Party divisions of United States Congresses

Party divisions of United States Congresses have played a central role on the organization and operations of both chambers of the United States Congress—the Senate and the House of Representatives—since its establishment as the bicameral legislature of the Federal government of the United States in 1789. Political parties had not been anticipated when the U.S. Constitution was drafted in 1787, nor did they exist at the time the first Senate elections and House elections occurred in 1788 and 1789. Organized political parties developed in the U.S. in the 1790s, but political factions—from which organized parties evolved—began to appear almost immediately after the 1st Congress convened. Those who supported the Washington administration were referred to as "pro-administration" and would eventually form the Federalist Party, while those in opposition joined the emerging Democratic-Republican Party.^[1]

Control of the Congress from 1855 to 2025

Popular vote and house seats won by party

Party divisions by Congress

The following table lists the party divisions for each United States Congress. Note that numbers in boldface denote the majority party at that particular time while italicized numbers signify a Congress in which the majority party changed intra-term.

Congress	Years	Senate						House of Representatives					President	Trifecta
		Total	Anti- Admin[2]	Pro- Admin[3]	Others	Vacancies		Total	Anti- Admin	Pro- Admin	Others	Vacancies
1st	1789–1791	26	8	18	—	—		65	28	37	—	—	George Washington	Yes[4]
2nd	1791–1793	30	13	16	—	1		69	30	39	—	—		Yes[4]
3rd	1793–1795	30	14	16	—	—		105	54	51	—	—		No
Congress	Years	Total	Democratic- Republicans	Federalists	Others	Vacancies		Total	Democratic- Republicans	Federalists	Others	Vacancies	President	Trifecta
4th	1795–1797	32	11	21	—	—		106	59	47	—	—	George Washington[5]	No
5th	1797–1799	32	10	22	—	—		106	49	57	—	—	John Adams	Yes
6th	1799–1801	32	10	22	—	—		106	46	60	—	—		Yes
7th	1801–1803	34[6]	17	15	—	2		107	68	38	—	1	Thomas Jefferson	No*/Yes[6]
8th	1803–1805	34	25	9	—	—		142	103	39	—	—		Yes
9th	1805–1807	34	27	7	—	—		142	114	28	—	—		Yes
10th	1807–1809	34	28	6	—	—		142	116	26	—	—		Yes
11th	1809–1811	34	27	7	—	—		142	92	50	—	—	James Madison	Yes
12th	1811–1813	36	30	6	—	—		143	107	36	—	—		Yes
13th	1813–1815	36	28	8	—	—		182	114	68	—	—		Yes
14th	1815–1817	38	26	12	—	—		183	119	64	—	—		Yes
15th	1817–1819	42	30	12	—	—		185	146	39	—	—	James Monroe	Yes
16th	1819–1821	46	37	9	—	—		186	160	26	—	—		Yes
17th	1821–1823	48	44	4	—	—		187	155	32	—	—		Yes
18th	1823–1825	48	43	5	—	—		213	189	24	—	—		Yes
Congress	Years	Total	Jacksonian[7]	Anti-Jackson[7]	Others	Vacancies		Total	Jacksonian[7]	Anti-Jackson[7]	Others	Vacancies	President	Trifecta
19th	1825–1827	48	26	22	—	—		213	104	109	—	—	John Quincy Adams[8]	No
20th	1827–1829	48	27	21	—	—		213	113	100	—	—		No
21st	1829–1831	48	25	23	—	—		213	136	72	5	—	Andrew Jackson	Yes
22nd	1831–1833	48[9]	24	22	2	—		213	126	66	21	—		Yes[10]
23rd	1833–1835	48	20	26	2	—		240	143	63	34	—		No
24th	1835–1837	52 [11]	26	24	2	—		242	143	75	24	—		No/Yes[12]
Congress	Years	Total	Democrats	Whigs	Others	Vacancies		Total	Democrats	Whigs	Others	Vacancies	President	Trifecta
25th	1837–1839	52	35	17	—	—		242	128	100	14	—	Martin Van Buren	Yes
26th	1839–1841	52	30	22	—	—		242	125	109	8	—		Yes
27th	1841–1843	52	22	29	—	1		242	98	142	2	—	John Tyler[13]	Yes/No[14]
28th	1843–1845	52	23	29	—	—		223	147	72	4	—		No
29th	1845–1847	58	34	22	—	2		228	142	79	7	—	James K. Polk	Yes
30th	1847–1849	60	38	21	1	—		230[15]	110	116	4	—		No
31st	1849–1851	62	35	25	2	—		233 [16]	113	108	11	1	Zachary Taylor[17]	No
32nd	1851–1853	62	36	23	3	—		233	127	85	21	—	Millard Fillmore	No
33rd	1853–1855	62	38	22	2	—		234	157	71	6	—	Franklin Pierce	Yes
Congress	Years	Total	Democrats	Opposition[18]	Others	Vacancies		Total	Democrats	Opposition	Others	Vacancies	President	Trifecta
34th	1855–1857	62	39	21	2	—		234	83	100	51	—	Franklin Pierce	No
Congress	Years	Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Vacancies		Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Vacancies	President	Trifecta
35th	1857–1859	64	39	20	5	—		237	131	94	13	—	James Buchanan	Yes
36th	1859–1861	66	38	26	2	—		237 [19]	101	113	23	—		No
37th	1861–1863	50	11	31	7	1		178	42	106	28	2	Abraham Lincoln[20]	Yes
38th	1863–1865	51	12	29	—	—		183 [21]	80	103	—	—		Yes [22]
39th	1865–1867	52	10	42	—	—		191	46	145	—	—	Andrew Johnson[23]	Yes/No[24]
40th	1867–1869	53	11	42	—	—		193	49	143	—	1		No
41st	1869–1871	74	11	61	—	2		243	73	170	—	—	Ulysses S. Grant	Yes
42nd	1871–1873	74	17	57	—	—		243	104	136	3	—		Yes
43rd	1873–1875	74	19	54	—	1		293	88	203	—	2		Yes
44th	1875–1877	76	29	46	—	1		293	181	107	3	2		No
45th	1877–1879	76[25]	36	39	1	—		293	156	137	—	—	Rutherford B. Hayes	No
46th	1879–1881	76	43	33	—	—		293[26]	150	128	14	1		No
47th	1881–1883	76[27]	37	37	2	—		293[28]	130	152	11	—	Chester A. Arthur[29]	No
48th	1883–1885	76[30]	36	40	—	—		325	200	119	6	—		No
49th	1885–1887	76[31]	34	41	—	1		325	182	140	2	1	Grover Cleveland	No
50th	1887–1889	76[31]	37	39	—	—		325	170	151	4	—		No
51st	1889–1891	84	37	47	—	—		330	156	173	1	—	Benjamin Harrison	Yes
52nd	1891–1893	88	39	47	2	—		333	231	88	14	—		No
53rd	1893–1895	88 [32]	44	38	3	3		356	220	126	10	—	Grover Cleveland	Yes [33]
54th	1895–1897	88 [34]	39	44	5	—		357	104	246	7	—		No
55th	1897–1899	90[34]	34	46	10	—		357	134	206	16	1	William McKinley[35]	Yes[36]
56th	1899–1901	90	26	53	11	—		357	163	185	9	—		Yes
57th	1901–1903	90	29	56	3	2		357	153	198	5	1	Theodore Roosevelt	Yes
58th	1903–1905	90	32	58	—	—	386	178	207	—	1	Yes
59th	1905–1907	90	32	58	—	—	386	136	250	—	—	Yes
60th	1907–1909	92	29	61	—	2	386	164	222	—	—	Yes
61st	1909–1911	92	32	59	—	1	391	172	219	—	—	William H. Taft	Yes
62nd	1911–1913	92	42	49	—	1	391	228	162	1	—		No
63rd	1913–1915	96	51	44	1	—	435	290	127	18	—	Woodrow Wilson	Yes
64th	1915–1917	96	56	39	1	—	435	231	193	8	3		Yes
65th	1917–1919	96	53	42	1	—	435	210	216	9[37]	—		Yes[38]
66th	1919–1921	96	47	49	—	—	435	191	237	7	—		No
67th	1921–1923	96	37	59	—	—	435	132	300	1	2	Warren G. Harding[39]	Yes
68th	1923–1925	96	43	51	2	—	435	207	225	3	—	Calvin Coolidge	Yes
69th	1925–1927	96	40	54	1	1	435	183	247	5	—		Yes
70th	1927–1929	96[40]	47	48	1	—	435	195	237	3	—		Yes[41]
71st	1929–1931	96	39	56	1	—	435	163	267	1	4	Herbert Hoover	Yes
72nd	1931–1933	96[42]	47	48	1	—	435[43]	217	217	1	—		No
73rd	1933–1935	96	59	36	1	—	435	313	117	5	—	Franklin D. Roosevelt[44]	Yes
74th	1935–1937	96	69	25	2	—	435	322	103	10	—		Yes
75th	1937–1939	96	76	16	4	—	435	333	89	13	—		Yes
76th	1939–1941	96	69	23	4	—	435	261	169	5	—		Yes
77th	1941–1943	96	66	28	2	—	435	268	162	5	—		Yes
