47th United States Congress
The 47th 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 first and only year of James Garfield's presidency, and the first two years of his successor, Chester Arthur's tenure. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Ninth Census of the United States in 1870. The House had a Republican majority; the Senate was evenly divided.
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
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: Chester A. Arthur, until September 19, 1881; vacant thereafter
- President pro tempore: Thomas F. Bayard, October 10, 1881 – October 13, 1881
- * David Davis, from October 13, 1881
- * George F. Edmunds, from March 3, 1883
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: George H. Pendleton
- Republican Conference Chairman: Henry B. Anthony
House of Representatives
- Speaker: J. Warren Keifer
- Republican Conference Chairman: George M. Robeson
Major events
- March 4, 1881: James A. Garfield became President of the United States
- September 19, 1881: President Garfield died. Vice President Chester A. Arthur became President of the United States
Major legislation
- February 25, 1882: Apportionment of the Tenth Census, ch. 20,
- May 6, 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act,
- August 2, 1882: Passenger Act of 1882,
- August 2, 1882: Rivers and Harbors Act
- January 16, 1883: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act, ch. 27,
- March 3, 1883: Tariff of 1883
Members
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.[List of [United States Senators from Alabama|Alabama]]
- 2. John T. Morgan
- 3. James L. Pugh
Arkansas">List of United States Senators from Arkansas">Arkansas
- 2. Augustus H. Garland
- 3. James D. Walker
California">List of United States Senators from California">California
- 1. John F. Miller
- 3. James T. Farley
Colorado">List of United States Senators from Colorado">Colorado
- 2. Henry M. Teller, until April 17, 1882
- * George M. Chilcott, April 17, 1882 - January 27, 1883
- * Horace A. W. Tabor, from January 27, 1883
- 3. Nathaniel P. Hill
Connecticut">List of United States Senators from Connecticut">Connecticut
- 1. Joseph R. Hawley
- 3. Orville H. Platt
Delaware">List of United States Senators from Delaware">Delaware
- 1. Thomas F. Bayard, Sr.
- 2. Eli M. Saulsbury
Florida">List of United States Senators from Florida">Florida
- 1. Charles W. Jones
- 3. Wilkinson Call
Georgia">List of United States Senators from Georgia">Georgia
- 2. Benjamin H. Hill, until August 16, 1882
- * M. Pope Barrow, from November 15, 1882
- 3. Joseph E. Brown
Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois
- 2. David Davis
- 3. John A. Logan
Indiana">List of United States Senators from Indiana">Indiana
- 1. Benjamin Harrison
- 3. Daniel W. Voorhees
Iowa">List of United States Senators from Iowa">Iowa
- 2. Samuel J. Kirkwood, until March 7, 1881
- * James W. McDill, from March 8, 1881
- 3. William B. Allison
Kansas">List of United States Senators from Kansas">Kansas
- 2. Preston B. Plumb
- 3. John J. Ingalls
Kentucky">List of United States Senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
- 2. James B. Beck
- 3. John S. Williams
Louisiana">List of United States Senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
- 2. William Pitt Kellogg
- 3. Benjamin F. Jonas
Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine
- 1. Eugene Hale
- 2. James G. Blaine, until March 5, 1881
- * William P. Frye, from March 15, 1881
Maryland">List of United States Senators from Maryland">Maryland
- 1. Arthur Pue Gorman
- 3. James B. Groome
Massachusetts">List of United States Senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- 1. Henry L. Dawes
- 2. George F. Hoar
Michigan">List of United States Senators from Michigan">Michigan
- 1. Omar D. Conger
- 2. Thomas W. Ferry
Minnesota">List of United States Senators from Minnesota">Minnesota
- 1. Samuel J. R. McMillan
- 2. William Windom,until March 7, 1881
- * Alonzo J. Edgerton, March 12, 1881 – October 30, 1881
