United States Capitol
President of the Senate Vice PresidentSchuyler Colfax
The Forty-second 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, 1871 to March 3, 1873, during the last two years of the first administration of U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant .
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Eighth Census of the United States in 1860. Both chambers had a Republican majority.
March 4, 1871 - March 3, 1873
First session: March 4, 1871 – April 20, 1871
Special session of the Senate: May 10, 1871 - May 27, 1871
Second session: December 4, 1871 - June 10, 1872
Third session: December 2, 1872 - March 3, 1873
Previous congress: 41st Congress - general
Next congress: 43rd Congress - general
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.
Senate
TOTAL members: 74
House of Representatives
TOTAL members: 243
Senate
House of Representatives
Events of 1871, 1872 and 1873
List of United States federal legislation in the 42nd Congress
Membership highlights by chamber [ edit ]
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
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 the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1874; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1876; and Class 3 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1872.
See also: Category:United States Senators
See also: Category:United States congressional delegations by state
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
President pro tempore Henry B. Anthony
House of Representatives [ edit ]
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
Alabama
Arkansas
California
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Virginia
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Speaker of the HouseJames G. Blaine
Arizona Territory
Colorado Territory
Dakota Territory
District of Columbia
Idaho Territory
Montana Territory
New Mexico Territory
Utah Territory
Washington Territory
Wyoming Territory
Membership detail by Chamber/Party[ edit ]
The list below is arranged by chamber, then by political party. Members are shown in alphabetical order.
Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress.
A-F
James L. Alcorn , Mississippi
Adelbert Ames , Mississippi
Henry B. Anthony , Rhode Island
Arthur I. Boreman , West Virginia
William G. Brownlow , Tennessee
William A. Buckingham , Connecticut
Alexander Caldwell , Kansas
Simon Cameron , Pennsylvania
Matthew H. Carpenter , Wisconsin
Zachariah Chandler , Michigan
Powell Clayton , Arkansas
Cornelius Cole , California
Roscoe Conkling , New York
Henry W. Corbett , Oregon
Aaron H. Cragin , New Hampshire
George F. Edmunds , Vermont
Reuben E. Fenton , New York
Orris S. Ferry , Connecticut
Thomas W. Ferry , Michigan
James W. Flanagan , Texas
Frederick T. Frelinghuysen , New Jersey
G-O
Abijah Gilbert , Florida
Morgan C. Hamilton , Texas
Hannibal Hamlin , Maine
James Harlan , Iowa
Joshua Hill , Georgia
Phineas W. Hitchcock , Nebraska
Timothy O. Howe , Wisconsin
William Pitt Kellogg , Louisiana
John F. Lewis , Virginia
John A. Logan , Illinois
Justin S. Morrill , Vermont
Lot M. Morrill , Maine
Oliver H. P. T. Morton , Indiana
James W. Nye , Nevada
Thomas W. Osborn , Florida
P-Z
James W. Patterson , New Hampshire
Samuel C. Pomeroy , Kansas
John Pool , North Carolina
Daniel D. Pratt , Indiana
Alexander Ramsey , Minnesota
Benjamin F. Rice , Arkansas
Thomas J. Robertson , South Carolina
Frederick A. Sawyer , South Carolina
John Scott , Pennsylvania
John Sherman , Ohio
George E. Spencer , Alabama
William Sprague , Rhode Island
William M. Stewart , Nevada
Charles Sumner , Massachusetts
Thomas W. Tipton , Nebraska
Lyman Trumbull , Illinois
J. Rodman West , Louisiana
Henry Wilson , Massachusetts
William Windom , Minnesota
George G. Wright , Iowa
House of Representatives [ edit ]
Members of the House of Representatives were elected by popular vote, variously to single member districts or at-large.