78th	1943–1945	96	57	38	1	—	435	222	209	4	—		Yes
79th	1945–1947	96	57	38	1	—	435	243	190	2	—	Harry S. Truman	Yes
80th	1947–1949	96	45	51	—	—	435	188	246	1	—		No
81st	1949–1951	96	54	42	—	—	435	262	171	2	—		Yes
82nd	1951–1953	96	48	47	1	—	435	235	199	1	—		Yes
83rd	1953–1955	96[45]	47	48	1	—	435	213	221	1	—	Dwight D. Eisenhower	Yes[46][47]
84th	1955–1957	96 [48]	48	47	1	—	435	232	203	—	—		No
85th	1957–1959	96	49	47	—	—	435	234	201	—	—		No
86th	1959–1961	98	64	34	—	—	437	284	153	—	—		No
87th	1961–1963	100	64	36	—	—	437	262	175	—	—	John F. Kennedy[49]	Yes[50]
88th	1963–1965	100	67	33	—	—	435	258	176	—	1	Lyndon B. Johnson	Yes
89th	1965–1967	100	68	32	—	—	435	295	140	—	—		Yes
90th	1967–1969	100	64	36	—	—	435	247	187	—	1		Yes
91st	1969–1971	100	58	42	—	—	435	243	192	—	—	Richard Nixon[51]	No[52]
92nd	1971–1973	100	54	44	2	—	435	255	180	—	—		No
93rd	1973–1975	100	56	42	2	—	435	243	192	—	—	Gerald Ford	No
94th	1975–1977	100	61	37	2	—	435	291	144	—	—		No
95th	1977–1979	100	61	38	1	—	435	292	143	—	—	Jimmy Carter	Yes[50]
96th	1979–1981	100	58	41	1	—	435	277	157	1[53]	—		Yes
97th	1981–1983	100	46	53	1	—	435	242	192	1[53]	—	Ronald Reagan	No
98th	1983–1985	100	46/45	54/55	—	—	435	269	165	1[53]	—		No
99th	1985–1987	100	47	53	—	—	435	253	181	1[54]	—		No
100th	1987–1989	100	55	45	—	—	435	258	177	—	—		No
101st	1989–1991	100	55	45	—	—	435	260	175	—	—	George H. W. Bush	No
102nd	1991–1993	100	56	44	—	—	435	267	167	1[55]	—		No
103rd	1993–1995	100	57	43	—	—	435	258	176	1[55]	—	Bill Clinton	Yes[50]
104th	1995–1997	100	47	53	—	—	435	204	230	1[55]	—		No
105th	1997–1999	100	45	55	—	—	435	206	227	2[56]	—		No
106th	1999–2001	100	45	55	—	—	435	211	223	1[55]	—		No
107th	2001–2003	100	50[57]	50/49[58]	0/1[59]	—	435	212	221	2[60]	—	George W. Bush	Yes/No[61]
108th	2003–2005	100	48	51	1[59]	—	435	205	229	1[55]	—		Yes
109th	2005–2007	100	44	55	1[59]	—	435	202	232	1[55]	—		Yes
110th	2007–2009	100	49	49	2[62]	—	435	233	202	—	—		No
111th	2009–2011	100	56–58[63]	40–42[64]	2[62]	—	435	257	178	—	—	Barack Obama	Yes[50]
112th	2011–2013	100	51	47	2[62]	—	435	193	242	—	—		No
113th	2013–2015	100	53	45	2[65]	—	435	201	234	—	—		No
114th	2015–2017	100	44	54	2[65]	—	435	188	247	—	—		No
115th	2017–2019	100	46/47	50–52	2[65]	—	435	194	241	—	—	Donald Trump	Yes[46]
116th	2019–2021	100	45/46	53/52	2[65]	—	435	235	200	—	—		No
117th	2021–2023	100	46–48[66]	51/50[67]	2/3[68]	—	435	222	213	—	—	Joe Biden	Yes[69]
118th	2023–2025	100	47/48	49	3/4[70]	—	435	212/213	222/220	—	2/1[71][72]		No
119th	2025–2027	100	45	53/52	2[65]	1[73]	435	215	219	—	1[72]	Donald Trump	Yes[46]
Congress	Years	Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Vacancies	Total	Democrats	Republicans	Others	Vacancies	President	Trifecta
		Senate					House of Representatives

Partisan control of Congress

This table shows the number of Congresses in which a party controlled either the House, the Senate, or the presidency.

Party	Senate	House	Presidency	Trifecta
Democratic	51	59	45	30
Republican	43	36	46	22[74]
Democratic- Republican	12	13	14	12
Federalist	3	2	2	2
Pro- Administration	3	2	0	2
Whig	2	2	2	0[75]
National Republican	1	1	0	0
Anti- Administration	0	1	0	0
Opposition	0	1	0	0
National Union	0	0	2	0
Split control	2[76]	0	1[77]	49
Independent	0	0	5	-

See also

• Divided government in the United States
• Political party strength in U.S. states