46th United States Congress
The 46th 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 4, 1881, during the last two years of Rutherford Hayes's presidency.
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 Democratic majority, while the House of Representatives had a Democratic plurality. The Democrats were still able to control the House, however, with the help of the Independent politicians who caucused with them.
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: William A. Wheeler
- President pro tempore: Allen G. Thurman
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: William A. Wallace
- Republican Conference Chairman: Henry B. Anthony
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Samuel J. Randall
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: John Ford House
- Republican Conference Chairman: William P. Frye
Major events
- Depression of 1873–79
- March 18, 1879: 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, 13 for Wright, and one for William "Pig Iron" Kelley.
- November 2, 1880: U.S. presidential election, 1880: James Garfield defeated Winfield S. Hancock
- February 19, 1881: Kansas became the first state to prohibit alcohol.
Major legislation
Members
Senate
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 re-election in 1880; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1882; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1884.[List of [United States Senators from Alabama|Alabama]]
- 2. John Morgan
- 3. George S. Houston, until December 31, 1879
- *Luke Pryor, January 7, 1880 - November 23, 1880
- *James L. Pugh, from November 24, 1880
Arkansas">List of United States Senators from Arkansas">Arkansas
- 2. Augustus Garland
- 3. James D. Walker
California">List of United States Senators from California">California
- 1. Newton Booth
- 3. James T. Farley
Colorado">List of United States Senators from Colorado">Colorado
- 2. Henry Teller
- 3. Nathaniel P. Hill
Connecticut">List of United States Senators from Connecticut">Connecticut
- 1. William W. Eaton
- 3. Orville H. Platt
Delaware">List of United States Senators from Delaware">Delaware
- 1. Thomas 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. Benjamin Hill
- 3. John Gordon, until May 26, 1880
- *Joseph E. Brown, from May 26, 1880
Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois
- 2. David Davis
- 3. John A. Logan
Indiana">List of United States Senators from Indiana">Indiana
- 1. Joseph E. McDonald
- 3. Daniel W. Voorhees
Iowa">List of United States Senators from Iowa">Iowa
- 2. Samuel J. Kirkwood
- 3. William B. Allison
Kansas">List of United States Senators from Kansas">Kansas
- 2. Preston B. Plumb
- 3. John Ingalls
Kentucky">List of United States Senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
- 2. James B. Beck
- 3. John Williams
Louisiana">List of United States Senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
- 2. William Pitt Kellogg
- 3. Benjamin F. Jonas
Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine
- 1. Hannibal Hamlin
- 2. James G. Blaine
Maryland">List of United States Senators from Maryland">Maryland
- 1. William Pinkney Whyte
- 3. James Groome
Massachusetts">List of United States Senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- 1. Henry L. Dawes
- 2. George Hoar
Michigan">List of United States Senators from Michigan">Michigan
- 1. Zachariah Chandler, until November 1, 1879
- *Henry P. Baldwin, from November 17, 1879
- 2. Thomas W. Ferry
Minnesota">List of United States Senators from Minnesota">Minnesota
- 1. Samuel McMillan
- 2. William Windom
Mississippi">List of United States Senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
- 1. Blanche Bruce
- 2. Lucius Lamar
Missouri">List of United States Senators from Missouri">Missouri
- 1. Francis Cockrell
- 3. George Vest
Nebraska">List of United States Senators from Nebraska">Nebraska
- 1. Algernon Paddock
- 2. Alvin Saunders
Nevada">List of United States Senators from Nevada">Nevada
- 1. William Sharon
- 3. John P. Jones
New Hampshire">List of United States Senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- 2. Edward H. Rollins
- 3. Charles Bell, March 13, 1879 - June 18, 1879
- *Henry W. Blair, from June 18, 1879
New Jersey">List of United States Senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
