The Thirty-First Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 9, 1878, to March 21, 1878, in regular session, and later re-convened from June 4 to June 7, 1878, in special session, to complete the revision of the statutes.

This was the first and only session of the Legislature to have an Assembly speaker from the Greenback Party—Augustus Barrows.

The Democrats thus formed a coalition with the Greenbacks for the 31st Legislature with Barrows acting as speaker.

[1] Senators representing even-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first year of a two-year term.

[2] The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican William E. Smith, of Milwaukee County, serving the first year of a two-year term, having won election in the 1877 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.