34th United States Congress
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The Thirty-fourth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprised of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1855 to March 3, 1857, during the last two years of the administration of U.S. President Franklin Pierce.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States in 1850. The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House had an anti-Democratic, coalition majority.
[edit] Dates of sessions
- First session: December 3, 1855 - August 18, 1856
- Second session: August 21, 1856 - August 30, 1856
- Third session: December 1, 1856 - March 3, 1857 — a lame duck session
Previous congress: 33rd Congress
Next congress: 35th Congress
[edit] Major events
- Main article: Events of 1855; Events of 1856; Events of 1857
[edit] Major legislation
[edit] Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
[edit] Senate
- Democratic: 39 (majority)
- Whig: 22
- American: 1
TOTAL members: 62
[edit] House of Representatives
- Democratic: 83
- Independent Whig or Opposition: 100 (plurality)
- American: 51
TOTAL members: 234
Note: The three parties that rivaled the Democrats formed a coalition government.
[edit] Leadership
[edit] Senate
- Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
- vacant
- President pro tempore of the Senate:
- Jesse D. Bright, Democrat of Indiana, elected December 3, 1855
- Charles E. Stuart, Democrat of Michigan, elected June 9, 1856
- James M. Mason, Democrat of Virginia, elected June 11, 1856
[edit] House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- Nathaniel P. Banks, American of Massachusetts, elected February 2, 1856
[edit] Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
- See also: 34th United States Congress - Political Parties
- See also: 34th United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House election, 1854
[edit] Senate
At this time, Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress. Preceding the names in the list below are Senate class numbers, which indicate the cycle of their election. In this Congress, Class 1 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1856; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1860.
- 2. Clement C. Clay, Jr. (Dem.)
- 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, November 26, 1855.
- 2. William K. Sebastian (Dem.)
- 3. Robert W. Johnson (Dem.)
- 1. John B. Weller (Dem.)
- 3. William M. Gwin (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, January 13, 1857.
- 1. Isaac Toucey (Dem.)
- 3. Lafayette S. Foster (Independent Whig)
- 1. James A. Bayard, Jr. (Dem.)
- 2. John M. Clayton (Independent Whig) …died November 9, 1856.
- Joseph P. Comegys (Independent Whig) …appointed to fill vacancy, November 19, 1856.
- Martin W. Bates (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, January 14, 1857.
- 1. Stephen R. Mallory (Dem.)
- 3. David L. Yulee (Dem.)
- 2. Robert A. Toombs (Dem.)
- 3. Alfred Iverson, Sr. (Dem.)
- 2. Stephen A. Douglas (Dem.)
- 3. Lyman Trumbull (Dem.)
- 1. Jesse D. Bright (Dem.)
- 3. Graham N. Fitch (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, February 4, 1857.
- 2. George W. Jones (Dem.)
- 3. James Harlan (Independent Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, December 31, 1855, seat declared vacant January 12, 1857, subsequenty elected January 29, 1857.
- 2. Judah P. Benjamin (Independent Whig)
- 3. John Slidell (Dem.)
- 1. Hannibal Hamlin (Dem.) …resigned January 7, 1857.
- Amos Nourse (Republican) …elected to fill vacancy, January 16, 1857.
- 2. William P. Fessenden (Independent Whig)
- 1. Lewis Cass (Dem.)
- 2. Charles E. Stuart (Dem.)
- 1. Stephen Adams (Dem.)
- 2. Albert G. Brown (Dem.)
- 1. Henry S. Geyer (Independent Whig)
- 3. James S. Green (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, January 12, 1857.
- 2. John P. Hale (Independent Whig) …elected to fill vacancy from preceding Congress, July 30, 1855
- 3. James Bell (Independent Whig) …elected to fill vacancy from preceding Congress, July 30, 1855
- 1. John R. Thomson (Dem.)
- 2. William Wright (Dem.)
- 2. David S. Reid (Dem.)
- 3. Asa Biggs (Dem.)
- 1. Benjamin F. Wade (Independent Whig)
- 3. George E. Pugh (Dem.)
- 1. Richard Brodhead (Dem.)
- 3. William Bigler (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, January 14, 1856.
- 1. Charles T. James (Dem.)
- 2. Philip Allen (Dem.)
- 3. Andrew P. Butler (Dem.)
- 2. Josiah J. Evans (Dem.)
- 2. Samuel Houston (American)
- 1. Thomas J. Rusk (Dem.)
- 1. James M. Mason (Dem.)
- 2. Robert M.T. Hunter (Dem.)
- 1. Henry Dodge (Dem.)
- 3. Charles Durkee (Independent Whig)
[edit] House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
- 1. Percy Walker (American)
- 2. Eli S. Shorter (Dem.)
- 3. James F. Dowdell (Dem.)
- 4. William R. Smith (American)
- 5. George S. Houston (Dem.)
- 6. Williamson R.W. Cobb (Dem.)
- 7. Sampson W. Harris (Dem.)
- 1. Ezra Clark, Jr. (American)
- 2. John Woodruff (American)
- 3. Sidney Dean (American)
- 4. William W. Welch (American)
- 1. James L. Seward (Dem.)
- 2. Martin J. Crawford (Dem.)
- 3. Robert P. Trippe (American)
- 4. Hiram Warner (Dem.)
- 5. John H. Lumpkin (Dem.)
- 6. Howell Cobb (Dem.)
- 7. Nathaniel G. Foster (American)
- 8. Alexander H. Stephens (Dem.)
- 1. Elihu B. Washburne (Independent Whig)
- 2. James H. Woodworth (Independent Whig)
- 3. Jesse O. Norton (Independent Whig)
- 4. James Knox (Independent Whig)
- 5. William A. Richardson (Dem.) …resigned August 25, 1856.
- Jacob C. Davis (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 4, 1856.
- 6. Thomas L. Harris (Dem.)
- 7. James C. Allen (Dem.) …contested election, seat declared vacant July 18, 1856, subsequently elected, seated December 1, 1856.
- 8. James L.D. Morrison (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 1, 1856.
- 9. Samuel S. Marshall (Dem.)
- 1. Smith Miller (Dem.)
- 2. William H. English (Dem.)
- 3. George G. Dunn (Independent Whig)
- 4. William Cumback (Independent Whig)
- 5. David P. Holloway (Independent Whig)
- 6. Lucien Barbour (Independent Whig)
- 7. Harvey D. Scott (Independent Whig)
- 8. Daniel Mace (Independent Whig)
- 9. Schuyler Colfax (Independent Whig)
- 10. Samuel Brenton (Independent Whig)
- 11. John U. Pettit (Independent Whig)
- 1. Augustus Hall (Dem.)
- 2. James Thorington (Independent Whig)
- 1. Henry C. Burnett (Dem.)
- 2. John P. Campbell, Jr. (American)
- 3. Warner L. Underwood (American)
- 4. Albert G. Talbott (Dem.)
- 5. Joshua H. Jewett (Dem.)
- 6. John M. Elliott (Dem.)
- 7. Humphrey Marshall (American)
- 8. Alexander Marshall (American)
- 9. Leander M. Cox (American)
- 10. Samuel F. Swope (American)
- 1. George Eustis, Jr. (American)
- 2. Miles Taylor (Dem.)
- 3. Thomas G. Davidson (Dem.)
- 4. John M. Sandidge (Dem.)
- 1. John M. Wood (Independent Whig)
- 2. John J. Perry (Independent Whig)
- 3. Ebenezer Knowlton (Independent Whig)
- 4. Samuel P. Benson (Independent Whig)
- 5. Israel Washburn, Jr. (Independent Whig)
- 6. Thomas J.D. Fuller (Dem.)
- 1. James A. Stewart (Dem.)
- 2. James B. Ricaud (American)
- 3. James M. Harris (American)
- 4. Henry W. Davis (American)
- 5. Henry W. Hoffman (American)
- 6. Thomas F. Bowie (Dem.)
- 1. Robert B. Hall (American)
- 2. James Buffinton (American)
- 3. William S. Damrell (American)
- 4. Linus B. Comins (American)
- 5. Anson Burlingame (American)
- 6. Timothy Davis (American)
- 7. Nathaniel P. Banks (American)
- 8. Chauncey L. Knapp (American)
- 9. Alexander De Witt (American)
- 10. Calvin C. Chaffee (American)
- 11. Mark Trafton (American)
- 1. William A. Howard (Independent Whig)
- 2. Henry Waldron (Independent Whig)
- 3. David S. Walbridge (Independent Whig)
- 4. George W. Peck (Dem.)
- 1. Daniel B. Wright (Dem.)
- 2. Hendley S. Bennett (Dem.)
- 3. William Barksdale (Dem.)
- 4. William A. Lake (American)
- 5. John A. Quitman (Dem.)
- 1. Luther M. Kennett (Independent Whig)
- 2. Gilchrist Porter (Independent Whig)
- 3. James J. Lindley (Independent Whig)
- 4. Mordecai Oliver (Independent Whig)
- 5. John G. Miller (Independent Whig) …died May 11, 1856.
