1872–73 United States House of Representatives elections

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.

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 Civil War victory as well as disarray amongst Democratic leadership.

Election summaries
Following the 1870 census, the House was reapportioned, initially adding 40 seats, followed by a subsequent amendment to the apportionment act adding another seat to 9 states, 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.

Election dates
In 1845, Congress passed a law providing for a uniform nationwide date for choosing Presidential electors. 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

 * CT's 1st congressional district: 1872
 * GA's 8th congressional district: 1873
 * LA's 4th congressional district: 1872
 * LA's 4th congressional district: 1873
 * MA's 3rd congressional district: 1873
 * OR At-large: 1873
 * PA's 13th congressional district: 1872

Arkansas
! AR's 1st congressional district
 * James M. Hanks
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.
 * nowrap | Lucien C. Gause (Democratic) 54.1%

✅Asa Hodges (Republican) 46.0%

! AR's 2nd congressional district
 * Oliver P. Snyder
 * | Republican
 * 1870
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap | ✅ Oliver P. Snyder (Republican) 47.2%

Marcus L. Bell (Democratic) 52.8%

! AR's 3rd congressional district
 * Thomas Boles
 * | Republican
 * 1868
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.
 * nowrap | Thomas M. Gunter (Democratic) 56.6%

✅ William W. Wilshire (Republican) 43.4%

! AR At-large
 * colspan=3 | None
 * | Vacant since 32nd Congress (Civil War and Reconstruction) New member elected. Liberal Republican gain.
 * nowrap | ✅ William J. Hynes (Liberal Republican) 50.0%

J. M. Bradley (Republican) 49.4%


 * }

California
A new seat was added, following the 1870 U.S. census, bringing the delegation up from three to four Representatives.

Delaware
The election was held November 5, 1872.

! DE At-large
 * Benjamin T. Biggs
 * | Democrat
 * [[1868 United States House of Representatives election in Delaware|1868
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican Gain.]]
 * nowrap | ✅ James R. Lofland (Republican) 50.8%

✅ Eustis Wright (Democratic) 49.2%
 * }

Florida
Florida gained a second seat after the 1870 census, but delayed districting until 1874, electing both Representatives at-large for this election.

Louisiana
In the newly formed LA's at-large congressional district, George A. Sheridan (Liberal Republican) beat P. B. S. Pinchback (Republican), the first black Governor of Louisiana. Pinchback challenged the election and it was settled in February 1875, in Sheridan's favor, only one month before the end of the Congress.

Mississippi
! MS's 1st congressional district
 * George E. Harris
 * | Republican
 * 1869
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Democratic gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Lucius Q. C. Lamar (Democratic) 66.15%

R. W. Flournoy (Republican) 33.86%

! MS's 2nd congressional district
 * Joseph L. Morphis
 * | Republican
 * 1869
 * | Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Republican hold.
 * nowrap | ✅ Albert R. Howe (Republican) 63.94%

William A. Alcorn (Democratic) 35.42%

Scattering 0.64%

! MS's 3rd congressional district
 * Henry W. Barry
 * | Republican
 * 1869
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap | ✅ Henry W. Barry (Republican) 69.14%

W. S. Bolling (Democratic) 29.59%

Scattering 1.27%

! MS's 4th congressional district
 * colspan=3 | None (new district)
 * | New district. Republican gain.
 * nowrap | ✅ Jason Niles (Republican) 83.38%

S. T. Oldham (Unknown) 11.87%

[FNU] Harmon (Unknown) 4.18%

W. B. Shelby (Unknown) 0.57%

! rowspan=2 | MS's 5th congressional district
 * Legrand W. Perce
 * | Republican
 * 1869
 * | Incumbent retired. Republican loss.
 * nowrap rowspan=2 |

✅ George C. McKee (Republican) 64.73%

W. B. Shelby (Democratic) 35.27%


 * George C. McKee Redistricted from the Ms's 4th congressional district.
 * | Republican
 * 1869
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * Incumbent re-elected.

! MS's 6th congressional district
 * colspan=3 | None (new district)
 * | New district. Republican gain.
 * nowrap | ✅ John R. Lynch (Republican) 64.16%

Hiram Cassidy (Democratic) 35.84%


 * }

Nebraska
! NE At-large
 * John Taffe
 * | Republican
 * 1866
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.
 * nowrap | ✅ Lorenzo Crounse (Republican) 62.19%

Jesse F. Warner (Democratic) 37.81%


 * }

Ohio
After redistricting and eleven retirements, only four of the nineteen incumbents were re-elected.

