47th Congress of the United States
The 47th Congress of the United States , made up of the House and Senate , was the legislature of the United States . Its legislative period lasted from March 4, 1881 to March 4, 1883. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the senators ( Class I ) were elected in the 1880 congressional elections. This resulted in different majorities in the chambers. The Democratic Party had a majority in the Senate and the Republican Party dominated the House of Representatives. Presidents at the time were Republicans James A. Garfield and, after his assassination, Chester A. Arthur . The United States then consisted of 38 states. Congress met in the American capital Washington, DC The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1870 census .
Important events
- March 4, 1881: Beginning of the legislative period of the 47th Congress. At the same time, James Garfield, who was also elected in November 1880, was introduced to his new office as US President. He replaces Rutherford B. Hayes .
- July 2, 1881: President Garfield is injured in an assassination attempt. Later he suffers an infection as a result of which he dies on September 19th. This moves Vice President Chester Arthur into the highest office in the United States.
- July 20, 1881: Chief Sitting Bull surrenders at Fort Buford, Montana . See also Indian Wars .
- August 27, 1881: A hurricane in Florida and the two Carolina states kills around 700 people.
- September 5, 1881: A conflagration in Michigan destroys approximately 4,000 square kilometers of land. 282 people die.
- September 2, 1882: Thomas Alva Edison opens the world's first public power plant in Lower Manhattan .
- September 5, 1882: The first Labor Day parade takes place in New York City .
- November 1882: In the congressional elections in the USA there are again different majorities in the two chambers. However, the previous majorities are twisting. The Republicans win a majority in the Senate and the Democrats win a majority in the House of Representatives.
- January 10, 1883: 73 people died in a fire in a Milwaukee hotel .
The main laws
During the session of the 47th Congress, the following federal laws were passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):
- February 25, 1882: Apportionment of the 1880 United States Census
- May 6, 1882: Chinese Exclusion Act
- August 2, 1882: Rivers and Harbors Act
- January 16, 1883: Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act
- March 3, 1883: Tariff of 1883
Composition according to parties
senate
- Democratic Party: 37
- Republican Party: 37
- Others: 2 (voted with Democrats)
- Vacant: 0
Total: 76
House of Representatives
- Democratic Party: 130
- Republican Party: 150
- Others: 11
- Vacant: 1
Total: 292 at the end of the legislative period
There were also eight congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote
Public officials
senate
- President of the Senate : Chester A. Arthur (R) until September 19, 1881, after which the office was vacant.
- President pro tempore : Thomas F. Bayard (D) until October 13, 1881, then David Davis (Independent)
House of Representatives
Senate members
The following senators represented their respective states in the 47th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives
The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 47th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:
- Arizona Territory : Granville Henderson Oury (D)
- Dakota Territory : Richard F. Pettigrew (R)
- Idaho Territory : George Ainslie (D)
- Montana Territory : Martin Maginnis (D)
- New Mexico Territory : Tranquilino Luna (R)
- Utah Territory : John Thomas Caine (D)
- Washington Territory : Thomas Hurley Brents (R)
- Wyoming Territory : Morton Everel Post (D)
Web links
- bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 47 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 47th Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)