47th United States Congress

47th United States Congress


46th ←	→ 48th
United States Capitol (1869)
Duration: March 4, 1881 – March 4, 1883

Senate President:	Chester A. Arthur (Mar.–Sept. 1881) Vacant (1881–1883)
Senate Pres. pro tem:	Thomas F. Bayard David Davis George F. Edmunds
House Speaker:	J. Warren Keifer
Members:	76 Senators 293 Representatives 8 Non-voting members
Senate Majority:	Democratic
House Majority:	Republican

Sessions
Special: March 4, 1881 – May 20, 1881 Special: October 10, 1881 – October 29, 1881 1st: December 5, 1881 – August 8, 1882 2nd: December 4, 1882 – March 3, 1883

The Forty-seventh 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, 1881 to March 4, 1883, during the administration of U.S. President James A. Garfield, and the first year of the administration of his successor, U.S. President Chester A. Arthur. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Ninth Census of the United States in 1870. The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House had a Republican majority.

1 Party summary
- 1.1 Senate
- 1.2 House of Representatives
2 Leadership
- 2.1 Senate
- 2.2 House of Representatives
3 Major events
4 Major legislation
5 Members
- 5.1 Senate
- 5.2 House of Representatives
6 Changes in membership
- 6.1 Senate
- 6.2 House of Representatives
7 Employees
- 7.1 Senate
- 7.2 House of Representatives
8 References
9 External links

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

	Party (Shading shows control)				Total	Vacant

	Democratic (D)	Readjuster (RD)	Republican (R)	Independent (I)
End of the previous congress	42	0	31	2	75	1

Begin	37	1	36	1	75	1
End	37	1	37	1	76	0
Final voting share	700148700000000000048.7%	70001300000000000001.3%	700148700000000000048.7%	70001300000000000001.3%

Beginning of the next congress	36	2	38	0	76	0

House of Representatives

Democratic: 128
Republican: 151 (majority)
Independent Democrat: 1
Independent: 1
National Greenback: 10

TOTAL members: 293

Leadership

President of the Senate
Chester A. Arthur

Senate

President: Chester A. Arthur, of New York, succeeded to the Presidency, September 19, 1881, vacant thereafter
President pro tempore: Thomas F. Bayard (D)
- David Davis (I), from October 13, 1881.
- George F. Edmunds (R), from March 3, 1883.

House of Representatives

Speaker: J. Warren Keifer (R)

Major events

March 4, 1881: James A. Garfield became President of the United States
September 19, 1881: Chester A. Arthur became President of the United States

Major legislation

February 25, 1882: Apportionment of the Tenth Census, ch. 20, 22 Stat. 5
May 6, 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act, 22 Stat. 58
August 2, 1882: Rivers and Harbors Act
January 16, 1883: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, ch. 27, 22 Stat. 403
March 3, 1883: Tariff of 1883 (Mongrel Tariff)

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, 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 ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1880; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1882; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1884.

Colorado

2: Henry M. Teller (R), until April 17, 1882
- George M. Chilcott (R), April 17, 1882 - January 27, 1883
- Horace A. W. Tabor (R), from January 27, 1883
3: Nathaniel P. Hill (R)

Connecticut

3: Orville H. Platt (R)
1: Joseph R. Hawley (R)

Delaware

1: Thomas F. Bayard, Sr. (D)
2: Eli M. Saulsbury (D)

Florida

1: Charles W. Jones (D)
3: Wilkinson Call (D)

Georgia

2: Benjamin H. Hill (D), until August 16, 1882
- M. Pope Barrow (D), from November 15, 1882
3: Joseph E. Brown (D)

Illinois

2: David Davis (I)
3: John A. Logan (R)

Indiana

3: Daniel W. Voorhees (D)
1: Benjamin Harrison (R)

Iowa

3: William B. Allison (R)
2: Samuel J. Kirkwood (R), until March 7, 1881
- James W. McDill (R), from March 8, 1881

Kansas

3: John J. Ingalls (R)
2: Preston B. Plumb (R)

Kentucky

2: James B. Beck (D)
3: John S. Williams (D)

Louisiana

2: William Pitt Kellogg (R)
3: Benjamin F. Jonas (D)

