36th United States Congress
36th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Thirty-sixth 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, 1859 to March 4, 1861, during the third and fourth years of James Buchanan'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 Republican plurality.
Major events
- June 8, 1859: Comstock Lode discovered in the western Utah Territory (present-day Nevada)
- August 27, 1859: First oil well was drilled in the United States, near Titusville, Pennsylvania
- October 16–18, 1859: John Brown's raid on Harpers Ferry began
- December 2, 1859 John Brown executed.
- April 3, 1860: Pony Express began its first run
- April 23 - May 3, 1860: Democratic National Convention held in Charleston, South Carolina.[1] Unable to agree on a nominee, the delegates voted to reconvene in June.[2]
- May 9, 1860: Constitutional Union Party National Convention held in Baltimore, Maryland, nominating John Bell for President.[3]
- May 18, 1860: Republican National Convention held in Chicago, Illinois, nominating Abraham Lincoln for President.
- June 18-23, 1860: Democratic Party reconvened in Baltimore, Maryland, nominating Stephen A. Douglas for President.[2]
- June 26-28, 1860: Southern Democrats held a convention in Richmond, Virginia, nominating John C. Breckinridge for President.[2]
- November 6, 1860: U.S. presidential election: Abraham Lincoln beat John C. Breckinridge, Stephen A. Douglas, and John Bell.
- December 20, 1860: South Carolina Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession[4]
- January 3, 1861: Delaware Secession Convention voted not to secede from the Union[5]
- January 9, 1861: Mississippi Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession[6]
- January 10, 1861: Florida Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession[7]
- January 11, 1861: Alabama Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession[8]
- January 18, 1861: Georgia Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession[9]
- January 26, 1861: Louisiana Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession[10]
- January 29, 1861. Kansas admitted to the Union as a free state.
- February 1, 1861: Texas Secession Convention enacted an Ordinance of Secession[11]
- February 23, 1861: The people of Texas ratified its Ordinance of Secession[11] President-elect Abraham Lincoln arrived secretly in Washington, D.C. after an assassination attempt in Baltimore, Maryland.
Major legislation
- June 16, 1860: Pacific Telegraph Act of 1860, ch. 147, 12 Stat. 41
- March 2, 1861: Morrill Tariff, ch. 68, 12 Stat. 178
Resolutions
- February 11, 1861: The U.S. House unanimously passed a resolution guaranteeing non-interference with slavery in any state
Not enacted
- December 18, 1860: Crittenden Compromise proposed
Treaties
- March 8, 1859: Quinault Treaty ratified, 12 Stat. 927
- March 8, 1859: Point No Point Treaty ratified, 12 Stat. 933
States admitted and territories organized
- January 29, 1861: Kansas admitted as a state, ch. 20, 12 Stat. 126
- February 28, 1861: Colorado Territory organized, ch. 59, 12 Stat. 172
- March 2, 1861: Nevada Territory organized, ch. 83, 12 Stat. 209
- March 2, 1861: Dakota Territory organized, ch. 86, 12 Stat. 239
Party summary
Senate
Party (Shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American (A) |
Democratic (D) | Republican (R) | Other | |||
End of the previous congress | 19 | 25 | 22 | 0 | 66 | 0 |
Begin | 2 | 38 | 23 | 0 | 63 | 3 |
End | 1 | 26 | 28 | 55 | 13 | |
Final voting share | 1.8% | 47.3% | 50.9% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of the next congress | 0 | 23 | 29 |
(Unionist) 1 |
53 | 15 |
House of Representatives
Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates plurality, then majority, caucus) |
Total | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
American (A) |
Democratic (D) |
Anti-Lecompton Democratic (ALD) |
Independent Democratic (ID) |
Republican (R) |
Opposition (O) |
Other | Vacant | ||
End of previous Congress | 14 | 130 | 0 | 1 | 92 | 0 | 0 | 237 | 0 |
Begin | 6 | 84 | 8 | 7 | 113 | 17 | 0 | 235 | 2 |
End | 5 | 58 | 7 | 116 | 16 | 209 | 29 | ||
Final voting share | 2.4% | 27.8% | 3.3% | 3.3% | 55.5% | 7.7% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of next Congress | 0 | 44 | 0 | 1 | 108 | 0 | (Unionist + Constitutional Unionist) 25 |
178 | 62 |
Leadership
Senate
- President: John C. Breckinridge (D)
- President pro tempore: Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), until February 26, 1860
- Jesse D. Bright (D), June 12–13, 1860
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), June 26, 1860 – December 2, 1860
- Solomon Foot (R), elected February 16, 1861
House of Representatives
- Speaker: William Pennington (R), elected February 1, 1860
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 1862; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1864; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1860.
