44th United States Congress
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The Forty-fourth 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, 1875 to March 3, 1877, during the last two years of the second administration of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Ninth Census of the United States in 1870. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.
Dates of sessions
- Special Session of the Senate: March 5, 1875 – March 24, 1875
- First session: December 6, 1875 - August 15, 1876
- Second session: December 4, 1876 - March 3, 1877 — a lame duck session
Previous: 43rd Congress • Next: 45th Congress
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
- Republican (R): 46 (majority)
- Democratic (D): 28
- Independent Republican (IR): 1
- vacant: 1
TOTAL members: 76
House of Representatives
- Democratic (D): 182 (majority)
- Republican (R): 103
- Independent Democratic (ID): 1
- Independent Republican (IR): 3
- Independent (I): 4
TOTAL members: 293
Leadership
- Senate
- Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
- Henry Wilson, of Massachusetts, died November 22, 1875, vacant thereafter.
- President pro tempore of the Senate:
- Thomas W. Ferry, Republican of Michigan, first elected March 10, 1875.
- House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- Michael C. Kerr, Democratic of Indiana, elected December 6, 1875, died August 19, 1876.
- Samuel J. Randall, Democratic of Pennsylvania, elected December 4, 1876.
Major events
- 1876-06-25: Custer's Last Stand at the Battle of Little Bighorn
- 1876-07-04: United States Centennial
- The Grange shifts from an apolitical farmer's organization to lobbying in 1876. Goals include a repeal of the railroad property tax exemption, lower interest rates, better schools, and cheaper bread, coal and clothing.
- 1876-11-07: United States general elections, 1876, including
- The disputed Presidential election of 1876. is settled with the Compromise of 1877 which ended Reconstruction.
Major legislation
States admitted
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
- See also: 44th United States Congress - political parties
- See also: 44th United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House elections, 1874
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, requiring reelection in 1880; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1876; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1878.
- See also: Category:United States Senators
- See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state
House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
- See also: Category:Members of the United States House of Representatives
- See also: Category:United States Congressional Delegations by state