Maine

2: James G. Blaine (R), until March 5, 1881
- William P. Frye (R), from March 15, 1881
1: Eugene Hale (R)

Maryland

3: James B. Groome (D)
1: Arthur Pue Gorman (D)

Massachusetts

1: Henry L. Dawes (R)
2: George F. Hoar (R)

Michigan

2: Thomas W. Ferry (R)
1: Omar D. Conger (R)

Minnesota

1: Samuel J. R. McMillan (R)
2: William Windom (R),until March 7, 1881
- Alonzo J. Edgerton (R), March 12, 1881 – October 30, 1881
- William Windom (R), from November 15, 1881

Mississippi

2: Lucius Q. C. Lamar (D)
1: James Z. George (D)

Missouri

1: Francis M. Cockrell (D)
3: George G. Vest (D)

Nebraska

2: Alvin Saunders (R)
1: Charles H. Van Wyck (R)

Nevada

3: John P. Jones (R)
1: James G. Fair (D)

New Hampshire

2: Edward H. Rollins (R)
3: Henry W. Blair (R)

New Jersey

2: John R. McPherson (D)
1: William J. Sewell (R)

New York

3: Roscoe Conkling (R), until May 16, 1881
- Elbridge G. Lapham (R), from October 11, 1881
1: Thomas C. Platt (R), until May 16, 1881
- Warner Miller (R), from July 27, 1881

North Carolina

2: Matt W. Ransom (D)
3: Zebulon B. Vance (D)

Ohio

3: George H. Pendleton (D)
1: John Sherman (R)

Oregon

2: La Fayette Grover (D)
3: James H. Slater (D)

Pennsylvania

3: J. Donald Cameron (R)
1: John I. Mitchell (R)

Rhode Island

2: Henry B. Anthony (R)
1: Ambrose E. Burnside (R), until September 13, 1881
- Nelson W. Aldrich (R), from October 5, 1881

South Carolina

2: Matthew C. Butler (D)
3: Wade Hampton, III (D)

Tennessee

2: Isham G. Harris (D)
1: Howell E. Jackson (D)

Texas

1: Samuel B. Maxey (D)
2: Richard Coke (D)

Vermont

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

Virginia

2: John W. Johnston (D)
1: William Mahone (RD)

West Virginia

2: Henry G. Davis (D)
1: Johnson N. Camden (D)

Wisconsin

1: Philetus Sawyer (R)
3: Angus Cameron (R), from March 14, 1881

President pro tempore
Thomas F. Bayard

President pro tempore
David Davis

President pro tempore
George F. Edmunds

House of Representatives

Members' names are preceded by their district numbers.

Alabama

1. Thomas H. Herndon (D)
2. Hilary A. Herbert (D)
3. William C. Oates (D)
4. Charles M. Shelley (D), until July 20, 1882
- Charles M. Shelley (D), from November 7, 1882
5. Thomas Williams (D)
6. Goldsmith W. Hewitt (D)
7. William H. Forney (D)
8. Joseph Wheeler (D) until June 3, 1882
- William M. Lowe (NG), June 3, 1882 – October 12, 1882
- Joseph Wheeler (D), from January 15, 1883

Arkansas

California

Colorado

At-large. James B. Belford (R)

Connecticut

Delaware

At-large. Edward L. Martin (D)

Florida

1. Robert H. M. Davidson (D)
2. Jesse J. Finley (D), until June 1, 1882
- Horatio Bisbee, Jr. (R), from June 1, 1882

Georgia

George R. Black (D)
2. Henry G. Turner (D)
3. Philip Cook (D)
4. Hugh Buchanan (D)
5. Nathaniel J. Hammond (D)
6. James H. Blount (D)
7. Judson C. Clements (D)
8. Alexander H. Stephens (D), until November 4, 1882
- Seaborn Reese (D), from December 4, 1882
9. Emory Speer (ID)

Illinois

1. William Aldrich (R)
George R. Davis (R)
3. Charles B. Farwell (R)
4. John C. Sherwin (R)
5. Robert M. A. Hawk (R), until June 29, 1882
- Robert R. Hitt (R), from November 7, 1882
6. Thomas J. Henderson (R)
7. William Cullen (R)
8. Lewis E. Payson (R)
9. John H. Lewis (R)
10. Benjamin F. Marsh (R)
11. James W. Singleton (D)
12. William M. Springer (D)
13. Dietrich C. Smith (R)
14. Joseph G. Cannon (R)
15. Samuel W. Moulton (D)
16. William A. J. Sparks (D)
17. William R. Morrison (D)
18. John R. Thomas (R)
19. Richard W. Townshend (D)

Indiana

1. William Heilman (R)
2. Thomas R. Cobb (D)
3. Strother M. Stockslager (D)
4. William S. Holman (D)
5. Courtland C. Matson (D)
6. Thomas M. Browne (R)
7. Stanton J. Peelle (R)
8. Robert B. F. Peirce (R)
9. Godlove S. Orth (R), until December 16, 1882
- Charles T. Doxey (R), from January 17, 1883
10. Mark L. De Motte (R)
George W. Steele (R)
12. Walpole G. Colerick (D)
13. William H. Calkins (R)

Iowa

1. Moses A. McCoid (R)
2. Sewall S. Farwell (R)
3. Thomas Updegraff (R)
4. Nathaniel C. Deering (R)
William G. Thompson (R)
6. Marsena E. Cutts (R), until March 3, 1883
- John C. Cook (D), from March 3, 1883
7. John A. Kasson (R)
8. William P. Hepburn (R)
9. Cyrus C. Carpenter (R)

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

1. Thomas B. Reed (R)
2. William P. Frye (R), until March 18, 1881
- Nelson Dingley, Jr. (R) from September 12, 1881
3. Stephen D. Lindsey (R)
NG)
5. Thompson H. Murch (NG)

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

1. Henry L. Muldrow (D)
2. Vannoy H. Manning (D)
3. Hernando D. Money (D)
4. Otho R. Singleton (D)
5. Charles E. Hooker (D)
6. James R. Chalmers (D), until April 29, 1882
- John R. Lynch (R), from April 29, 1882

Missouri

1. Martin L. Clardy (D)
2. Thomas Allen (D), until April 8, 1882
- James Henry McLean (R), from December 15, 1882
3. Richard G. Frost (D), until March 2, 1883
- Gustavus Sessinghaus (R), from March 2, 1883
4. Lowndes H. Davis (D)
5. Richard P. Bland (D)
6. Ira S. Hazeltine (NG)
7. Theron M. Rice (NG)
8. Robert T. Van Horn (R)
9. Nicholas Ford (NG)
10. Joseph H. Burrows (NG)
11. John B. Clark, Jr. (D)
12. William H. Hatch (D)
13. Aylett H. Buckner (D)

Nebraska

At-large. Edward K. Valentine (R)

Nevada

George W. Cassidy (D)

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

1. Perry Belmont (D)
2. William E. Robinson (D)
3. J. Hyatt Smith (I)
4. Archibald M. Bliss (D)
5. Benjamin Wood (D)
6. Samuel S. Cox (D)
7. P. Henry Dugro (D)
8. Anson G. McCook (R)
9. John Hardy (D), from December 5, 1881
10. Abram S. Hewitt (D)
11. Levi P. Morton (R), until March 21, 1881
- Roswell P. Flower (D), from November 8, 1881
12. Waldo Hutchins (D)
13. John H. Ketcham (R)
14. Lewis Beach (D)
15. Thomas Cornell (R)
16. Michael N. Nolan (D)
17. Walter A. Wood (R)
18. John Hammond (R)
19. Abraham X. Parker (R)
George West (R)
21. Ferris Jacobs, Jr. (R)
22. Warner Miller (R), until July 26, 1881
- Charles R. Skinner (R) from November 18, 1881
23. Cyrus D. Prescott (R)
24. Joseph Mason (R)
25. Frank Hiscock (R)
26. John H. Camp (R)
27. Elbridge G. Lapham (R), until August 2, 1881
- James W. Wadsworth (R), from November 8, 1881
28. Jeremiah W. Dwight (R)
29. David P. Richardson (R)
30. John Van Voorhis (R)
31. Richard Crowley (R)
32. Jonathan Scoville (D)
33. Henry H. Van Aernam (R)

