Historical Highlight
Party Divisions of the House of Representatives*
1789–Present
Political parties have been central to the organization and operations of the U.S. House of Representatives. As this chart demonstrates, the efforts of the founding generation to create a national government free of political parties proved unworkable. Parties demonstrated their worth in the House very quickly in organizing its work and in bridging the separation of powers. Within a decade House parties absorbed the various state and local factions.
The figures presented are the House party divisions as of the initial election results for a particular Congress. This means that subsequent changes in House membership due to deaths, resignations, contested or special elections, or changes in a Member’s party affiliation are not included.
The determination of party membership relies upon a number of authoritative sources that include The Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress, the House Clerk’s Election Statistics, Congressional Quarterly’s Guide to U.S. Elections, Michael Dubin’s United States Congressional Elections, and Kenneth Martis’s Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress.
- Party Divisions of the House of Representatives, 1st Congress–73rd Congress (1789–1935)
Party Divisions of the House of Representatives, 74th Congress–Present (1935–Present)
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Crawford Republicans (53), Adams-Clay Federalists (15), Jackson Federalists (7), Crawford Federalists (2) | |||||
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Anti-Masonics (5) | |||||
Anti-Masonics (17), Nullifiers (4) | |||||
Anti-Masonics (25), Nullifiers (9) | |||||
Anti-Masonics (16), Nullifiers (8) | |||||
Anti-Masonics (7), Nullifiers (6), Independent (1) | |||||
Anti-Masonics (6), Conservatives (2) | |||||
Independent (1), Independent Democrat (1) | |||||
Law and Order (2), Independent Democrat (1), Independent Whig (1) | |||||
American (6) | |||||
Independent Democrats (2), American (1), Independent (1) | |||||
Free Soilers (9), American (1), Independent (1) | |||||
Unionists (10), Free Soilers (4), Independent Democrats (3), States Rights (3), Independent Whig (1) | |||||
Free Soilers (4), Independent (1), Independent Democrat (1) | |||||
Americans (51) | |||||
Americans (14), Independent Democrat (1) | |||||
Opposition (19), Anti-Lecompton Democrats (8), Independent Democrats (7), Americans (5) | |||||
Unionists (26), Constitutional Unionists (2), Unions (2), Independent Democrat (1) | |||||
Unconditional Unionists (16), Unionists (9), Independent Republicans (2) | |||||
Unconditional Unionists (13), Unionists (5), Independent Republican (1) | |||||
Conservatives (2), Conservative Republican (1), Independent Republican (1) | |||||
Conservatives (5) | |||||
Liberal Republicans (2), Independent Republican (1) | |||||
Liberal Republicans (4), Independent Democrat (1) | |||||
Independents (4), Independent Republicans (3), Independent Democrat (1) | |||||
Independent Democrats (2) | |||||
Nationals (13), Independent Democrats (7) | |||||
Nationals (10), Readjuster Democrats (2), Independent (1), Independent Democrat (1) | |||||
Readjusters (4), Independent Democrats (3), Independents (2), Nationals (2), Independent Republican (1) | |||||
Independent Democrat (1), National (1) | |||||
Independent Republicans (2), Labors (2), Independent (1), National (1) | |||||
Labor (1) | |||||
Populists (8) | |||||
Populists (11), Independent Democrats (2), Silver (1) | |||||
Populists (9), Silver (1) | |||||
Populists (22), Silver Republicans (3), Independent Republican (1), Silver (1) | |||||
Populists (5), Silver Republicans (2), Independent Populist (1), Silver (1) | |||||
Populists (5), Silver Republican (1) | |||||
Independent Republicans (3) | |||||
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Independent Republican (1) | |||||
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Progressive Republican (1), Socialist (1) | |||||
Progressives (9), Independent (1) | |||||
Progressive (6), Independent (1), Prohibitionist (1), Socialist (1) | |||||
Progressives (3), Independent Republican (1), Prohibitionist (1), Socialist (1) | |||||
Prohibitionist (1), Union-Labor (1) | |||||
Independent Republican (1), Socialist (1) | |||||
Farmer-Labor (2), Socialist (1) | |||||
Farmer-Labor (3), American-Labor (1), Socialist (1) | |||||
Farmer-Labor (2), Socialist (1) | |||||
Farmer-Labor (1) | |||||
Farmer-Labor (1) | |||||
Farmer-Labor (5) | |||||
Footnotes
*Party division totals are based on November election day results. The actual party division of a particular Congress often changes due to the death or resignation of a Member, contested elections, or changes in Member party affiliations.
1Before the first day of Congress, 14 Representatives-elect died. The results of the special elections caused party control of the House to change, and Democrats organized with the majority of the House seats.