- * William Windom, from November 15, 1881
Mississippi">List of United States Senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
- 1. James Z. George
- 2. Lucius Q. C. Lamar
Missouri">List of United States Senators from Missouri">Missouri
- 1. Francis M. Cockrell
- 3. George G. Vest
Nebraska">List of United States Senators from Nebraska">Nebraska
- 1. Charles H. Van Wyck
- 2. Alvin Saunders
Nevada">List of United States Senators from Nevada">Nevada
- 1. James G. Fair
- 3. John P. Jones
New Hampshire">List of United States Senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- 2. Edward H. Rollins
- 3. Henry W. Blair
New Jersey">List of United States Senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
- 1. William J. Sewell
- 2. John R. McPherson
New York">List of United States Senators from New York">New York
- 1. Thomas C. Platt, until May 16, 1881
- * Warner Miller, from July 27, 1881
- 3. Roscoe Conkling, until May 16, 1881
- * Elbridge G. Lapham, from July 29, 1881
North Carolina">List of United States Senators from North Carolina">North Carolina
- 2. Matt W. Ransom
- 3. Zebulon B. Vance
Ohio">List of United States Senators from Ohio">Ohio
- 1. John Sherman
- 3. George H. Pendleton
Oregon">List of United States Senators from Oregon">Oregon
- 2. La Fayette Grover
- 3. James H. Slater
Pennsylvania">List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- 1. John I. Mitchell
- 3. J. Donald Cameron
Rhode Island">List of United States Senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- 1. Ambrose E. Burnside, until September 13, 1881
- * Nelson W. Aldrich, from October 5, 1881
- 2. Henry B. Anthony
South Carolina">List of United States Senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
- 2. Matthew C. Butler
- 3. Wade Hampton, III
Tennessee">List of United States Senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
- 1. Howell E. Jackson
- 2. Isham G. Harris
Texas">List of United States Senators from Texas">Texas
- 1. Samuel B. Maxey
- 2. Richard Coke
Vermont">List of United States Senators from Vermont">Vermont
- 1. George F. Edmunds
- 3. Justin S. Morrill
Virginia">List of United States Senators from Virginia">Virginia
- 1. William Mahone
- 2. John W. Johnston
West Virginia">List of United States Senators from West Virginia">West Virginia
- 1. Johnson N. Camden
- 2. Henry G. Davis
Wisconsin">List of United States Senators from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- 1. Philetus Sawyer
- 3. Angus Cameron, from March 14, 1881
House of Representatives
Members' names are preceded by their district numbers.[List of [United States Representatives from Alabama|Alabama]]
- . Thomas H. Herndon
- . Hilary A. Herbert
- . William C. Oates
- . Charles M. Shelley, until July 20, 1882
- * Charles M. Shelley, from November 7, 1882
- . Thomas Williams
- . Goldsmith W. Hewitt
- . William H. Forney
- . Joseph Wheeler, until June 3, 1882
- * William M. Lowe, June 3, 1882 – October 12, 1882
- * Joseph Wheeler, from January 15, 1883
Arkansas">List of United States Representatives from Arkansas">Arkansas
- . Poindexter Dunn
- . James K. Jones
- . Jordan E. Cravens
- . Thomas M. Gunter
California">List of United States Representatives from California">California
- . William S. Rosecrans
- . Horace F. Page
- . Campbell P. Berry
- . Romualdo Pacheco
Colorado">List of United States Representatives from Colorado">Colorado
- . James B. Belford
Connecticut">List of United States Representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut
- . John R. Buck
- . James Phelps
- . John T. Wait
- . Frederick Miles
Delaware">List of United States Representatives from Delaware">Delaware
- . Edward L. Martin
Florida">List of United States Representatives from Florida">Florida
- . Robert H. M. Davidson
- . Jesse J. Finley, until June 1, 1882
- * Horatio Bisbee, Jr., from June 1, 1882
Georgia">List of United States Representatives from Georgia">Georgia
- . George R. Black
- . Henry G. Turner
- . Philip Cook
- . Hugh Buchanan
