45th United States Congress

The Forty-fifth 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 1877 to March 3 1879, during the first two years of the administration of U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.

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 1877 - March 3 1879
*Special session of the Senate: March 5 1877 – March 17 1877
*First session: October 15 1877 – December 3 1877
*First session: December 3 1877 - June 20 1878
*Second session: December 2 1878 - March 3 1879 — a lame duck sessionPrevious: 44th Congress • Next: 46th Congress

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.

enate

*Republican "(R)": 40 "(majority)"
*Democratic "(D)": 35
*Independent "(I)": 1Total members: 76

House of Representatives

*Democratic "(D)": 155 "(majority)"
*Republican "(R)": 136
*Independent Democratic "(ID)": 2Total members: 293

Leadership

enate

*President: William A. Wheeler (R)
*President "pro tempore": Thomas W. Ferry (R)

House of Representatives

*Speaker: Samuel J. Randall (D)

Major events

*March 4 1877 Rutherford B. Hayes became President of the United States

Major legislation

* February 28, 1878 — Bland-Allison Act (Coinage Act (Silver Dollar)), ch. 20, USStat|20|25
* April 29, 1878 — National Quarantine Act, ch. 66
* June 18, 1878 — Posse Comitatus Act, ch. 263, §15, USStat|20|152

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: 45th United States Congress - political parties":"See also: 45th United States Congress - State Delegations":"See also: United States House elections, 1876"

enate

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 1880; Class 2 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1882; and Class 3 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1878.:"See also: :"See also:

Officers

References

*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1989|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =
*cite book|title = The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts|last = Martis|first = Kenneth C.|authorlink =|coauthors =|year = 1982|publisher = Macmillan Publishing Company|location = New York|id =

External links

* [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-222/index.html Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress]
* [http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html U.S. House of Representatives: House History]
* [http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/stats_and_lists.htm U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists]