48th United States Congress

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
48th United States Congress
47th ←
→ 49th
USCapitol1906.jpg
United States Capitol (1906)
March 4, 1883 – March 4, 1885
Members76 senators
325 representatives
8 non-voting delegates
Senate MajorityRepublican
Senate PresidentVacant
House MajorityDemocratic
House SpeakerJohn G. Carlisle (D)
Sessions
1st: December 3, 1883 – July 7, 1884
2nd: December 1, 1884 – March 3, 1885

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[]

Washington Monument (seen here in 2006) was completed December 6, 1884.
Main articles: 1883 in the United States, 1884 in the United States, and 1885 in the United States
  • September 5, 1883: Mary F. Hoyt became the first woman appointed to the U.S. federal civil service (and the second person appointed by examination (in which she came top) instituted under the Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act) 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 Mfa (based on the felt area) affected a very large portion of the eastern United States. The shock had a maximum Mercalli intensity of VII (Very strong). 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[]

Main article: List of United States federal legislation, 1789–1901 § 48th United States Congress

Territories organized[]

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
(RA)		Republican
(R)		Other
End of previous congress 37 1 37 1[a] 76 0
Begin 36 2 37 0 75 1
End 38 760
Final voting share 47.4% 2.6% 50.0% 0.0%
Beginning of next congress 34 2 37 0 73 3

House of Representatives[]

Party
(shading shows control) 		Total Vacant
Democratic
(D) 		Independent
Democratic
(ID)		Readjuster
(RA)		Independent
(I)		Greenback
(GB)		Independent
Republican
(IR)		Republican
(R)		Anti-
Monopoly
(AM)
End of previous congress 130 1 0 1 9 1 150 0 292 1
Begin 192 3 5 1 2 1 120 0 324 1
End 197 4 2 113 1 3232
Final voting share 61.0% 0.9% 1.2% 0.6% 0.6% 0.3% 35.0% 0.3%
Non-voting members 5 0000030 8 0
Beginning of next congress 128 1 0 0 10 1 151 128 419 0
House seats by party holding plurality in state
  80+% to 100% Democratic
  80+% to 100% Republican
  60+% to 80% Democratic
  60+% to 80% Republican
  Up to 60% Democratic
  Up to 60% Republican

Leadership[]

Senate[]

  • President: Vacant. Chester Arthur (R), 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 (R)
  • Republican Conference Chairman: John Sherman
  • Democratic Caucus Chairman: George H. Pendleton

House of Representatives[]

Members[]

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Senate[]

Senators are listed by their states and Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election.

House of Representatives[]

Members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

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
State
(class) 		Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[b]
New Hampshire (2) Vacant Legislature had failed to elect.
Senator elected August 2, 1883. 		Austin F. Pike (R) August 2, 1883
Rhode Island (2) Henry B. Anthony (R) Incumbent died September 2, 1884.
Successor appointed November 19, 1884. 		William P. Sheffield (R) November 19, 1884
Rhode Island (2) William P. Sheffield (R) Interim appointee replaced by successor elected January 20, 1885. Jonathan Chace (R) January 20, 1885