- . Nathaniel J. Hammond
- . James H. Blount
- . Judson C. Clements
- . Alexander H. Stephens, until November 4, 1882
- * Seaborn Reese, from December 4, 1882
- . Emory Speer
Illinois">List of United States Representatives from Illinois">Illinois
- . William Aldrich
- . George R. Davis
- . Charles B. Farwell
- . John C. Sherwin
- . Robert M. A. Hawk, until June 29, 1882
- * Robert R. Hitt, from December 4, 1882
- . Thomas J. Henderson
- . William Cullen
- . Lewis E. Payson
- . John H. Lewis
- . Benjamin F. Marsh
- . James W. Singleton
- . William M. Springer
- . Dietrich C. Smith
- . Joseph G. Cannon
- . Samuel W. Moulton
- . William A. J. Sparks
- . William R. Morrison
- . John R. Thomas
- . Richard W. Townshend
Indiana">List of United States Representatives from Indiana">Indiana
- . William Heilman
- . Thomas R. Cobb
- . Strother M. Stockslager
- . William S. Holman
- . Courtland C. Matson
- . Thomas M. Browne
- . Stanton J. Peelle
- . Robert B. F. Peirce
- . Godlove S. Orth, until December 16, 1882
- * Charles T. Doxey, from January 17, 1883
- . Mark L. De Motte
- . George W. Steele
- . Walpole G. Colerick
- . William H. Calkins
Iowa">List of United States Representatives from Iowa">Iowa
- . Moses A. McCoid
- . Sewall S. Farwell
- . Thomas Updegraff
- . Nathaniel C. Deering
- . William G. Thompson
- . Marsena E. Cutts, until March 3, 1883
- * John C. Cook, from March 3, 1883
- . John A. Kasson
- . William P. Hepburn
- . Cyrus C. Carpenter
Kansas">List of United States Representatives from Kansas">Kansas
- . John A. Anderson
- . Dudley C. Haskell
- . Thomas Ryan
Kentucky">List of United States Representatives from Kentucky">Kentucky
- . Oscar Turner
- . James A. McKenzie
- . John William Caldwell
- . J. Proctor Knott
- . Albert S. Willis
- . John G. Carlisle
- . Joseph C. S. Blackburn
- . Philip B. Thompson, Jr.
- . John D. White
- . Elijah C. Phister
Louisiana">List of United States Representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana
- . Randall L. Gibson
- . E. John Ellis
- . Chester B. Darrall
- . Newton C. Blanchard
- . J. Floyd King
- . Edward W. Robertson
Maine">List of United States Representatives from Maine">Maine
- . Thomas B. Reed
- . William P. Frye, until March 17, 1881
- * Nelson Dingley, Jr. from September 12, 1881
- . Stephen D. Lindsey
- . George W. Ladd
- . Thompson H. Murch
Maryland">List of United States Representatives from Maryland">Maryland
- . George W. Covington
- . J. Frederick C. Talbott
- . Fetter S. Hoblitzell
- . Robert M. McLane
- . Andrew G. Chapman
- . Milton G. Urner
Massachusetts">List of United States Representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- . William W. Crapo
- . Benjamin W. Harris
- . Ambrose A. Ranney
- . Leopold Morse
- . Selwyn Z. Bowman
- . Eben F. Stone
- . William A. Russell
- . John W. Candler
- . William W. Rice
- . Amasa Norcross
- . George D. Robinson
Michigan">List of United States Representatives from Michigan">Michigan
- . Henry W. Lord
- . Edwin Willits
- . Edward S. Lacey
- . Julius C. Burrows
- . George W. Webber
- . Oliver L. Spaulding
- . John T. Rich, from April 5, 1881
- . Roswell G. Horr
- . Jay A. Hubbell
Minnesota">List of United States Representatives from Minnesota">Minnesota
- . Mark H. Dunnell
- . Horace B. Strait
- . William D. Washburn
Mississippi">List of United States Representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
- . Henry L. Muldrow
- . Vannoy H. Manning
- . Hernando D. Money
- . Otho R. Singleton
- . Charles E. Hooker
- . James R. Chalmers, until April 29, 1882
- * John R. Lynch, from April 29, 1882
Missouri">List of United States Representatives from Missouri">Missouri
- . Martin L. Clardy
- . Thomas Allen, until April 8, 1882
- * James Henry McLean, from December 15, 1882
- . Richard G. Frost, until March 2, 1883
- * Gustavus Sessinghaus, from March 2, 1883
- . Lowndes H. Davis
- . Richard P. Bland
- . Ira Hazeltine
- . Theron M. Rice
- . Robert T. Van Horn
- . Nicholas Ford
- . Joseph H. Burrows
- . John B. Clark, Jr.
- . William H. Hatch
- . Aylett H. Buckner
Nebraska">List of United States Representatives from Nebraska">Nebraska
- . Edward K. Valentine
Nevada">List of United States Representatives from Nevada">Nevada
- . George W. Cassidy
New Hampshire">List of United States Representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- . Joshua G. Hall
- . James F. Briggs
- . Ossian Ray
New Jersey">List of United States Representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
- . George M. Robeson
- . J. Hart Brewer
- . Miles Ross
- . Henry S. Harris
- . John Hill
- . Phineas Jones
- . Augustus A. Hardenbergh
New York">List of United States Representatives from New York">New York
- . Perry Belmont
- . William E. Robinson
- . J. Hyatt Smith
- . Archibald M. Bliss
- . Benjamin Wood
- . Samuel S. Cox
- . P. Henry Dugro
- . Anson G. McCook
- . John Hardy, from December 5, 1881
- . Abram S. Hewitt
- . Levi P. Morton, until March 21, 1881
- * Roswell P. Flower, from November 8, 1881
- . Waldo Hutchins
- . John H. Ketcham
- . Lewis Beach
- . Thomas Cornell
- . Michael N. Nolan
- . Walter A. Wood
- . John Hammond
- . Abraham X. Parker
- . George West
- . Ferris Jacobs, Jr.
- . Warner Miller, until July 26, 1881
- * Charles R. Skinner from November 18, 1881
- . Cyrus D. Prescott
- . Joseph Mason
- . Frank Hiscock
- . John H. Camp
- . Elbridge G. Lapham, until July 29, 1881
- * James W. Wadsworth, from November 8, 1881
- . Jeremiah W. Dwight
- . David P. Richardson
- . John Van Voorhis
- . Richard Crowley
- . Jonathan Scoville
- . Henry H. Van Aernam
North Carolina">List of United States Representatives from North Carolina">North Carolina
- . Louis C. Latham
- . Orlando Hubbs
- . John W. Shackelford, until January 18, 1883
- . William Ruffin Cox
- . Alfred M. Scales
- . Clement Dowd
- . Robert F. Armfield
- . Robert B. Vance
Ohio">List of United States Representatives from Ohio">Ohio
- . Benjamin Butterworth
- . Thomas L. Young
- . Henry L. Morey
- . Emanuel Shultz
- . Benjamin Le Fevre
- . James M. Ritchie
- . John P. Leedom
- . J. Warren Keifer
- . James S. Robinson
- . John B. Rice
- . Henry S. Neal
- . George L. Converse
- . Gibson Atherton
- . George W. Geddes
- . Rufus R. Dawes
- . Jonathan T. Updegraff, until November 30, 1882
- * Joseph D. Taylor, from January 2, 1883
- . William McKinley, Jr.
- . Addison S. McClure
- . Ezra B. Taylor
- . Amos Townsend
Oregon">List of United States Representatives from Oregon">Oregon
- . Melvin C. George
Pennsylvania">List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- . Henry H. Bingham
- . Charles O'Neill
- . Samuel J. Randall
- . William D. Kelley
- . Alfred C. Harmer
- . William Ward
- . William Godshalk
- . Daniel Ermentrout
- . A. Herr Smith
- . William Mutchler
- . Robert Klotz
- . Joseph A. Scranton
- . Charles N. Brumm
- . Samuel F. Barr
- . Cornelius C. Jadwin
- . Robert J. C. Walker
- . Jacob M. Campbell
- . Horatio G. Fisher
- . Frank E. Beltzhoover
- . Andrew G. Curtin
- . Morgan R. Wise
- . Russell Errett
- . Thomas M. Bayne
- . William S. Shallenberger
- . James Mosgrove
- . Samuel H. Miller
- . Lewis F. Watson
Rhode Island">List of United States Representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- . Nelson W. Aldrich, until October 4, 1881
- * Henry J. Spooner, from December 5, 1881
- . Jonathan Chace
South Carolina">List of United States Representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina
- . John S. Richardson
- . Michael P. O'Connor, until April 26, 1881
- * Samuel Dibble, June 9, 1881 – May 31, 1882
- * Edmund W. M. Mackey, from May 31, 1882
- . D. Wyatt Aiken
- . John H. Evins
- . George D. Tillman, until June 19, 1882
- * Robert Smalls, from July 19, 1882
Tennessee">List of United States Representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee
- . Augustus H. Pettibone
- . Leonidas C. Houk
- . George G. Dibrell
- . Benton McMillin
- . Richard Warner
- . John F. House
- . Washington C. Whitthorne
- . John D. C. Atkins
- . Charles B. Simonton
- . William R. Moore
Texas">List of United States Representatives from Texas">Texas
- . John H. Reagan
- . David B. Culberson
- . Olin Wellborn
- . Roger Q. Mills
- . George W. Jones
- . Christopher C. Upson
Vermont">List of United States Representatives from Vermont">Vermont
- . Charles H. Joyce
- . James M. Tyler
- . William W. Grout
Virginia">List of United States Representatives from Virginia">Virginia
- . George T. Garrison
- . John F. Dezendorf
- . George D. Wise
- . Joseph Jorgensen
- . George C. Cabell
- . John R. Tucker
- . John Paul
- . John S. Barbour, Jr.
