46th United States Congress
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| 46th United States Congress | |||
 United States Capitol |
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| Duration: March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1881 | |||
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| President of the Senate: | William A. Wheeler | ||
| President pro tempore: | Allen G. Thurman | ||
| Speaker of the House: | Samuel J. Randall | ||
| Members: | 76 Senators 293 Representatives 8 Non-voting members |
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| Senate Majority: | Democratic | ||
| House Majority: | Democratic | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| 1st: March 18, 1879 – July 1, 1879 2nd: December 1, 1879 – June 16, 1880 3rd: December 6, 1880 – March 3, 1881 |
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The Forty-sixth 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, 1879 to March 3, 1881, during the last two years of the administration of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Ninth Census of the United States in 1870. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
Dates of sessions
March 4, 1879 - March 3, 1881
- First session: March 18, 1879 – July 1, 1879
- Second session: December 1, 1879 - June 16, 1880
- Third session: December 6, 1880 - March 3, 1881 — a lame duck session
Previous congress: 45th Congress
Next congress: 47th 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.
TOTAL members: 76 |
TOTAL members: 293 |
Leadership
- Senate
- Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
- William A. Wheeler, of New York
- President pro tempore of the Senate:
- Allen G. Thurman, Republican of Ohio, first elected in this Congress April 5, 1879.
- House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- Samuel J. Randall, Democratic of Pennsylvania, reelected March 18, 1879.
Major events
- Main article: Events of 1879; Events of 1880; Events of 1881
Samuel J. Randall was elected in one of the most tightly fought contests for the speakership after the Civil War. Randall, who favored the protective tariff and "hard money," drew his greatest strength from northern cities and greatest opposition from the west and south. The midterm elections of 1878 had gone badly for the Democrats, with the Greenback Party making inroads in key districts. This emboldened Randall's opponents, who rallied to the support of Joseph Blackburn from Kentucky. In the end, Randall prevailed in the Democratic caucus to receive the nomination, with 75 votes to Blackburn's 57 and a scattering of 9 votes to three other candidates. Blackburn, in moving to make Randall's nomination unanimous, steered his supporters away from the nomination of Hendrick B. Wright, a Democrat from Pennsylvania who was nominated by the Greenbacks. In the eventual vote in the House to elect the Speaker, Randall prevailed with 144 votes, to 125 for James Garfield (Republican from Ohio), 13 for Wright, and one for William "Pig Iron" Kelley (Pennsylvania).
Major legislation
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: 46th United States Congress - political parties
- See also: 46th United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House elections, 1878
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 ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1880; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1882; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1884.
- 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