| 34th United States Congress | |||
United States Capitol (1846) |
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| Duration: March 4, 1855 – March 4, 1857 | |||
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| Senate President: | Vacant | ||
| Senate Pres. pro tem: | Jesse D. Bright Charles E. Stuart Jesse D. Bright James M. Mason |
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| House Speaker: | Nathaniel P. Banks | ||
| Members: | 62 Senators 234 Representatives 7 Non-voting members |
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| Senate Majority: | Democratic | ||
| House Majority: | Opposition coalition | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| 1st: December 3, 1855 – August 18, 1856 2nd: August 21, 1856 – August 30, 1856 3rd: December 1, 1856 – March 4, 1857 |
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The Thirty-fourth 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, 1855 to March 4, 1857, during the last two years of Franklin Pierce's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the 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 a coalition majority of Representatives opposed to the Democrats.
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.
During the elections for this Congress, opponents to the Democrats used the Whig party label inconsistently and not at all in some states. Hence in this Congress, and in accordance with the practice of the Senate and House, representatives not associated with the Democratic Party or the American Party are labeled as "Opposition." This is the first example in U.S. history of a form of coalition government in either house of Congress.
| Affiliation | Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
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Total | ||||||
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| American (Know-nothing) (A) |
Democratic (D) |
Opposition coalition (O) |
Vacant | |||||
| Free Soil (FS) |
Republican (R) |
Whig (W) |
Other (O/FS/A/D) |
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| End of previous Congress | 0 | 38 | 4 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 62 | 0 |
| Begin | 1 | 34 | 19 | 1 | 56 | 7 | ||
| End | 39 | 21 | 62 | 0 | ||||
| Final voting share | 1.6% | 62.9% | 33.9% | 1.6% | ||||
| Beginning of next Congress | 5 | 40 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 0 | 65 | 1 |
The parties that opposed the Democrats joined a coalition and formed the majority. The Know-nothings caucused with the Opposition coalition.
| Affiliation | Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
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Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
American (Know-nothing) (A) |
Opposition (O) |
Republican (R) |
Other | Vacant | ||||
| End of previous Congress | 156 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 2 | 234 | 0 | ||
| Begin | 79 | 51 | 103 | 0 | 0 | 233 | 1 | ||
| End | 100 | 1 | 230 | 4 | |||||
| Final voting share | 34.3% | 66.7% | 0.0% | ||||||
| Beginning of next Congress | 114 | 14 | 0 | 105 | 0 | 233 | 4 | ||
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 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.
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 |
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| New Hampshire (2) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. | John Parker Hale (R) | July 30, 1855 |
| New Hampshire (3) |
Vacant | Charles G. Atherton died during the previous Congress. Successor was elected. | James Bell (R) | July 30, 1855 |
| Alabama (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. | Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D) | November 26, 1855 |
| Pennsylvania (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. | William Bigler (D) | January 14, 1856 |
| Missouri (3) |
Vacant | Elected but did not take seat until after Congress began session. | James S. Green (D) | January 12, 1857 |
| California (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. | William M. Gwin (D) | January 13, 1857 |
| Indiana (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. | Graham N. Fitch (D) | February 4, 1857 |
| Delaware (2) |
John M. Clayton (O / W) | Died November 9, 1856. Successor was appointed. | Joseph P. Comegys (O / W) | November 19, 1856 |
| Maine (1) |
Hannibal Hamlin (D) | Resigned January 7, 1857 to become Governor of Maine. Successor was appointed. | Amos Nourse (R) | January 16, 1857 |
| Delaware (2) |
Joseph P. Comegys (O / W) | Appointment expired January 14, 1857 upon successor's election. | Martin W. Bates (D) | January 14, 1857 |
| Iowa (3) |
James Harlan (O / FS) | Presented his credentials and took his seat December 31, 1855; owing to irregularities in the legislative proceedings the Senate declared the seat vacant in January 1857. He was subsequently re-elected to fill the vacancy | James Harlan (R) | January 29, 1857 |
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's installation |
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| Illinois 8th | Vacant | Rep-elect Lyman Trumbull resigned in previous congress after being elected to the US Senate | James L. D. Morrison (D) | Seated November 4, 1856 |
| Missouri 5th | John G. Miller (O) | Died May 11, 1856 | Thomas P. Akers (KN) | Seated August 18, 1856 |
| Virginia 1st | Thomas H. Bayly (D) | Died June 23, 1856 | Muscoe R. H. Garnett (D) | Seated December 1, 1856 |
| South Carolina 3rd | Laurence M. Keitt (D) | Resigned July 15, 1856 after being censured in his role in the assault on US Senator Charles Sumner. He was subsequently re-elected to fill the vacancy | Laurence M. Keitt (D) | Seated August 6, 1856 |
| South Carolina 4th | Preston Brooks (D) | Resigned July 15, 1856 after assaulting US Senator Charles Sumner. He was subsequently re-elected to fill the vacancy | Preston Brooks (D) | Seated August 1, 1856 |
| Illinois 7th | James C. Allen (D) | House declared on July 18, 1856 he was not entitled to seat. He was subsequently re-elected to fill the vacancy | James C. Allen (D) | Seated November 4, 1856 |
| New Mexico Territory At-large | José M. Gallegos (D) | Contested election July 23, 1856 | Miguel A. Otero (D) | Seated July 23, 1856 |
| Kansas Territory At-large | John W. Whitfield (D) | House declared August 1, 1856 the seat vacant. He was subsequently re-elected to fill the vacancy | John W. Whitfield (D) | Seated December 9, 1856 |
| Vermont 1st | James Meacham (O) | Died August 23, 1856 | George T. Hodges (R) | Seated December 1, 1856 |
| Illinois 5th | William A. Richardson (D) | Resigned August 25, 1856 | Jacob C. Davis (D) | Seated November 4, 1856 |
| South Carolina 4th | Preston Brooks (D) | Died January 28, 1857 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| New York 20th | Orsamus B. Matteson (O) | Resigned February 27, 1857 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| New York 23rd | William A. Gilbert (O) | Resigned February 27, 1857 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| New York 33rd | Francis S. Edwards (KN) | Resigned February 28, 1857 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
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