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
March 4 1875 - March 3 1877- 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 congress: 43rd Congress
Next congress: 45th Congress
Party summary
Colorado was newly admitted to the Union and first represented as a state in this Congress.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):
- 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
- Main article: Events of 1875; Events of 1876; Events of 1877
- 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.
- The disputed Election of 1876 is settled with the Compromise of 1877 which ended Reconstruction.
- Custer's Last Stand takes place at the Battle of Little Bighorn on June 25, 1876.
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: 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: United States Senators
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: United States Congressional Delegations by state