The Forty-first Congress of the United States opened in Washington, D.C. on this day. Of the 243 representatives who sat in the House, 171 were Republicans, and 67 were Democrats. Five others sat as Conservatives. On this opening day, James G. Blaine, Republican of Maine, was elected Speaker of the House for the first time. He served as Speaker in the following two Congresses as well. The Senate swore in new Vice-President Schuyler Colfax, and then both delegations retired to the portico of the Capital to witness the taking of the oath of Ulysses Simpson Grant as President of the United States. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Office of the Clerk, U.S. House of Representatives, "House History." http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Legal/Political