House of Representatives
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: 4
- Democrats (D): no net change
- Republicans (R): no net change
- Deaths: 1
- Resignations: 1
- Interim appointments: 1
- Withdrawals: 13
- Total seats with changes: 16
State (class) | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
---|---|---|---|---|
Oregon (2) |
Vacant | Successor elected late due to legislature's failure to elect | Edward D. Baker (R) | October 2, 1860 |
California (1) |
David C. Broderick (D) | Died September 16, 1859 Interim successor was appointed to continue the term |
Henry P. Haun (D) | November 3, 1859 |
Texas (1) |
Matthias Ward (D) | Interim appointee lost nomination to finish the term Successor elected to finish the term |
Louis Wigfall (D) | December 5, 1859 |
California (1) |
Henry P. Haun (D) | Interim appointee lost election to finish the term Successor was elected to finish the term |
Milton Latham (D) | March 5, 1860 |
South Carolina (2) |
James Chesnut, Jr. (D) | Withdrew November 10, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
South Carolina (3) |
James H. Hammond (D) | Withdrew November 11, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Mississippi (2) |
Albert G. Brown (D) | Withdrew January 12, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Maine (1) |
Hannibal Hamlin (R) | Resigned January 17, 1861 to become Vice President of the United States Successor elected to finish the term |
Lot M. Morrill (R) | January 17, 1861 |
Alabama (3) |
Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Alabama (2) |
Clement C. Clay (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Florida (1) |
Stephen Mallory (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Florida (3) |
David L. Yulee (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Mississippi (1) |
Jefferson Davis (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Georgia (3) |
Alfred Iverson, Sr. (D) | Withdrew January 28, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Kansas (2) |
New seat | New state admitted to the Union January 29, 1861 Senator was not elected until the next Congress |
Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Kansas (3) |
New seat | New state admitted to the Union January 29, 1861 Senator was not elected until the next Congress |
Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Georgia (2) |
Robert Toombs (D) | Withdrew February 4, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Louisiana (2) |
Judah P. Benjamin (D) | Withdrew February 4, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Louisiana (3) |
John Slidell (D) | Withdrew February 4, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Tennessee (2) |
Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D) | Withdrew March 3, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 7
- Democrats (D): no net change
- Republicans (R): 1 seat net loss
- Anti-Lecompton Democrats (LD): 1 seat net gain
- Deaths: 4
- Resignations: 3
- Contested election: 1
- Withdrawals: 28
- Total seats with changes: 41
District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
---|---|---|---|---|
Illinois 6th | Vacant | Vacancy in term | John A. McClernand (D) | Seated November 8, 1859 |
Kentucky 5th | Vacant | Brown could not take seat because he had not yet attained age required by the US Constitution | John Y. Brown (D) | Seated December 3, 1860 |
Ohio 14th | Cyrus Spink (R) | Died May 31, 1859 | Harrison G. O. Blake (R) | Seated October 11, 1859 |
Virginia 4th | William Goode (D) | Died July 3, 1859 | Roger A. Pryor (D) | Seated December 7, 1859 |
Michigan 1st | George B. Cooper (D) | Lost contested election May 15, 1860 | Francis P. Blair, Jr. (R) | Seated May 15, 1860 |
Nebraska Territory At-large | Experience Estabrook | Lost contested election May 18, 1860 | Samuel G. Daily (R) | Seated May 18, 1860 |
New York 31st | Silas M. Burroughs (R) | Died June 3, 1860 | Edwin R. Reynolds (R) | Seated December 5, 1860 |
Missouri 1st | John R. Barret (D) | Lost contested election June 8, 1860 | William A. Howard (R) | Seated June 8, 1860 |
Pennsylvania 8th | John Schwartz (ALD) | Died June 20, 1860 | Jacob K. McKenty (D) | Seated December 3, 1860 |
Missouri 1st | William A. Howard (R) | Resigned June 25, 1860 | John R. Barret (R) | Seated December 3, 1860 |
Mississippi 1st | Lucius Q. C. Lamar II (D) | Retired December ???, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
South Carolina 3rd | Laurence M. Keitt (D) | Retired December ???, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
South Carolina 1st | John McQueen (D) | Retired December 21, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
South Carolina 2nd | William P. Miles (D) | Retired December 21, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
