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

thumb|A political cartoon by Joseph Keppler depicts [[Roscoe Conkling as Mephistopheles, as Rutherford B. Hayes strolls off with a woman labeled as "Solid South"]]

  • 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,
  • March 3, 1877: Desert Land Act, ch. 107,

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

{| align="right" width="300px"

|<gallery mode="slideshow" caption="Senate membership">

File:44th United States Senate Beginning.svg|Beginning of the Congress

File:44th United States Senate Ending.svg|Ending of the Congress

</gallery>

|}

House of Representatives

{| align="right" width="300px"

|<gallery mode="slideshow" caption="House membership">

File:44th United States House Beginning.svg|Beginning of the Congress

File:44th United States House Ending.svg|Ending of the Congress

</gallery>

|}

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"

! rowspan="3" | Affiliation

! colspan="6" | Party <div style="font-size:80%">(Shading indicates majority caucus)</div>

! rowspan="3" | Total

!

|- style="height:5px"

| style="background-color:" |

| style="background-color:" |

| style="background-color:" |

| style="background-color:" |

| style="background-color:" |

| style="background-color:" |

| style="background:black;" <!--Vacant--> |

|- style="vertical-align:bottom;"

! Democratic<br />(D)

! Independent<br />Democratic<br />(ID)

! Independent<br />(I)

! Independent<br />Republican<br />(IR)

! Republican<br />(R)

! Other

! Vacant

|-

! style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:80%;" | End of previous Congress

| <!--D-->95

| <!--ID-->7

| <!--I-->0

| <!--IR-->0

| <!--R--> | 199

| <!--Other--><br />4

! 290

| 2

|-

| colspan="9" |

|-

! Begin

| <!--D--> | 176

| <!--ID--> rowspan="2" | 1

| rowspan="2" | 4

| <!--IR--> | 4

| <!--R-->104

| rowspan="2" | 0

! 289

| rowspan="2" | 3

|-

! End

| <!--D--> | 179

| <!--IR-->3

| <!--R-->103

! 290

|-

! Final voting share

! colspan="2" | 62.8%

! <!--I-->1.4%

! colspan="2" | 35.8%

! <!--Other-->0.0%

| colspan="2" |

|-

| colspan="9" |

|-

! style="white-space:nowrap; font-size:80%;" | Beginning of the next Congress

| <!--D-->144

| <!--ID-->2

| <!--I-->0

| <!--IR-->0

| <!--R-->146

| <!--Other-->0

! 292

| 1

|}

Leadership

thumb|President of the Senate [[Henry Wilson]]

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.

:Skip to House of Representatives, below

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.

Alabama

: 2. George Goldthwaite (D)

: 3. George E. Spencer (R)

Arkansas

: 2. Powell Clayton (R)

: 3. Stephen W. Dorsey (R)

California

: 1. Newton Booth (AM)

: 3. Aaron A. Sargent (R)

Colorado

: 2. Henry M. Teller (R), from November 15, 1876

: 3. Jerome B. Chaffee (R), from November 15, 1876

Connecticut

: 1. William W. Eaton (D)

: 3. Orris S. Ferry (R), until November 21, 1875

:: James E. English (D), November 27, 1875 – May 17, 1876

:: William H. Barnum (D), from May 18, 1876

Delaware

: 1. Thomas F. Bayard Sr. (D)

: 2. Eli Saulsbury (D)

Florida

: 1. Charles W. Jones (D)

: 3. Simon B. Conover (R)

Georgia

: 2. Thomas M. Norwood (D)

: 3. John B. Gordon (D)

Illinois

: 2. John A. Logan (R)

: 3. Richard J. Oglesby (R)

Indiana

: 1. Joseph E. McDonald (D)

: 3. Oliver H. P. T. Morton (R)

Iowa

: 2. George G. Wright (R)

: 3. William B. Allison (R)

Kansas

: 2. James M. Harvey (R)

: 3. John J. Ingalls (R)

Kentucky

: 2. John W. Stevenson (D)

: 3. Thomas C. McCreery (D)

Louisiana

: 2. J. Rodman West (R)

: 3. James B. Eustis (D), from January 12, 1876

Maine

: 1. Hannibal Hamlin (R)

: 2. Lot M. Morrill (R), until July 7, 1876

:: James G. Blaine (R), from July 10, 1876

Maryland

: 1. William Pinkney Whyte (D)

: 3. George R. Dennis (D)

Massachusetts

: 1. Henry L. Dawes (R)

