48th United States Congress
The 48th 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, 1883, to March 4, 1885, during the last two years of the administration of U.S. President Chester A. Arthur. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Tenth Census of the United States in 1880. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.
Major events
- September 5, 1883: Mary F. Hoyt became the first woman appointed to the U.S. federal civil service when she became a clerk in the Bank Redemption Agency of the Department of the Treasury.
- October 15, 1883: The Supreme Court of the United States declared part of the Civil Rights Act of 1875 unconstitutional, as the Court allowed private individuals and corporations to discriminate based on race.
- November 18, 1883: U.S. and Canadian railroads instituted 5 standard continental time zones, ending the confusion of thousands of local times.
- August 10, 1884: An earthquake measuring 5.5 affected a very large portion of the eastern United States. The shock had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII. Chimneys were toppled in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Pennsylvania. Property damage was severe in Jamaica and Amityville in New York.
- October 6, 1884: The United States Naval War College was established in Newport, Rhode Island.
- October 22, 1884: International Meridian Conference in Washington, D.C. fixed the Greenwich meridian as the world's prime meridian.
- November 4, 1884: 1884 United States presidential election: Democratic Governor of New York Grover Cleveland defeated Republican James G. Blaine in a very close contest to win the first of his non-consecutive terms.
- December 6: 1884: The Washington Monument was completed.
Major legislation
Territories organized
- May 17, 1884: District of Alaska was organized.
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: Vacant. Chester Arthur, the most recent Senate President, had become U.S. President on the death of his predecessor September 19, 1881, leaving the office vacant through the end of this Congress.
- President pro tempore: George F. Edmunds
- Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: George H. Pendleton
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John G. Carlisle
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: George W. Geddes
- Republican Conference Chairman: Joseph Gurney Cannon
- Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: William Rosecrans
Members
Senate
Senators are listed by their states and 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. Thomas M. Bowen
- 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. Alfred H. Colquitt
- 3. Joseph E. Brown
Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois
- 2. Shelby M. Cullom
- 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. James F. Wilson
- 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. Randall L. Gibson
- 3. Benjamin F. Jonas
Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine
- 1. Eugene Hale
- 2. William P. Frye
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. Palmer
Minnesota">List of United States Senators from Minnesota">Minnesota
- 1. Samuel J. R. McMillan
- 2. Dwight M. Sabin
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. Charles F. Manderson
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. Austin F. Pike, from August 2, 1883
- 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. Warner Miller
- 3. Elbridge G. Lapham
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. Joseph N. Dolph
- 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. Nelson W. Aldrich
- 2. Henry B. Anthony, until September 2, 1884
- * William P. Sheffield, November 19, 1884 – January 20, 1885
- * Jonathan Chace, from January 20, 1885
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. Harrison H. Riddleberger
West Virginia">List of United States Senators from West Virginia">West Virginia
- 1. Johnson N. Camden
- 2. John E. Kenna
Wisconsin">List of United States Senators from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- 1. Philetus Sawyer
- 3. Angus Cameron
House of Representatives
Members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.Alabama">List of United States Senators from Alabama">Alabama
- . Thomas H. Herndon, until March 28, 1883
- * James T. Jones, from December 3, 1883
- . Hilary A. Herbert
- . William C. Oates
- . Charles M. Shelley, until January 9, 1885
- * George H. Craig, from January 9, 1885
- . Thomas Williams
- . Goldsmith W. Hewitt
- . William H. Forney
- . Luke Pryor
Arkansas">List of United States Senators from Arkansas">Arkansas
- . Poindexter Dunn
- . James K. Jones, until February 19, 1885
- . John H. Rogers
- . Samuel W. Peel
- . Clifton R. Breckinridge
California">List of United States Senators from California">California
- . William S. Rosecrans
- . James H. Budd
- . Barclay Henley
- . Pleasant B. Tully
- . John R. Glascock
- . Charles A. Sumner
Colorado">List of United States Senators from Colorado">Colorado
- . James B. Belford
Connecticut">List of United States Senators from Connecticut">Connecticut
- . William W. Eaton
- . Charles L. Mitchell
- . John T. Wait
- . Edward W. Seymour
Delaware">List of United States Senators from Delaware">Delaware
- . Charles B. Lore
Florida">List of United States Senators from Florida">Florida
- . Robert H. M. Davidson
- . Horatio Bisbee, Jr.
Georgia">List of United States Senators from Georgia">Georgia
- . John C. Nicholls
- . Henry G. Turner
- . Charles F. Crisp
- . Hugh Buchanan
- . Nathaniel J. Hammond
- . James H. Blount
- . Judson C. Clements
- . Seaborn Reese
- . Allen D. Candler
- . Thomas Hardeman, Jr.
Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois
- . Ransom W. Dunham
- . John F. Finerty
- . George R. Davis
- . George E. Adams
- . Reuben Ellwood
- . Robert R. Hitt
- . Thomas J. Henderson
- . William Cullen
- . Lewis E. Payson
- . Nicholas E. Worthington
- . William H. Neece
- . James M. Riggs
- . William M. Springer
- . Jonathan H. Rowell
- . Joseph G. Cannon
- . Aaron Shaw
- . Samuel W. Moulton
- . William R. Morrison
- . Richard W. Townshend
- . John R. Thomas
Indiana">List of United States Senators from Indiana">Indiana
- . John J. Kleiner
- . Thomas R. Cobb
- . Strother M. Stockslager
- . William S. Holman
- . Courtland C. Matson
- . Thomas M. Browne
- . Stanton J. Peelle, until May 22, 1884
- * William E. English, from May 22, 1884
- . John E. Lamb
- . Thomas B. Ward
- . Thomas J. Wood
- . George W. Steele
- . Robert Lowry
- . William H. Calkins, until October 20, 1884
- * Benjamin F. Shively, from December 1, 1884
Iowa">List of United States Senators from Iowa">Iowa
- . Moses A. McCoid
- . Jeremiah H. Murphy
- . David B. Henderson
- . Luman H. Weller
- . James Wilson, until March 3, 1885
- * Benjamin T. Frederick, from March 3, 1885
- . Marsena E. Cutts, until September 1, 1883
- * John C. Cook, from October 9, 1883
- . John A. Kasson, until July 13, 1884
- * Hiram Y. Smith, from December 2, 1884
- . William P. Hepburn
- . William H. M. Pusey
- . Adoniram J. Holmes
- . Isaac S. Struble
Kansas">List of United States Senators from Kansas">Kansas
- . John A. Anderson
- . Dudley C. Haskell, until December 16, 1883
- * Edward H. Funston, from March 21, 1884
- . Thomas Ryan
- . Lewis Hanback
- . Edmund N. Morrill
- . Bishop W. Perkins
- . Samuel R. Peters
Kentucky">List of United States Senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
- . Oscar Turner
- . James F. Clay
- . John E. Halsell
- . Thomas A. Robertson
- . Albert S. Willis
- . John G. Carlisle
- . Joseph C. S. Blackburn
- . Philip B. Thompson, Jr.
- . William W. Culbertson
- . John D. White
- . Frank L. Wolford
Louisiana">List of United States Senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
- . Carleton Hunt
- . E. John Ellis
- . William Pitt Kellogg
- . Newton C. Blanchard
- . J. Floyd King
- . Edward T. Lewis
Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine
- . Charles A. Boutelle
- . Nelson Dingley, Jr.
- . Seth L. Milliken
- . Thomas B. Reed
Maryland">List of United States Senators from Maryland">Maryland
- . George W. Covington
- . J. Frederick C. Talbott
- . Fetter S. Hoblitzell
- . John V. L. Findlay
- . Hart B. Holton
- . Louis E. McComas
Massachusetts">List of United States Senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- . Robert T. Davis
- . John D. Long
- . Ambrose A. Ranney
- . Patrick A. Collins
- . Leopold Morse
- . Henry B. Lovering
- . Eben F. Stone
- . William A. Russell
- . Theodore Lyman
- . William W. Rice
- . William Whiting
- . George D. Robinson, until January 7, 1884
- * Francis W. Rockwell, from January 17, 1884
Michigan">List of United States Senators from Michigan">Michigan
- . William C. Maybury
- . Nathaniel B. Eldredge
- . Edward S. Lacey
- . George L. Yaple
- . Julius Houseman
- . Edwin B. Winans
- . Ezra C. Carleton
- . Roswell G. Horr
- . Byron M. Cutcheon
- . Herschel H. Hatch
- . Edward Breitung
Minnesota">List of United States Senators from Minnesota">Minnesota
- . Milo White
- . James B. Wakefield
- . Horace B. Strait
- . William D. Washburn
- . Knute Nelson
Mississippi">List of United States Senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
- . Henry L. Muldrow
- . James R. Chalmers, from June 25, 1884
- . Elza Jeffords
- . Hernando D. Money
- . Otho R. Singleton
- . Henry S. Van Eaton
- . Ethelbert Barksdale
Missouri">List of United States Senators from Missouri">Missouri
- . William H. Hatch
- . Armstead M. Alexander
- . Alexander M. Dockery
- . James N. Burnes
- . Alexander Graves
- . John Cosgrove
- . Aylett H. Buckner
- . John J. O'Neill
- . James O. Broadhead
- . Martin L. Clardy
- . Richard P. Bland
- . Charles H. Morgan
- . Robert W. Fyan
- . Lowndes H. Davis
Nebraska">List of United States Senators from Nebraska">Nebraska
- . Archibald J. Weaver
- . James Laird
- . Edward K. Valentine
Nevada">List of United States Senators from Nevada">Nevada
- . George W. Cassidy
New Hampshire">List of United States Senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- . Martin A. Haynes
- . Ossian Ray
New Jersey">List of United States Senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
- . Thomas M. Ferrell
- . J. Hart Brewer
- . John Kean, Jr.
- . Benjamin F. Howey
- . William W. Phelps
- . William H. F. Fiedler
- . William McAdoo
New York">List of United States Senators from New York">New York
- . Perry Belmont
- . William E. Robinson
- . Darwin R. James
- . Felix Campbell
- . Nicholas Muller
- . Samuel S. Cox
- . William Dorsheimer
- . John J. Adams
- . John Hardy
- . Abram S. Hewitt
- . Orlando B. Potter
- . Waldo Hutchins
- . John H. Ketcham
- . Lewis Beach
- . John H. Bagley, Jr.
- . Thomas J. Van Alstyne
- . Henry G. Burleigh
- . Frederick A. Johnson
- . Abraham X. Parker
- . Edward Wemple
- . George W. Ray
- . Charles R. Skinner
- . John T. Spriggs
- . Newton W. Nutting
- . Frank Hiscock
- . Sereno E. Payne
- . James W. Wadsworth
- . Stephen C. Millard
- . John Arnot, Jr.
- . Halbert S. Greenleaf
- . Robert S. Stevens
- . William F. Rogers
- . Francis B. Brewer
- . Henry W. Slocum
North Carolina">List of United States Senators from North Carolina">North Carolina
- . Walter F. Pool, until August 25, 1883
- * Thomas G. Skinner, from November 20, 1883
- . James E. O'Hara
- . Wharton J. Green
- . William Ruffin Cox
- . Alfred M. Scales, until December 30, 1884
- * James W. Reid, from January 28, 1885
- . Clement Dowd
- . Tyre York
- . Robert B. Vance
- . Risden T. Bennett
Ohio">List of United States Senators from Ohio">Ohio
- . John F. Follett
- . Isaac M. Jordan
- . Robert M. Murray
- . Benjamin Le Fevre
- . George E. Seney
- . William D. Hill
- . Henry L. Morey, until June 20, 1884
- * James E. Campbell, from June 20, 1884
- . J. Warren Keifer
- . James S. Robinson, until January 12, 1885
- . Frank H. Hurd
- . John W. McCormick
- . Alphonso Hart
- . George L. Converse
- . George W. Geddes
- . Adoniram J. Warner
- . Beriah Wilkins
- . Joseph D. Taylor
- . William McKinley, until May 27, 1884
- * Jonathan H. Wallace, from May 27, 1884
- . Ezra B. Taylor
- . David R. Paige
- . Martin A. Foran
Oregon">List of United States Senators from Oregon">Oregon
- . Melvin C. George
Pennsylvania">List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- . Henry H. Bingham
- . Charles O'Neill
- . Samuel J. Randall
- . William D. Kelley
- . Alfred C. Harmer
- . James B. Everhart
- . I. Newton Evans
- . Daniel Ermentrout
- . A. Herr Smith
- . William Mutchler
- . John B. Storm
- . Daniel W. Connolly
- . Charles N. Brumm
- . Samuel F. Barr
- . George A. Post
- . William W. Brown
- . Jacob M. Campbell
- . Louis E. Atkinson
- . William A. Duncan, until November 14, 1884
- * John A. Swope, from December 23, 1884
- . Andrew G. Curtin
- . Charles E. Boyle
- . James H. Hopkins
- . Thomas M. Bayne
- . George V. Lawrence
- . John D. Patton
- . Samuel H. Miller
- . Samuel M. Brainerd
- . Mortimer F. Elliott
Rhode Island">List of United States Senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- . Henry J. Spooner
- . Jonathan Chace, until January 26, 1885
- * Nathan F. Dixon, III, from February 12, 1885
South Carolina">List of United States Senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
- . Samuel Dibble
- . George D. Tillman
- . D. Wyatt Aiken
- . John H. Evins, until October 20, 1884
- * John Bratton, from December 8, 1884
- . John J. Hemphill
- . George W. Dargan
- . Edmund W. M. Mackey, until January 27, 1884
- * Robert Smalls, from March 18, 1884
Tennessee">List of United States Senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
- . Augustus H. Pettibone
- . Leonidas C. Houk
- . George G. Dibrell
- . Benton McMillin
- . Richard Warner
- . Andrew J. Caldwell
- . John G. Ballentine
- . John M. Taylor
- . Rice A. Pierce
- . H. Casey Young
Texas">List of United States Senators from Texas">Texas
- . Charles Stewart
- . John H. Reagan
- . James H. Jones
- . David B. Culberson
- . James W. Throckmorton
- . Olin Wellborn
- . Thomas P. Ochiltree
- . James F. Miller
- . Roger Q. Mills
- . John Hancock
- . Samuel W. T. Lanham
Vermont">List of United States Senators from Vermont">Vermont
- . John W. Stewart
- . Luke P. Poland
Virginia">List of United States Senators from Virginia">Virginia
- . Robert M. Mayo, until March 20, 1884
- * George T. Garrison, from March 20, 1884
- . Harry Libbey
- . George D. Wise
- . Benjamin S. Hooper
- . George C. Cabell
- . John R. Tucker
- . John Paul, until September 5, 1883
- * Charles T. O'Ferrall, from May 5, 1884
- . John S. Barbour, Jr.
- . Henry Bowen
- . John S. Wise
West Virginia">List of United States Senators from West Virginia">West Virginia
- . Nathan Goff
- . William L. Wilson
- . John E. Kenna, until March 4, 1883
- * Charles P. Snyder, from May 15, 1883
- . Eustace Gibson
Wisconsin">List of United States Senators from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- . John Winans
- . Daniel H. Sumner
- . Burr W. Jones
- . Peter V. Deuster
- . Joseph Rankin
- . Richard W. Guenther
- . Gilbert M. Woodward
- . William T. Price
- . Isaac Stephenson
Non-voting members
- . Granville H. Oury
- . John B. Raymond
- . Theodore F. Singiser
- . Martin Maginnis
- . Tranqulino Luna, until March 5, 1884
- * Francisco A. Manzanares, from March 5, 1884
- . John T. Caine
- . Thomas H. Brents
- . Morton E. Post
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.Senate
- replacements: 1
- * Democratic: no net change
- * Republican: 1 seat net gain
- * Liberal Republican: 1 seat net loss
- Deaths: 1
- Resignations: 0
- Interim appointment: 1
- Late election: 1
- Total seats with changes: 3
House of Representatives
- replacements: 15
- * Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- * Republican: 1 seat net loss
- * National Greenback: 1 seat net gain
- deaths: 9
- resignations: 9
- contested election: 8
- Total seats with changes: 25
Committees
Senate
- Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress
- Agriculture and Forestry
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Civil Service and Retrenchment
- Claims
- Commerce
- 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
- Expenditures of Public Money
- Finance
- Fisheries
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Library
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River and its Tributaries
- Naval Affairs
- Nicaraguan Claims
- Ordnance and War Ships
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Potomac River Front
- Printing
- Private Land Claims
- Privileges and Elections
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Railroads
- Revision of the Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Sioux and Crow Indians
- Steel Producing Capacity of the United States
- Tariff Regulation
- Tenth Census
- Territories
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
- Whole
- Woman Suffrage
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
- American Ship building
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Boynton Investigation
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Education
- 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
- Labor
- Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River
- Manufactures
- Mileage
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Mines and Mining
- Naval Affairs
- Pacific Railroads
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Railways and Canals
- Revision of Laws
- Rivers and Harbors
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Conditions of Indian Tribes
- Enrolled Bills
- The Library
- Printing
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Scientific Bureaus
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: Sterling P. Rounds
Senate
- Chaplain: Joseph J. Bullock, to December 18, 1883
- * Elias D. Huntley, from December 18, 1883
- Librarian: P. J. Pierce, to 1884
- * George M. Weston, from 1884
- Secretary: Francis E. Shober, to December 18, 1883
- * Anson G. McCook, from December 18, 1883
- Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright, to December 18, 1883
- * William P. Canady, from December 18, 1883
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Frederick D. Power, until December 3, 1883
- * John S. Lindsay, elected December 3, 1883
- Clerk: John B. Clark, Jr., elected December 3, 1883
- Clerk at the Speaker's Table: Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
- Doorkeeper: James G. Wintersmith, elected December 3, 1883
- Postmaster: Lycurgus Dalton, elected December 3, 1883
- Reading Clerks: T.O. Walker and Neill S. Brown, Jr.
- Sergeant at Arms: George W. Hooker, until December 4, 1883
- * John P. Leedom, until December 4, 1883