The 1870–71 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.

Quick Facts All 243 seats in the United States House of Representatives 122 seats needed for a majority, Majority party ...

1870–71 United States House of Representatives elections

← 1868 & 1869 June 6, 1870 – October 6, 1871[lower-alpha 1] 1872 & 1873 →
All 243 seats in the United States House of Representatives 122 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader James G. Blaine Fernando Wood Party Republican Democratic Leader's seat Maine 3rd New York 9th Last election 171 seats 61 seats Seats won 136 94[lower-alpha 2] Seat change 35 33 Popular vote 2,719,276 2,441,956 Percentage 49.59% 44.53% Swing 2.22% 0.40%   Third party Fourth party   Party Conservative Liberal Republican Last election 6 seats New Party Seats won 10 2 Seat change 4 2 Popular vote 160,295 55,551 Percentage 2.92% 1.01% Swing 0.27% Pre-creation   Fifth party   Party Independent Last election 0 seats Seats won 1[lower-alpha 3] Seat change 1 Popular vote 98,591 Percentage 1.80% Swing 0.81%
Map of U.S. House elections results from 1870 elections for 42nd Congress
Speaker before election James G. Blaine Republican Elected Speaker James G. Blaine Republican

Close

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 high-ranking 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 South, the Democrats were able to make huge gains in this election.

More information State, Type ...

State	Type	Total seats	Democratic		Republican
			Seats	Change	Seats	Change
Mississippi[lower-alpha 4][lower-alpha 5]	District	5	0		5
Alabama	District	6	3	1	3	1
Arkansas	District	3	1		2
California[lower-alpha 6]	District	3	0	2	3	2
Connecticut[lower-alpha 6]	District	4	1		3
Delaware	At-large	1	1		0
Florida	At-large	1	1	1	0	1
Georgia	District	7	4		3
Illinois	District + 1 at-large	14	6	2	8	2
Indiana[lower-alpha 4]	District	11	5	1	6	1
Iowa[lower-alpha 4]	District	6	0		6
Kansas	At-large	1	0		1
Kentucky	District	9	9		0
Louisiana	District	5	0		5
Maine[lower-alpha 4]	District	5	0		5
Maryland	District	5	5		0
Massachusetts	District	10	0		10
Michigan	District	6	1	1	5	1
Minnesota	District	2	0	1	2	1
Missouri	District	9	4	2	5[lower-alpha 7]	2
Nebraska[lower-alpha 4]	At-large	1	0		1
Nevada	At-large	1	1	1	0	1
New Hampshire[lower-alpha 6]	District	3	3	3	0	3
New Jersey	District	5	2	1	3	1
New York	District	31	16	3	15	3
North Carolina[lower-alpha 4]	District	7	5	4	2	4
Ohio[lower-alpha 4]	District	19	5	1	14	1
Oregon[lower-alpha 4]	At-large	1	1		0
Pennsylvania[lower-alpha 4]	District	24	11	3	13[lower-alpha 8]	3
Rhode Island	District	2	0		2
South Carolina[lower-alpha 4]	District	4	0		4
Tennessee	District	8	6	6	2	6
Texas[lower-alpha 6]	District	4	4	3	0	3
Vermont[lower-alpha 4]	District	3	0		3
Virginia	District	8	5	5[lower-alpha 9]	3
West Virginia[lower-alpha 4]	District	3	2	2	1	2
Wisconsin	District	6	2	1	4	1
Total		243	104 42.8%	37	139[lower-alpha 10] 57.2%	32

Close

The previous election included 5 Conservatives

In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform nationwide date for choosing Presidential electors.^[1] 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:

• Early elections:
  • December 1, 1869: Mississippi (Mississippi was a special case, having held elections for both the 41st Congress upon readmission and for the 42nd Congress on the same day)
  • June 6: Oregon
  • August 4: North Carolina
  • September 6: Vermont
  • September 12: Maine
  • October 11: Indiana, Iowa, Nebraska, Ohio, Pennsylvania
  • October 25: West Virginia
  • November 1: South Carolina
• Late elections:
  • March 14, 1871: New Hampshire
  • April 4, 1871: Connecticut
  • August 6, 1871: Montana Territory
  • September 6, 1871: California
  • October 6, 1871: Texas

See Non-voting delegates, below.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Quick Facts 1 seat, Majority party ...

Florida election

← 1868 November 8, 1870 (Election Day) 1872 →
1 seat
Majority party Minority party   Party Republican Democratic Last election 1 0 Seats won 1[4] 0[4] Seat change Popular vote 12,439 11,812 Percentage 51.3% 48.7%

Close

Niblack subsequently successfully challenged Walls's election and was seated from Florida's at-large district on January 29, 1873.^[5]

See Non-voting delegates, below.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

Wisconsin elected six members of congress on Election Day, November 8, 1870.

See Non-voting delegates, below.

• 1870 United States elections
  • 1870–71 United States Senate elections
• 41st United States Congress
• 42nd United States Congress