29th United States Congress
| 29th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Twenty-ninth 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, 1845 to March 4, 1847, during the first two years of the administration of James Polk's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Sixth Census of the United States in 1840. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
Major events
- March 4, 1845: James K. Polk became President of the United States
- October 10, 1845: The Naval School (later renamed the United States Naval Academy) opened in Annapolis, Maryland
- December 2, 1845: President Polk announced to Congress that the Monroe Doctrine should be strictly enforced and that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
- April 25, 1846: Open conflict over border disputes of Texas's boundaries began the Mexican-American War
Major legislation
Main article: Major legislation: 29th United States Congress
- May 13, 1846: Mexican-American War declared, ch. 16, 9 Stat. 9
- July 9, 1846: District of Columbia retrocession, ch. 35, 9 Stat. 35
- July 30, 1846: Walker tariff, ch. 74, 9 Stat. 42
Treaties
- June 15, 1846: Oregon Treaty established the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
- January 13, 1847: Treaty of Cahuenga ended the fighting in the Mexican-American War in California (not a formal treaty between nations but an informal agreement between rival military forces)
States admitted
- December 29, 1845: Texas admitted as the 28th state
- December 28, 1846: Iowa admitted as the 29th state
Party summary
Senate
During this congress, two Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Texas and Iowa.
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Liberty (L) | Whig (W) | Other | |||
| End of the previous congress | 23 | 0 | 27 | 1 | 51 | 3 |
| Begin | 26 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 50 | 4 |
| End | 31 | 1 | 56 | 2 | ||
| Final voting share | 55.4% | 1.8% | 42.9% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 34 | 0 | 20 | 1 | 55 | 3 |
House of Representatives
During this congress, two House seats were added for each of the new states of Texas and Iowa.
| Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American (A) |
Democratic (D) | Whig (W) | Other | |||
| End of the previous congress | 0 | 141 | 78 | 4 | 223 | 1 |
| Begin | 6 | 138 | 79 | 0 | 223 | 2 |
| End | 143 | 78 | 227 | |||
| Final voting share | 2.6% | 63.0% | 34.4% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 1 | 107 | 116 | 3 | 227 | 1 |
Leadership
President of the Senate
George M. Dallas (D)
George M. Dallas (D)
Presidents pro tempore
Willie P. Mangum (D)
until March 4, 1845
until March 4, 1845
Ambrose H. Sevier (D)
on December 27, 1845
on December 27, 1845
David R. Atchison (D)
from August 8, 1846
from August 8, 1846
Senate
- President: George M. Dallas (D)
- President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum (W), until March 4, 1845
- Ambrose Hundley Sevier (D), only on December 27, 1845
- David R. Atchison (D), from August 8, 1846
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John W. Davis (D)
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 with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1850; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1848.
House of Representatives
Speaker John W: Davis
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
- replacements: 8
- Democrats (D): no net change
- Whigs (W): no net change
- deaths: 3
- resignations: 6
- interim appointments: 1
- seats of newly admitted states: 4
- Total seats with changes: 14
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida (1) |
Vacant | Florida admitted to the Union at end of previous congress | David L. Yulee (D) | Elected July 1, 1845 |
| Florida (3) |
Vacant | Florida admitted to the Union at end of previous congress | James Westcott (D) | Elected July 1, 1845 |
| South Carolina (2) |
Vacant | Senator Daniel E. Huger resigned in previous congress | John C. Calhoun (D) | Elected November 26, 1845 |
| Virginia (1) |
Vacant | Failure to elect | Isaac S. Pennybacker (D) | Elected December 3, 1845 |
| Mississippi (2) |
Robert J. Walker (D) | Resigned March 5, 1845 after being appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury. Successor appointed November 3, 1845. Appointee was later elected on an unknown date. |
Joseph W. Chalmers (D) | Appointed November 3, 1845 |
| Pennsylvania (3) |
James Buchanan (D) | Resigned March 5, 1845 after being appointed United States Secretary of State | Simon Cameron (D) | Elected March 13, 1845 |
| Massachusetts (2) |
Isaac C. Bates (W) | Died March 16, 1845 | John Davis (W) | Elected March 24, 1845 |
| Georgia (2) |
John Macpherson Berrien (W) | Resigned May, 1845; appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court | John Macpherson Berrien (W) | Elected November 13, 1845 |
| New Hampshire (2) |
Levi Woodbury (D) | Resigned November 20, 1845 to become Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court | Benning W. Jenness (D) | Appointed December 1, 1845 |
