The 1870âÂÂ71 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between June 6, 1870, and October 6, 1871. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before or after the first session of the 42nd United States Congress convened on March 4, 1871. They occurred in the middle of President Ulysses S. Grant's first term. Elections were held for all 243 seats, representing 37 states.
With Grant's administration rocked by a number of scandals (including a shady deal for gold speculation that led to a crash in the market and several business deals that saw highranking governmental officials gain kickbacks) and Reconstruction winding down, his Republican Party lost seats to the opposition Democratic Party but retained an overall majority. Also, since white-supremacist governments controlled by the Democratic Party were reestablishing themselves in some portions of the Southern United States, the Democrats were able to make huge gains in this election.
The previous election included 5 Conservatives
In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform nationwide date for choosing Presidential electors. 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 1870, there remained 12 States that held elections before Election Day, and 4 that held it after at this time:
|- ! | William Smyth | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent died September 30, 1870.<br/>New member elected December 6, 1870.<br/>Republican hold.<br/>Winner was not elected to the next term. | nowrap | |- ! |- ! |- ! | Benjamin F. Hopkins | | Republican | 1866 | | Incumbent died January 1, 1870.<br/>New member elected February 15, 1870.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap | |- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | | Joseph W. Clift (R) had presented credentials as a Member-elect to the 41st United States Congress, but was not permitted to qualify.<br/>Republican gain.<br/>Winner was not a candidate for election to the next term. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | Logan Roots | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Anthony A. C. Rogers | | Democratic | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Thomas Boles | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Liberal Republican gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Samuel Beach Axtell | | Democratic | 1867 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Aaron A. Sargent | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | James A. Johnson | | Democratic | 1867 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | Julius L. Strong | | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Stephen Kellogg | | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Henry H. Starkweather | | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | William Barnum | | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | Charles M. Hamilton | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap |
Niblack subsequently successfully challenged Walls's election and was seated from Florida's at-large district on January 29, 1873.
Georgia was readmitted to representation by act of July 15, 1870.
|- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | | New member elected.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | | New member elected, but disallowed in favor of his opponent.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | New member elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | New member elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | New member elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | New member elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | colspan=3 | Vacant | New member elected. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
Missouri elected its members on November 8, 1870.
|- ! | Erastus Wells | | Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Gustavus Finkelnburg | | Radical Union | 1868 | | Incumbent re-elected as a Liberal Republican.<br/>Liberal Republican gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | James R. McCormick | | Democratic | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Sempronius H. Boyd | | Radical Union | 1868 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Radical Union hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | Samuel S. Burdett | | Radical Union | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Robert T. Van Horn | | Radical Union | 1864 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | Joel F. Asper | | Radical Union | 1868 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Radical Union hold. | nowrap |
|- ! | John F. Benjamin | | Radical Union | 1868 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Liberal Republican gain. | nowrap |
|- ! | David P. Dyer | | Radical Union | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election as a Liberal Republican.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | John Taffe | | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | Peter W. Strader | | Democratic | 1868 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Job E. Stevenson | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Robert C. Schenck | | Republican | 1862 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | William Lawrence | | Republican | 1864 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | William Mungen | | Democratic | 1866 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic hold. | nowrap | |- ! | John Armstrong Smith | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | James J. Winans | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent lost renomination.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap | |- ! | John Beatty | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Edward F. Dickinson | | Democratic | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Erasmus D. Peck | | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | John Thomas Wilson | | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Philadelph Van Trump | | Democratic | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | George W. Morgan | | Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Martin Welker | | Republican | 1864 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap | |- ! | Eliakim H. Moore | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap | |- ! | John Bingham | | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Jacob A. Ambler | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | William H. Upson | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | James A. Garfield | | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Roderick R. Butler | | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Horace Maynard | | Republican | 1865 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | William B. Stokes | | Republican | 1865 | |Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Lewis Tillman | | Republican | 1868 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | William F. Prosser | | Republican | 1868 | |Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Samuel M. Arnell | | Republican | 1865 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | |- ! | Isaac R. Hawkins | | Republican | 1865 | |Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | William J. Smith | | Republican | 1868 | |Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | Charles W. Willard | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Luke P. Poland | | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected | nowrap |
|- ! | Worthington C. Smith | | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap |
|- ! | Richard S. Ayer | | 1869 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Conservative gain. | nowrap | |- ! | James H. Platt Jr. | | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Charles H. Porter | | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | George Booker | | Conservative | 1869 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Richard T. W. Duke | | Conservative | 1870 <small>(special)</small> | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | William Milnes Jr. | | Conservative | 1869 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Lewis McKenzie | | Conservative | 1869 | | Incumbent lost re-election as a Republican.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | James K. Gibson | | Conservative | 1869 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | Isaac H. Duval | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent retired.<br>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | James McGrew | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | John Witcher | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br>Democratic gain. | nowrap |
Wisconsin elected six members of congress on Election Day, November 8, 1870.
|- ! | Halbert E. Paine | | Republican | 1864 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | David Atwood | | Republican | 1870 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap | |- ! | Amasa Cobb | | Republican | 1862 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap | |- ! | Charles A. Eldredge | | Democratic | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Philetus Sawyer | | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Cadwallader C. Washburn | | Republican | 1866 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap |
See Non-voting delegates, below.
|- ! | Richard C. McCormick | | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Allen A. Bradford | | Republican | 1868 | | Unknown if incumbent retired or lost renomination.<br/>Republican hold. | nowrap | |- ! | Solomon L. Spink | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election as a Democrat.<br/>Independent Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | colspan=3 | New district | | New seat.<br/>New delegate elected in 1871.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap | |- ! | Jacob K. Shafer | | Democratic | 1868 | | Incumbent lost renomination.<br/>Democratic hold. |nowrap | |- ! | James M. Cavanaugh | | Democratic | 1859<br/>1861 <br/>1868 | | Incumbent lost renomination.<br/>New delegate elected August 7, 1871.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap | |- ! | José F. Chaves | | Republican | 1868 | | Incumbent lost re-election.<br/>Democratic gain. | nowrap | |- ! | William H. Hooper | | Democratic | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. | nowrap | |- ! | Selucius Garfielde | | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected June 6, 1870. | nowrap | |- ! | Stephen F. Nuckolls | | Democratic | 1869 | | Incumbent retired.<br/>Republican gain. | nowrap |