- . Abram Fulkerson
West Virginia">List of United States Representatives from West Virginia">West Virginia
- . Benjamin Wilson
- . John B. Hoge
- . John E. Kenna
Wisconsin">List of United States Representatives from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- . Charles G. Williams
- . Lucien B. Caswell
- . George C. Hazelton
- . Peter V. Deuster
- . Edward S. Bragg
- . Richard W. Guenther
- . Herman L. Humphrey
- . Thaddeus C. Pound
Non-voting delegates
- . Granville H. Oury
- . Richard F. Pettigrew
- . George Ainslie
- . Martin Maginnis
- . Tranqulino Luna
- . John T. Caine
- . Thomas H. Brents
- . Morton E. Post
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
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
Committees
Senate
- Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Cabinet Officers on the Floor of the Senate
- Civil Service and Retrenchment
- Claims
- Commerce
- Distilled Spirit Tax Bill
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Engrossed Bills
- Enrolled Bills
- Epidemic Diseases
- Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River and its Tributaries
- Naval Affairs
- Nicaraguan Claims
- Ordnance and Gunnery
- Ordnance and Projectiles
- Ordnance and War Ships
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Potomac River Front
- Private Land Claims
- Privileges and Elections
- Public Lands
- Railroads
- Revenue Collections in North Carolina
- Revision of the Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Sioux and Crow Indians
- Tariff Regulation
- Tenth Census
- Territories
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
- Whole
- Woman Suffrage
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Elections
- Enrolled Bills
- Expenditures in the Interior Department
- Expenditures in the Justice Department
- Expenditures in the Navy Department
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department
- Expenditures in the State Department
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department
- Expenditures in the War Department
- Expenditures on Public Buildings
- Foreign Affairs
- Indian Affairs
- Invalid Pensions
- Judiciary
- Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River
- Manufactures
- Memorial on Services Rendered by Carlisle P. Patterson
- Mileage
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- Pacific Railroads
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Private Land Claims
- Railways and Canals
- Revision of Laws
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- American Shipbuilding
- Budget Control
- Conditions of Indian Tribes
- Enrolled Bills
- The Library
- Printing
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- State, War and Navy Department Building
Caucuses
- Democratic
- Democratic
Employees
Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States#Legislative branch">Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
- Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford
- Public Printer of the United States: John D. Defrees, until 1882
- * Sterling P. Rounds, from 1882
Senate
- Secretary: John C. Burch, elected March 24, 1879, died July 28, 1881
- * Francis E. Shober,, elected October 25, 1881
- Librarian: P. J. Pierce
- Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright
- Chaplain: Joseph J. Bullock
House of Representatives
- Clerk: George M. Adams, until December 5, 1881
- * Edward McPherson, from December 5, 1881
- Sergeant at Arms: John G. Thompson, until December 5, 1881
- * George W. Hooker, from December 5, 1881
- Doorkeeper: Walter P. Brownlow, elected December 5, 1881
- Postmaster: Henry Sherwood, elected December 5, 1881
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: J. Guilford White
- * Michael Sullivan
- Reading Clerks: Charles N. Clisbee and Neill S. Brown, Jr.
- Chaplain: William P. Harrison, until December 5, 1881
- * Frederick D. Power, from December 5, 1881