| Texas (1) |
Texas admitted to the Union December 29, 1845 and remained vacant until February 21, 1846 | Thomas J. Rusk (D) | Elected February 21, 1846 | |
| Texas (2) |
Texas admitted to the Union December 29, 1845 and remained vacant until February 21, 1846 | Sam Houston (D) | Elected February 21, 1846 | |
| New Hampshire (2) |
Benning W. Jenness (D) | Lost election to finish the term. Winner elected June 13, 1846. |
Joseph Cilley (L) | Elected June 13, 1846 |
| North Carolina (3) |
William H. Haywood, Jr. (D) | Resigned July 25, 1846 after having refused to be instructed by the North Carolina state legislature on a tariff question | George E. Badger (W) | Elected November 25, 1846 |
| South Carolina (3) |
George McDuffie (D) | Resigned August 17, 1846 | Andrew Butler (D) | Elected December 4, 1846 |
| Iowa (2) |
Iowa admitted to the Union December 28, 1846 | Vacant | Not filled this term | |
| Iowa (3) |
Iowa admitted to the Union December 28, 1846 | Vacant | Not filled this term | |
| Louisiana (2) |
Alexander Barrow (W) | Died December 29, 1846 | Pierre Soulé (D) | Elected January 21, 1847 |
| Virginia (1) |
Isaac S. Pennybacker (D) | Died January 12, 1847 | James M. Mason (D) | Elected January 21, 1847 |
House of Representatives
- replacements: 12
- Democrats (D): 1 seat net gain
- Whigs (W): 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 5
- resignations: 6
- contested election: 1
- seats of newly admitted states: 4
- Total seats with changes: 17
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Florida At-large | Vacant | Florida admitted to the Union at end of previous congress | Edward C. Cabell (W) | Seated October 6, 1845 |
| Georgia 3rd | Vacant | Rep-elect Washington Poe declined the seat | George W. Towns (D) | Seated January 5, 1846 |
| Texas 1st | Texas admitted into the Union December 29, 1845 and seat remained vacant until March 30, 1846 | David S. Kaufman (D) | Seated March 30, 1846 | |
| Texas 2nd | Texas admitted into the Union December 29, 1845 and seat remained vacant until March 30, 1846 | Timothy Pilsbury (D) | Seated March 30, 1846 | |
| New Jersey 2nd | Samuel G. Wright (W) | Died July 30, 1845 | George Sykes (D) | Seated November 4, 1845 |
| Louisiana 1st | John Slidell (D) | Resigned November 10, 1845 after being appointed Minister to Mexico, but government refused to accept him | Emile La Sére (D) | Seated January 29, 1846 |
| Tennessee 8th | Joseph H. Peyton (W) | Died November 11, 1845 | Edwin H. Ewing (W) | Seated January 2, 1846 |
| Virginia 11th | William Taylor (D) | Died January 17, 1846 | James McDowell (D) | Seated March 6, 1846 |
| Florida At-large | Edward C. Cabell (W) | Lost contested election January 24, 1846 | William H. Brockenbrough (D) | Seated January 24, 1846 |
| Mississippi At-large | Jefferson Davis (D) | Resigned some time in June, 1846 in order to take part in the Mexican War | Henry T. Ellett (D) | Seated January 26, 1847 |
| New York 12th | Richard P. Herrick (W) | Died June 20, 1846 | Thomas C. Ripley (W) | Seated December 17, 1846 |
| Arkansas At-large | Archibald Yell (D) | Resigned July 1, 1846 in order to take part in the Mexican War | Thomas W. Newton (W) | Seated February 6, 1847 |
| Missouri At-large | Sterling Price (D) | Resigned August 12, 1846 in order to take part in the Mexican War | William McDaniel (D) | Seated December 7, 1846 |
| Alabama 3rd | William L. Yancey (D) | Resigned September 1, 1846 | James L. Cottrell (D) | Seated December 7, 1846 |
| Alabama 7th | Felix G. McConnell (D) | Died September 10, 1846 | Franklin W. Bowdon (D) | Seated December 7, 1846 |
| Iowa Territory At-large | Augustus C. Dodge (D) | Territory was dissolved after Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846 | ||
| Iowa At-large | Iowa admitted into the Union December 28, 1846 | S. Clinton Hastings (D) | Seated December 28, 1846 | |
| Iowa At-large | Iowa admitted into the Union December 28, 1846 | Shepherd Leffler (D) | Seated December 28, 1846 | |
| Illinois 7th | Edward D. Baker (W) | Resigned January 15, 1847 in order to take part in the Mexican War | John Henry (W) | Seated February 5, 1847 |
| Illinois 5th | Stephen A. Douglas (D) | Resigned March 3, 1847 at close of congress after being elected to the US Senate | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain:
- Septimus Tustin (Presbyterian)
- Henry Slicer (Methodist), elected December 16, 1846
- Secretary: Asbury Dickens
- Sergeant at Arms:
- Edward Dyer, died September 8, 1845
- Robert Beale, elected December 9, 1845
House of Representatives
- Chaplain:
- William H. Milburn (Methodist)
- William T.S. Sprole (Presbyterian), elected December 7, 1846
- Clerk: Benjamin B. French
- Doorkeeper: Cornelius C. Whitney
- Postmaster: John M. Johnson
- Sergeant at Arms: Newton Lane
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
- Statutes at Large, 1789–1875
- Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
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