- 1. Theodore Randolph
- 2. John R. McPherson
New York">List of United States Senators from New York">New York
- 1. Francis Kernan
- 3. Roscoe Conkling
North Carolina">List of United States Senators from North Carolina">North Carolina
- 2. Matt Ransom
- 3. Zebulon Vance
Ohio">List of United States Senators from Ohio">Ohio
- 1. Allen G. Thurman
- 3. George H. Pendleton
Oregon">List of United States Senators from Oregon">Oregon
- 2. La Fayette Grover
- 3. James H. Slater
Pennsylvania">List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- 1. William A. Wallace
- 3. J. Donald Cameron
Rhode Island">List of United States Senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- 1. Ambrose Burnside
- 2. Henry B. Anthony
South Carolina">List of United States Senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
- 2. Matthew Butler
- 3. Wade Hampton
Tennessee">List of United States Senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
- 1. James E. Bailey
- 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 Morrill
Virginia">List of United States Senators from Virginia">Virginia
- 1. Robert E. Withers
- 2. John W. Johnston
West Virginia">List of United States Senators from West Virginia">West Virginia
- 1. Frank Hereford
- 2. Henry G. Davis
Wisconsin">List of United States Senators from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- 1. Angus Cameron
- 3. Matthew H. Carpenter, until February 24, 1881
House of Representatives
[List of [United States Representatives from Alabama|Alabama]]
- . Thomas H. Herndon
- . Hilary A. Herbert
- . William J. Samford
- . Charles M. Shelley
- . Thomas Williams
- . Burwell Lewis, until October 1, 1880
- *Newton N. Clements, from December 8, 1880
- . William H. Forney
- . William M. Lowe
Arkansas">List of United States Representatives from Arkansas">Arkansas
- . Poindexter Dunn
- . William F. Slemons
- . Jordan E. Cravens
- . Thomas M. Gunter
California">List of United States Representatives from California">California
- . Horace Davis
- . Horace F. Page
- . Campbell Berry
- . Romualdo Pacheco
Colorado">List of United States Representatives from Colorado">Colorado
- . James B. Belford
Connecticut">List of United States Representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut
- . Joseph Hawley
- . James Phelps
- . John T. Wait
- . Frederick Miles
Delaware">List of United States Representatives from Delaware">Delaware
- . Edward L. Martin
Florida">List of United States Representatives from Florida">Florida
- . Robert H. M. Davidson
- . Noble A. Hull, until January 22, 1881
- *Horatio Bisbee, Jr., from January 22, 1881
Georgia">List of United States Representatives from Georgia">Georgia
- . John C. Nicholls
- . William Smith
- . Philip Cook
- . Henry Persons
- . Nathaniel Hammond
- . James Blount
- . William Felton
- . Alexander Stephens
- . Emory Speer
Illinois">List of United States Representatives from Illinois">Illinois
- . William Aldrich
- . George R. Davis
- . Hiram Barber, Jr.
- . John C. Sherwin
- . Robert M. A. Hawk
- . Thomas Henderson
- . Philip C. Hayes
- . Greenbury L. Fort
- . Thomas A. Boyd
- . Benjamin F. Marsh
- . James W. Singleton
- . William Springer
- . Adlai Stevenson
- . Joseph Cannon
- . Albert P. Forsythe
- . William A. J. Sparks
- . William Morrison
- . John R. Thomas
- . Richard W. Townshend
Indiana">List of United States Representatives from Indiana">Indiana
- . William Heilman
- . Thomas R. Cobb
- . George A. Bicknell
- . Jeptha D. New
- . Thomas M. Browne
- . William R. Myers
- . Gilbert De La Matyr
- . Abraham J. Hostetler
- . Godlove Orth
- . William H. Calkins
- . Calvin Cowgill
- . Walpole G. Colerick
- . John Baker
Iowa">List of United States Representatives from Iowa">Iowa
- . Moses A. McCoid
- . Hiram Price
- . Thomas Updegraff
- . Nathaniel C. Deering
- . Rush Clark, until April 29, 1879
- *William Thompson, from December 1, 1879
- . James B. Weaver
- . Edward H. Gillette
- . William F. Sapp
- . Cyrus C. Carpenter
Kansas">List of United States Representatives from Kansas">Kansas
- . John Anderson
- . Dudley C. Haskell
- . Thomas Ryan
Kentucky">List of United States Representatives from Kentucky">Kentucky
- . Oscar Turner
- . James A. McKenzie
- . John Caldwell
- . J. Proctor Knott
- . Albert S. Willis
- . John Carlisle
- . Joseph Blackburn
- . Philip B. Thompson, Jr.
