40th United States Congress

The 40th 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, 1867, to March 4, 1869, during the third and fourth years of Andrew Johnson'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. In the Senate, the Republicans had the largest majority a party has ever held.
This Congress was held during the Reconstruction era after the Civil War and U.S. President Abraham Lincoln's assassination. Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Louisiana, and South Carolina were readmitted to representation in both the Senate and the House. Georgia was readmitted with representation in the House only. The Republican majority passed an amendment that became the Fifteenth Amendment to [the United States Constitution|15th Amendment] for voting rights.

Major events

March 30, 1867: Alaska Purchase
February 24, 1868: Impeachment of Andrew Johnson
May 16, 1868: President Johnson acquitted
May 26, 1868: President Johnson acquitted again
November 3, 1868: 1868 presidential election: Ulysses S. Grant (R) defeated Horatio Seymour (D)
December 25, 1868: President Johnson granted unconditional pardons to all Civil War rebels
January 20, 1869: Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the first woman to testify before Congress

Major legislation

Three Military Reconstruction Acts, continued:
* March 23, 1867, ch. 6,
* July 19, 1867, ch. 30,
* March 11, 1868, ch. 25,
July 27, 1868: Expatriation Act of 1868, ch. 249,

Constitutional amendments

July 10, 1868: Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution declared ratified
February 26, 1869: Approved an amendment to the Constitution prohibiting the federal and state governments from denying a citizen the right to vote based on that citizen's "race, color, or previous condition of servitude", and submitted it to the state legislatures for ratification
* Amendment was later ratified on February 3, 1870, becoming the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution

Treaty

April 29, 1868: Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868),, signed
February 16, 1869: Treaty of Fort Laramie (1868) ratified

Territories organized

July 25, 1868: Wyoming Territory organized, Sess. 2, ch. 135,

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.
During this Congress, Arkansas, Florida, Alabama, North Carolina, Louisiana, and South Carolina were readmitted to representation in both the Senate and the House. Georgia was readmitted with representation in the House only.

Leadership

Senate

House of Representatives

Speaker: Schuyler Colfax, until March 3, 1869
* Theodore M. Pomeroy, elected March 3, 1869. Served for 1 day.

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

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 re-election in 1868 or 1869; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1870 or 1871; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring re-election in 1872 or 1873.

Illinois">List of United States senators from Illinois">Illinois

Massachusetts">List of United States senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts

New Jersey">List of United States senators from New Jersey">New Jersey

Tennessee">List of United States senators from Tennessee">Tennessee

House of Representatives

The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Illinois">List of United States representatives from Illinois">Illinois

Massachusetts">List of United States representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts

New Jersey">List of United States representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey

Tennessee">List of United States representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

Senate

Replacements: 3
* Democratic: 0 seat net loss
* Republican: 0 seat net gain
Deaths: 1
Resignations: 2
Interim appointments: 1
Seats from newly re-admitted states: 12
'''Total seats with changes: 16'''

House of Representatives

Replacements: 10
* Democratic: 2 seat net loss
* Republican: 0 seat net gain
* Independent Republican: 1 seat net gain
* Conservative: 0 seat net gain
Deaths: 8
Resignations: 3
Contested election: 3
Seats from re-admitted states: 32
'''Total seats with changes: 44'''

Committees

Senate

House of Representatives

Joint committees

Caucuses

Employees

Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States#United States Congress">Legislative branch agency directors

Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark, appointed August 30, 1865
Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford

Senate

Chaplain of the Senate: Edgar H. Gray
Secretary of the Senate: John W. Forney, until June 4, 1868
* George C. Gorham, elected June 4, 1868
Sergeant at Arms of the Senate: George T. Brown