A-B-C
Ephraim L. Acker , Pennsylvania
George M. Adams , Kentucky
Stevenson Archer , Maryland
William E. Arthur , Kentucky
William H. Barnum , Connecticut
Erasmus W. Beck , Georgia
James B. Beck , Kentucky
Samuel N. Bell , New Hampshire
Benjamin T. Biggs , Delaware
John T. Bird , New Jersey
Elliott M. Braxton , Virginia
John M. Bright , Tennessee
James Brooks , New York
Robert P. Caldwell , Tennessee
Lewis D. Campbell , Ohio
John M. Carroll , New York
Abram Comingo , Missouri
John C. Conner , Texas
Samuel S. Cox , New York
John M. Crebs , Illinois
John Critcher , Virginia
Edward Crossland , Kentucky
D-E-F
John J. Davis , West Virginia
Ozro J. Dodds , Ohio
Peter M. Dox , Alabama
Dudley M. Du Bose , Georgia
Richard T. W. Duke , Virginia
Charles A. Eldredge , Wisconsin
Smith Ely, Jr. , New York
Samuel C. Forker , New Jersey
Henry D. Foster , Pennsylvania
G-H-I
Abraham E. Garrett , Tennessee
J. Lawrence Getz , Pennsylvania
De Witt C. Giddings , Texas
Edward I. Golladay , Tennessee
Samuel Griffith , Pennsylvania
Richard J. Haldeman , Pennsylvania
Samuel Hambleton , Maryland
John Hancock , Texas
William A. Handley , Alabama
James M. Hanks , Arkansas
James C. Harper , North Carolina
John T. Harris , Virginia
Frank Hereford , West Virginia
William S. Herndon , Texas
Ellery A. Hibbard , New Hampshire
William S. Holman , Indiana
J-K-L
M-N-O
Archibald T. MacIntyre , Georgia
Mahlon D. Manson , Indiana
Samuel S. Marshall , Illinois
William McClelland , Pennsylvania
James R. McCormick , Missouri
Henry D. McHenry , Kentucky
John F. McKinney , Ohio
Thompson W. McNeely , Illinois
William M. Merrick , Maryland
Benjamin F. Meyers , Pennsylvania
Alexander Mitchell , Wisconsin
George W. Morgan , Ohio
Silas L. Niblack , Florida
William E. Niblack , Indiana
P-Q-R
Hosea W. Parker , New Hampshire
Eli Perry , New York
Clarkson N. Potter , New York
William P. Price , Georgia
Samuel J. Randall , Pennsylvania
William B. Read , Kentucky
Edward Y. Rice , Illinois
John M. Rice , Kentucky
John Ritchie , Maryland
William R. Roberts , New York
James C. Robinson , Illinois
John Rogers , New York
Sion H. Rogers , North Carolina
Robert B. Roosevelt , New York
S-T-U-V
Henry Sherwood , Pennsylvania
Francis E. Shober , North Carolina
James H. Slater , Oregon
Henry W. Slocum , New York
Joseph H. Sloss , Alabama
R. Milton Speer , Pennsylvania
Bradford N. Stevens , Illinois
John B. Storm , Pennsylvania
Jabez G. Sutherland , Michigan
Thomas Swann , Maryland
William Terry , Virginia
Dwight Townsend , New York
Joseph H. Tuthill , New York
Philadelph Van Trump , Ohio
William W. Vaughan , Tennessee
Daniel W. Voorhees , Indiana
W-X-Y-Z
A-B-C
Jacob A. Ambler , Ohio
Oakes Ames , Massachusetts
John T. Averill , Minnesota
Nathaniel P. Banks , Massachusetts
J. Allen Barber , Wisconsin
Henry W. Barry , Mississippi
John Beatty , Ohio
John L. Beveridge , Illinois
John S. Bigby , Georgia
John A. Bingham , Ohio
James G. Blaine , Maine
Austin Blair , Michigan
Thomas Boles , Arkansas
George M. Brooks , Massachusetts
Charles W. Buckley , Alabama
James Buffinton , Massachusetts
Frank C. Bunnell , Pennsylvania
Horatio C. Burchard , Illinois
Samuel S. Burdett , Missouri
Benjamin F. Butler , Massachusetts
Roderick R. Butler , Tennessee
William T. Clark , Texas
Freeman Clarke , New York
Clinton L. Cobb , North Carolina
John Coburn , Indiana
John M. Coghlan , California
Omar D. Conger , Michigan
Burton C. Cook , Illinois
Aylett R. Cotton , Iowa
Alvah Crocker , Massachusetts
D-E-F
Chester B. Darrall , Louisiana