South Carolina 4th | Milledge L. Bonham (D) | Retired December 21, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
South Carolina 5th | John D. Ashmore (D) | Retired December 21, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
South Carolina 6th | William W. Boyce (D) | Retired December 21, 1860 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Maine 5th | Israel Washburn, Jr. (R) | Resigned January 1, 1861 after being elected Governor of Maine | Stephen Coburn (R) | Seated January 2, 1861 |
Mississippi 2nd | Reuben Davis (D) | Withdrew January 12, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Mississippi 3rd | William Barksdale (D) | Withdrew January 12, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Mississippi 4th | Otho R. Singleton (D) | Withdrew January 12, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Mississippi 5th | John J. McRae (D) | Withdrew January 12, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Alabama 1st | James A. Stallworth (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Alabama 1st | James A. Stallworth (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Alabama 2nd | James L. Pugh (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Alabama 3rd | David Clopton (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Alabama 4th | Sydenham Moore (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Alabama 5th | George S. Houston (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Alabama 7th | Jabez L. M. Curry (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Florida At-large | George S. Hawkins (D) | Withdrew January 21, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 1st | Peter E. Love (D) | Retired January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 2nd | Martin J. Crawford (D) | Withdrew January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 3rd | Thomas Hardeman, Jr. (O) | Withdrew January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 4th | Lucius J. Gartrell (D) | Retired January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 5th | John W. H. Underwood (D) | Withdrew January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 6th | James Jackson (D) | Retired January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 7th | Joshua Hill (KN) | Resigned January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Georgia 8th | John J. Jones (D) | Withdrew January 23, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Kansas Territory At-large | Marcus J. Parrott (R) | Kansas was admitted to the Union January 29, 1861 | Seat eliminated | |
Kansas At-large | New Seat | Kansas was admitted to the Union January 29, 1861 | Martin F. Conway (R) | Seated November 8, 1859 |
Alabama 6th | Williamson R. W. Cobb (D) | Withdrew January 30, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Louisiana 2nd | Miles Taylor (D) | Withdrew February 5, 1861 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain: Stephen P. Hill (Baptist)
- Phineas D. Gurley (Presbyterian), elected December 15, 1859
- Secretary: Asbury Dickens
- Sergeant at Arms: Dunning R. McNair
House of Representatives
- Clerk: James C. Allen
- John W. Forney, elected February 3, 1860
- Chaplain: William H. Milburn (Methodist)
- Doorkeeper: George Marston
- Messenger: Thaddeus Morrice
- Postmaster: Josiah M. Lucas
- Sergeant at Arms: Henry W. Hoffman
References
- ↑ "1860 Democratic Convention Number 1 - Charleston, South Carolina". Usgovinfo.about.com. 2010-06-19. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- 1 2 3 "1860 Democratic National Convention". Blueandgraytrail.com. 2006-08-19. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ↑ "Constitutional Union party Facts, information, pictures | Encyclopedia.com articles about Constitutional Union party". Encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ↑ "Ordinance of Secession of South Carolina". Csawardept.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ↑ "The Delaware Legislature.; Reception Of The Secession Commissioner From Mississippi". The New York Times. January 4, 1861.
- ↑ "Ordinance of Secession of Mississippi". Csawardept.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ↑ "Ordinance of Secession of Florida". Csawardept.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ↑ "Ordinance of Secession of Alabama". Csawardept.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ↑ "Ordinance of Secession of Georgia". Csawardept.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- ↑ "Ordinance of Secession of Louisiana". Csawardept.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- 1 2 "Ordinance of Secession of Texas". Csawardept.com. Retrieved 2011-12-05.
- 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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