: 2. George S. Boutwell (R)

Michigan

: 1. Isaac P. Christiancy (R)

: 2. Thomas W. Ferry (R)

Minnesota

: 1. Samuel J. R. McMillan (R)

: 2. William Windom (R)

Mississippi

: 1. Blanche Bruce (R)

: 2. James L. Alcorn (R)

Missouri

: 1. Francis Cockrell (D)

: 3. Lewis V. Bogy (D)

Nebraska

: 1. Algernon Paddock (R)

: 2. Phineas Hitchcock (R)

Nevada

: 1. William Sharon (R)

: 3. John P. Jones (R)

New Hampshire

: 2. Aaron H. Cragin (R)

: 3. Bainbridge Wadleigh (R)

New Jersey

: 1. Theodore F. Randolph (D)

: 2. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (R)

New York

: 1. Francis Kernan (D)

: 3. Roscoe Conkling (R)

North Carolina

: 2. Matt W. Ransom (D)

: 3. Augustus S. Merrimon (D)

Ohio

: 1. Allen G. Thurman (D)

: 3. John Sherman (R)

Oregon

: 2. James K. Kelly (D)

: 3. John H. Mitchell (R)

Pennsylvania

: 1. William A. Wallace (D)

: 3. Simon Cameron (R)

Rhode Island

: 1. Ambrose Burnside (R)

: 2. Henry B. Anthony (R)

South Carolina

: 2. Thomas J. Robertson (R)

: 3. John J. Patterson (R)

Tennessee

: 1. Andrew Johnson (D), until July 31, 1875

:: David M. Key (D), August 18, 1875 – January 19, 1877

:: James E. Bailey (D), from January 19, 1877

: 2. Henry Cooper (D)

Texas

: 1. Samuel B. Maxey (D)

: 2. Morgan C. Hamilton (R)

Vermont

: 1. George F. Edmunds (R)

: 3. Justin S. Morrill (R)

Virginia

: 1. Robert E. Withers (D)

: 2. John W. Johnston (D)

West Virginia

: 1. Allen T. Caperton (D), until July 26, 1876

:: Samuel Price (D), August 26, 1876 – January 26, 1877

:: Frank Hereford (D), from January 31, 1877

: 2. Henry G. Davis (D)

Wisconsin

: 1. Angus Cameron (R)

: 3. Timothy O. Howe (R)

thumb|375px|Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 44th Congress in March 1875. The green stripes in California represent Newton Booth of the [[Anti-Monopoly Party. Colorado's senators were not seated until November 15, 1876.

]]

thumb|President pro tempore [[Thomas W. Ferry]]

House of Representatives

The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Alabama

: . Jeremiah Haralson (R)

: . Jeremiah N. Williams (D)

: . Taul Bradford (D)

: . Charles Hays (R)

: . John H. Caldwell (D)

: . Goldsmith W. Hewitt (D)

: . William H. Forney (D)

: . Burwell B. Lewis (D)

Arkansas

: . Lucien C. Gause (D)

: . William F. Slemons (D)

: . William W. Wilshire (D)

: . Thomas M. Gunter (D)

California

: . William A. Piper (D)

: . Horace F. Page (R)

: . John K. Luttrell (D)

: . Peter D. Wigginton (D)

Colorado

: . James B. Belford (R), from October 3, 1876 (newly admitted state)

Connecticut

: . George M. Landers (D)

: . James Phelps (D)

: . Henry H. Starkweather (R), until January 28, 1876

:: John T. Wait (R), from April 12, 1876

: . William H. Barnum (D), until May 18, 1876

:: Levi Warner (D), from December 4, 1876

Delaware

: . James Williams (D)

Florida

: . William J. Purman (R)

: . Josiah T. Walls (R), until April 19, 1876

:: Jesse J. Finley (D), from April 19, 1876

Georgia

: . Julian Hartridge (D)

: . William E. Smith (D)

: . Philip Cook (D)

: . Henry R. Harris (D)

: . Milton A. Candler (D)

: . James H. Blount (D)

: . William H. Felton (ID)

: . Alexander Stephens (D)

: . Benjamin H. Hill (D), May 5, 1875 - March 3, 1877

Illinois

: . Bernard G. Caulfield (D)

: . Carter H. Harrison (D)

: . Charles B. Farwell (R), until May 6, 1876

:: John V. Le Moyne (D), from May 6, 1876

: . Stephen A. Hurlbut (R)

: . Horatio C. Burchard (R)

: . Thomas J. Henderson (R)

: . Alexander Campbell (I)

: . Greenbury L. Fort (R)

: . Richard H. Whiting (R)

: . John C. Bagby (D)

: . Scott Wike (D)

: . William M. Springer (D)

: . Adlai E. Stevenson (D)

: . Joseph G. Cannon (R)

: . John R. Eden (D)

: . William A. J. Sparks (D)

: . William R. Morrison (D)

: . William Hartzell (D)

: . William B. Anderson (I)

Indiana

: . Benoni S. Fuller (D)

: . James D. Williams (D), until December 1, 1876

:: Andrew Humphreys (D), from December 5, 1876

: . Michael C. Kerr (D), until August 19, 1876

:: Nathan T. Carr (D), from December 5, 1876

: . Jeptha D. New (D)

: . William S. Holman (D)

: . Milton S. Robinson (R)

: . Franklin Landers (D)

: . Morton C. Hunter (R)

: . Thomas J. Cason (R)

: . William S. Haymond (D)

: . James L. Evans (R)

: . Andrew H. Hamilton (D)

: . John Baker (R)

Iowa

: . George W. McCrary (R)

: . John Q. Tufts (R)

: . Lucien L. Ainsworth (D)

: . Henry O. Pratt (R)

: . James Wilson (R)

: . Ezekiel S. Sampson (R)

: . John A. Kasson (R)

: . James W. McDill (R)

: . S. Addison Oliver (R)

Kansas

: . William A. Phillips (R)

: . John R. Goodin (D)

: . William R. Brown (R)

Kentucky

: . Andrew Boone (D)

: . John Y. Brown (D)

: . Charles W. Milliken (D)

: . J. Proctor Knott (D)

: . Edward Y. Parsons (D), until July 8, 1876

:: Henry Watterson (D), from August 12, 1876

: . Thomas L. Jones (D)

: . Joseph C. S. Blackburn (D)

: . Milton J. Durham (D)

: . John D. White (R)

: . John B. Clarke (D)

Louisiana

: . Randall L. Gibson (D)

: . E. John Ellis (D)

: . Chester B. Darrall (R)

: . William M. Levy (D)

: . Frank Morey (R), until June 8, 1876

:: William B. Spencer (D) June 8, 1876 - January 8, 1877

: . Charles E. Nash (R)

Maine

: . John H. Burleigh (R)

: . William P. Frye (R)

: . James G. Blaine (R), until July 10, 1876

:: Edwin Flye (R), from December 4, 1876

: . Harris M. Plaisted (R), from September 13, 1875

: . Eugene Hale (R)

Maryland

: . Philip F. Thomas (D)

: . Charles B. Roberts (D)

: . William J. O'Brien (D)

: . Thomas Swann (D)

: . Eli J. Henkle (D)

: . William Walsh (D)

Massachusetts

: . James Buffington (R), until March 7, 1875

:: William W. Crapo (R), from November 2, 1875

: . Benjamin W. Harris (R)

: . Henry L. Pierce (R)

: . Rufus S. Frost (R), until July 28, 1876

:: Josiah G. Abbott (D), from July 28, 1876

: . Nathaniel P. Banks (I)

: . Charles P. Thompson (D)

: . John K. Tarbox (D)

: . William W. Warren (D)

: . George F. Hoar (R)

: . Julius H. Seelye (I)

: . Chester W. Chapin (D)

Michigan

: . Alpheus S. Williams (D)

: . Henry Waldron (R)

: . George Willard (R)

: . Allen Potter (D)

: . William B. Williams (R)

: . George H. Durand (D)

: . Omar D. Conger (R)

: . Nathan B. Bradley (R)

: . Jay A. Hubbell (R)

Minnesota

: . Mark H. Dunnell (R)

: . Horace B. Strait (R)

: . William S. King (R)

Mississippi

: . Lucius Q. C. Lamar (D)

: . G. Wiley Wells (IR)

: . Hernando Money (D)

: . Otho R. Singleton (D)

: . Charles E. Hooker (D)

: . John R. Lynch (R)

Missouri

: . Edward C. Kehr (D)

: . Erastus Wells (D)

: . William H. Stone (D)

: . Robert A. Hatcher (D)

: . Richard P. Bland (D)

: . Charles H. Morgan (D)

: . John F. Philips (D)

: . Benjamin J. Franklin (D)

: . David Rea (D)

: . Rezin A. De Bolt (D)

: . John B. Clark Jr. (D)

: . John M. Glover (D)

: . Aylett H. Buckner (D)

Nebraska

: . Lorenzo Crounse (R)

Nevada

: . William Woodburn (R)

New Hampshire

: . Frank Jones (D)

: . Samuel N. Bell (D)

: . Henry W. Blair (R)

New Jersey

: . Clement H. Sinnickson (R)

: . Samuel A. Dobbins (R)

: . Miles Ross (D)

: . Robert Hamilton (D)

: . Augustus W. Cutler (D)

: . Frederick H. Teese (D)

: . Augustus A. Hardenbergh (D)

New York

: . Henry B. Metcalfe (D)

: . John G. Schumaker (D)

: . Simeon B. Chittenden (IR)

: . Archibald M. Bliss (D)

: . Edwin R. Meade (D)

: . Samuel S. Cox (D)

: . Smith Ely Jr. (D), until December 11, 1876

:: David Dudley Field (D), from January 11, 1877

: . Elijah Ward (D)

: . Fernando Wood (D)

: . Abram S. Hewitt (D)

: . Benjamin A. Willis (D)

: . N. Holmes Odell (D)

: . John O. Whitehouse (D)

: . George M. Beebe (D)

: . John H. Bagley Jr. (D)

: . Charles H. Adams (R)

: . Martin I. Townsend (R)

: . Andrew Williams (R)

: . William A. Wheeler (R)

: . Henry H. Hathorn (R)

: . Samuel F. Miller (R)

: . George A. Bagley (R)

: . Scott Lord (D)

: . William H. Baker (R)

: . Elias W. Leavenworth (R)

: . Clinton D. MacDougall (R)

: . Elbridge G. Lapham (R)

: . Thomas C. Platt (R)

: . Charles C. B. Walker (D)

: . John M. Davy (R)

: . George G. Hoskins (R)

: . Lyman K. Bass (R)

: . Nelson I. Norton (R), from December 6, 1875

North Carolina

: . Jesse J. Yeates (D)

: . John A. Hyman (R)

: . Alfred M. Waddell (D)

: . Joseph J. Davis (D)

: . Alfred M. Scales (D)

: . Thomas S. Ashe (D)

: . William M. Robbins (D)

: . Robert B. Vance (D)

Ohio

: . Milton Sayler (D)

: . Henry B. Banning (D)

: . John S. Savage (D)

: . John A. McMahon (D)

: . Americus V. Rice (D)

: . Frank H. Hurd (D)

: . Lawrence T. Neal (D)

: . William Lawrence (R)

: . Earley F. Poppleton (D)

: . Charles Foster (R)

: . John L. Vance (D)

: . Ansel T. Walling (D)

: . Milton I. Southard (D)

: . Jacob P. Cowan (D)

: . Nelson H. Van Vorhes (R)

: . Lorenzo Danford (R)

: . Laurin D. Woodworth (R)

: . James Monroe (R)

: . James A. Garfield (R)

: . Henry B. Payne (D)

Oregon

: . George A. La Dow (D), until May 1, 1875

:: Lafayette Lane (D), from October 25, 1875

Pennsylvania

: . Chapman Freeman (R)

: . Charles O'Neill (R)

: . Samuel J. Randall (D)

: . William D. Kelley (R)

: . John Robbins Jr. (D)

: . Washington Townsend (R)

: . Alan Wood Jr. (R)

: . Hiester Clymer (D)

: . A. Herr Smith (R)

: . William Mutchler (D)

: . Francis D. Collins (D)

: . Winthrop W. Ketcham (R), until July 19, 1876

:: William H. Stanton (D), from November 7, 1876

: . James B. Reilly (D)

: . John B. Packer (R)

: . Joseph Powell (D)

: . Sobieski Ross (R)

: . John Reilly (D)

: . William Stenger (D)

: . Levi Maish (D)

: . Levi A. Mackey (D)

: . Jacob Turney (D)

: . James H. Hopkins (D)

: . Alexander G. Cochran (D)

: . John W. Wallace (R)

: . George A. Jenks (D)

: . James Sheakley (D)

: . Albert G. Egbert (D)

Rhode Island

: . Benjamin T. Eames (R)

: . Latimer W. Ballou (R)

South Carolina

: . Joseph Rainey (R)

: . Edmund W. M. Mackey (IR), until July 19, 1876

:: Charles W. Buttz (R), from November 7, 1876

: . Solomon L. Hoge (R)