- . Thomas Turner
- . Elijah Phister
Louisiana">List of United States Representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana
- . Randall L. Gibson
- . E. John Ellis
- . Joseph H. Acklen
- . Joseph Elam
- . J. Floyd King
- . Edward Robertson
Maine">List of United States Representatives from Maine">Maine
- . Thomas Reed
- . William P. Frye
- . Stephen D. Lindsey
- . George W. Ladd
- . Thompson H. Murch
Maryland">List of United States Representatives from Maryland">Maryland
- . Daniel Henry
- . J. Frederick Talbott
- . William Kimmel
- . Robert McLane
- . Eli Henkle
- . Milton Urner
Massachusetts">List of United States Representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- . William W. Crapo
- . Benjamin W. Harris
- . Walbridge A. Field
- . Leopold Morse
- . Selwyn Z. Bowman
- . George B. Loring
- . William A. Russell
- . William Claflin
- . William W. Rice
- . Amasa Norcross
- . George D. Robinson
Michigan">List of United States Representatives from Michigan">Michigan
- . John Newberry
- . Edwin Willits
- . Jonas H. McGowan
- . Julius C. Burrows
- . John W. Stone
- . Mark S. Brewer
- . Omar D. Conger, until March 3, 1881
- . Roswell G. Horr
- . Jay Hubbell
Minnesota">List of United States Representatives from Minnesota">Minnesota
- . Mark H. Dunnell
- . Henry Poehler
- . William D. Washburn
Mississippi">List of United States Representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
- . Henry L. Muldrow
- . Vannoy Manning
- . Hernando Money
- . Otho R. Singleton
- . Charles E. Hooker
- . James Chalmers
Missouri">List of United States Representatives from Missouri">Missouri
- . Martin L. Clardy
- . Erastus Wells
- . Richard G. Frost
- . Lowndes Davis
- . Richard P. Bland
- . James R. Waddill
- . Alfred M. Lay, until December 8, 1879
- *John Philips, from January 10, 1880
- . Samuel L. Sawyer
- . Nicholas Ford
- . Gideon F. Rothwell
- . John Clark, Jr.
- . William H. Hatch
- . Aylett H. Buckner
Nebraska">List of United States Representatives from Nebraska">Nebraska
- . Edward K. Valentine
Nevada">List of United States Representatives from Nevada">Nevada
- . Rollin M. Daggett
New Hampshire">List of United States Representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- . Joshua G. Hall
- . James F. Briggs
- . Evarts Farr, until November 30, 1880
- *Ossian Ray, from January 8, 1881
New Jersey">List of United States Representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
- . George M. Robeson
- . Hezekiah Smith
- . Miles Ross
- . Alvah A. Clark
- . Charles H. Voorhis
- . John L. Blake
- . Lewis A. Brigham
New York">List of United States Representatives from New York">New York
- . James W. Covert
- . Daniel O'Reilly
- . Simeon B. Chittenden
- . Archibald Bliss
- . Nicholas Muller
- . Samuel S. Cox
- . Edwin Einstein
- . Anson G. McCook
- . Fernando Wood, until February 14, 1881
- . James O'Brien
- . Levi P. Morton
- . Waldo Hutchins, from November 4, 1879
- . John H. Ketcham
- . John W. Ferdon
- . William Lounsbery
- . John Bailey
- . Walter A. Wood
- . John Hammond
- . Amaziah B. James
- . John H. Starin
- . David Wilber
- . Warner Miller
- . Cyrus D. Prescott
- . Joseph Mason
- . Frank Hiscock
- . John H. Camp
- . Elbridge G. Lapham
- . Jeremiah W. Dwight
- . David P. Richardson
- . John Van Voorhis
- . Richard Crowley
- . Ray V. Pierce, until September 18, 1880
- *Jonathan Scoville, from November 12, 1880
- . Henry H. Van Aernam
North Carolina">List of United States Representatives from North Carolina">North Carolina
- . Joseph Martin, until January 29, 1881
- *Jesse Yeates, from January 29, 1881
- . William H. Kitchin
- . Daniel Russell
- . Joseph J. Davis
- . Alfred Scales
- . Walter Steele
- . Robert Armfield
- . Robert B. Vance
Ohio">List of United States Representatives from Ohio">Ohio
- . Benjamin Butterworth
- . Thomas L. Young
- . John A. McMahon
- . J. Warren Keifer
- . Benjamin Le Fevre
- . William D. Hill
- . Frank H. Hurd
- . Ebenezer B. Finley
- . George L. Converse
- . Thomas Ewing, Jr.
- . Henry L. Dickey
- . Henry S. Neal
- . Adoniram J. Warner
- . Gibson Atherton
- . George W. Geddes
- . William McKinley
- . James Monroe
- . Jonathan T. Updegraff
- . James A. Garfield, until November 8, 1880
- *Ezra B. Taylor, from December 13, 1880
- . Amos Townsend
Oregon">List of United States Representatives from Oregon">Oregon
- . John Whiteaker
Pennsylvania">List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- . Henry H. Bingham
- . Charles O'Neill
- . Samuel J. Randall
- . William D. Kelley
- . Alfred C. Harmer
- . William Ward
- . William Godshalk
- . Hiester Clymer
- . A. Herr Smith
- . Reuben Bachman
- . Robert Klotz
- . Hendrick B. Wright
- . John Ryon
- . John Killinger
- . Edward Overton, Jr.
- . John I. Mitchell
- . Alexander Coffroth
- . Horatio Fisher
- . Frank Beltzhoover
- . Seth Yocum
- . Morgan Wise
- . Russell Errett
- . Thomas Bayne
- . William Shallenberger
- . Harry White
- . Samuel Dick
- . James H. Osmer
Rhode Island">List of United States Representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- . Nelson W. Aldrich
- . Latimer W. Ballou
South Carolina">List of United States Representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina
- . John S. Richardson
- . Michael P. O'Connor
- . D. Wyatt Aiken
- . John H. Evins
- . George D. Tillman
Tennessee">List of United States Representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee
- . Robert Taylor
- . Leonidas C. Houk
- . George Dibrell
- . Benton McMillin
- . John Bright
- . John House
- . Washington C. Whitthorne
- . John Atkins
- . Charles Simonton
- . H. Casey Young
Texas">List of United States Representatives from Texas">Texas
- . John Reagan
- . David B. Culberson
- . Olin Wellborn
- . Roger Q. Mills
- . George Jones
- . Christopher C. Upson, from April 15, 1879
Vermont">List of United States Representatives from Vermont">Vermont
- . Charles H. Joyce
- . James M. Tyler
- . Bradley Barlow
Virginia">List of United States Representatives from Virginia">Virginia
- . Richard Lee T. Beale
- . John Goode, Jr.
- . Joseph E. Johnston
- . Joseph Jorgensen
- . George Cabell
- . John Tucker
- . John T. Harris
- . Eppa Hutton II
- . James Richmond
West Virginia">List of United States Representatives from West Virginia">West Virginia
- . Benjamin Wilson
- . Benjamin F. Martin
- . John E. Kenna
Wisconsin">List of United States Representatives from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
- . Charles G. Williams
- . Lucien B. Caswell
- . George Hazelton
- . Peter V. Deuster
- . Edward S. Bragg
- . Gabriel Bouck
- . Herman L. Humphrey
- . Thaddeus C. Pound
Non-voting delegates
- . John G. Campbell
- . Granville G. Bennett
- . George Ainslie
- . Martin Maginnis
- . Mariano S. Otero
- . George Q. Cannon
- . Thomas H. Brents
- . Stephen Downey
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.Senate
- replacements: 4
- * Democratic: no net change
- * Republican: no net change
- deaths: 3
- resignations: 1
- interim appointments: 2
- Total seats with changes: 5
House of Representatives
- replacements: 8
- * Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- * Republican: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 4
- resignations: 3
- contested election: 2
- Total seats with changes: 11
Committees
Senate
- Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Cabinet Officers on the Floor of the Senate
- Civil Service and Retrenchment
- Claims
- Commerce
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- Elections of 1878
- Emigration of Negroes from the South to North
- Engrossed Bills
- Enrolled Bills
- Epidemic Diseases
- Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Freedman's Savings and Trust Company
- Indian Affairs
- Indian Territory
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River and its Tributaries
- Naval Affairs
- Nicaraguan Claims
- Ordnance and War Ships
- Patents
- Pensions
- Plueropneumonia among Animals
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Privileges and Elections
- Public Lands
- Railroads
- Revision of the Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Tariff Regulation
- Tenth Census
- Territories
- Transportation Routes to the Seaboard
- Treasury Department Account Discrepancies
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Alcoholic Liquor Traffic
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Banking and Currency
- Claims
- Coinage, Weights and Measures
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Education and Labor
- 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
- 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 Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Railways and Canals
- Revision of Laws
- Revolutionary Pensions
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- War Claims
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Budget Control
- Conditions of Indian Tribes
- Census
- Enrolled Bills
- The Library
- Printing
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: John D. Defrees
Senate
- Secretary: George C. Gorham, until March 24, 1879
- * John C. Burch elected March 24, 1879
- Librarian: P. J. Pierce
- Sergeant at Arms: John R. French, until March 23, 1879
- * Richard J. Bright, elected March 23, 1879
- Chaplain: Byron Sunderland, until March 24, 1879
- * Joseph J. Bullock, elected March 24, 1879
House of Representatives
- Clerk: George M. Adams
- Sergeant at Arms: John G. Thompson
- Doorkeeper: Charles W. Field
- Postmaster: James M. Steuart
- Clerk at the Speaker’s Table: J. Randolph Tucker, Jr.
- * George P. Miller
- * Michael Sullivan
- Reading Clerks:
- * Thomas S. Pettit
- * Neill S. Brown, Jr.
- Chaplain: W.P. Harrison