The 1866–67 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between June 4, 1866, and September 6, 1867. They occurred during President Andrew Johnson's term just one year after the American Civil War ended when the Union defeated the Confederacy. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives. Members were elected before or after the first session of the 40th United States Congress convened on March 4, 1867, including the at-large seat from the new state of Nebraska. Ten secessionist states still had not yet been readmitted, and therefore were not seated.
June 4, 1866 – September 6, 1867 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
All 224 seats in the United States House of Representatives 113 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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House election results map. Red represents seats won by the Republicans and blue denotes those won by the Democrats. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1866 elections were a decisive event in the early Reconstruction era, in which President Johnson faced off against the Radical Republicans in a bitter dispute over whether Reconstruction should be lenient or harsh toward the vanquished white South.
Most of the congressmen from the former Confederate states were either prevented from leaving the state or were arrested on the way to the capital. A Congress consisting of mostly Radical Republicans sat early in the Capitol and aside from the delegation from Tennessee who were allowed in, the few Southern Congressmen who arrived were not seated.
Background
Johnson, a War Democrat, had been elected Vice President in the 1864 presidential election as the running mate of Abraham Lincoln, a Republican. (The Republicans had chosen not to re-nominate Hannibal Hamlin for a second term as vice president).
Lincoln and Johnson ran together under the banner of the National Union Party, which brought together Republicans (with the exception of some hard-line abolitionist Radical Republicans who backed John C. Frémont, who eventually dropped out of the race after brokering a deal with Lincoln) and the War Democrats (the minority of Democrats who backed Lincoln's prosecution of the war, as opposed to the Peace Democrats, or Copperheads, who favored a negotiated settlement with the Confederates).
After the assassination of Lincoln, Johnson became president. He immediately became embroiled in a dispute with the Radical Republicans over the conditions of Reconstruction; Johnson favored a lenient Reconstruction, while Radical Republicans wanted to continue the military occupation of the South and force Southern states to give freedmen (the newly freed slaves) civil rights (and the right to vote).
Campaign and results
Johnson stumped the country in a public speaking tour known as the Swing Around the Circle; he generally supported Democrats but his speeches were poorly received.
The Republicans won in a landslide, capturing enough seats to override Johnson's vetoes. Only the border states of Delaware, Maryland, and Kentucky voted for Democrats. Recently Reconstructed Tennessee sent a Republican delegation. The other 10 ex-Confederate states did not vote. As a percentage of the total number of seats available in the House of Representatives, the Republican majority attained in the election of 1866 has never been exceeded in any subsequent Congress. The Democratic Party was able to achieve similar success only in the political environment of the era of the Great Depression in the 1930s.
Election summaries
Seven secessionist states were readmitted during this Congress, filling 32 vacancies, but are not included in this table if they were not elected within 1866 through 1867.
| 44 | 4 | 147 |
| Democratic | Republican |
| State | Type | Date | Total seats | Democratic | Conservative | Republican | Others | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | ||||
| Oregon | At-large | June 4, 1866 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Vermont | Districts | Sep 4, 1866 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Maine | Districts | Sep 10, 1866 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||
| Indiana | Districts | Oct 9, 1866 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Iowa | Districts | Oct 9, 1866 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | ||||
| Nebraska | At-large | Oct 9, 1866 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||||
| Ohio | Districts | Oct 9, 1866 | 19 | 2 | 0 | 17 | 0 | ||||
| Pennsylvania | Districts | Oct 9, 1866 | 24 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 18 | 3 | 0 | ||
| West Virginia | Districts | Oct 25, 1866 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | ||
| Delaware | At-large | Nov 6, 1866 (Election Day) | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Illinois | District + 1 at-large | 14 | 3 | 0 | 11 | 0 | |||||
| Kansas | At-large | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| Maryland | Districts | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | |
| Massachusetts | Districts | 10 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |||||
| Michigan | Districts | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | |||||
| Minnesota | Districts | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |||||
| Missouri | Districts | 9 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 0 | |||||
| Nevada | At-large | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |||||
| New Jersey | Districts | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | |||
| New York | Districts | 31 | 10 | 1 | 0 | 21 | 1 | 0 | |||
| Wisconsin | Districts | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |||||
| Late elections (after the March 4, 1867 beginning of Congress) | |||||||||||
| New Hampshire | Districts | Mar 12, 1867 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | ||||
| Connecticut | Districts | Apr 1, 1867 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | ||
| Rhode Island | Districts | Apr 3, 1867 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||||
| Kentucky | Districts | May 4, 1867 | 9 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| Tennessee | Districts | Aug 3, 1867 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 8 | ||
| California | Districts | Sep 6, 1867 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Secessionist states not yet readmitted | |||||||||||
| Alabama | Districts | — | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Arkansas | Districts | — | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Florida | At-large | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Georgia | Districts | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Louisiana | Districts | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Mississippi | Districts | — | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| North Carolina | Districts | — | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| South Carolina | Districts | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Texas | Districts | — | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Virginia | Districts | — | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Total | 193 | 44 22.8% | 4 | 1 0.5% | 1 | 147 76.2% | 12 | 0 0.0% | 18 | ||
The party affiliations of the 4 Representatives elected in Texas's rejected elections are unknown.
Special elections
39th Congress
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Kentucky 5 | Lovell Rousseau | Unconditional Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent resigned July 21, 1866 following his assault of Josiah Grinnell. Incumbent re-elected September 15, 1866. Unconditional Unionist hold. |
|
| Kentucky 6 | Green C. Smith | Unconditional Unionist | 1861 | Incumbent resigned July 13, 1866 to become Governor of Montana Territory. New member elected September 15, 1866. Democratic gain. |
|
| Kentucky 3 | Henry Grider | Democratic | 1861 | Incumbent died September 7, 1866. New member elected October 6, 1866. Democratic hold. |
|
| New York 3 | James Humphrey | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent died June 16, 1866. New member elected November 6, 1866. Democratic gain. |
|
40th Congress
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Kentucky 3 | Elijah Hise | Democratic | 1866 (special) | Incumbent died May 6, 1867. New member elected August 5, 1867. Democratic hold. |
|
| Ohio 2 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent resigned July 20, 1867 to run for Governor of Ohio. New member elected October 8, 1867. Independent Republican gain. |
|
| Pennsylvania 12 | Charles Denison | Democratic | 1862 | Incumbent died June 27, 1867. New member elected October 8, 1867. Democratic hold. |
|
| Missouri 3 | Thomas E. Noell | Democratic | 1864 | Incumbent died October 3, 1867. New member elected November 5, 1867. Democratic hold. |
|
| New York 21 | Roscoe Conkling | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent resigned March 3, 1867 when elected U.S. senator. New member elected November 5, 1867. Republican hold. |
|
California
September 6, 1867 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
3 seats | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||
Democratic gain Republican hold | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| California 1 | Donald C. McRuer | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
|
| California 2 | William Higby | Republican | 1863 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| California 3 | John Bidwell | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
|
Colorado Territory
See non-voting delegates, below.
Connecticut
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Connecticut 1 | Henry C. Deming | Republican | 1863 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
|
| Connecticut 2 | Samuel L. Warner | Republican | 1861 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
|
| Connecticut 3 | Augustus Brandegee | Republican | 1863 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
|
| Connecticut 4 | John Henry Hubbard | Republican | 1863 | Incumbent lost renomination. Democratic gain. |
|
Dakota Territory
See non-voting delegates, below.
Delaware
Idaho Territory
See non-voting delegates, below.
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Massachusetts 1 | Thomas D. Eliot | Republican | 1858 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts 2 | Oakes Ames | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts 3 | Alexander H. Rice | Republican | 1858 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
|
| Massachusetts 4 | Samuel Hooper | Republican | 1861 (special) | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts 5 | John B. Alley | Republican | 1858 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
|
| Massachusetts 6 | Nathaniel P. Banks | Republican | 1865 (special) | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts 7 | George S. Boutwell | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts 8 | John D. Baldwin | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts 9 | William B. Washburn | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Massachusetts 10 | Henry L. Dawes | Republican | 1856 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Missouri elected its members on November 6, 1866.
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Missouri 1 | John Hogan | Democratic | 1864 | Incumbent lost re-election as a Conservative Unionist. Radical Union gain. |
|
| Missouri 2 | Henry T. Blow | Radical Union | 1862 | Incumbent retired. Radical Union hold. |
|
| Missouri 3 | Thomas E. Noell | Radical Union | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected as a Conservative Unionist. Conservative Union gain. |
|
| Missouri 4 | John R. Kelso | Independent Union | 1864 | Incumbent retired. Radical Union gain. |
|
| Missouri 5 | Joseph W. McClurg | Radical Union | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Missouri 6 | Robert T. Van Horn | Radical Union | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Missouri 7 | Benjamin F. Loan | Radical Union | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected |
|
| Missouri 8 | John F. Benjamin | Radical Union | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Missouri 9 | George W. Anderson | Radical Union | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Montana Territory
See non-voting delegates, below.
Nebraska
There were two elections in the new state of Nebraska in 1866: on June 6 for the remainder of the current term, and October 9 for the next term.