Henry L. Dawes , Massachusetts
Robert C. De Large , South Carolina
Oliver J. Dickey , Pennsylvania
William G. Donnan , Iowa
R. Holland Duell , New York
Mark H. Dunnell , Minnesota
Benjamin T. Eames , Rhode Island
Robert B. Elliott , South Carolina
Constantine C. Esty , Massachusetts
John F. Farnsworth , Illinois
Charles B. Farwell , Illinois
Charles Foster , Ohio
Wilder D. Foster , Michigan
William P. Frye , Maine
G-H-I
James A. Garfield , Ohio
Milo Goodrich , New York
Eugene Hale , Maine
George A. Halsey , New Jersey
Alfred C. Harmer , Pennsylvania
George E. Harris , Mississippi
Harrison E. Havens , Missouri
John B. Hawley , Illinois
Joseph R. Hawley , Connecticut
John B. Hay , Illinois
Charles Hays , Alabama
Gerry W. Hazelton , Wisconsin
John W. Hazelton , New Jersey
John Hill , New Jersey
George F. Hoar , Massachusetts
Samuel Hooper , Massachusetts
Sherman O. Houghton , California
J-K-L
M-N-O
Horace Maynard , Tennessee
James McCleery , Louisiana
George W. McCrary , Iowa
James C. McGrew , West Virginia
Ebenezer McJunkin , Pennsylvania
George C. McKee , Mississippi
Ulysses Mercur , Pennsylvania
Clinton L. Merriam , New York
James Monroe , Ohio
Jesse H. Moore , Illinois
Frank Morey , Louisiana
Joseph L. Morphis , Mississippi
Leonard Myers , Pennsylvania
James S. Negley , Pennsylvania
Jackson Orr , Iowa
P-Q-R
Jasper Packard , Indiana
John B. Packer , Pennsylvania
Francis W. Palmer , Iowa
Isaac C. Parker , Missouri
Erasmus D. Peck , Ohio
James M. Pendleton , Rhode Island
Legrand W. Perce , Mississippi
Aaron F. Perry , Ohio
John A. Peters , Maine
James H. Platt, Jr. , Virginia
Luke P. Poland , Vermont
Charles H. Porter , Virginia
Elizur H. Prindle , New York
Joseph H. Rainey , South Carolina
Ellis H. Roberts , New York
Jeremiah M. Rusk , Wisconsin
S-T-U-V
Aaron A. Sargent , California
Philetus Sawyer , Wisconsin
Glenni W. Scofield , Pennsylvania
John E. Seeley , New York
Walter L. Sessions , New York
John P. C. Shanks , Indiana
Lionel A. Sheldon , Louisiana
Samuel Shellabarger , Ohio
Lazarus D. Shoemaker , Pennsylvania
H. Boardman Smith , New York
John A. Smith , Ohio
Worthington C. Smith , Vermont
Henry Snapp , Illinois
Oliver P. Snyder , Arkansas
Thomas J. Speer , Georgia
William P. Sprague , Ohio
Charles St. John , New York
Henry H. Starkweather , Connecticut
Job E. Stevenson , Ohio
William L. Stoughton , Michigan
William H. H. Stowell , Virginia
Julius L. Strong , Connecticut
J. Hale Sypher , Louisiana
John Taffe , Nebraska
Charles R. Thomas , North Carolina
Washington Townsend , Pennsylvania
Benjamin S. Turner , Alabama
Ginery Twichell , Massachusetts
James N. Tyner , Indiana
William H. Upson , Ohio
W-X-Y-Z
Seth Wakeman , New York
Madison M. Walden , Iowa
Henry Waldron , Michigan
Alexander S. Wallace , South Carolina
Josiah T. Walls , Florida
William B. Washburn , Massachusetts
William A. Wheeler , New York
Richard H. Whiteley , Georgia
Charles W. Willard , Vermont
William Williams , Indiana
Jeremiah M. Wilson , Indiana
John T. Wilson , Ohio
Changes in membership [ edit ]
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
replacements: 1
deaths: 1
resignations: 2
contested elections: 4
Total seats with changes: 7
House of Representatives
replacements: 10
deaths: 3
resignations: 7
contested election: 5
Total seats with changes: 15
Senate
Other
House of Representatives
Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress . New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts . New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.