- 6. John S. Phelps (Dem.)
- 7. Samuel Caruthers (Independent Whig)
- 1. Isaiah D. Clawson (Independent Whig)
- 2. George R. Robbins (Independent Whig)
- 3. James Bishop (Independent Whig)
- 4. George Vail (Dem.)
- 5. Alexander C.M. Pennington (Independent Whig)
- 1. William W. Valk (American)
- 2. James S.T. Stranahan (Independent Whig)
- 3. Guy R. Pelton (Independent Whig)
- 4. John Kelly (Dem.)
- 5. Thomas R. Whitney (American)
- 6. John Wheeler (Dem.)
- 7. Thomas Child, Jr. (Independent Whig)
- 8. Abram Wakeman (Independent Whig)
- 9. Bayard Clarke (Independent Whig)
- 10. Ambrose S. Murray (Independent Whig)
- 11. Rufus H. King (Independent Whig)
- 12. Killian Miller (Independent Whig)
- 13. Russell Sage (Independent Whig)
- 14. Samuel Dickson (Independent Whig)
- 15. Edward Dodd (Independent Whig)
- 16. George A. Simmons (Independent Whig)
- 17. Francis E. Spinner (Dem.)
- 18. Thomas R. Horton (Independent Whig)
- 19. Jonas A. Hughston (Independent Whig)
- 20. Orsamus B. Matteson (Independent Whig) …resigned February 27, 1857.
- 21. Henry Bennett (Independent Whig)
- 22. Andrew Z. McCarty (Independent Whig)
- 23. William A. Gilbert (Independent Whig) …resigned February 28, 1857.
- 24. Amos P. Granger (Independent Whig)
- 25. Edwin B. Morgan (Independent Whig)
- 26. Andrew Oliver (Dem.)
- 27. John M. Parker (Independent Whig)
- 28. William H. Kelsey (Independent Whig)
- 29. John Williams (Dem.)
- 30. Benjamin Pringle (Independent Whig)
- 31. Thomas T. Flagler (Independent Whig)
- 32. Solomon G. Haven (Independent Whig)
- 33. Francis S. Edwards (American)
- 1. Robert T. Paine (American)
- 2. Thomas Ruffin (Dem.)
- 3. Warren Winslow (Dem.)
- 4. Lawrence O. Branch (Dem.)
- 5. Edwin G. Reade (American)
- 6. Richard C. Puryear (American)
- 7. Francis B. Craige (Dem.)
- 8. Thomas L. Clingman (Dem.)
- 1. Timothy C. Day (Independent Whig)
- 2. John S. Harrison (Independent Whig)
- 3. Lewis D. Campbell (Independent Whig)
- 4. Matthias H. Nichols (Independent Whig)
- 5. Richard Mott (Independent Whig)
- 6. Jonas R. Emrie (Independent Whig)
- 7. Aaron Harlan (Independent Whig)
- 8. Benjamin Stanton (Independent Whig)
- 9. Cooper K. Watson (Independent Whig)
- 10. Oscar F. Moore (Independent Whig)
- 11. Valentine B. Horton (Independent Whig)
- 12. Samuel Galloway (Independent Whig)
- 13. John Sherman (Independent Whig)
- 14. Philemon Bliss (Independent Whig)
- 15. William R. Sapp (Independent Whig)
- 16. Edward Ball (Independent Whig)
- 17. Charles J. Albright (Independent Whig)
- 18. Benjamin F. Leiter (Independent Whig)
- 19. Edward Wade (Independent Whig)
- 20. Joshua R. Giddings (Independent Whig)
- 21. John A. Bingham (Independent Whig)
- 1. Thomas B. Florence (Dem.)
- 2. Job R. Tyson (Independent Whig)
- 3. William Millward (Independent Whig)
- 4. Jacob Broom (American)
- 5. John Cadwalader (Dem.)
- 6. John Hickman (Dem.)
- 7. Samuel C. Bradshaw (Independent Whig)
- 8. Jehu G. Jones (Dem.)
- 9. Anthony E. Roberts (Independent Whig)
- 10. John C. Kunkel (Independent Whig)
- 11. James H. Campbell (Independent Whig)
- 12. Henry M. Fuller (Independent Whig)
- 13. Asa Packer (Dem.)
- 14. Galusha A. Grow (Dem.)
- 15. John J. Pearce (Independent Whig)
- 16. Lemuel Todd (Independent Whig)
- 17. David F. Robison (Independent Whig)
- 18. John R. Edie (Independent Whig)
- 19. John Covode (Independent Whig)
- 20. Jonathan Knight (Independent Whig)
- 21. David Ritchie (Independent Whig)
- 22. Samuel A. Purviance (Independent Whig)
- 23. John Allison (Independent Whig)
- 24. David Barclay (Dem.)
- 25. John Dick (Independent Whig)
- 1. John McQueen (Dem.)
- 2. William Aiken (Dem.)
- 3. Laurence M. Keitt (Dem.) …resigned July 16, 1856, subsequently elected to fill vacancy, seated August 6, 1856.
- 4. Preston S. Brooks (Dem.) …resigned July 14, 1856, subsequently elected to fill vacancy, seated August 1, 1856, died January 27, 1857.
- 5. James L. Orr (Dem.)
- 6. William W. Boyce (Dem.)
- 1. Albert G. Watkins (Dem.)
- 2. William H. Sneed (American)
- 3. Samuel A. Smith (Dem.)
- 4. John H. Savage (Dem.)
- 5. Charles Ready (American)
- 6. George W. Jones (Dem.)
- 7. John V. Wright (Dem.)
- 8. Felix K. Zollicoffer (American)
- 9. Emerson Etheridge (American)
- 10. Thomas Rivers (American)
- 1. Lemuel D. Evans (American)
- 2. Peter H. Bell (Dem.)
- 1. James Meacham (Independent Whig) …died August 23, 1856.
- George T. Hodges (Republican) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 1, 1856.
- 2. Justin S. Morrill (Independent Whig)
- 3. Alvah Sabin (Independent Whig)
- 1. Thomas H. Bayly (Dem.) …died June 23, 1856.
- Muscoe R.H. Garnett (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 1, 1856.
- 2. John S. Millson (Dem.)
- 3. John Caskie (Dem.)
- 4. William Goode (Dem.)
- 5. Thomas S. Bocock (Dem.)
- 6. Paulus Powell (Dem.)
- 7. William Smith (Dem.)
- 8. Charles J. Faulkner (Dem.)
- 9. John Letcher (Dem.)
- 10. Zedekiah Kidwell (Dem.)
- 11. John S. Carlile (American)
- 12. Henry A. Edmundson (Dem.)
- 13. LaFayette McMullen (Dem.)
- 1. Daniel Wells, Jr. (Dem.)
- 2. Cadwallader C. Washburn (Independent Whig)
- 3. Charles Billinghurst (Independent Whig)
[edit] Delegates
- Kansas Territory
- Minnesota Territory
- Nebraska Territory
- New Mexico Territory
- Oregon Territory
- Utah Territory
- A/L. John M. Bernhisel
- Washington Territory
[edit] Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
- See also: 34th United States Congress - Membership Changes
[edit] Senate
- replacements: 2
- Democratic: no net change
- Whig: 2 seat net loss
- Republican: 1 seat net gain
- American: 1 seat net gain
- deaths: 1
- resignations: 1
- interim appointments: 1
- Total seats with changes: 10
[edit] House of Representatives
- replacements: 6
- Democratic: 2 seat net loss
- Whig: 3 seat net gain
- Free Soil: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 4
- resignations: 5
- contested election: 1
- Total seats with changes: 10
[edit] Officers
[edit] Senate
- Secretary of the Senate:
- Asbury Dickens of North Carolina elected December 12, 1836
- Sergeant at Arms of the Senate:
- Dunning R. McNair of Pennsylvania, elected March 17, 1853
- Chaplain of the Senate
- The Rev. Henry C. Dean Methodist, elected December 4, 1855
- The Rev. Stephen P. Hill, Baptist, elected December 8, 1856
[edit] House of Representatives
- Clerk of the House:
- John M. Forney of Pennsylvania elected December 5, 1853, presided over election of Speaker.
- William Cullom of Tennessee elected February 4, 1856
- Sergeant at Arms of the House:
- Adam J. Glossbrenner of Pennsylvania, elected February 4, 1856
- Doorkeeper of the House:
- Nathan Darling of New York, elected February 4, 1856
- Postmaster of the House:
- Robert Morris, elected February 4, 1856
- Messenger to the Speaker:
- Thaddeus Morrice
- Chaplain of the House
- The Rev. William H. Milburn Methodist, elected December 5, 1853
[edit] Other
- Architect of the Capitol:
- Thomas U. Walter, appointed June 11, 1851
[edit] Notes
- ^ all representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket
[edit] References
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
- Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
[edit] External links
- Statutes at Large, 1789-1875 [1]
- Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress [2]
- House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress [3]
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [4]
- U.S. House of Representatives: Congressional History [5]
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists [6]
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