39th Congress
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Nebraska at-large | New state | New seat. Republican gain. New member seated March 2, 1867. |
| ||
40th Congress
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Nebraska at-large | Turner M. Marquett | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
|
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico Territory
See non-voting delegates, below.
New York
Ohio
Democrats gained one seat this election in Ohio. It was later contested and awarded to the Republican for a net gain of zero.
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Ohio 1 | Benjamin Eggleston | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 2 | Rutherford B. Hayes | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 3 | Robert C. Schenck | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 4 | William Lawrence | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 5 | Francis C. Le Blond | Democratic | 1862 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
|
| Ohio 6 | Reader W. Clarke | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 7 | Samuel Shellabarger | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 8 | James Randolph Hubbell | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
|
| Ohio 9 | Ralph P. Buckland | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 10 | James M. Ashley | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 11 | Hezekiah S. Bundy | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
|
| Ohio 12 | William E. Finck | Democratic | 1862 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
|
| Ohio 13 | Columbus Delano | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent lost re-election Democratic gain. |
|
| Ohio 14 | Martin Welker | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 15 | Tobias A. Plants | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 16 | John Bingham | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 17 | Ephraim R. Eckley | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 18 | Rufus P. Spalding | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Ohio 19 | James A. Garfield | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Elections held late, on August 1, 1867.
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Tennessee 1 | Nathaniel G. Taylor | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee 2 | Horace Maynard | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee 3 | William B. Stokes | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee 4 | Edmund Cooper | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent lost re-election as a Conservative. Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee 5 | William B. Campbell | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee 6 | Samuel M. Arnell | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee 7 | Isaac R. Hawkins | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. Republican gain. |
|
| Tennessee 8 | John W. Leftwich | Unionist | 1865 | Incumbent lost re-election as a Conservative. Republican gain. |
|
Utah Territory
See non-voting delegates, below.
Vermont
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Vermont 1 | Frederick E. Woodbridge | Republican | 1863 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Vermont 2 | Justin S. Morrill | Republican | 1854 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
Others
|
| Vermont 3 | Portus Baxter | Republican | 1860 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican hold. | First ballot
|
Washington Territory
See non-voting delegates, below.
West Virginia
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| West Virginia 1 | Chester D. Hubbard | Unconditional Unionist | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. Republican gain. |
|
| West Virginia 2 | George R. Latham | Unconditional Unionist | 1864 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
|
| West Virginia 3 | Kellian Whaley | Unconditional Unionist | 1863 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
|
Wisconsin
Wisconsin elected six members of congress on Election Day, November 4, 1866.
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Wisconsin 1 | Halbert E. Paine | National Union | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
|
| Wisconsin 2 | Ithamar Sloan | National Union | 1862 | Incumbent lost renomination. Republican hold. |
|
| Wisconsin 3 | Amasa Cobb | National Union | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
|
| Wisconsin 4 | Charles A. Eldredge | Democratic | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Wisconsin 5 | Philetus Sawyer | National Union | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected as a Republican. |
|
| Wisconsin 6 | Walter D. McIndoe | National Union | 1862 (special) | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
|
Non-voting delegates
| District | Incumbent | This race | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delegate | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
| Colorado Territory at-large | |||||
| Dakota Territory at-large | |||||
| Idaho Territory at-large | Edward D. Holbrook | Democratic | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
|
| Montana Territory at-large | Samuel McLean | Democratic | 1864 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
|
| New Mexico Territory at-large | |||||
| Utah Territory at-large | |||||
| Washington Territory at-large | |||||
See also
- 1866 United States elections
- 1866–67 United States Senate elections
- 39th United States Congress
- 40th United States Congress
Bibliography
- Beale, Howard K. (1930). The Critical Year.
- 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.
- ▌McPherson, Edward (1875). The Political History of the United States of America During the Period of Reconstruction. Solomons & Chapman.
mcpherson period of reconstruction.
, large collection of speeches and primary documents, 1865–1870, complete text online (the copyright has expired) - Moore, John L., ed. (1994). Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections (Third ed.). Congressional Quarterly Inc. ISBN 978-0871879967.
- Parrish, William E. (1971). A History of Missouri, Volume 3: 1860 to 1875. Columbia: University of Missouri Press. ISBN 978-0-8262-0108-9.
- Riddleberger, Patrick W. (1979). 1866, the critical year revisited.
- Trefousse, Hans L. (1989). Andrew Johnson: A Biography.
- "Party Divisions of the House of Representatives* 1789–Present". Office of the Historian, House of United States House of Representatives. Retrieved January 21, 2015.
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