United States House of Representatives elections, 1872

United States House of Representatives elections, 1872

November 5, 1872[Note 1]
All 292 seats to the United States House of Representatives 147 seats were needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader James Blaine Fernando Wood Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Maine-3rd New York-10th Last election 139 seats 104 seats Seats won 203[Note 2] 89[Note 3] Seat change 64 15
Map of U.S. House elections results from 1872 elections for 43rd Congress
Speaker before election James Blaine Republican Elected Speaker James Blaine Republican

Elections to the United States House of Representatives were held in 1872 and 1873 for representatives to the 43rd Congress, coinciding with the re-election of President Ulysses S. Grant.

Grant's Republican Party increased its majority greatly at the expense of the opposition Democratic Party. The pro-industry outlook of the Republicans appealed to many Northern voters, especially as the post-war economy exploded, and this allowed the party to flourish as the Industrial Revolution grew more widespread. The Republicans also benefited from a continuing association with Civil War victory as well as disarray amongst Democratic leadership.

Election summaries

Following the 1870 Census, the House was reapportioned, initially adding 40 seats,^[1] followed by a subsequent amendment to the apportionment act adding another seat to 9 states,^[2] resulting in a total increase of 49 seats. No states lost seats, 10 states had no change, 13 states gained 1 seat each, 9 states gained 2 seats, 3 states gained 3 seats, 1 State gained 4 seats, and 1 State gained 5 seats. Prior to the supplemental act, two states (New Hampshire and Vermont) had each lost 1 seat. This was the first reapportionment after the repeal of the three-fifths compromise by the 14th Amendment

State	Type	Total seats		Republican		Democratic
		Seats	Change	Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Alabama	District + 2 at-large	8	2	6[Note 4]	3	2	1
Arkansas	District + at-large	4	1	4[Note 4]	2	0	1
California	District	4	1	3		1	1
Connecticut[Note 5]	District	4		3		1
Delaware	At-large	1		1	1	0	1
Florida	At-large	2	1	2	1	0
Georgia	District	9	2	2	1	7	3
Illinois	District	19	5	14	6	5	1
Indiana[Note 6]	District + 3 at-large	13	2	10	4	3	2
Iowa	District	9	3	9	3	0
Kansas	At-large	3	2	3	2	0
Kentucky	District	10	1	0		10	1
Louisiana	District + 1 at-large	6	1	6[Note 4]	1	0
Maine[Note 6]	District	5		5		0
Maryland	District	6	1	2	2	4	1
Massachusetts	District	11	1	11	1	0
Michigan	District	9	3	9	4	0	1
Minnesota	District	3	1	3	1	0
Mississippi	District	6	1	5		1	1
Missouri	District	13	4	4	1	9	5
Nebraska[Note 6]	At-large	1		1		0
Nevada	At-large	1		0		1
New Hampshire[Note 5]	District	3		2	2	1	2
New Jersey	District	7	2	6	3	1	1
New York	District + 1 at-large	33	2	24	9	9	7
North Carolina[Note 6]	District	8	1	3	1	5
Ohio[Note 6]	District	20	1	14[Note 4]		6	1
Oregon[Note 6]	At-large	1		1	1	0	1
Pennsylvania[Note 6]	District + 3 at-large	27	3	22	9	5	6
Rhode Island	District	2		2		0
South Carolina	District + 1 at-large	5	1	5	1	0
Tennessee	District + 1 at-large	10	2	7	5	3	3
Texas	District + 2 at-large	6	2	0	1	6	3
Vermont[Note 6]	District	3		3		0
Virginia	District	9	1	4	1	5
West Virginia[Note 6]	District	3		1		2[Note 3]
Wisconsin	District	8	2	6	2	2
Total		292	49	203[Note 7] 69.5%	62 30.5%	89[Note 3] 30.5%	13

Election dates

In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform nationwide date for choosing Presidential electors.^[3] This law did not affect election dates for Congress, which remained within the jurisdiction of State governments, but over time, the States moved their Congressional elections to this date as well. In 1872–73, there were still 9 states with earlier election dates, and 2 states with later election dates:

• Early elections (1872):
  • June 4 Oregon
  • August 1 North Carolina
  • August 27 West Virginia
  • September 3 Vermont
  • September 9 Maine
  • October 8 Indiana, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania
• Late elections (1873):
  • March 11, 1873 New Hampshire
  • April 7, 1873 Connecticut

Alabama

Arkansas

California

A new seat was added, following the 1870 U.S. Census, bringing the delegation up from three to four Representatives.

Florida

Florida gained a second seat after the 1870 census, but delayed districting until 1874, electing both Representatives at-large for this election.

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Nevada

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

After redistricting and eleven retirements, only four of the nineteen incumbents were re-elected.

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Virginia

West Virginia

Wisconsin

See also

• United States elections, 1872
  • United States presidential election, 1872
  • United States Senate elections, 1872 and 1873
• 42nd United States Congress
• 43rd United States Congress

Notes

References

Bibliography

• Dubin, Michael J. (March 1, 1998). United States Congressional Elections, 1788-1997: The Official Results of the Elections of the 1st Through 105th Congresses. McFarland and Company. ISBN 978-0786402830.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (January 1, 1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress, 1789-1989. Macmillan Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0029201701.
• Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
• "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.

External links

• Office of the Historian (Office of Art & Archives, Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives)