The 1872–73 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between June 4, 1872, and April 7, 1873. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before the first session of the 43rd United States Congress convened on December 1, 1873. They coincided with the re-election of United States President Ulysses S. Grant. The congressional reapportionment based on the 1870 United States census increased the number of House seats to 292.
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All 292 seats in the United States House of Representatives 147 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Results: Democratic hold Democratic gain Republican hold Republican gain Conservative hold Conservative gain Liberal Republican gain Independent Gain | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Grant's Republican Party increased its majority greatly, partly at the expense of the opposition Democratic Party and partly by adding 49 new seats to the House. 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 victory in the American Civil War, 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.
This would prove the last time until 1966 that a Republican won a House seat in Arkansas.[3]
89 | 203 |
Democratic | Republican |
State | Type | Total seats | Democratic | Republican | |||
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Seats | Change | Seats | Change | Seats | Change | ||
Alabama | District + 2 at-large |
8 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6[d] | 3 |
Arkansas | District + at-large |
4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4[d] | 2 |
California | District | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
Connecticut[e] | District | 4 | 1 | 3 | |||
Delaware | At-large | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Florida | At-large | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
Georgia | District | 9 | 2 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Illinois | District | 19 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 14 | 6 |
Indiana[f] | District + 3 at-large |
13 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 4 |
Iowa | District | 9 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3 | |
Kansas | At-large | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |
Kentucky | District | 10 | 1 | 10 | 1 | 0 | |
Louisiana | District + 1 at-large |
6 | 1 | 0 | 6[d] | 1 | |
Maine[f] | District | 5 | 0 | 5 | |||
Maryland | District | 6 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Massachusetts | District | 11 | 1 | 0 | 11 | 1 | |
Michigan | District | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 4 |
Minnesota | District | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 | |
Mississippi | District | 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | |
Missouri | District | 13 | 4 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 1 |
Nebraska[f] | At-large | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||
Nevada | At-large | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
New Hampshire[e] | District | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
New Jersey | District | 7 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3 |
New York | District + 1 at-large |
33 | 2 | 9 | 7 | 24 | 9 |
North Carolina[f] | District | 8 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 1 | |
Ohio[f] | District | 20 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 14[d] | |
Oregon[f] | At-large | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
Pennsylvania[f] | District + 3 at-large |
27 | 3 | 5 | 6 | 22 | 9 |
Rhode Island | District | 2 | 0 | 2 | |||
South Carolina | District + 1 at-large |
5 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 1 | |
Tennessee | District + 1 at-large |
10 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
Texas | District + 2 at-large |
6 | 2 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 |
Vermont[f] | District | 3 | 0 | 3 | |||
Virginia | District | 9 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 1 | |
West Virginia[f] | District | 3 | 2[c] | 1 | |||
Wisconsin | District | 8 | 2 | 2 | 6 | 2 | |
Total | 292 | 49 | 89[c] 30.5% |
13 | 203[g] 69.5% |
62 30.5% |
Election dates
In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform nationwide date for choosing Presidential electors.[4] 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
Special elections
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District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[5] | |
Connecticut 1 | Julius L. Strong | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent died September 7, 1872. New member elected November 5, 1872. Republican hold. |
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- Georgia 8: 1873
- Louisiana 4: 1872
- Louisiana 4: 1873
- Massachusetts 3: 1873
- Oregon at-large: 1873
- Pennsylvania 13: 1872
Alabama
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[6] | |
Alabama 1 | Benjamin S. Turner | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent lost re-election. Liberal Republican gain. |
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Alabama 2 | Charles W. Buckley | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Alabama 3 | William Anderson Handley | Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
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Alabama 4 | Charles Hays | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Alabama 5 | Peter M. Dox | Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Alabama 6 | Joseph Humphrey Sloss | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Alabama at-large 2 seats on a general ticket |
None (New seat) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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None (New seat) | New seat. Republican gain. |
Arkansas
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[6] | |
Arkansas 1 | James M. Hanks | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
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Arkansas 2 | Oliver P. Snyder | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Arkansas 3 | Thomas Boles[h] | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Arkansas at-large | None | Vacant since 32nd Congress (Civil War and Reconstruction) Liberal Republican gain. |
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California
A new seat was added, following the 1870 U.S. census, bringing the delegation up from three to four Representatives.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
California 1 | None (new district) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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California 2 | Aaron A. Sargent | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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California 3 | John M. Coghlan | Republican | 1871 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
