41st United States Congress
The 41st 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, 1869, to March 4, 1871, during the first two years of Ulysses S. Grant's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1860 United States census. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1869: Ulysses Grant became President of the United States
- March 4, 1869: Carl Schurz R-Missouri became the first German American to serve in the United States Senate
- May 10, 1869: Golden spike marked the completion of the First transcontinental railroad in Promontory, Utah
- December 10, 1869: Wyoming Territory gave women the right to vote, one of the first such laws in the world
- February 12, 1870: Utah Territory gave women the right to vote
- February 25, 1870: Senator Hiram Rhodes Revels became the first African American in the U.S. Congress
Major legislation
- March 18, 1869: Public Credit Act of 1869, Sess. 1, ch. 1,
- April 10, 1869: Judiciary Act of 1869, Sess. 1, ch. 22,
- May 31, 1870: Enforcement Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 114,
- June 22, 1870: An Act to establish the Department of Justice, Sess. 2, ch. 150,
- June 29, 1870: An Act to reorganize the Marine Hospital Service, Sess. 2, ch. 169,
- July 12, 1870: Currency Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 252,
- July 14, 1870: Funding Act of 1870, Sess. 2, ch. 256,
- February 21, 1871: District of Columbia Organic Act of 1871, Sess. 3, ch. 62,,
Constitutional amendments
- February 3, 1870: Fifteenth Amendment was ratified by the requisite number of states to become part of the Constitution
States readmitted
- January 26, 1870: Virginia rejoined the Union
- February 23, 1870: Mississippi rejoined the Union
- March 30, 1870: Texas rejoined the Union
- July 15, 1870: Georgia rejoined the Union, the last former Confederate state to be readmitted
Party summary
During this Congress, Virginia, Mississippi, Texas, and Georgia were readmitted to representation.
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: Schuyler Colfax
- President pro tempore: Henry B. Anthony
House of Representatives
- Speaker: James G. Blaine
- Republican Conference Chairman: Robert C. Schenck and Nathaniel P. Banks
- Democratic Caucus Chairman: William E. Niblack and Samuel J. Randall
Members
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, facing re-election in 1874; "Class 2" meant their term ended in this Congress, facing re-election in 1870; and "Class 3" meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1872.[List of [United States senators from Alabama|Alabama]]
Arkansas">List of United States senators from Arkansas">Arkansas
California">List of United States senators from California">California
Connecticut">List of United States senators from Connecticut">Connecticut
Delaware">List of United States senators from Delaware">Delaware
Florida">List of United States senators from Florida">Florida
Georgia">List of United States senators from Georgia">Georgia
Illinois">List of United States senators from Illinois">Illinois
Indiana">List of United States senators from Indiana">Indiana
Iowa">List of United States senators from Iowa">Iowa
Kansas">List of United States senators from Kansas">Kansas
Kentucky">List of United States senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
Louisiana">List of United States senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
Maine">List of United States senators from Maine">Maine
Maryland">List of United States senators from Maryland">Maryland
Massachusetts">List of United States senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
Michigan">List of United States senators from Michigan">Michigan
Minnesota">List of United States senators from Minnesota">Minnesota
Mississippi">List of United States senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
Missouri">List of United States senators from Missouri">Missouri
Nebraska">List of United States senators from Nebraska">Nebraska
Nevada">List of United States senators from Nevada">Nevada
New Hampshire">List of United States senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
New Jersey">List of United States senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
New York">List of United States senators from New York">New York
North Carolina">List of United States senators from North Carolina">North Carolina
Ohio">List of United States senators from Ohio">Ohio
Oregon">List of United States senators from Oregon">Oregon
Pennsylvania">List of United States senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
Rhode Island">List of United States senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
South Carolina">List of United States senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
Tennessee">List of United States senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
Texas">List of United States senators from Texas">Texas
Vermont">List of United States senators from Vermont">Vermont
Virginia">List of United States senators from Virginia">Virginia
West Virginia">List of United States senators from West Virginia">West Virginia
Wisconsin">List of United States senators from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
House of Representatives
The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.[List of [United States representatives from Alabama|Alabama]]
Arkansas">List of United States representatives from Arkansas">Arkansas
California">List of United States representatives from California">California
Connecticut">List of United States representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut
Delaware">List of United States representatives from Delaware">Delaware
Florida">List of United States representatives from Florida">Florida
Georgia">List of United States representatives from Georgia">Georgia
Illinois">List of United States representatives from Illinois">Illinois
Indiana">List of United States representatives from Indiana">Indiana
Iowa">List of United States representatives from Iowa">Iowa
Kansas">List of United States representatives from Kansas">Kansas
Kentucky">List of United States representatives from Kentucky">Kentucky
Louisiana">List of United States representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana
Maine">List of United States representatives from Maine">Maine
Maryland">List of United States representatives from Maryland">Maryland
Massachusetts">List of United States representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
Michigan">List of United States representatives from Michigan">Michigan
Minnesota">List of United States representatives from Minnesota">Minnesota
Mississippi">List of United States representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
Missouri">List of United States representatives from Missouri">Missouri
Nebraska">List of United States representatives from Nebraska">Nebraska
Nevada">List of United States representatives from Nevada">Nevada
New Hampshire">List of United States representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
New Jersey">List of United States representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
New York">List of United States representatives from New York">New York
North Carolina">List of United States representatives from North Carolina">North Carolina
Ohio">List of United States representatives from Ohio">Ohio
Oregon">List of United States representatives from Oregon">Oregon
Pennsylvania">List of United States representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
Rhode Island">List of United States representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
South Carolina">List of United States representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina
Tennessee">List of United States representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee
Texas">List of United States representatives from Texas">Texas
Vermont">List of United States representatives from Vermont">Vermont
Virginia">List of United States representatives from Virginia">Virginia
West Virginia">List of United States representatives from West Virginia">West Virginia
Wisconsin">List of United States representatives from Wisconsin">Wisconsin
Non-voting members
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.Senate
- Replacements: 6
- * Democratic: 1 seat net gain
- * Republican: 1 seat net loss
- Deaths: 2
- Resignations:2
- Interim appointments: 2
- Seats of newly re-admitted states: 8
- '''Total seats with changes: 14'''
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 14
- * Democratic: 3 seat net loss
- * Republican: 3 seat net gain
- * Conservative Party of Virginia: no net change
- Deaths: 6
- Resignations: 6
- Contested election: 8
- Seats of newly re-admitted states: 17
- '''Total seats with changes: 44'''
Committees
Senate
- Agriculture
- Appropriations
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Claims
- Commerce
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States
- District of Columbia
- Education
- Engrossed Bills
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Memorial of Davis Hatch
- Military Affairs and the Militia
- Mines and Mining
- Mississippi River Levee System
- Naval Affairs
- Ordnance and War Ships
- Outrages in Southern States
- Pacific Railroad
- Patents
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Removal of Political Disabilities
- Retrenchment
- Revision of the Laws
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Tariff Regulation
- Territories
- Traffic with Rebels in Texas
- Whole