| 31st United States Congress | |||
United States Capitol (1846) |
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| Duration: March 4, 1849 – March 3, 1851 | |||
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| Senate President: | Millard Fillmore (1849–1850) Vacant (1850–1851) |
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| Senate Pres. pro tem: | David R. Atchison William R. King |
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| House Speaker: | Howell Cobb | ||
| Members: | 62 Senators 233 Representatives 2 Non-voting members |
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| Senate Majority: | Democratic | ||
| House Majority: | Democratic | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| Special: March 5, 1849 – March 23, 1849 1st: December 3, 1849 – September 30, 1850 2nd: December 2, 1850 – March 3, 1851 |
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The Thirty-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, 1849 to March 3, 1851, during the last 17 months of the Zachary Taylor presidency and the first months of Millard Fillmore's. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixth Census of the United States in 1840. The Senate had a Democratic majority, while there was a Democratic plurality in the House.
During this Congress, two Senate seats were added for the new state of California.
| Affiliation | Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
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Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Free Soil (FS) |
Whig (W) |
Other | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Congress | 36 | 0 | 23 | 1 | 60 | 0 |
| Begin | 32 | 2 | 25 | 0 | 59 | 1 |
| End | 36 | 24 | 62 | 0 | ||
| Final voting share | 58.1% | 3.2% | 38.7% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next Congress | 34 | 4 | 22 | 0 | 60 | 2 |
During this Congress, two House seats were added for the new state of California.
| Affiliation | Party
(Shading indicates plurality caucus)
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Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American (Know-nothing) (A) |
Democratic (D) |
Free Soil (FS) |
Whig (W) |
Independent (I) |
Other | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Congress | 1 | 111 | 0 | 114 | 1 | 2 | 229 | 1 |
| Begin | 1 | 113 | 9 | 107 | 0 | 0 | 230 | 1 |
| End | 1 | 231 | 2 | |||||
| Final voting share | 0.4% | 48.9% | 3.9% | 46.3% | 0.4% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next Congress | 0 | 128 | 3 | 85 | 0 | 17 | 233 | 0 |
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
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 1850; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1852; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1854.
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
| State (class) |
Former senator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois (3) |
James Shields (D) | Senate voided election March 6, 1849 as Sen. Shields was determined not to have been a US citizen for the number of years required by the Constitution | James Shields (D) | Elected December 3, 1849 |
| Maryland (1) |
Reverdy Johnson (W) | Resigned March 7, 1849 having been appointed United States Attorney General | David Stewart (W) | Appointed December 6, 1849 |
| Alabama (2) |
Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D) | Sen. Dixon Lewis successor elected November 30, 1849 | Jeremiah Clemens (D) | Elected November 30, 1849 |
| Maryland (1) |
David Stewart (W) | Successor elected January 12, 1850 | Thomas Pratt (W) | Elected January 12, 1850 |
| South Carolina (2) |
John C. Calhoun (D) | Died March 31, 1850 | Franklin H. Elmore (D) | Appointed April 11, 1850 |
| South Carolina (2) |
Franklin H. Elmore (D) | Died May 29, 1850 | Robert W. Barnwell (D) | Appointed June 4, 1850 |
| Ohio (1) |
Thomas Corwin (W) | Resigned July 20, 1850 after being appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury | Thomas Ewing (W) | Elected July 20, 1850 |
| Massachusetts (1) |
Daniel Webster (W) | Resigned July 22, 1850 after being appointed United States Secretary of State | Robert C. Winthrop (W) | Appointed July 30, 1850 |
| California (1) |
California admitted to the Union September 9, 1850 and remained vacant until September 10, 1850 | John C. Frémont (D) | Elected September 10, 1850 | |
| California (3) |
California admitted to the Union September 9, 1850 and remained vacant until September 10, 1850 | William M. Gwin (D) | Elected September 10, 1850 | |
| South Carolina (2) |
Robert W. Barnwell (D) | Successor elected December 18, 1850 | Robert Rhett (D) | Elected December 18, 1850 |
| Massachusetts (1) |
Robert C. Winthrop (W) | Successor elected February 1, 1851 | Robert Rantoul, Jr. (W) | Elected February 1, 1851 |
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's installation |
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| Minnesota Territory At-large | Vacant | Seat remained vacant after territory became organized at end of previous congress | Henry H. Sibley | Seated July 7, 1849 |
| Vermont 3rd | George Perkins Marsh (W) | Resigned some time in 1849 | James Meacham (W) | Seated December 3, 1849 |
| Ohio 6th | Rodolphus Dickinson (D) | Died March 20, 1849 | Amos E. Wood (D) | Seated December 3, 1849 |
| Virginia 15th | Alexander Newman (D) | Died September 8, 1849 | Thomas Haymond (W) | Seated November 8, 1849 |
| Georgia 1st | Thomas B. King (W) | Resigned some time in 1850 | Joseph W. Jackson (D) | Seated March 4, 1850 |
| Iowa 1st | William Thompson (D) | Seat declared vacant June 29, 1850 after contested election. House ruled neither candidate entitled to seat and forced special election | Daniel F. Miller (W) | Seated December 20, 1850 |
| Massachustts 1st | Robert C. Winthrop (W) | Resigned July 30, 1850 after being appointed to the US Senate | Samuel A. Eliot (W) | Seated August 22, 1850 |
| Louisiana 2nd | Charles M. Conrad (W) | Resigned August 17, 1850 after being appointed United States Secretary of War | Henry A. Bullard (W) | Seated December 5, 1850 |
| New Hampshire 3rd | James Wilson (W) | Resigned September 9, 1850 | George W. Morrison (D) | Seated October 8, 1850 |
| California At-large | California admitted into the Union September 9, 1850 and seat remained vacant until September 11, 1850 | Edward Gilbert (D) | Seated September 11, 1850 | |
| California At-large | California admitted into the Union September 9, 1850 and seat remained vacant until September 11, 1850 | George W. Wright (I) | Seated September 11, 1850 | |
| Pennsylvania 15th | Henry Nes (W) | Died September 10, 1850 | Joel B. Danner (D) | Seated December 2, 1850 |
| Pennsylvania 11th | Chester P. Butler (W) | Died October 5, 1850 | John Brisbin (D) | Seated November 13, 1850 |
| Louisiana 3rd | John H. Harmanson (D) | Died October 24, 1850 | Alexander G. Penn (D) | Seated December 30, 1850 |
| Ohio 6th | Amos E. Wood (D) | Died November 19, 1850 | John Bell (W) | Seated January 7, 1851 |
| Texas 1st | David S. Kaufman (D) | Died December 31, 1851 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
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