: . Alexander S. Wallace (R)

: . Robert Smalls (R)

Tennessee

: . William McFarland (D)

: . Jacob M. Thornburgh (R)

: . George G. Dibrell (D)

: . Samuel M. Fite (D), until October 23, 1875

:: Haywood Y. Riddle (D), from December 4, 1875

: . John M. Bright (D)

: . John F. House (D)

: . Washington C. Whitthorne (D)

: . John D. C. Atkins (D)

: . William P. Caldwell (D)

: . H. Casey Young (D)

Texas

: . John H. Reagan (D)

: . David B. Culberson (D)

: . James W. Throckmorton (D)

: . Roger Q. Mills (D)

: . John Hancock (D)

: . Gustave Schleicher (D)

Vermont

: . Charles H. Joyce (R)

: . Dudley C. Denison (IR)

: . George W. Hendee (R)

Virginia

: . Beverly B. Douglas (D)

: . John Goode Jr. (D)

: . Gilbert C. Walker (D)

: . William H. H. Stowell (R)

: . George Cabell (D)

: . John R. Tucker (D)

: . John T. Harris (D)

: . Eppa Hutton, II (D)

: . William Terry (D)

West Virginia

: . Benjamin Wilson (D)

: . Charles J. Faulkner Sr. (D)

: . Frank Hereford (D), until January 31, 1877

Wisconsin

: . Charles G. Williams (R)

: . Lucien B. Caswell (R)

: . Henry S. Magoon (R)

: . William P. Lynde (D)

: . Samuel D. Burchard (D)

: . Alanson M. Kimball (R)

: . Jeremiah M. Rusk (R)

: . George W. Cate (D)

Non-voting members

: . Hiram S. Stevens (D)

: . Thomas M. Patterson (D), until August 1, 1876

: . Jefferson P. Kidder (R)

: . Thomas W. Bennett (I), until June 23, 1876

:: Stephen S. Fenn (D), from June 23, 1876

: . Martin Maginnis (D)

: . Stephen B. Elkins (R)

: . George Q. Cannon (R)

: . Orange Jacobs (R)

: . William R. Steele (D)

thumb|Speaker [[Michael C. Kerr]]

thumb|Speaker [[Samuel J. Randall]]

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

<!--

Sorted Chronologically by date of vacancy

-->

|-

| Louisiana (3)

| Vacant

| Senate had declined to seat rival claimants William L. McMillen and P. B. S. Pinchback. Successor elected January 12, 1876.

| nowrap | James B. Eustis (D)

| January 10, 1876

|-

| Tennessee (1)

| nowrap | Andrew Johnson (D)

| Died July 31, 1875.<br/>Successor appointed August 18, 1875, to continue the term.

| nowrap | David M. Key (D)

| August 18, 1875

|-

| Connecticut (3)

| nowrap | Orris S. Ferry (R)

| Died November 21, 1875.<br/>Successor appointed November 27, 1875, to continue the term.

| nowrap | James E. English (D)

| November 27, 1875

|-

| Connecticut (3)

| nowrap | James E. English (D)

| Interim appointee retired May 17, 1876 when successor elected.<br/>Successor elected May 17, 1876.

| nowrap | William H. Barnum (D)

| May 18, 1876

|-

| Maine (2)

| nowrap | Lot M. Morrill (R)

| Resigned July 7, 1876 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury.<br/>Successor appointed July 10, 1876, to continue the term.<br/>Interim appointee later elected January 17, 1877.

| nowrap | James G. Blaine (R)

| July 10, 1876

|-

| West Virginia (1)

| nowrap | Allen T. Caperton (D)

| Died July 26, 1876.<br/>Successor appointed August 26, 1876, to continue the term.

| nowrap | Samuel Price (D)

| August 26, 1876

|-

| Colorado (2)

| New seat

| Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876.<br/>First senator elected November 15, 1876

| nowrap | Henry M. Teller (R)

| November 15, 1876

|-

| Colorado (3)

| New seat

| Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876.<br/>First senator elected November 15, 1876

| nowrap | Jerome B. Chaffee (R)

| November 15, 1876

|-

| Tennessee (1)

| nowrap | David M. Key (D)

| Interim appointee lost special election.<br/>Successor elected January 19, 1877.

| nowrap | James E. Bailey (D)

| January 19, 1877

|-

| West Virginia (1)

| nowrap | Samuel Price (D)

| Interim appointee lost special election.<br/>Successor elected January 26, 1877, but seat remained vacant until successor qualified by resigning from the U.S. House on January 31, 1877.