Tennessee
! TN At-large
 * Horace Maynard Redistricted from the Tn's 2nd congressional district.
 * | Republican
 * 1865
 * | New district. Republican gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Horace Maynard (Republican) 43.95%

Benjamin F. Cheatham (Democratic) 35.45%

Andrew Johnson (Independent) 20.61%

! TN's 1st congressional district
 * Roderick R. Butler
 * | Republican
 * 1867
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap |

✅ Roderick R. Butler (Republican) 56.73%

William B. Carter (Democratic) 43.27%

! TN's 2nd congressional district
 * Abraham E. Garrett Redistricted from the Tn's 3rd congressional district.
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * | Incumbent lost re-election as an Independent. Republican gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Jacob M. Thornburgh (Republican) 55.70%

Alfred Caldwell (Democratic) 30.05%

Abraham E. Garrett (Independent) 14.25%

! TN's 3rd congressional district
 * colspan=3 | None (new district)
 * | New district. Republican gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ William Crutchfield (Republican) 52.85%

David M. Key (Democratic) 47.16%

! TN's 4th congressional district
 * John M. Bright
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap |

✅ John M. Bright (Democratic) 69.81%

John P. Steele (Republican) 30.19%

! TN's 5th congressional district
 * Edward I. Golladay
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * |Incumbent lost re-election. New member elected. Republican gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Horace Harrison (Republican) 42.07%

Edward I. Golladay (Democratic) 34.10%

William B. Brien (Independent) 23.83%

! TN's 6th congressional district
 * Washington C. Whitthorne
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap |

✅ Washington C. Whitthorne (Democratic) 53.89%

Theodore H. Gibbs (Republican) 40.74%

Jonathan Morris (Independent) 5.37%

! TN's 7th congressional district
 * Robert P. Caldwell
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * |Incumbent lost renomination. New member elected. Democratic hold.
 * nowrap |

✅ John D. C. Atkins (Democratic) 55.63%

W. W. Murray (Republican) 37.70%

W. E. Travis (Democratic) 6.67%

! TN's 8th congressional district
 * William W. Vaughan
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * |Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ David A. Nunn (Republican) 37.90%

A. W. Campbell (Democratic) 29.83%

William P. Caldwell (Democratic) 22.38%

T. H. Bell (Democratic) 9.89%

! TN's 9th congressional district
 * colspan=3 | None (new district)
 * |New district. Republican gain.
 * nowrap |

✅ Barbour Lewis (Republican) 56.67%

L. C. Haines (Democratic) 43.33%


 * }

West Virginia
! WV's 1st congressional district
 * John J. Davis
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * | Incumbent re-elected. Independent Democratic gain.
 * nowrap | ✅ John J. Davis (Ind. Democratic) 50.79%

Benjamin Wilson (Democratic) 49.22%

! WV's 2nd congressional district
 * James McGrew
 * | Republican
 * 1868
 * | Incumbent retired. New member elected. Republican hold.
 * nowrap | ✅ John Hagans (Republican) 82.40%

Arthur R. Boeteler (Republican) 9.27%

W. H. Lanon (Independent) 6.11%

J. B. Walker (Independent) 1.89%

O. P. Downey (Independent) 0.34%

! WV's 3rd congressional district
 * Frank Hereford
 * | Democratic
 * 1870
 * Incumbent re-elected.
 * nowrap | ✅ Frank Hereford (Democratic) 80.80%

J. B. Walker (Republican) 19.20%


 * }

Wisconsin
Wisconsin elected eight members of congress on Election Day, November 5, 1872. Two seats were newly added in reapportionment after the 1870 census.

Montana Territory
[[File:1872 Montana Territory congressional delegate election results.svg|thumb|200px|Results by county: {{legend|#3357a2|Maginnis}}

{{legend|#8da9e2|50–60%}}

{{legend|#678cd7|60–70%}} {{legend|#b00000|Clagett}}

{{legend|#ed8883|50–60%}} {{legend|#808080|No Data}} ]]