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California 4 | Sherman O. Houghton Redistricted from the 1st district |
Republican | 1871 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Connecticut
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[14] | |
Connecticut 1 | Joseph R. Hawley | Republican | 1872 (special) | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Connecticut 2 | Stephen Kellogg | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Connecticut 3 | Henry H. Starkweather | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Connecticut 4 | William Barnum | Democratic | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Delaware
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County results Lofland: 50–60% Wright: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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The election was held November 5, 1872.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[15] | |
Delaware at-large | Benjamin T. Biggs | Democratic | [[1868 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware|1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain.]] |
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Florida
Florida gained a second seat after the 1870 census, but delayed districting until 1874, electing both Representatives at-large for this election.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Florida at-large 2 seats on a general ticket |
Josiah T. Walls | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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None (New seat) | New seat. Republican gain. |
Georgia
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Illinois
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Indiana
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Iowa
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Kansas
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Kentucky
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Louisiana
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In the newly formed at-large district, George A. Sheridan (Liberal Republican) beat P. B. S. Pinchback (Republican), the first black Governor of Louisiana.[16] Pinchback challenged the election and it was settled in February 1875, in Sheridan's favor, only one month before the end of the Congress.
Maine
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Maryland
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Massachusetts
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Michigan
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Minnesota
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Mississippi
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Mississippi 1 | George E. Harris | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Mississippi 2 | Joseph L. Morphis | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent lost renomination. Republican hold. |
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Mississippi 3 | Henry W. Barry | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Mississippi 4 | None (new district) | New district. Republican gain. |
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Mississippi 5 | Legrand W. Perce | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent retired. Republican loss. |
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George C. McKee Redistricted from the 4th district. |
Republican | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. | ||
Mississippi 6 | None (new district) | New district. Republican gain. |
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Missouri
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Nebraska
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[23] | |
Nebraska at-large | John Taffe | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Nevada
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New Hampshire
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New Jersey
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New York
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North Carolina
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Ohio
After redistricting and eleven retirements, only four of the nineteen incumbents were re-elected.
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Representative | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[24] | |
Ohio 1 | Ozro J. Dodds | Democratic | 1872 (special) | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Ohio 2 | Job E. Stevenson | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Liberal Republican gain. |
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Ohio 3 | Lewis D. Campbell | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
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Ohio 4 | John F. McKinney | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
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Ohio 5 | Charles N. Lamison | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Ohio 6 | John Armstrong Smith | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Ohio 7 | Samuel Shellabarger | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Republican loss. |
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John Thomas Wilson Redistricted from the 11th district |
Republican | 1866 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. | ||
Ohio 8 | John Beatty | Republican | 1868 (special) | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Ohio 9 | George W. Morgan Redistricted from the 13th district |
Democratic | 1868 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
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Ohio 10 | Charles Foster Redistricted from the 9th district |
Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Erasmus D. Peck | Republican | 1870 (special) | Incumbent retired. Republican loss. | ||
Ohio 11 | None (new district) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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Ohio 12 | Philadelph Van Trump | Democratic | 1866 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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Ohio 13 | None (new district) | New seat. Democratic gain. |
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Ohio 14 | James Monroe | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Ohio 15 | William P. Sprague | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Ohio 16 | John Bingham | Republican | 1864 | Incumbent lost re-nomination. Republican hold. |
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Ohio 17 | Jacob A. Ambler | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Ohio 18 | William H. Upson | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Ohio 19 | James A. Garfield | Republican | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Ohio 20 | None (new district) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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Oregon