| nowrap | Frank Hereford (D)

| January 31, 1877

|}

House of Representatives

[[File:44 us house membership.png|thumb|400px|

{| align=center

! colspan=2 | House seats by party holding plurality in state

|-

|

|

|-

|

|

|-

|

|

|}]]

  • 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

<!--

Sorted chronologically by date of vacancy

-->

|-

|

| Vacant

| Rep-elect Garnett McMillan died before taking seat

| nowrap | Benjamin H. Hill (D)

| May 5, 1875

|-

|

| Vacant

| Rep. Samuel F. Hersey died during previous congress

| nowrap | Harris M. Plaisted (R)

| September 13, 1875

|-

|

| Vacant

| Rep.-elect Augustus F. Allen died before taking seat

| nowrap | Nelson I. Norton (R)

| December 6, 1875

|-

|

| nowrap | James Buffington (R)

| Died March 7, 1875

| nowrap | William W. Crapo (R)

| November 2, 1875

|-

|

| nowrap | George A. La Dow (D)

| Died May 1, 1875

| nowrap | Lafayette Lane (D)

| October 25, 1875

|-

|

| nowrap | Samuel M. Fite (D)

| Died October 23, 1875

| nowrap | Haywood Y. Riddle (D)

| December 14, 1875

|-

|

| nowrap | Henry H. Starkweather (R)

| Died January 28, 1876

| nowrap | John T. Wait (R)

| April 12, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Josiah T. Walls (R)

| Lost contested election April 19, 1876

| nowrap | Jesse J. Finley (D)

| April 19, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Charles B. Farwell (R)

| Lost contested election May 6, 1876

| nowrap | John V. Le Moyne (D)

| May 6, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | William H. Barnum (D)

| Resigned May 18, 1876, after being elected to the US Senate

| nowrap | Levi Warner (D)

| December 4, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Frank Morey (R)

| Lost contested election June 8, 1876

| nowrap | William B. Spencer (D)

| June 8, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Thomas W. Bennett (I)

| Lost contested election June 23, 1876

| nowrap | Stephen S. Fenn (D)

| June 23, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | James G. Blaine (R)

| Resigned July 10, 1876, after being appointed to the US Senate

| nowrap | Edwin Flye (R)

| December 4, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Edward Y. Parsons (D)

| Died July 8, 1876

| nowrap | Henry Watterson (D)

| August 12, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Winthrop W. Ketcham (R)

| Resigned July 19, 1876, after being appointed judge to the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania

| nowrap | William H. Stanton (D)

| November 7, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Edmund W. M. Mackey (IR)

| style="font-size:80%" |Seat declared vacant July 19, 1876

| nowrap | Charles W. Buttz (R)

| November 7, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Rufus S. Frost (R)

| Lost contested election July 28, 1876

| nowrap | Josiah G. Abbott (D)

| July 28, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Thomas M. Patterson (D)

| Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876

| colspan=2 | Statehood achieved

|-

|

| New seat

| Colorado admitted to the Union August 1, 1876. Seat remained vacant until October 3, 1876.

| nowrap | James B. Belford (R)

| October 3, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Michael C. Kerr (D)

| Died August 19, 1876

| nowrap | Nathan T. Carr (D)

| December 15, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | James D. Williams (D)

| Resigned December 1, 1876, after being elected Governor of Indiana

| nowrap | Andrew Humphreys (D)

| December 5, 1876

|-

|

| nowrap | Smith Ely Jr. (D)

| Resigned December 11, 1876

| nowrap | David D. Field II (D)

| January 11, 1877

|-

|

| nowrap | William B. Spencer (D)

| Resigned January 8, 1877, to become an associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court

| Vacant

| Not filled this term

|-

|

| nowrap | Frank Hereford (D)

| Resigned January 31, 1877, after being elected to the US Senate

| Vacant

| Not filled this term

|-

|

| nowrap | Benjamin H. Hill (D)

| Resigned March 3, 1877, after being elected to the US Senate

| Vacant

| Not filled this term

|}

Committees

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)
  • 1874–75 United States Senate elections
  • 1874–75 United States House of Representatives elections
  • 1876 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1876 United States presidential election
  • 1876–77 United States Senate elections
  • 1876–77 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

References

  • Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
  • U.S. House of Representatives: House History
  • U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists