1882 United States House of Representatives elections
Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1882 for the 48th Congress, during President Chester A. Arthur's term. Arthur's Republican Party was badly defeated, losing its majority to the oppositionDemocratic Party after a campaign that focused on the resistance of Republican leaders to reforming the Spoils system under which government jobs were handed to supporters of winning candidates. After the election, Arthur agreed with the Democrats to pass the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, establishing a professional civil service. However, his actions were too late, as the image of the Republican Party as corrupt was already engrained in the minds of voters. This election also saw the decline of the pro-paper money Greenback Party, and the pick up of several Virginian seats by the Readjuster Party which promoted fiscal responsibility and shunned elitism, though the Virginia-based Readjuster Party all but disappeared following this election.
Election summaries
Following the 1880 Census, 32 new seats were apportioned. Three States lost 1 seat each, 13 States had no change in apportionment, 14 States gained 1 seat each, 6 States gained 2 seats, 1 State gained 4 seats, and 1 State gained 5 seats. Several States that gained one or more seats did not redistrict immediately, electing the new members at-large, while one state which lost a member also delayed redistricting, electing all of its members at-large for this Congress only. There were 8 members elected from third parties, 4 from the Virginia-based Readjuster Party, 2 from the declining Greenback Party, and 2 Independents. The previous election of 1880 had had 10 Greenbacks and 1 Independent.
Early election dates
Five states, with 39 seats among them, held elections before the others:
Missouri gained one seat in reapportionment. After redistricting and the new elections, the delegation went from 7 Democrats, 4 Greenbacks, and 2 Republicans, to a solid slate of 14 Democrats.
The Liberal Anti-Prohibition Party was formed following the failure of the first statewide referendum on Prohibition in 1881. Throughout most of North Carolina, the moribund Republican Party merged into the new party and scored impressive gains in the 1882 elections. By early 1884, however, the LAP was dissolving, and they are listed here synonymously with the Republican Party.
