41st United States Congress
The 41st 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, 1869, to March 4, 1871, during the first two years of Ulysses S. Grant's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Eighth Census of the United States in 1860. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1869: Ulysses Grant became President of the United States
- March 4, 1869: Carl Schurz R-Missouri became the first German American to serve in the United States Senate
- May 10, 1869: Golden spike marked the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad in Promontory, Utah
- December 10, 1869: Wyoming Territory gave women the right to vote, one of the first such laws in the world
- February 12, 1870: Utah Territory gave women the right to vote
- February 25, 1870: Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American in the U.S. Congress
Major legislation
- March 18, 1869: Public Credit Act of 1869, Sess. 1, ch. 1,
- April 10, 1869: Judiciary Act of 1869, Sess. 1, ch. 22,
- May 31, 1870: Enforcement Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 114,
- June 22, 1870: An Act to establish the Department of Justice, Sess. 2, ch. 150,
- June 29, 1870: An Act to reorganize the Marine Hospital Service, Sess. 2, ch. 169,
- July 12, 1870: Currency Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 252,
- July 14, 1870: Funding Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 256,
- February 21, 1871: District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, Sess. 3, ch. 62,,
Constitutional amendments
- February 3, 1870: Fifteenth Amendment was ratified by the requisite number of states to become part of the Constitution
States readmitted
- January 26, 1870: Virginia rejoined the Union
- February 23, 1870: Mississippi rejoined the Union
- March 30, 1870: Texas rejoined the Union
- July 15, 1870: Georgia rejoined the Union, the last former Confederate state to be readmitted
Party summary
During this Congress, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia were readmitted to representation.
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: Schuyler Colfax
- President pro tempore: Henry B. Anthony
House of Representatives
- Speaker: James G. Blaine
- Republican Conference Chairman: Robert C. Schenck and Nathaniel P. Banks
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: William E. Niblack and Samuel J. Randall
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. In this Congress, "Class 1" meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1874; "Class 2" meant their term ended in this Congress, facing re-election in 1870; and "Class 3" meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1872.[List of [United States Senators from Alabama|Alabama]]
- 2. Willard Warner
- 3. George E. Spencer
Arkansas">List of United States Senators from Arkansas">Arkansas
- 2. Alexander McDonald
- 3. Benjamin F. Rice
California">List of United States Senators from California">California
- 1. Eugene Casserly
- 3. Cornelius Cole
Connecticut">List of United States Senators from Connecticut">Connecticut
- 1. William A. Buckingham
- 3. Orris S. Ferry
Delaware">List of United States Senators from Delaware">Delaware
- 1. Thomas F. Bayard
- 2. Willard Saulsbury Sr.
Florida">List of United States Senators from Florida">Florida
- 1. Abijah Gilbert
- 3. Thomas W. Osborn
Georgia">List of United States Senators from Georgia">Georgia
- 2. Homer V. M. Miller, from February 24, 1871
- 3. Joshua Hill, from February 1, 1871
Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois
- 2. Richard Yates
- 3. Lyman Trumbull
Indiana">List of United States Senators from Indiana">Indiana
- 1. Daniel D. Pratt
- 3. Oliver H. P. T. Morton
Iowa">List of United States Senators from Iowa">Iowa
- 2. James W. Grimes, until December 6, 1869
- * James B. Howell, from January 18, 1870
- 3. James Harlan
Kansas">List of United States Senators from Kansas">Kansas
- 2. Edmund G. Ross
- 3. Samuel C. Pomeroy
Kentucky">List of United States Senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
- 2. Thomas C. McCreery
- 3. Garrett Davis
Louisiana">List of United States Senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
- 2. John S. Harris
- 3. William P. Kellogg
Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine
- 1. Hannibal Hamlin
- 2. William P. Fessenden, until September 8, 1869
- * Lot M. Morrill, from October 30, 1869
Maryland">List of United States Senators from Maryland">Maryland
- 1. William T. Hamilton
- 3. George Vickers
Massachusetts">List of United States Senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- 1. Charles Sumner
- 2. Henry Wilson
Michigan">List of United States Senators from Michigan">Michigan
- 1. Zachariah Chandler
- 2. Jacob M. Howard
Minnesota">List of United States Senators from Minnesota">Minnesota
- 1. Alexander Ramsey
- 2. Daniel S. Norton, until July 13, 1870
- * William Windom, July 15, 1870 – January 22, 1871
- * Ozora P. Stearns, from January 22, 1871
Mississippi">List of United States Senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
- 1. Adelbert Ames, from February 23, 1870
- 2. Hiram R. Revels, from February 23, 1870
Missouri">List of United States Senators from Missouri">Missouri
- 1. Carl Schurz
- 3. Charles D. Drake, until December 19, 1870
- * Daniel T. Jewett, December 19, 1870 – January 20, 1871
- * Francis P. Blair Jr., from January 20, 1871
Nebraska">List of United States Senators from Nebraska">Nebraska
- 1. Thomas Tipton
- 2. John M. Thayer
Nevada">List of United States Senators from Nevada">Nevada
- 1. William M. Stewart
- 3. James W. Nye
New Hampshire">List of United States Senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- 2. Aaron H. Cragin
- 3. James W. Patterson
New Jersey">List of United States Senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
- 1. John P. Stockton
- 2. Alexander G. Cattell
New York">List of United States Senators from New York">New York
- 1. Reuben Fenton
- 3. Roscoe Conkling
North Carolina">List of United States Senators from North Carolina">North Carolina
- 2. Joseph C. Abbott
- 3. John Pool
Ohio">List of United States Senators from Ohio">Ohio
- 1. Allen G. Thurman
- 3. John Sherman
Oregon">List of United States Senators from Oregon">Oregon
- 2. George H. Williams
- 3. Henry W. Corbett
Pennsylvania">List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- 1. John Scott
- 3. Simon Cameron
Rhode Island">List of United States Senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- 1. William Sprague
- 2. Henry B. Anthony
South Carolina">List of United States Senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
- 2. Thomas J. Robertson
- 3. Frederick A. Sawyer
Tennessee">List of United States Senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
- 1. William G. Brownlow
- 2. Joseph S. Fowler
Texas">List of United States Senators from Texas">Texas
- 1. James W. Flanagan, from March 30, 1870
- 2. Morgan C. Hamilton, from March 31, 1870
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
- 2. John W. Johnston, from January 26, 1870
- 1. John F. Lewis, from January 26, 1870
West Virginia">List of United States Senators from West Virginia">West Virginia
- 1. Arthur I. Boreman
- 2. Waitman T. Willey
Wisconsin">List of United States Senators from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- 1. Matthew H. Carpenter
- 3. Timothy O. Howe
House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.[List of [United States Representatives from Alabama|Alabama]]
- . Alfred E. Buck
- . Charles W. Buckley
- . Robert S. Heflin
- . Charles Hays
- . Peter M. Dox
- . William C. Sherrod
Arkansas">List of United States Representatives from Arkansas">Arkansas
- . Logan H. Roots
- . Anthony A. C. Rogers
- . Thomas Boles
California">List of United States Representatives from California">California
- . Samuel B. Axtell
- . Aaron A. Sargent
- . James A. Johnson
Connecticut">List of United States Representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut
- . Julius L. Strong
- . Stephen W. Kellogg
- . Henry H. Starkweather
- . William H. Barnum
Delaware">List of United States Representatives from Delaware">Delaware
- . Benjamin T. Biggs
Florida">List of United States Representatives from Florida">Florida
- . Charles M. Hamilton
Georgia">List of United States Representatives from Georgia">Georgia
- . William W. Paine, from December 22, 1870
- . Richard H. Whiteley, from December 22, 1870
- . Marion Bethune, from December 22, 1870
- . Jefferson F. Long, from January 16, 1871
- . Stephen A. Corker, from January 24, 1871
- . William P. Price, from December 22, 1870
- . Pierce M. B. Young, from December 22, 1870
Illinois">List of United States Representatives from Illinois">Illinois
- . Norman B. Judd
- . John F. Farnsworth
- . Elihu B. Washburne, until March 6, 1869
- * Horatio C. Burchard, from December 6, 1869
- . John B. Hawley
- . Ebon C. Ingersoll
- . Burton C. Cook
- . Jesse H. Moore
- . Shelby M. Cullom
- . Thompson W. McNeely
- . Albert G. Burr
- . Samuel S. Marshall
- . John B. Hay
- . John M. Crebs
- . John A. Logan, until March 3, 1871
Indiana">List of United States Representatives from Indiana">Indiana
- . William E. Niblack
- . Michael C. Kerr
- . William S. Holman
- . George W. Julian
- . John Coburn
- . Daniel W. Voorhees
- . Godlove S. Orth
- . James N. Tyner
- . John P. C. Shanks
- . William Williams
- . Jasper Packard
Iowa">List of United States Representatives from Iowa">Iowa
- . George W. McCrary
- . William Smyth, until September 30, 1870
- * William P. Wolf, from December 6, 1870
- . William B. Allison
- . William Loughridge
- . Francis W. Palmer
- . Charles Pomeroy
Kansas">List of United States Representatives from Kansas">Kansas
- . Sidney Clarke
Kentucky">List of United States Representatives from Kentucky">Kentucky
- . Lawrence S. Trimble
- . William N. Sweeney
- . Jacob Golladay, until February 28, 1870
- * Joseph H. Lewis, from May 10, 1870
- . J. Proctor Knott
- . Boyd Winchester
- . Thomas L. Jones
- . James B. Beck
- . George M. Adams
- . John M. Rice
Louisiana">List of United States Representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana
- . J. Hale Sypher, from November 7, 1870
- . Lionel A. Sheldon
- . Chester B. Darrall
- . Joseph P. Newsham, from May 23, 1870
- . Frank Morey
Maine">List of United States Representatives from Maine">Maine
- . John Lynch
- . Samuel P. Morrill
- . James G. Blaine
- . John A. Peters
- . Eugene Hale
Maryland">List of United States Representatives from Maryland">Maryland
- . Samuel Hambleton
- . Stevenson Archer
- . Thomas Swann
- . Patrick Hamill
- . Frederick Stone
Massachusetts">List of United States Representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- . James Buffington
- . Oakes Ames
- . Ginery Twichell
- . Samuel Hooper
- . Benjamin F. Butler
- . Nathaniel P. Banks
- . George S. Boutwell, until March 12, 1869
- * George M. Brooks, from November 2, 1869
- . George F. Hoar
- . William B. Washburn
- . Henry L. Dawes
Michigan">List of United States Representatives from Michigan">Michigan
- . Fernando C. Beaman
- . William L. Stoughton
- . Austin Blair
- . Thomas W. Ferry, until March 3, 1871
- . Omar D. Conger
- . Randolph Strickland
Minnesota">List of United States Representatives from Minnesota">Minnesota
- . Morton S. Wilkinson
- . Eugene M. Wilson
Mississippi">List of United States Representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
- . George E. Harris, from February 23, 1870
- . Joseph L. Morphis, from February 23, 1870
- . Henry W. Barry, from April 8, 1870
- . George C. McKee, from February 23, 1870
- . Legrand W. Perce, from February 23, 1870
Missouri">List of United States Representatives from Missouri">Missouri
- . Erastus Wells
- . Gustavus A. Finkelnburg
- . James R. McCormick
- . Sempronius H. Boyd
- . Samuel S. Burdett
- . Robert T. Van Horn
- . Joel F. Asper
- . John F. Benjamin
- . David P. Dyer
Nebraska">List of United States Representatives from Nebraska">Nebraska
- . John Taffe
Nevada">List of United States Representatives from Nevada">Nevada
- . Thomas Fitch
New Hampshire">List of United States Representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- . Jacob H. Ela
- . Aaron F. Stevens
- . Jacob Benton
New Jersey">List of United States Representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
- . William Moore
- . Charles Haight
- . John T. Bird
- . John Hill
- . Orestes Cleveland
New York">List of United States Representatives from New York">New York
- . Henry A. Reeves
- . John G. Schumaker
- . Henry W. Slocum
- . John Fox
- . John Morrissey
- . Samuel S. Cox
- . Hervey C. Calkin
- . James Brooks
- . Fernando Wood
- . Clarkson N. Potter
- . George W. Greene, until February 17, 1870
- * Charles H. Van Wyck, from February 17, 1870
- . John H. Ketcham
- . John A. Griswold
- . Stephen L. Mayham
- . Adolphus H. Tanner
- . Orange Ferriss
- . William A. Wheeler
- . Stephen Sanford
- . Charles Knapp
- . Addison H. Laflin
- . Alexander H. Bailey
- . John C. Churchill
- . Dennis McCarthy
- . George W. Cowles
- . William H. Kelsey
- . Giles W. Hotchkiss
- . Hamilton Ward Sr.
- . Noah Davis, until July 15, 1870
- * Charles H. Holmes, from December 6, 1870
- . John Fisher
- . David S. Bennett
- . Porter Sheldon
North Carolina">List of United States Representatives from North Carolina">North Carolina
- . Clinton L. Cobb
- . David Heaton, until June 25, 1870
- * Joseph Dixon, from December 5, 1870
- . Oliver H. Dockery
- . John T. Deweese, until February 28, 1870
- * John Manning Jr., from December 7, 1870
- . Israel G. Lash
- . Francis E. Shober
- . Alexander H. Jones
Ohio">List of United States Representatives from Ohio">Ohio
- . Peter W. Strader
- . Job E. Stevenson
- . Robert C. Schenck, until January 5, 1871
- . William Lawrence
- . William Mungen
- . John A. Smith
- . James J. Winans
- . John Beatty
- . Edward F. Dickinson
- . Truman H. Hoag, until February 5, 1870
- * Erasmus D. Peck, from April 23, 1870
- . John T. Wilson
- . Philadelph Van Trump
- . George W. Morgan
- . Martin Welker
- . Eliakim H. Moore
- . John Bingham
- . Jacob A. Ambler
- . William H. Upson
- . James A. Garfield
Oregon">List of United States Representatives from Oregon">Oregon
- . Joseph S. Smith
Pennsylvania">List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- . Samuel J. Randall
- . Charles O'Neill
- . John Moffet, until April 9, 1869
- * Leonard Myers, from April 9, 1869
- . William D. Kelley
- . John R. Reading, until April 13, 1870
- * Caleb N. Taylor, from April 13, 1870
- . John D. Stiles
- . Washington Townsend
- . J. Lawrence Getz
- . Oliver J. Dickey
- . Henry L. Cake
- . Daniel M. Van Auken
- . George W. Woodward
- . Ulysses Mercur
- . John B. Packer
- . Richard J. Haldeman
- . John Cessna
- . Daniel J. Morrell
- . William H. Armstrong
- . Glenni W. Scofield
- . Calvin W. Gilfillan
- . John Covode, February 9, 1870 – January 11, 1871
- . James S. Negley
- . Darwin Phelps
- . Joseph B. Donley
Rhode Island">List of United States Representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- . Thomas Jenckes
- . Nathan F. Dixon Jr.
South Carolina">List of United States Representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina
- . B. Frank Whittemore, until February 24, 1870
- * Joseph Rainey, from December 12, 1870
- . Christopher C. Bowen
- . Solomon L. Hoge, from April 8, 1869
- . Alexander S. Wallace, from May 27, 1870
Tennessee">List of United States Representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee
- . Roderick R. Butler
- . Horace Maynard
- . William B. Stokes
- . Lewis Tillman
- . William F. Prosser
- . Samuel M. Arnell
- . Isaac R. Hawkins
- . William J. Smith
Texas">List of United States Representatives from Texas">Texas
- . George W. Whitmore, from March 30, 1870
- . John C. Conner, from March 31, 1870
- . William T. Clark, from March 31, 1870
- . Edward Degener, from March 31, 1870
Vermont">List of United States Representatives from Vermont">Vermont
- . Charles W. Willard
- . Luke P. Poland
- . Worthington C. Smith
Virginia">List of United States Representatives from Virginia">Virginia
- . Richard S. Ayer, from January 31, 1870
- . James H. Platt Jr., from January 26, 1870
- . Charles H. Porter, from January 26, 1870
- . George Booker, from January 26, 1870
- . Robert Ridgway, from January 27, 1870 – October 16, 1870
- * Richard T. W. Duke, from November 8, 1870
- . William Milnes Jr., from January 27, 1870
- . Lewis McKenzie, from January 31, 1870
- . James K. Gibson, from January 28, 1870
West Virginia">List of United States Representatives from West Virginia">West Virginia
- . Isaac H. Duval
- . James C. McGrew
- . John Witcher
Wisconsin">List of United States Representatives from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- . Halbert E. Paine
- . Benjamin F. Hopkins, until January 1, 1870
- * David Atwood, from February 23, 1870
- . Amasa Cobb
- . Charles A. Eldredge
- . Philetus Sawyer
- . Cadwallader C. Washburn
Non-voting members
- . Richard C. McCormick
- . Allen A. Bradford
- . Solomon L. Spink
- . Jacob K. Shafer
- . James M. Cavanaugh
- . J. Francisco Chaves
- . William H. Hooper
- . Selucius Garfielde
- . Stephen F. Nuckolls, from December 6, 1869
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.Senate
- replacements: 6
- * Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- * Republican: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 2
- resignations:2
- interim appointments: 2
- seats of newly re-admitted states: 8
- Total seats with changes: 14
House of Representatives
- replacements: 14
- * Democratic: 3 seat net loss
- * Republican: 3 seat net gain
- * Conservative Party of Virginia: no net change
- deaths: 6
- resignations: 6
- contested election: 8
- seats of newly re-admitted states: 17
- Total seats with changes: 44
Committees
Senate
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Claims
- Commerce
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States
- District of Columbia
- Education
- Engrossed Bills
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Memorial of Davis Hatch
- Military Affairs and the Militia
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River Levee System
- Naval Affairs
- Ordnance and War Ships
- Outrages in Southern States
- Pacific Railroad
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Removal of Political Disabilities
- Retrenchment
- Revision of the Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Tariff Regulation
- Territories
- Traffic with Rebels in Texas
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Elections
- Expenditures in the Interior 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
- Freedmen's Affairs
- Foreign Affairs
- Indian Affairs
- Invalid Pensions
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Mileage
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- Pacific Railroads
- Patents
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Railways and Canals
- Revision of Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Revolutionary Pensions and War of 1812
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes
- Enrolled Bills
- The Library
- Printing
- Retrenchment
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
Senate
- Chaplain: John P. Newman
- Secretary: George C. Gorham
- Sergeant at Arms: George T. Brown, until March 22, 1869
- * John R. French, elected March 22, 1869
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: John G. Butler
- Clerk: Edward McPherson
- Clerk at the Speaker's Table: John M. Barclay
- Doorkeeper: Otis S. Buxton
- Postmaster: William S. King
- Reading Clerks: Charles N. Clisbee and William K. Mehaffey
- Sergeant at Arms: Nehemiah G. Ordway