43rd United States Congress

43rd United States Congress


42nd ←	→ 44th
United States Capitol (1869)
Duration: March 4, 1873 – March 4, 1875

Senate President:	Henry Wilson
Senate Pres. pro tem:	Matthew H. Carpenter Henry B. Anthony
House Speaker:	James G. Blaine
Members:	74 Senators 292 Representatives 10 Non-voting members
Senate Majority:	Republican
House Majority:	Republican

Sessions
Special: March 4, 1873 – March 26, 1873 1st: December 1, 1873 – June 23, 1874 2nd: December 7, 1874 – March 4, 1875

The Forty-third 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, 1873 to March 4, 1875, during the fifth and sixth years of Ulysses Grant's presidency . The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Ninth Census of the United States in 1870. Both chambers had a Republican majority.

Major events 1
Major legislation 2
Treaties 3
Party summary 4
- Senate 4.1
- House of Representatives 4.2
Leadership 5
- Senate 5.1
- House of Representatives 5.2
Members 6
- Senate 6.1
  - Alabama 6.1.1
  - Arkansas 6.1.2
  - California 6.1.3
  - Connecticut 6.1.4
  - Delaware 6.1.5
  - Florida 6.1.6
  - Georgia 6.1.7
  - Illinois 6.1.8
  - Indiana 6.1.9
  - Iowa 6.1.10
  - Kansas 6.1.11
  - Kentucky 6.1.12
  - Louisiana 6.1.13
  - Maine 6.1.14
  - Maryland 6.1.15
  - Massachusetts 6.1.16
  - Michigan 6.1.17
  - Minnesota 6.1.18
  - Mississippi 6.1.19
  - Missouri 6.1.20
  - Nebraska 6.1.21
  - Nevada 6.1.22
  - New Hampshire 6.1.23
  - New Jersey 6.1.24
  - New York 6.1.25
  - North Carolina 6.1.26
  - Ohio 6.1.27
  - Oregon 6.1.28
  - Pennsylvania 6.1.29
  - Rhode Island 6.1.30
  - South Carolina 6.1.31
  - Tennessee 6.1.32
  - Texas 6.1.33
  - Vermont 6.1.34
  - Virginia 6.1.35
  - West Virginia 6.1.36
  - Wisconsin 6.1.37
- House of Representatives 6.2
  - Alabama 6.2.1
  - Arkansas 6.2.2
  - California 6.2.3
  - Connecticut 6.2.4
  - Delaware 6.2.5
  - Florida 6.2.6
  - Georgia 6.2.7
  - Illinois 6.2.8
  - Indiana 6.2.9
  - Iowa 6.2.10
  - Kansas 6.2.11
  - Kentucky 6.2.12
  - Louisiana 6.2.13
  - Maine 6.2.14
  - Maryland 6.2.15
  - Massachusetts 6.2.16
  - Michigan 6.2.17
  - Minnesota 6.2.18
  - Mississippi 6.2.19
  - Missouri 6.2.20
  - Nebraska 6.2.21
  - Nevada 6.2.22
  - New Hampshire 6.2.23
  - New Jersey 6.2.24
  - New York 6.2.25
  - North Carolina 6.2.26
  - Ohio 6.2.27
  - Oregon 6.2.28
  - Pennsylvania 6.2.29
  - Rhode Island 6.2.30
  - South Carolina 6.2.31
  - Tennessee 6.2.32
  - Texas 6.2.33
  - Vermont 6.2.34
  - Virginia 6.2.35
  - West Virginia 6.2.36
  - Wisconsin 6.2.37
  - Non-voting members 6.2.38
Changes in membership 7
- Senate 7.1
- House of Representatives 7.2
Employees 8
- Senate 8.1
- House of Representatives 8.2
References 9
External links 10

Major events

September 18, 1873: New York stock market crash triggered the Panic of 1873, part of the Long Depression
November 4, 1874: United States House of Representatives elections, 1874 -Democrats regained control of the U.S. House of Representatives for the first time since 1860
November 25, 1874: United States Greenback Party established as a political party, made primarily of farmers financially hurt by the Panic of 1873

Major legislation

June 23, 1874: Poland Act, 18 Stat. 253
January 14, 1875: Specie Payment Resumption Act ch. 15, 18 Stat. 296
March 1, 1875: Civil Rights Act of 1875, (Butler-Sumner Act) 18 Stat. 335
March 3, 1875: Tariff of 1875
March 3, 1875: Page Act of 1875, 18 Stat. 477

Treaties

March 18, 1874: Hawaii signed a treaty with the United States granting exclusive trading rights.