North Carolina

1. Louis C. Latham (D)
2. Orlando Hubbs (R)
3. John W. Shackelford (D), until January 18, 1883
4. William R. Cox (D)
5. Alfred M. Scales (D)
6. Clement Dowd (D)
7. Robert F. Armfield (D)
8. Robert B. Vance (D)

Ohio

1. Benjamin Butterworth (R)
2. Thomas L. Young (R)
3. Henry L. Morey (R)
4. Emanuel Shultz (R)
5. Benjamin Le Fevre (D)
6. James M. Ritchie (R)
7. John P. Leedom (D)
8. J. Warren Keifer (R)
9. James S. Robinson (R)
10. John B. Rice (R)
11. Henry S. Neal (R)
George L. Converse (D)
13. Gibson Atherton (D)
George W. Geddes (D)
15. Rufus R. Dawes (R)
16. Jonathan T. Updegraff (R), until November 30, 1882
- Joseph D. Taylor (R), from January 2, 1883
17. William McKinley, Jr. (R)
18. Addison S. McClure (R)
19. Ezra B. Taylor (R)
20. Amos Townsend (R)

Oregon

Melvin C. George (R)

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

1. Nelson W. Aldrich (R), until October 5, 1881
- Henry J. Spooner (R), from December 5, 1881
2. Jonathan Chace (R)

South Carolina

1. John S. Richardson (D)
2. Michael P. O'Connor (D), until April 26, 1881
- Samuel Dibble (D), June 9, 1881 - May 31, 1882
- Edmund W. M. Mackey (IR), from May 31, 1882
3. D. Wyatt Aiken (D)
4. John H. Evins (D)
George D. Tillman (D), until June 19, 1882
- Robert Smalls (R), from July 19, 1882

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Virginia

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Non-voting members

Arizona Territory. Granville H. Oury (D)
Dakota Territory. Richard F. Pettigrew (R)
George Ainslie (D)
Montana Territory. Martin Maginnis (D)
New Mexico Territory. Tranqulino Luna (R)
Utah Territory. John T. Caine (D)
Washington Territory. Thomas H. Brents (R)
Wyoming Territory. Morton E. Post (D)

Speaker of the House
J. Warren Keifer

Changes in membership

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

Senate

Deaths: 2
Resignations: 8
Interim appointments: 1
Total replacements: 8
- Democratic: no net change
- Republican: no net change
Total seats with changes: 10

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation
Wisconsin (3)	Vacant	Vacancy in term as Senator Matthew H. Carpenter died in previous congress	Angus Cameron (R)	March 14, 1881
Maine (2)	James G. Blaine (R)	Resigned March 5, 1881 to become U.S. Secretary of State	William P. Frye (R)	March 15, 1881
Iowa (2)	Samuel J. Kirkwood (R)	Resigned March 7, 1881 to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior	James W. McDill (R)	March 8, 1881
Minnesota (2)	William Windom (R)	Resigned March 7, 1881 to become U.S. Secretary of the Treasury	Alonzo J. Edgerton (R)	March 12, 1881
New York (1)	Thomas C. Platt (R)	Resigned May 16, 1881 as a protest against federal appointments made in New York	Warner Miller (R)	July 27, 1881
New York (3)	Roscoe Conkling (R)	Resigned May 16, 1881 as a protest against federal appointments made in New York	Elbridge G. Lapham (R)	August 2, 1881
Rhode Island (1)	Ambrose Burnside (R)	Died September 13, 1881	Nelson W. Aldrich (R)	October 5, 1881
Minnesota (2)	Alonzo J. Edgerton (R)	Interim appointee replaced by successor elected October 30, 1881	William Windom (R)	November 15, 1881
Colorado (2)	Henry M. Teller (R)	Resigned April 17, 1882 to become U.S. Secretary of the Interior	George M. Chilcott (R)	April 17, 1882
Georgia (2)	Benjamin H. Hill (D)	Died August 16, 1882	M. Pope Barrow (D)	November 15, 1882
Colorado (2)	George M. Chilcott (R)	Interim appointee replaced by successor elected January 27, 1883	Horace Tabor (R)	January 27, 1883

House of Representatives

Deaths: 6
Resignations: 9
Contested elections: 8
Total replacements: 14
- Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- Republican: 1 seat net loss
Total seats with changes: 22

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date successor seated
Michigan 7th	Vacant	Rep. Omar D. Conger resigned during previous congress	John T. Rich (R)	April 5, 1881
New York 9th	Vacant	Rep. Fernando Wood resigned during previous congress	John Hardy (D)	December 5, 1881
Maine 2nd	William P. Frye (R)	Resigned March 17, 1881 after being elected to the US Senate	Nelson Dingley, Jr. (R)	September 12, 1881
New York 11th	Levi P. Morton (R)	Resigned March 21, 1881 after being appointed Minister to France	Roswell P. Flower (D)	November 8, 1881
South Carolina 2nd	Michael P. O'Connor (D)	Died April 26, 1881 during a contested election. Dibble presented credentials to replace him due to his death.	Samuel Dibble (D)	June 9, 1881
New York 22nd	Warner Miller (R)	Resigned July 26, 1881 after being elected to the US Senate	Charles R. Skinner (R)	November 8, 1881
New York 27th	Elbridge G. Lapham (R)	Resigned August 2, 1881 after being elected to the US Senate	James W. Wadsworth (R)	November 8, 1881
Rhode Island 1st	Nelson W. Aldrich (R)	Resigned October 5, 1881 after being elected to the US Senate	Henry J. Spooner (R)	December 5, 1881
Missouri 2nd	Thomas Allen (D)	Died April 8, 1882	James H. McLean (R)	December 15, 1882
Mississippi 6th	James R. Chalmers (D)	Lost contested election April 29, 1882	John R. Lynch (R)	April 29, 1882
South Carolina 2nd	Samuel Dibble (D)	Lost contested election May 31, 1882 during an election originally contested with Michael P. O'Connor. Dibble presented credentials to replace him until Mackey was determined to be the victor under terms of the original election.	Edmund W. M. Mackey (IR)	May 31, 1882
Florida 2nd	Jesse J. Finley (D)	Lost contested election June 1, 1882	Horatio Bisbee, Jr. (R)	June 1, 1882
Alabama 8th	Joseph Wheeler (D)	Lost contested election June 3, 1882	William M. Lowe (GB)	June 3, 1882
Illinois 5th	Robert M. A. Hawk (R)	Died June 29, 1882	Robert R. Hitt (R)	November 7, 1882
South Carolina 5th	George D. Tillman (D)	Lost contested election July 19, 1882	Robert Smalls (R)	July 19, 1882
Alabama 4th	Charles M. Shelley (D)	Election contested by James Q. Smith. Seat declared vacant July 20, 1882. Shelley re-elected to fill seat.	Charles M. Shelley (D)	November 7, 1882
Alabama 8th	William M. Lowe (GB)	Died October 12, 1882	Joseph Wheeler (D)	January 15, 1883
Georgia 8th	Alexander H. Stephens (D)	Resigned November 4, 1882 after being elected Governor of Georgia	Seaborn Reese (D)	December 4, 1882
Ohio 16th	Jonathan T. Updegraff (R)	Died November 30, 1882	Joseph D. Taylor (R)	January 2, 1883
Indiana 9th	Godlove S. Orth (R)	Died December 16, 1882	Charles T. Doxey (R)	January 17, 1883
North Carolina 3rd	John W. Shackelford (D)	Died January 18, 1883	Vacant	Not filled this term
Missouri 3rd	Richard G. Frost (D)	Lost contested election March 2, 1883	Gustavus Sessinghaus (R)	March 2, 1883
Iowa 6th	Marsena E. Cutts (R)	Lost election contest March 3, 1883	John C. Cook (D)	March 3, 1883

Employees

Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark, appointed August 30, 1865

Senate

Secretary: John C. Burch, elected March 24, 1879, died July 28, 1881
- Francis E. Shober, (Acting), elected October 25, 1881
Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright
Chaplain: Joseph J. Bullock (Presbyterian)

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.

External links

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

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111 (2009)
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47th United States Congress