21st United States Congress

21st United States Congress

United States Capitol (1827)

Duration: March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1831

Senate President: John C. Calhoun
Senate Pres. pro tem: Samuel Smith
House Speaker: Andrew Stevenson
Members: 48 Senators
213 Representatives
3 Non-voting members
Senate Majority: Jacksonian
House Majority: Jacksonian

Sessions
1st[1]: December 7, 1829 – May 31, 1830
2nd: December 6, 1830 – March 3, 1831
Special (Senate): March 4, 1829 – March 17, 1829
<20th 22nd>

The Twenty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1829 to March 3, 1831, during the first two years of Andrew Jackson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fourth Census of the United States in 1820. Both chambers had a Jacksonian majority.

Major events

Major legislation

Proposed, but not enacted

Treaties

Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

Party
(Shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Anti-Jacksonian
(Anti-J)
Jacksonian
(J)
Other
End of the previous congress 21 27 0 48 0
Begin 22 26 0 48 0
End 25 47 1
Final voting share 46.8% 53.2% 0.0%
Beginning of the next congress 21 24 (Nullifier)
2
47 1

House of Representatives

Party
(Shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Anti-Jacksonian
(Anti-J)
Anti-Masonic
(Anti-M)
Jacksonian
(J)
Other
End of the previous congress 101 0 111 0 212 1
Begin 71 4 136 0 211 2
End 72 6 134 212 1
Final voting share 34.0% 2.8% 63.2% 0.0%
Beginning of the next congress 64 16 128 (Nullifier)
4
212 1

Leadership

Senate

House of Representatives

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.

Senate

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 began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1832; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1834; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1830.

Alabama

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Mississippi

Missouri

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vermont

Virginia

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

Alabama

Connecticut

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

Delaware

Georgia

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

The 5th district was a plural district with two representatives.

Massachusetts

Mississippi

Missouri

New Hampshire

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

New Jersey

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

New York

There were three plural districts, the 20th & 26th had two representatives each, the 3rd had three representatives.

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

There were six plural districts, the 7th, 8th, 11th & 16th had two representatives each, the 4th & 9th had three representatives each.

Rhode Island

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vermont

Virginia

Non-voting members

Changes in membership

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

Senate

State
(class)
Former senator Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
installation
Georgia
(3)
John M. Berrien (J) Resigned March 9, 1829 after being appointed US Attorney General John Forsyth (J) Installed November 9, 1829
North Carolina
(2)
John Branch(J) Resigned March 9, 1829 after being appointed US Secretary of the Navy Bedford Brown (J) Installed December 9, 1829
Tennessee
(1)
John Eaton(J) Resigned March 9, 1829 after being appointed US Secretary of War Felix Grundy (J) Installed October 19, 1829
Delaware
(1)
Louis McLane (J) Resigned April 29, 1829 Arnold Naudain (AJ) Installed January 7, 1830
Mississippi
(2)
Thomas B. Reed(J) Died November 26, 1829 Robert H. Adams (J) Installed January 6, 1830
Mississippi
(2)
Robert H. Adams(J) Died July 2, 1830 George Poindexter (J) Installed October 15, 1830
Illinois
(2)
John McLean (J) Died October 14, 1830 David J. Baker (J) Installed November 12, 1830
Illinois
(2)
David J. Baker (J) Successor elected December 11, 1830 John M. Robinson (J) Installed December 11, 1830
Indiana
(1)
James Noble (AJ) Died February 26, 1831 Vacant Not filled this Congress

House of Representatives

Total seats with changes: 15

District Vacator Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
installation
Maine
4th
Vacant Peleg Sprague resigned in previous Congress George Evans (AJ) Seated July 20, 1829
Pennsylvania
16th
Vacant William Wilkins resigned before qualifying Harmar Denny (AM) Seated December 15, 1829
Pennsylvania
8th
George Wolf (J) Resigned in 1829 before the convening of Congress Samuel A. Smith (J) Seated October 13, 1829
Pennsylvania
8th
Samuel D. Ingham (J) Resigned in 1829 before the convening of Congress after being appointed Secretary of the Treasury Peter Ihrie, Jr. (J) Seated October 13, 1829
Virginia
10th
William C. Rives (J) Resigned some time in 1829 William F. Gordon (J) Seated January 25, 1830
North Carolina
5th
Gabriel Holmes (J) Died September 26, 1829 Edward B. Dudley (J) Seated November 10, 1829
New York
20th
George Fisher (J) Lost contested election February 5, 1830 to Silas Wright who in turn failed to qualify Jonah Sanford (J) Seated November 3, 1830
Virginia
1st
Thomas Newton, Jr. (AJ) Lost contested election March 9, 1830 George Loyall (J) Seated March 9, 1830
Maine
5th
James W. Ripley (J) Resigned March 12, 1830 Cornelius Holland (J) Seated December 6, 1830
Ohio
11th
John M. Goodenow (J) Resigned April 9, 1830 after being appointed judge of the Supreme Court of Ohio Humphrey H. Leavitt (J) Seated December 6, 1830
Virginia
22nd
Alexander Smyth (J) Died April 17, 1830 Joseph Draper (J) Seated December 6, 1830
New York
6th
Hector Craig (J) Resigned July 12, 1830 Samuel W. Eager (AJ) Seated November 2, 1830
Virginia
11th
Philip P. Barbour (J) Resigned October 15, 1830 after being appointed judge of US Circuit Court of the Eastern District of Virginia John M. Patton (J) Seated November 25, 1830
New York
21st
Robert Monell (J) Resigned February 21, 1831 Vacant Not filled this term
Michigan Territory
At-large
John Biddle Resigned February 21, 1831 Vacant Not filled this term

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

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. 

External links

From American Memory at the Library of Congress:

Other U.S. government websites: