# 49th United States Congress

The 49th 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, 1885, to March 4, 1887, during the first two years of Grover Cleveland's first presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1880 United States census. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.

## Major events

* March 4, 1885: Grover Cleveland became President of the United States
* November 25, 1885: Vice President Thomas A. Hendricks died

## Major legislation

* January 19, 1886: Presidential Succession Act of 1886, ch. 4, 24 Stat. 1
* February 3, 1887: Electoral Count Act, ch. 90, 24 Stat. 373
* February 4, 1887: Interstate Commerce Act, ch. 104, 24 Stat. 379
* February 8, 1887: Indian General Allotment Act ("Dawes Act"), ch. 119, 24 Stat. 388
* March 2, 1887: Agricultural Experiment Stations Act of 1887
* March 2, 1887: Hatch Act of 1887, ch. 314, 24 Stat. 440
* March 3, 1887: Tucker Act, ch. 359, 24 Stat. 505
* March 3, 1887: Edmunds–Tucker Act, ch. 397 24 Stat. 635

## 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.

### Senate

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Readjuster (RA) | Republican (R) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 36 | 2 | 38 | 76 | 0 |
| Begin | 34 | 2 | 37 | 73 | 3 |
| End | 34 | 2 | 40 | 76 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 44.7% | 2.6% | 52.6% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 36 | 1 | 38 | 75 | 1 |

### House of Representatives

| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Readjuster (RA) | Greenback (GB) | Republican (R) | Other | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 197 | 4 | 2 | 113 | 7 | 323 | 2 |
| Begin | 181 | 1 | 1 | 140 | 0 | 323 | 2 |
| End | 180 | 1 | 1 | 138 | 0 | 320 | 5 |
| Final voting share | 56.3% | 0.3% | 0.3% | 43.1% | 0.0% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 168 | 0 | 1 | 150 | 5 | 324 | 1 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* President: Thomas A. Hendricks (D), until November 25, 1885; vacant thereafter
* President pro tempore: John Sherman (R), December 7, 1885 – February 26, 1887
** John J. Ingalls (R), from February 26, 1887
* Republican Conference Chairman: George F. Edmunds
* Democratic Caucus Chairman: James B. Beck
* Democratic Campaign Committee Chairman: Arthur Pue Gorman

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: John G. Carlisle (D)
* Minority Leader: Thomas B. Reed
* Democratic Caucus Chairman: John Randolph Tucker
* Republican Conference Chairman: Joseph Gurney Cannon

## Members
### 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 reelection in 1886; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1888; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1890.

### House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are listed by district.

## Changes in membership

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

### Senate

* Replacements: 7
** Democratic: 1 seat net gain
** Republican: 1 seat net loss
** Liberal Republican: 1 seat net loss
* Deaths: 3
* Resignations: 6
* Interim appointments: 1
* Total seats with changes: 9
| State (class) | Vacated by | Reason for vacancy | Subsequent | Date of successor's installation |
| New Hampshire (3) | Vacant | Appointed to fill vacancy in term. | Henry W. Blair (R) | March 5, 1885 |
| Illinois (3) | Vacant | Legislature failed to elect, with several delays in election process held from February 18 to May 19. Incumbent Logan eventually chosen to retake seat. | John A. Logan (R) | May 19, 1885 |
| Oregon (3) | Vacant | Failure to elect. | John H. Mitchell (R) | November 18, 1885 |
| Arkansas (2) | Augustus H. Garland (D) | Resigned March 6, 1885, after being appointed United States Attorney General. Successor was elected. | James H. Berry (D) | March 20, 1885 |
| Delaware (1) | Thomas F. Bayard (D) | Resigned March 6, 1885, after being appointed United States Secretary of State. Successor was elected. | George Gray (D) | March 18, 1885 |
| Mississippi (2) | Lucius Q. C. Lamar II (D) | Resigned March 6, 1885, after being appointed United States Secretary of the Interior. Successor was appointed and subsequently elected. | Edward C. Walthall (D) | March 9, 1885 |
| California (1) | John F. Miller (R) | Died March 8, 1886. Successor was appointed. | George Hearst (D) | March 23, 1886 |
| Tennessee (1) | Howell E. Jackson (D) | Resigned April 14, 1886, after being appointed judge for the United States Circuit Court for the Sixth Circuit. Successor was appointed. | Washington C. Whitthorne (D) | April 16, 1886 |
| California (1) | George Hearst (D) | Successor was elected August 4, 1886. | Abram Williams (R) | August 4, 1886 |
| New Hampshire (2) | Austin F. Pike (R) | Died October 8, 1886. Successor was appointed. | Person C. Cheney (R) | November 24, 1886 |
| Illinois (3) | John A. Logan (R) | Died December 26, 1886. Successor was elected. | Charles B. Farwell (R) | January 19, 1887 |