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.

Senate

Senators of the 43rd United States Congress

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)				Total

	Democratic (D)	Liberal Republican (LR)	Republican (R)	Other		Vacant
End of previous Congress	17	1	54	0	72	2

Begin	19	3	50	0	72	2
End	20	2	51	0	73	1
Final voting share	30.1%		69.9%	0.0%

Beginning of the next Congress	26	0	46	(Independent Republican) 1	73	1

House of Representatives

Before this Congress, the 1870 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 292 members.

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)					Total

	Democratic (D)	Independent Democratic (ID)	Liberal Republican (LR)	Republican (R)	Other		Vacant
End of previous Congress	97	0	3	141	(Independent Republican) 1	242	1

Begin	91	6	4	189	0	290	2
End	95	7	4	199	0	290	2
Final voting share	36.6%			63.4%	0.0%

Beginning of the next Congress	177	1	0	102	(Independent Republican +Independent) 7	287	5

Leadership

President of the Senate
Henry Wilson

Senate

President: Henry Wilson (R)
President pro tempore: Matthew H. Carpenter (R)
- Henry B. Anthony (R), elected January 25, 1875.

House of Representatives

Speaker: James G. Blaine (R)

Members

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

President pro tempore Matthew H. Carpenter

President pro tempore Henry B. Anthony

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 ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1874; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1876; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1878.

Alabama

3. George E. Spencer (R)
2. George Goldthwaite (D)

Arkansas

2. Powell Clayton (R)
3. Stephen W. Dorsey (R)

California

1. Eugene Casserly (D), until November 29, 1873
- John S. Hager (D), from December 23, 1873
3. Aaron A. Sargent (R)

Connecticut

3. Orris S. Ferry (LR)
1. William A. Buckingham (R), until February 5, 1875
- William W. Eaton (D), from February 5, 1875

Iowa

2. George G. Wright (R)
3. William B. Allison (R)

Kansas

2. Alexander Caldwell (R), until March 24, 1873
- Robert Crozier (R), November 24, 1873 - February 2, 1874
- James M. Harvey (R), from February 8, 1874
3. John J. Ingalls (R)

Kentucky

2. John W. Stevenson (D)
3. Thomas C. McCreery (D)

Louisiana

2. J. Rodman West (R)
3: vacant

Maine

1. Hannibal Hamlin (R)
2. Lot M. Morrill (R)

Maryland

1. William T. Hamilton (D)
3. George R. Dennis (D)

Massachusetts

1. Charles Sumner (LR), until March 11, 1874
- William B. Washburn (R), from April 17, 1874
2. George S. Boutwell (R), from March 17, 1873

Michigan

1. Zachariah Chandler (R)
2. Thomas W. Ferry (R)

Minnesota

1. Alexander Ramsey (R)
2. William Windom (R)

Mississippi

1. Adelbert Ames (R), until March 17, 1873
- Henry R. Pease (R), from February 3, 1874
2. James L. Alcorn (R)

Missouri

1. Carl Schurz (R)
3. Lewis V. Bogy (D)

Nebraska

1. Thomas W. Tipton (R)
2. Phineas W. Hitchcock (R)

Nevada

1. William M. Stewart (R)
3. John P. Jones (R)

New Hampshire

2. Aaron H. Cragin (R)
3. Bainbridge Wadleigh (R)

New Jersey

1. John P. Stockton (D)
2. Frederick T. Frelinghuysen (R)

New York

3. Roscoe Conkling (R)
1. Reuben E. Fenton (R)

North Carolina

2. Matt W. Ransom (D)
3. Augustus S. Merrimon (D)

Ohio

3. John Sherman (R)
1. Allen G. Thurman (D)

Oregon

2. James K. Kelly (D)
3. John H. Mitchell (R)

Pennsylvania

3. Simon Cameron (R)
1. John Scott (R)

Rhode Island

2. Henry B. Anthony (R)
1. William Sprague (R)

South Carolina

2. Thomas J. Robertson (R)
3. John J. Patterson (R)

Tennessee

1. William G. Brownlow (R)
2. Henry Cooper (D)

Texas

1. James W. Flanagan (R)
2. LR)

Vermont

1. George F. Edmunds (R)
3. Justin S. Morrill (R)

Virginia

2. John W. Johnston (D)
1. John F. Lewis (R)

West Virginia

1. Arthur I. Boreman (R)
2. Henry G. Davis (D)

Wisconsin

3. Timothy O. Howe (R)
1. Matthew H. Carpenter (R)

House of Representatives

Speaker James G. Blaine

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Alabama

Arkansas

1. Asa Hodges (R)
2. Oliver P. Snyder (R)
3. William W. Wilshire (R), until June 16, 1874
- Thomas M. Gunter (D), from June 16, 1874
At-large. William J. Hynes (LR)

At-large. James R. Lofland (R)

Florida

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

At-large. Josiah T. Walls (R)
At-large. William J. Purman (R), until January 25, 1875

Georgia

Morgan Rawls (D), until March 24, 1874
- Andrew Sloan (R), from March 24, 1874
2. Richard H. Whiteley (R)
3. Philip Cook (D)
4. Henry R. Harris (D)
5. James C. Freeman (R)
6. James H. Blount (D)
7. Pierce M. B. Young (D)
8. Alexander H. Stephens (D), from December 1, 1873
9. Hiram P. Bell (D)

Illinois

1. John B. Rice (R), until December 17, 1874
- Bernard G. Caulfield (D), from February 1, 1875
2. Jasper D. Ward (R)
3. Charles B. Farwell (R)
4. Stephen A. Hurlbut (R)
5. Horatio C. Burchard (R)
6. John B. Hawley (R)
7. Franklin Corwin (R)
8. Greenbury L. Fort (R)
9. Granville Barrere (R)
10. William H. Ray (R)
11. Robert M. Knapp (D)
12. James C. Robinson (D)
13. John McNulta (R)
14. Joseph G. Cannon (R)
15. John R. Eden (D)
16. James S. Martin (R)
17. William R. Morrison (D)
18. Isaac Clements (R)
19. Samuel S. Marshall (D)

Indiana

Iowa

George W. McCrary (R)
2. Aylett R. Cotton (R)
3. William G. Donnan (R)
4. Henry O. Pratt (R)
5. James Wilson (R)
6. William Loughridge (R)
7. John A. Kasson (R)
8. James W. McDill (R)
9. Jackson Orr (R)

1. J. Hale Sypher (R), until March 3, 1875
- Effingham Lawrence (D), from March 3, 1875
2. Lionel A. Sheldon (R)
3. Chester B. Darrall (R)
George L. Smith (R), from November 24, 1873
5. Frank Morey (R)
George A. Sheridan (LR)

Maine

1. John H. Burleigh (R)
2. William P. Frye (R)
3. James G. Blaine (R)
4. Samuel F. Hersey (R), until February 3, 1875
5. Eugene Hale (R)

Maryland

Massachusetts

1. James Buffinton (R)
2. Benjamin W. Harris (R)
3. William Whiting (R), until June 29, 1873
- Henry L. Pierce (R), from December 1, 1873
4. Samuel Hooper (R)
5. Daniel W. Gooch (R)
6. Benjamin F. Butler (R)
7. Ebenezer R. Hoar (R)
8. John M. S. Williams (R)
George F. Hoar (R)
10. Alvah Crocker (R), until December 26, 1874
- Charles A. Stevens (R), from January 27, 1875
11. Henry L. Dawes (R)

Michigan

1. Moses W. Field (R)
2. Henry Waldron (R)
George Willard (R)
4. Julius C. Burrows (R)
5. Wilder D. Foster (R), until September 20, 1873
- William B. Williams (R), from December 1, 1873
6. Josiah W. Begole (R)
7. Omar D. Conger (R)
8. Nathan B. Bradley (R)
9. Jay A. Hubbell (R)

Minnesota

Mississippi

1. Lucius Q. C. Lamar (D)
2. Albert R. Howe (R)
3. Henry W. Barry (R)
4. Jason Niles (R)
George C. McKee (R)
6. John R. Lynch (R)

Missouri

Nebraska

At-large. Lorenzo Crounse (R)

Nevada

At-large. Charles W. Kendall (D)

1. Henry J. Scudder (R)
2. John G. Schumaker (D)
3. Stewart L. Woodford (R), until July 1, 1874
- Simeon B. Chittenden (IR), from November 3, 1874
4. Philip S. Crooke (R)
5. William R. Roberts (D)
6. James Brooks (D), until April 30, 1873
- Samuel S. Cox (D), from November 4, 1873
7. Thomas J. Creamer (D)
8. John D. Lawson (R)
9. David B. Mellish (R), until May 23, 1874
- Richard Schell (D), from December 7, 1874
10. Fernando Wood (D)
11. Clarkson N. Potter (D)
12. Charles St. John (R)
13. John O. Whitehouse (D)
14. David M. De Witt (D)
15. Eli Perry (D)
16. James S. Smart (R)
17. Robert S. Hale (R)
18. William A. Wheeler (R)
19. Henry H. Hathorn (R)
20. David Wilber (R)
21. Clinton L. Merriam (R)
22. Ellis H. Roberts (R)
23. William E. Lansing (R)
24. R. Holland Duell (R)
25. Clinton D. MacDougall (R)
26. William H. Lamport (R)
27. Thomas C. Platt (R)
28. H. Boardman Smith (R)
29. Freeman Clarke (R)
George G. Hoskins (R)
31. Lyman K. Bass (R)
32. Walter L. Sessions (R)
At-large. Lyman Tremain (R)

North Carolina

Ohio

1. Milton Sayler (D)
2. Henry B. Banning (LR)
3. John Q. Smith (R)
4. Lewis B. Gunckel (R)
5. Charles N. Lamison (D)
6. Isaac R. Sherwood (R)
7. Lawrence T. Neal (D)
8. William Lawrence (R)
9. James W. Robinson (R)
10. Charles Foster (R)
11. Hezekiah S. Bundy (R)
12. Hugh J. Jewett (D), until June 23, 1874
- William E. Finck (D), from December 7, 1874
13. Milton I. Southard (D)
14. John Berry (D)
15. William P. Sprague (R)
16. Lorenzo Danford (R)
17. Laurin D. Woodworth (R)
18. James Monroe (R)
19. James A. Garfield (R)
20. Richard C. Parsons (R)

Oregon

At-large. Joseph G. Wilson (R), until July 2, 1873
- James W. Nesmith (D), from December 1, 1873

Pennsylvania

1. Samuel J. Randall (D)
2. Charles O'Neill (R)
3. Leonard Myers (R)
4. William D. Kelley (R)
5. Alfred C. Harmer (R)
6. James S. Biery (R)
7. Washington Townsend (R)
8. Hiester Clymer (D)
9. A. Herr Smith (R)
10. John W. Killinger (R)
11. John B. Storm (D)
12. Lazarus D. Shoemaker (R)
13. James D. Strawbridge (R)
14. John B. Packer (R)
15. John A. Magee (D)
16. John Cessna (R)
17. R. Milton Speer (D)
18. Sobieski Ross (R)
19. Carlton B. Curtis (R)
20. Hiram L. Richmond (R)
21. Alexander W. Taylor (R)
22. James S. Negley (R)
23. Ebenezer McJunkin (R), until ????
- John M. Thompson (R), from ?????
24. William S. Moore (R)
At-large. Charles Albright (R)
At-large. Glenni W. Scofield (R)
At-large. Lemuel Todd (R)

Rhode Island

1. Benjamin T. Eames (R)
2. James M. Pendleton (R)

South Carolina

1. Joseph H. Rainey (R)
2. Alonzo J. Ransier (R)
3. Robert B. Elliott (R), until November 1, 1874
- Lewis C. Carpenter (R), from November 3, 1874
4. Alexander S. Wallace (R)
At-large. Richard H. Cain (R)

1. Charles W. Willard (R)
2. Luke P. Poland (R)
George W. Hendee (R)

Virginia

1. James B. Sener (R)
2. James H. Platt, Jr. (R)
3. J. Ambler Smith (R)
4. William H. H. Stowell (R)
5. Alexander M. Davis (D), until March 5, 1874
- Christopher Y. Thomas (R), from March 5, 1874
6. Thomas Whitehead (D)
7. John T. Harris (D)
8. Eppa Hutton, II (D)
9. Rees T. Bowen (D)

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Non-voting members

Arizona Territory. Richard C. McCormick (U)
Colorado Territory. Jerome B. Chaffee (R)
Dakota Territory. Moses K. Armstrong (D)
District of Columbia. Norton P. Chipman (R)
Idaho Territory. John Hailey (D)
Montana Territory. Martin Maginnis (D)
New Mexico Territory. Stephen B. Elkins (R)
George Q. Cannon (R)
Washington Territory. Obadiah B. McFadden (D)
Wyoming Territory. William R. Steele (D)

Changes in membership

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

Senate

replacements: 5
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: no net change
- Liberal Republican: 1 seat net loss
deaths: 3
resignations: 3
interim appointments: 1
vacancy: 1
Total seats with changes: 7

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation
Massachusetts (2)	Vacant	Henry Wilson resigned in previous congress after becoming Vice President of the United States	George S. Boutwell (R)	March 17, 1873
Mississippi (1)	Adelbert Ames (R)	Resigned March 17, 1873 after being elected Governor of Mississippi	Henry R. Pease (R)	February 3, 1874
Kansas (2)	Alexander Caldwell (R)	Resigned March 24, 1873	Robert Crozier (R)	November 24, 1873
California (1)	Eugene Casserly (D)	Resigned November 29, 1873	John S. Hager (D)	December 23, 1873
Kansas (2)	Robert Crozier (R)	Successor elected February 2, 1874	James M. Harvey (R)	February 2, 1874
Massachusetts (1)	Charles Sumner (LR)	Died March 11, 1874	William B. Washburn (R)	April 17, 1874
Connecticut (1)	William A. Buckingham (R)	Died February 5, 1875	William W. Eaton (D)	February 5, 1875

House of Representatives

replacements: 15
- Democratic: 3 seat net gain
- Republican: 4 seat net loss
- Liberal Republican: 1 seat net gain
deaths: 8
resignations: 5
contested election: 4
Total seats with changes: 19

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date successor seated
Louisiana 4th	Vacant	Rep-elect Samuel Peters died before taking seat	George L. Smith (R)	November 24, 1873
Georgia 8th	Vacant	Rep-elect Ambrose R. Wright died before taking seat	Alexander H. Stephens (D)	December 1, 1873
Pennsylvania 23rd	Ebenezer McJunkin (R)	Resigned some time during this congress	John M. Thompson (R)	??????
New York 6th	James Brooks (D)	Died April 30, 1873	Samuel S. Cox (D)	November 4, 1873
Massachusetts 3rd	William Whiting (R)	Died June 29, 1873	Henry L. Pierce (R)	December 1, 1873
Oregon At-large	Joseph G. Wilson (R)	Died July 2, 1873	James Nesmith (D)	December 1, 1873
Michigan 5th	Wilder D. Foster (R)	Died September 20, 1873	William B. Williams (R)	December 1, 1873
Virginia 5th	Alexander Davis (D)	Lost contested election March 5, 1874	Christopher Thomas (R)	March 5, 1874
Georgia 1st	Morgan Rawls (D)	Lost contested election March 24, 1874	Andrew Sloan (R)	March 24, 1874
New York 9th	David B. Mellish (R)	Died May 23, 1874	Richard Schell (D)	December 7, 1874
Arkansas 3rd	William W. Wilshire (R)	Lost contested election June 16, 1874	Thomas M. Gunter (D)	June 16, 1874
Ohio 12th	Hugh J. Jewett (D)	Resigned June 23, 1874 after becoming President of the Erie Railroad	William E. Finck (D)	December 7, 1874
New York 3rd	Stewart L. Woodford (R)	Resigned July 1, 1874	Simeon B. Chittenden (IR)	November 3, 1874
South Carolina 3rd	Robert B. Elliott (R)	Resigned November 1, 1874	Lewis C. Carpenter (R)	November 3, 1874
Illinois 1st	John B. Rice (R)	Died December 17, 1874	Bernard G. Caulfield (D)	February 1, 1875
Massachusetts 10th	Alvah Crocker (R)	Died December 26, 1874	Charles A. Stevens (R)	January 27, 1875
Florida At-large	William J. Purman (R)	Resigned January 25, 1875	Vacant	Not filled this term
Maine 4th	Samuel F. Hersey (R)	Died February 3, 1875	Vacant	Not filled this term
Louisiana 1st	J. Hale Sypher (R)	Lost contested election March 3, 1875	Effingham Lawrence (D)	March 3, 1875

Employees

Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark

Senate

Chaplain: John P. Newman (Methodist)
- Byron Sunderland (Presbyterian), elected December 8, 1873
George C. Gorham
Sergeant at Arms: John R. French

House of Representatives

References

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.