles D. Drake)
- Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
- Outrages in Southern States (Select)
- Pacific Railroad (Chairman: Jacob M. Howard; Ranking Member: Charles D. Drake)
- Patents (Chairman: Waitman T. Willey; Ranking Member: Thomas W. Osborn)
- Pensions (Chairman: George F. Edmunds; Ranking Member: William G. Brownlow)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Alexander Ramsey; Ranking Member: Cornelius Cole)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: George H. Williams; Ranking Member: William P. Kellogg)
- Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Justin S. Morrill; Ranking Member: Adolphus H. Tanner)
- Public Lands (Chairman: Samuel C. Pomeroy; Ranking Member: Willard Warner)
- Removal of Political Disabilities (Select) (Chairman: Henry B. Anthony; Ranking Member: Orris S. Ferry)
- Retrenchment (Chairman: John S. Harris; Ranking Member: Carl Schurz)
- Revision of the Laws (Chairman: Roscoe Conkling; Ranking Member: John Pool)
- Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Richard Yates; Ranking Member: William G. Brownlow)
- Rules (Select)
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Territories (Chairman: James W. Nye; Ranking Member: Jacob M. Howard)
- Traffic with Rebels in Texas (Select)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts (Chairman: Henry L. Cake; Ranking Member: Aaron A. Sargent)
- Agriculture (Chairman: John T. Wilson; Ranking Member: Jacob Benton)
- Appropriations (Chairman: Henry L. Dawes; Ranking Member: Aaron A. Sargent)
- Banking and Currency (Chairman: James A. Garfield; Ranking Member: John B. Packer)
- Claims (Chairman: William B. Washburn; Ranking Member: Jacob H. Ela)
- Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: William D. Kelley; Ranking Member: Noah Davis)
- Commerce (Chairman: Nathan F. Dixon; Ranking Member: David S. Bennett)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Burton C. Cook; Ranking Member: Charles M. Hamilton)
- Education and Labor (Chairman: Samuel M. Arnell; Ranking Member: Samuel S. Burdett)
- Elections (Chairman: Halbert E. Paine; Ranking Member: Job E. Stevenson)
- Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: Jacob H. Ela; Ranking Member: Peter W. Strader)
- Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: John Lynch; Ranking Member: Patrick Hamill)
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: William Moore; Ranking Member: John F. Benjamin)
- Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Alexander H. Bailey; Ranking Member: John D. Stiles)
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: William B. Allison; Ranking Member: Samuel J. Randall)
- Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: William Williams; Ranking Member: Clinton L. Cobb)
- Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: John C. Churchill; Ranking Member: Truman H. Hoag)
- Freedmen's Affairs (Chairman: Oliver H. Dockery; Ranking Member: John B. Hawley)
- Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Nathaniel P. Banks; Ranking Member: Charles W. Willard)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: Sidney Clarke; Ranking Member: John T. Deweese)
- Invalid Pensions (Chairman: John F. Benjamin; Ranking Member: Christopher C. Bowen)
- Judiciary (Chairman: John A. Bingham; Ranking Member: Ulysses Mercur)
- Manufactures (Chairman: Daniel J. Morrell; Ranking Member: William H. Upson)
- Mileage (Chairman: Isaac R. Hawkins; Ranking Member: Job E. Stevenson)
- Military Affairs (Chairman: John A. Logan; Ranking Member: John S. Witcher)
- Militia (Chairman: John P. C. Shanks; Ranking Member: Eliakim H. Moore)
- Mines and Mining (Chairman: Orange Ferriss; Ranking Member: Isaac H. Duval)
- Naval Affairs (Chairman: Glenni W. Scofield; Ranking Member: George W. McCrary)
- Pacific Railroads (Chairman: William A. Wheeler; Ranking Member: Logan H. Roots)
- Patents (Chairman: Thomas A. Jenckes; Ranking Member: James A. Johnson)
- Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: John F. Farnsworth; Ranking Member: James N. Tyner)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: Godlove Stein Orth; Ranking Member: Cadwallader C. Washburn)
- Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: John Beatty)
- Public Expenditures (Chairman: John Coburn)
- Public Lands (Chairman: George W. Julian; Ranking Member: James J. Winans)
- Railways and Canals (Chairman: Ebon C. Ingersoll; Ranking Member: William F. Prosser)
- Revision of Laws (Chairman: Luke P. Poland; Ranking Member: George F. Hoar)
- Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Sempronius H. Boyd; Ranking Member: Alexander H. Jones)
- Revolutionary Pensions and War of 1812 (Chairman: Charles W. Willard; Ranking Member: Roderick R. Butler)
- Rules (Select) (Chairman: Schuyler Colfax; Ranking Member: James A. Garfield)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories (Chairman: Shelby M. Cullom; Ranking Member: Eliakim H. Moore)
- Ways and Means (Chairman: Samuel Hooper; Ranking Member: James Brooks)
- Whole
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Rep. John Beatty; Vice Chairman: Rep. Joseph C. Abbott)
- The Library (Chairman: Rep. John A. Peters; Vice Chairman: Rep. George A. Woodward)
- Printing (Chairman: Rep. Addison H. Laflin; Vice Chairman: Rep. William Mungen)
- Retrenchment (Chairman: Rep. Martin Welker; Vice Chairman: Rep. Thomas A. Jenckes)
- Democratic (House)
- Democratic (Senate)
Legislative branch agency directors
Senate
- Chaplain: John P. Newman (Methodist)
- Secretary: George C. Gorham
- Sergeant at Arms: George T. Brown, until March 22, 1869
- John R. French, elected March 22, 1869
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: John G. Butler (Presbyterian)
- Clerk: Edward McPherson
- Clerk at the Speaker's Table: John M. Barclay
- Doorkeeper: Otis S. Buxton
- Postmaster: William S. King
- Reading Clerks: Charles N. Clisbee (D) and William K. Mehaffey (R)
- Sergeant at Arms: Nehemiah G. Ordway
- 1868 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1870 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
- Independent Republican,
& Conservative Republican
- "Ceremony at "Wedding of the Rails," May 10, 1869 at Promontory Point, Utah". World Digital Library. May 10, 1869. Retrieved July 21, 2013.
- Huckabee, David C. (September 30, 1997). "Ratification of Amendments to the U.S. Constitution" (PDF). Congressional Research Service reports. Washington D.C.: Congressional Research Service, The Library of Congress.
- 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.
- Statutes at Large, 1789-1875
- Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
- Congressional Directory for the 41st Congress, 1st Session. hdl:2027/nyp.33433081796686.
- Congressional Directory for the 41st Congress, 1st Session (Revision).
- Congressional Directory for the 41st Congress, 2nd Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 41st Congress, 2nd Session (Revision).
- Congressional Directory for the 41st Congress, 3rd Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 41st Congress, 3rd Session (Revision).