### House of Representatives

* Replacements: 11
** Democratic: 2 seat net gain
** Republican: 2 seat net loss
* Deaths: 8
* Resignations: 7
* Contested election: 1
* Total seats with changes: 16
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
| Pennsylvania 19th | Vacant | Elected to finish term of Rep. William A. Duncan resigned during previous congress | John A. Swope (D) | November 3, 1885 |
| Arkansas 3rd | Vacant | Elected to finish term of Rep. James K. Jones resigned during previous congress | Thomas C. McRae (D) | December 7, 1885 |
| New York 8th | Samuel S. Cox (D) | Resigned May 20, 1885, after being appointed Minister to the Ottoman Empire | Timothy J. Campbell (D) | November 3, 1885 |
| Illinois 5th | Reuben Ellwood (R) | Died July 1, 1885 | Albert J. Hopkins (R) | December 7, 1885 |
| Wisconsin 5th | Joseph Rankin (D) | Died January 24, 1886 | Thomas R. Hudd (D) | March 8, 1886 |
| Louisiana 2nd | Michael Hahn (R) | Died March 15, 1886 | Nathaniel D. Wallace (D) | December 9, 1886 |
| New York 9th | Joseph Pulitzer (D) | Resigned April 10, 1886 | Samuel S. Cox (D) | November 2, 1886 |
| Maryland 3rd | William H. Cole (D) | Died July 8, 1886 | Harry W. Rusk (D) | November 2, 1886 |
| New York 15th | Lewis Beach (D) | Died August 10, 1886 | Henry Bacon (D) | December 6, 1886 |
| New York 28th | John Arnot Jr. (D) | Died November 20, 1886 | Vacant until next Congress | Vacant until next Congress |
| Wisconsin 8th | William T. Price (R) | Died December 6, 1886 | Hugh H. Price (R) | January 18, 1887 |
| New York 12th | Abraham Dowdney (D) | Died December 10, 1886 | Vacant until next Congress | Vacant until next Congress |
| New York 10th | Abram Hewitt (D) | Resigned December 30, 1886, after being elected Mayor of New York | Vacant until next Congress | Vacant until next Congress |
| North Carolina 5th | James W. Reid (D) | Resigned December 31, 1886 | Vacant until next Congress | Vacant until next Congress |
| New Jersey 3rd | Robert S. Green (D) | Resigned January 17, 1887, after being elected Governor of New Jersey | Vacant until next Congress | Vacant until next Congress |
| Rhode Island 2nd | William A. Pirce (R) | Seat declared vacant January 25, 1887, due to election irregularities | Charles H. Page (D) | February 21, 1887 |

## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.

### Senate

* Additional Accommodations for the Library of Congress (Select) (Chairman: Daniel W. Voorhees; Ranking Member: Justin S. Morrill)
* Agriculture and Forestry (Chairman: Warner Miller; Ranking Member: James Z. George)
* Appropriations (Chairman: William B. Allison; Ranking Member: John A. Logan)
* Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: John P. Jones; Ranking Member: Zebulon B. Vance)
* Civil Service and Retrenchment (Chairman: Joseph R. Hawley; Ranking Member: Daniel W. Voorhees)
* Claims (Chairman: Austin F. Pike; Ranking Member: Howell E. Jackson)
* Coast Defenses (Chairman: Joseph N. Dolph; Ranking Member: Samuel B. Maxey)
* Commerce (Chairman: Samuel J.R. McMillan; Ranking Member: Matt W. Ransom)
* Compensation of Members of Congress (Select)
* Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
* District of Columbia (Chairman: John J. Ingalls; Ranking Member: Isham G. Harris)
* Education and Labor (Chairman: Henry W. Blair; Ranking Member: Wilkinson Call)
* Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Eli Saulsbury; Ranking Member: William B. Allison)
* Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Thomas M. Bowen; Ranking Member: Alfred H. Colquitt)
* Epidemic Diseases (Select) (Chairman: Isham G. Harris; Ranking Member: John C. Spooner)
* Examine the Several Branches in the Civil Service (Chairman: Dwight M. Sabin; Ranking Member: Wade Hampton)
* Executive Departments Methods (Select)
* Expenditures of Public Money (Chairman: Shelby M. Cullom; Ranking Member: James B. Beck)
* Finance (Chairman: Justin S. Morrill; Ranking Member: Daniel W. Voorhees)
* Fisheries (Chairman: Thomas W. Palmer; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
* Foreign Relations (Chairman: John Sherman; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: Henry L. Dawes; Ranking Member: Samuel B. Maxey)
* Indian Traders (Select)
* Interstate Commerce (Select) (Chairman: Shelby M. Cullom; Ranking Member: N/A)
* Judiciary (Chairman: George F. Edmunds; Ranking Member: William M. Evarts)
* Library (Chairman: William J. Sewell; Ranking Member: Daniel W. Voorhees)
* Manufactures (Chairman: Harrison H. Riddleberger; Ranking Member: Alfred H. Colquitt)
* Military Affairs (Chairman: John A. Logan; Ranking Member: Charles F. Manderson)
* Mines and Mining (Chairman: Henry M. Teller; Ranking Member: Wade Hampton)
* Mississippi River and its Tributaries (Select) (Chairman: Charles H. Van Wyck; Ranking Member: Francis M. Cockrell)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: J. Donald Cameron; Ranking Member: John R. McPherson)
* Nicaraguan Claims (Select) (Chairman: Samuel B. Maxey; Ranking Member: Benjamin Harrison)
* Ordnance and War Ships (Select) (Chairman: Joseph R. Hawley; Ranking Member: Johnson N. Camden)
* Patents (Chairman: J. Donald Cameron; Ranking Member: Johnson N. Camden)
* Pensions (Chairman: John I. Mitchell; Ranking Member: Howell E. Jackson)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Omar D. Conger; Ranking Member: Samuel B. Maxey)
* Potomac River Front (Select)
* Printing (Chairman: Charles F. Manderson; Ranking Member: Arthur P. Gorman)
* Private Land Claims (Chairman: Matt W. Ransom; Ranking Member: George F. Edmunds)
* Privileges and Elections (Chairman: George F. Hoar; Ranking Member: Eli Saulsbury)
* Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: William Mahone; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
* Public Lands (Chairman: Preston B. Plumb; Ranking Member: John T. Morgan)
* Railroads (Chairman: Philetus Sawyer; Ranking Member: Joseph E. Brown)
* Revision of the Laws (Chairman: James F. Wilson; Ranking Member: John E. Kenna)
* Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Charles W. Jones; Ranking Member: Samuel J.R. McMillan)
* Rules (Chairman: William P. Frye; Ranking Member: Isham G. Harris)
* Tariff Regulation (Select)
* Tenth Census (Select) (Chairman: Eugene Hale; Ranking Member: Richard Coke)
* Territories (Chairman: Benjamin Harrison; Ranking Member: Matthew C. Butler)
* Transportation Routes to the Seaboard (Chairman: Nelson W. Aldrich; Ranking Member: Randall L. Gibson)
* Whole
* Woman Suffrage (Select) (Chairman: Francis M. Cockrell; Ranking Member: Thomas W. Palmer)

### House of Representatives

* Accounts (Chairman: John T. Spriggs; Ranking Member: George E. Adams)
* Admission to the Floor (Select)
* Agriculture (Chairman: William H. Hatch; Ranking Member: Presley T. Glass)
* Alcoholic Liquor Traffic (Select) (Chairman: James E. Campbell; Ranking Member: Truman A. Merriman)
* American Ship building (Select) (Chairman: Poindexter Dunn; Ranking Member: Charles C. Comstock)
* Appropriations (Chairman: Samuel J. Randall; Ranking Member: Joseph G. Cannon)
* Banking and Currency (Chairman: James F. Miller; Ranking Member: John E. Hutton)
* Claims (Chairman: William M. Springer; Ranking Member: William H. Sowden)
* Coinage, Weights and Measures (Chairman: Richard P. Bland; Ranking Member: William D. Bynum)
* Commerce (Chairman: John H. Reagan; Ranking Member: Alfred B. Irion)
* District of Columbia (Chairman: John S. Barbour; Ranking Member: John T. Heard)
* Education (Chairman: D. Wyatt Aiken; Ranking Member: Peter P. Mahoney)
* Elections (Chairman: Henry G. Turner; Ranking Member: Benton J. Hall)
* Enrolled Bills (Chairman: William H. Neece; Ranking Member: Adoniram J. Holmes)
* Expenditures in the Interior Department (Chairman: James B. Weaver; Ranking Member: Charles N. Brumm)
* Expenditures in the Justice Department (Chairman: Eustace Gibson; Ranking Member: Seth L. Milliken)
* Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: John M. Taylor; Ranking Member: Jonathan H. Rowell)
* Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Seaborn Reese; Ranking Member: Zachary Taylor)
* Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Risden T. Bennett; Ranking Member: Joseph A. Scranton)
* Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: Robert Lowry; Ranking Member: Michael Hahn)
* Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Thomas A. Robertson; Ranking Member: Frederick A. Johnson)
* Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Lewis Beach; Ranking Member: Augustus H. Pettibone)
* Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Perry Belmont; Ranking Member: William H. Crain)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: Olin Wellborn; Ranking Member: James H. Ward)
* Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Courtland C. Matson; Ranking Member: John S. Pindar)
* Judiciary (Chairman: John R. Tucker; Ranking Member: Risden T. Bennett)
* Labor (Chairman: John J. O'Neill; Ranking Member: William H. Crain)
* Levees and Improvements of the Mississippi River (Chairman: J. Floyd King; Ranking Member: William Dawson)
* Manufactures (Chairman: George D. Wise; Ranking Member: John S. Pindar)
* Mileage (Chairman: John H. Rogers; Ranking Member: Ambrose A. Ranney)
* Military Affairs (Chairman: Edward S. Bragg; Ranking Member: Charles M. Anderson)
* Militia (Chairman: Nicholas Muller; Ranking Member: Barnes Compton)
* Mines and Mining (Chairman: Martin L. Clardy; Ranking Member: Frederick G. Barry)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: Hilary A. Herbert; Ranking Member: Joseph D. Sayers)
* Pacific Railroads (Chairman: James W. Throckmorton; Ranking Member: James D. Richardson)
* Patents (Chairman: Charles L. Mitchell; Ranking Member: William H.H. Cowles)
* Pensions (Chairman: Nathaniel B. Eldredge; Ranking Member: John E. Hutton)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: James H. Blount; Ranking Member: Frederick G. Barry)
* Printing (Chairman: Ethelbert Barksdale; Ranking Member: John M. Farquhar)
* Private Land Claims (Chairman: John E. Halsell; Ranking Member: Robert S. Green)
* Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Samuel Dibble; Ranking Member: Thomas D. Johnston)
* Public Lands (Chairman: Thomas R. Cobb; Ranking Member: Thomas Chipman McRae)
* Railways and Canals (Chairman: Robert H. M. Davidson; Ranking Member: James N. Pidcock)
* Revision of Laws (Chairman: William C. Oates; Ranking Member: John B. Hale)
* Rivers and Harbors (Chairman: Albert S. Willis; Ranking Member: John M. Glover)
* Rules (Chairman: John G. Carlisle; Ranking Member: Thomas B. Reed)
* Standards of Official Conduct
* Territories (Chairman: William D. Hill; Ranking Member: William Dawson)
* War Claims (Chairman: George W. Geddes; Ranking Member: James W. Reid)
* Ways and Means (Chairman: William R. Morrison; Ranking Member: William D. Kelley)
* Whole

### Joint committees

* Conditions of Indian Tribes (Special)
* The Library (Chairman: Otho R. Singleton; Vice Chairman: Charles O'Neill)
* Printing
* Scientific Bureaus

## Caucuses

* Democratic (House)
* Democratic (Senate)

## Employees
### Legislative branch agency directors

* Architect of the Capitol: Edward Clark
* Librarian of Congress: Ainsworth Rand Spofford
* Public Printer of the United States: Sterling P. Rounds, until 1886
** Thomas E. Benedict, starting 1886

### Senate

* Secretary: Anson G. McCook
* Librarian: George M. Weston
* Sergeant at Arms: William P. Canady
* Chaplain: Elias D. Huntley, Methodist, until March 15, 1886
** John G. Butler, Lutheran, elected March 15, 1886

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: John Summerfield Lindsay (Episcopalian), until December 7, 1885
** William H. Milburn (Methodist), elected December 7, 1885
* Doorkeeper: Samuel Donelson, elected December 7, 1885
* Clerk: John B. Clark Jr.
* Clerk at the Speaker's Table: Nathaniel T. Crutchfield
* Postmaster: Lycurgus Dalton
* Reading Clerks: Thomas S. Pettit (D) and Neill S. Brown Jr. (R)
* Sergeant at Arms: John P. Leedom