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Pennsylvania
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Rhode Island
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South Carolina
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Tennessee
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Tennessee at-large | Horace Maynard Redistricted from the 2nd district |
Republican | 1865 | New district. Republican gain. |
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Tennessee 1 | Roderick R. Butler | Republican | 1867 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Tennessee 2 | Abraham E. Garrett Redistricted from the 3rd district |
Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent lost re-election as an Independent. Republican gain. |
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Tennessee 3 | None (new district) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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Tennessee 4 | John M. Bright | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Tennessee 5 | Edward I. Golladay | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. |
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Tennessee 6 | Washington C. Whitthorne | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Tennessee 7 | Robert P. Caldwell | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent lost renomination. Democratic hold. |
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Tennessee 8 | William W. Vaughan | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Republican gain. |
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Tennessee 9 | None (new district) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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Texas
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Vermont
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[35] | |
Vermont 1 | Charles W. Willard | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Vermont 2 | Luke P. Poland | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent re-elected |
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Vermont 3 | Worthington C. Smith | Republican | 1866 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Virginia
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates[36] | |
Virginia 1 | John Critcher | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic loss. |
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Elliott M. Braxton Redistricted from the 7th district |
Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent lost re-election. Republican gain. | ||
Virginia 2 | James H. Platt Jr. | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Virginia 3 | Charles H. Porter | Republican | 1869 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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Virginia 4 | William H. H. Stowell | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Virginia 5 | Richard T. W. Duke | Conservative | 1870 (special) | Incumbent retired. Democratic gain. |
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Virginia 6 | None (new district) | New seat. Democratic gain. |
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Virginia 7 | John T. Harris Redistricted from the 6th district |
Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Virginia 8 | None (new district) | New seat. Democratic gain. |
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Virginia 9 | William Terry Redistricted from the 8th district |
Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent retired. Democratic hold. |
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West Virginia
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
West Virginia 1 | John J. Davis | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected as an Independent Democrat. Independent Democratic gain. |
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West Virginia 2 | James McGrew | Republican | 1868 | Incumbent retired. Republican hold. |
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West Virginia 3 | Frank Hereford | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin
Wisconsin elected eight members of congress on Election Day, November 5, 1872. Two seats were newly added in reapportionment after the 1870 census.[40][41]
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Member | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Wisconsin 1 | None (new district) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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Wisconsin 2 | Gerry Whiting Hazelton | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 3 | J. Allen Barber | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 4 | Alexander Mitchell Redistricted from the 1st district |
Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 5 | Charles A. Eldredge Redistricted from the 4th district |
Democratic | 1862 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 6 | Philetus Sawyer Redistricted from the 5th district |
Republican | 1864 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 7 | Jeremiah M. Rusk Redistricted from the 6th district |
Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Wisconsin 8 | None (new district) | New seat. Republican gain. |
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Non-voting delegates
District | Incumbent | This race | |||
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Delegate | Party | First elected | Results | Candidates | |
Colorado Territory at-large | Jerome B. Chaffee | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent re-elected. |
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Dakota Territory at-large | Moses K. Armstrong | Independent Democratic |
1870 | Incumbent re-elected as a Democrat. Democratic gain. |
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Idaho Territory at-large | Samuel A. Merritt | Democratic | 1870 | Incumbent lost renomination. Democratic hold. |
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Montana Territory at-large | William H. Clagett | Republican | 1871 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
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Wyoming Territory at-large | William T. Jones | Republican | 1870 | Incumbent lost re-election. Democratic gain. |
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See also
Notes
- Includes 1 Independent Republican.
- Includes 1 Independent Democrat, John J. Davis, elected to WV-01.
- Includes 1 Liberal Republican.
- Includes 4 Liberal Republicans.
- Thomas Boles lost election in 1870 to John Edwards, contested the election and was seated February 1872.
- Represented the Brindle Tail Republican faction in Arkansas
- Represented the Minstrel Republican faction in Arkansas
References
Bibliography
External links
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