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
District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[b]
Mississippi 2nd Vacant Chalmers took seat after an election contest with Van H. Manning who challenged his election James R. Chalmers (I) June 25, 1884
West Virginia 3rd John E. Kenna (D) Resigned March 4, 1883, when elected U.S. Senator. Charles P. Snyder (D) May 15, 1883
Alabama 1st Thomas H. Herndon (D) Died March 28, 1883. James T. Jones (D) December 3, 1883
Iowa 6th Marsena E. Cutts (R) Died September 1, 1883. John C. Cook (D) October 9, 1883
Virginia 7th John Paul (D) Resigned September 5, 1883 to become judge of the U.S. District Court of the Western District of Virginia. The House election was subsequently contested. Charles T. O'Ferrall (D) May 5, 1884
Kansas 2nd Dudley C. Haskell (R) Died December 16, 1883. Edward H. Funston (R) March 21, 1884
North Carolina 1st Walter F. Pool (R) Died August 25, 1883. Thomas G. Skinner (D) November 20, 1883
Massachusetts 12th George D. Robinson (R) Resigned January 7, 1884 when elected Governor of Massachusetts. Francis W. Rockwell (R) January 17, 1884
South Carolina 7th Edmund W. M. Mackey (R) Died January 27, 1884. Robert Smalls (R) March 18, 1884
New Mexico Territory At-large Tranquilino Luna (R) Lost contested election March 5, 1884. Francisco A. Manzanares (D) March 5, 1884
Virginia 1st Robert M. Mayo (RA) Lost contested election March 20, 1884. George T. Garrison (D) March 20, 1884
Indiana 7th Stanton J. Peelle (R) Lost contested election May 22, 1884. William E. English (D) May 22, 1884
Ohio 18th William McKinley (R) Lost contested election May 27, 1884. Jonathan H. Wallace (D) May 27, 1884
Ohio 7th Henry L. Morey (R) Lost contested election June 20, 1884. James E. Campbell (D) June 20, 1884
Iowa 7th John A. Kasson (R) Resigned July 13, 1884 to become U.S. Minister to Germany. Hiram Y. Smith (R) December 2, 1884
Indiana 13th William H. Calkins (R) Resigned October 20, 1884. Benjamin F. Shively (AM) December 1, 1884
South Carolina 4th John H. Evins (D) Died October 20, 1884. John Bratton (D) December 8, 1884
Pennsylvania 19th William A. Duncan (D) Died November 14, 1884. John A. Swope (D) December 23, 1884
North Carolina 5th Alfred M. Scales (D) Resigned December 30, 1884 when elected Governor of North Carolina. James W. Reid (D) January 28, 1885
Alabama 4th Charles M. Shelley (D) Lost contested election January 9, 1885. George H. Craig (R) January 9, 1885
Ohio 9th James S. Robinson (R) Resigned January 12, 1885 to become Ohio Secretary of State. Vacant Not filled this term
Rhode Island 2nd Jonathan Chace (R) Resigned January 26, 1885 when elected U.S. Senator. Nathan F. Dixon III (R) February 12, 1885
Arkansas 2nd James K. Jones (D) Resigned February 19, 1885 when elected U.S. Senator. Vacant Not filled this term
Iowa 5th James Wilson (R) Lost contested election March 3, 1885. Benjamin T. Frederick (D) March 3, 1885

Committees[]

Lists of committees and their party leaders, for members (House and Senate) of the committees and their assignments, go into the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of the article and click on the link (4 links), in the directory after the pages of terms of service, you will see the committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and after the committee pages, you will see the House/Senate committee assignments in the directory, on the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.

Joint committees[]

  • Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
  • Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Sen. William J. Sewell; Vice Chairman: Rep. Alfred H. Colquitt)
  • The Library (Chairman: Sen. John Sherman; Vice Chairman: Rep. Daniel W. Voorhees)
  • Printing (Chairman: Sen. Henry B. Anthony then Joseph R. Hawley; Vice Chairman: Rep. Arthur P. Gorman)
  • Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Sen. William Mahone; Vice Chairman: Rep. Charles W. Jones)

Caucuses[]

  • Democratic (House)
  • Democratic (Senate)

Employees[]

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 (Presbyterian), to December 18, 1883
    • Elias D. Huntley (Methodist), from December 18, 1883
  • Librarian: , to 1884
    • , from 1884
  • Secretary: Francis E. Shober (Acting), to December 18, 1883
    • Anson G. McCook, from December 18, 1883
  • Sergeant at Arms: Richard J. Bright, to December 18, 1883
    • , from December 18, 1883

House of Representatives[]

  • Chaplain: (Disciples of Christ), until December 3, 1883
    • (Episcopalian), elected December 3, 1883
  • Clerk: John B. Clark Jr., elected December 3, 1883
  • Clerk at the Speaker's Table:
  • Doorkeeper: , elected December 3, 1883
  • Postmaster: , elected December 3, 1883
  • Reading Clerks: (D) and (R)
  • Sergeant at Arms: George W. Hooker, until December 4, 1883
    • John P. Leedom, until December 4, 1883

See also[]

  • United States elections, 1882 (elections leading to this Congress)
    • United States Senate elections, 1882
    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1882
  • United States elections, 1884 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
    • 1884 United States presidential election
    • United States Senate elections, 1884
    • United States House of Representatives elections, 1884

Notes[]

  1. ^ Independent
  2. ^ a b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

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[]

Retrieved from ""