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1894 United States House of Representatives elections

The 1894 United States House of Representatives elections were held from June 4, 1894, to November 6, 1894, with special elections throughout the year. Elections were held to elect representatives from all 356 congressional districts across each of the 44 U.S. states at the time, as well as non-voting delegates from the inhabited U.S. territories. The winners of this election served in the 54th Congress, with seats apportioned among the states based on the 1890 United States census.

The elections comprised a significant political realignment, with a major Republican landslide that set the stage for the decisive election of 1896. The 1894 elections came in the middle of Democratic President Grover Cleveland's second term. The nation was in its deepest economic depression yet following the Panic of 1893, which pushed economic issues to the forefront. In the spring, a major coal strike damaged the economy of the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. It was accompanied by violence; the miners lost and many joined the Populist Party. Immediately after the coal strike concluded, Eugene V. Debs led a nationwide railroad strike. It shut down the nation's transportation system west of Detroit for weeks, until President Cleveland's use of federal troops ended the strike. Debs went to prison for disobeying a court order. Illinois Governor John Peter Altgeld, a Democrat, broke bitterly with Cleveland.

The fragmented and disoriented Democratic Party was crushed everywhere outside of the South, losing more than 55% of its seats to the Republican Party. The Democrats did so poorly that even in the South, they lost seats to the Republican-Populist electoral fusion in Alabama, North Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Texas.[2][3] The Democrats ultimately lost 127 seats in this election, with the Republicans gaining 130 seats after the resolution of several contested elections.

The Democratic Party failed to win one seat in twenty-four states and only won one seat in six states. Prominent Democrats in the house including Richard P. Bland, William S. Holman, William M. Springer, and William L. Wilson were defeated in the election.[4] To date, the 1894 election represents the largest seat swing in a single election in the history of the House of Representatives; the only other occasion where a political party has suffered triple-digit losses was in 1932.

The main issues revolved around the severe economic depression, which the Republicans blamed on the conservative Bourbon Democrats led by Cleveland. Cleveland supporters lost heavily, weakening their hold on the party and setting the stage for an 1896 takeover by the free silver wing of the party. The Populist Party ran candidates in the South and Midwest, but generally lost ground outside of the South. The Democrats tried to raise a religious issue, claiming the GOP was in cahoots with the anti-Catholic American Protective Association; the allegations seem to have fallen flat as Catholics swung towards the GOP.[5]

Election summaries

Special elections

15 special elections took place in 1894 leading up to and following the general election. They are listed below in order of election date then by state and district. Republicans flipped 3 seats in the special elections in New York's 14th, Kentucky's 9th, and Maryland's 5th congressional districts.

Early election dates

In 1894, three states, with 8 seats among them, held elections early:

Alabama

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wisconsin elected ten members of congress on Election Day, November 6, 1894.[8][62]

Wyoming

Non-voting delegates

Oklahoma Territory

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Three states held early elections between June 4 and September 10.
  2. ^ Not including special elections
  3. ^ a b Includes late elections.
  4. ^ Includes two vacancies.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Martis's figure includes Utah, which held its election in 1895 and is therefore not covered in this article.[1]
  6. ^ a b c Dubin (p. 312) counts 244 Republicans, 105 Democrats, 7 Populists, and 1 Silver at the opening of the 54th Congress, before the results of several contested elections were overturned in favor of Republican (and a few Populist) candidates. Dubin counts 253 Republicans, 93 Democrats, 9 Populists, and 1 Silver at the start of the 2nd session of the 54th Congress, which closely matches Martis' figure (pp. 148–49). Dubin's figure includes Utah, which held its election in 1895 and is therefore not covered in this article.
  7. ^ Includes five vacancies.
  8. ^ Populists won 9 seats and Silver won 1.
  9. ^ a b c Elections held early.
  10. ^ Full name unavailable.

References

  1. ^ Martis, pp. 148–49.
  2. ^ "Senate and House Secured; Republican Control in the Next Congress Assured". The New York Times. November 9, 1894. p. 5.
  3. ^ "African-Americans and Populism". Archived from the original on June 22, 2006. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  4. ^ Murphy, Paul (1974). Political Parties In American History, Volume 3, 1890-present. G. P. Putnam's Sons.
  5. ^ Jensen (1971), Chap. 9.
  6. ^ "Our Campaigns - VA - District 07 Special Election Race - Jan 30, 1894". Our Campaigns.
  7. ^ "NY - District 14 - History". Our Campaigns.
  8. ^ a b "Wisconsin U.S. House Election Results" (PDF). Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 5, 2012. Retrieved March 8, 2022 – via Wayback Machine.
  9. ^ "Our Campaigns - DE District At Large Race - Nov 06, 1894". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 30, 2023.
  10. ^ "ID At Large". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
  11. ^ "MS - District 01". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  12. ^ "MS - District 02". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  13. ^ "MS - District 03". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  14. ^ "MS - District 04". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  15. ^ "MS - District 05". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  16. ^ "MS - District 06". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  17. ^ "MS - District 07". Our Campaigns. Retrieved March 14, 2021.
  18. ^ "MT At-Large". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 5, 2021.
  19. ^ "Our Campaigns - NE - District 01 Race - Nov 6, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  20. ^ "Our Campaigns - NE - District 02 Race - Nov 6, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  21. ^ "Our Campaigns - NE - District 03 Race - Nov 6, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  22. ^ "Our Campaigns - NE - District 04 Race - Nov 6, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  23. ^ "Our Campaigns - NE - District 05 Race - Nov 6, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  24. ^ "Our Campaigns - NE - District 06 Race - Nov 6, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
  25. ^ "Our Campaigns - NV At-Large Race - Nov 6, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved May 1, 2023.
  26. ^ "ND At Large". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
  27. ^ Smith, Joseph P, ed. (1898). History of the Republican Party in Ohio. Vol. I. Chicago: the Lewis Publishing Company. pp. 656–57.
  28. ^ "Our Campaigns - OR - District 01 Race - Jun 04, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  29. ^ "Our Campaigns - OR - District 02 Race - Jun 04, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved November 20, 2021.
  30. ^ "Our Campaigns - SC - District 01 Race - Nov 06, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  31. ^ "Our Campaigns - SC - District 01 Race - Nov 06, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  32. ^ "SD At Large". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 8, 2021.
  33. ^ "TN - District 01". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  34. ^ "TN - District 02". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  35. ^ "TN - District 03". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  36. ^ "TN - District 04". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  37. ^ "TN - District 05". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  38. ^ "TN - District 06". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  39. ^ "TN - District 07". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  40. ^ "TN - District 08". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  41. ^ "TN - District 09". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  42. ^ "TN - District 10". Our Campaigns. Retrieved February 27, 2021.
  43. ^ "TX - District 01". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  44. ^ "TX - District 02". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  45. ^ "TX - District 03". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  46. ^ "TX - District 04". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  47. ^ "TX - District 05". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  48. ^ "TX - District 06". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  49. ^ "TX - District 07". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  50. ^ "TX - District 08". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  51. ^ "TX - District 09". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  52. ^ "TX - District 10". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  53. ^ "TX - District 11". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  54. ^ "TX- District 12". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  55. ^ "TX - District 13". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  56. ^ "VT Elections Database » Vermont Election Results and Statistics". VT Elections Database. Retrieved August 29, 2024.
  57. ^ "Virginia Elections Database » Virginia Election Results and Statistics". Virginia Elections Database. Retrieved September 3, 2024.
  58. ^ "WV District 01". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  59. ^ "WV District 02". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  60. ^ "WV District 03". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  61. ^ "WV District 04". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  62. ^ Casson, Henry, ed. (1895). "Biographical Sketches" (PDF). The Blue Book of the State of Wisconsin (Report). Madison, Wisconsin: State of Wisconsin. pp. 658–660. Retrieved March 8, 2022.
  63. ^ "WY At-Large". Our Campaigns. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
  64. ^ "Our Campaigns - OK Territorial Delegate Race - Nov 06, 1894". www.ourcampaigns.com.

Bibliography

External links