26th United States Congress

26th United States Congress
25th 
 27th

March 4, 1839 – March 4, 1841
Senate President Richard M. Johnson (D)
Senate Pres. pro tem William R. King (D)
House Speaker Robert M.T. Hunter (W)
Members 52 Senators
242 Representatives
3 Non-voting members
Senate Majority Democratic
House Majority Democratic
Sessions
1st: December 2, 1839 – July 21, 1840
2nd: December 7, 1840 – March 3, 1841

The Twenty-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, 1839, to March 4, 1841, during the third and fourth years of Martin Van Buren's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fifth Census of the United States in 1830. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Major events

Major legislation

Party summary

Senate

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)
Whig
(W)
End of the previous congress 35 16 51 1
Begin 28 19 47 5
End 29 23 520
Final voting share 55.8% 44.2%
Beginning of the next congress 22 29 51 1

House of Representatives

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Anti-
Masonic

(AM)
Conservative
(C)
Democratic
(D)
Whig
(W)
Other
End of the previous congress 7 0 114 105 (Nullifer)
7
233 2
Begin 6 2 124 109 0 241 1
End 5 111 2420
Final voting share 2.1% 0.8% 51.2% 45.9% 0.0%
Beginning of the next congress 0 0 99 142 1 242 0

Leadership

President of the Senate
Richard M. Johnson

Senate

House of Representatives

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and Representatives are listed by district.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

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 1844; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1840; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1842.

Alabama

Arkansas

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Mississippi

Missouri

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vermont

Virginia

President pro tempore
William R. King

House of Representatives

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

Alabama

Arkansas

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives. (5-3 Whig)

Massachusetts

Michigan

Mississippi

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

Missouri

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

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 four plural districts, the 8th, 17th, 22nd & 23rd had two representatives each, the 3rd had four representatives.

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

There were two plural districts, the 2nd had two representatives, the 4th had three representatives.

Rhode Island

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vermont

Virginia

Non-voting members

Speaker of the House
Robert M.T. Hunter

Changes in membership

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

Senate

State
(class)
Vacator Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation
Tennessee
(1)
Vacant after previous Congress Felix Grundy (D) Elected November 19, 1839
New York
(1)
Vacant after previous Congress Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (w) Elected January 14, 1840
Pennsylvania
(1)
Vacant after previous Congress Daniel Sturgeon (D) Elected January 14, 1840
Michigan
(1)
Vacant after previous Congress Augustus S. Porter (W) Elected January 20, 1840
Delaware
(1)
Richard H. Bayard (W) Resigned September 19, 1839, to become Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court Richard H. Bayard (W) Elected January 12, 1841, to his former position
Tennessee
(2)
Hugh Lawson White (W) Resigned January 13, 1840, because he could not conscientiously obey the intentions of his constituents Alexander O. Anderson (D) Elected February 26, 1840
Connecticut
(1)
Thaddeus Betts (W) Died April 7, 1840 Jabez W. Huntington (W) Elected May 4, 1840
Maryland
(3)
John S. Spence (W) Died October 24, 1840 John L. Kerr (W) Elected January 5, 1841
North Carolina
(2)
Bedford Brown (D) Resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly Willie P. Mangum (W) Elected November 25, 1840
North Carolina
(3)
Robert Strange (D) Resigned November 16, 1840 William A. Graham (W) Elected November 25, 1840
Tennessee
(1)
Felix Grundy (D) Died December 19, 1840 Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D) Elected December 25, 1840
Massachusetts
(2)
John Davis (W) Resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts Isaac C. Bates (W) Elected January 13, 1841
Massachusetts
(1)
Daniel Webster (W) Resigned February 22, 1841 Rufus Choate (W) Elected February 23, 1841

House of Representatives


District Vacator Reason for change Successor Date successor
seated
Indiana 7th Vacant Rep-elect Howard presented credentials August 5, 1839 Tilghman Howard (D) Seated August 5, 1839
Missouri At-large Albert G. Harrison (D) Died September 7, 1839 John Jameson (D) Seated December 12, 1839
Massachusetts 6th James C. Alvord (W) Died September 27, 1839 Osmyn Baker (W) Seated January 14, 1840
Pennsylvania 14th William W. Potter (D) Died October 28, 1839 George McCulloch (D) Seated November 20, 1839
Virginia 14th Charles F. Mercer (W) Resigned December 26, 1839 William M. McCarty (W) Seated January 25, 1840
Pennsylvania 22nd Richard Biddle (AM) Resigned some time in 1840 Henry M. Brackenridge (W) Seated October 13, 1840
Virginia 1st Joel Holleman (D) Resigned some time in 1840 Francis Mallory (W) Seated December 28, 1840
Ohio 4th Thomas Corwin (W) Resigned May 30, 1840, having become a candidate for Governor of Ohio Jeremiah Morrow (W) Seated October 13, 1840
Connecticut 2nd William L. Storrs (W) Resigned some time in June, 1840 William W. Boardman (W) Seated December 7, 1840
New York 11th Anson Brown (W) Died June 14, 1840 Nicholas B. Doe (W) Seated December 7, 1840
Indiana 7th Tilghman Howard (D) Resigned July 1, 1840 Henry S. Lane (W) Seated August 3, 1840
Georgia At-large Walter T. Colquitt (W) Resigned July 21, 1840 Hines Holt (W) Seated February 1, 1841
Louisiana 3rd Rice Garland (W) Resigned July 21, 1840, to accept appointment as judge of Louisiana Supreme Court John Moore (W) Seated December 17, 1840
Kentucky 5th Simeon H. Anderson (W) Died August 11, 1840 John B. Thompson (W) Seated December 7, 1840
Massachusetts 1st Abbott Lawrence (W) Resigned September 18, 1840 Robert C. Winthrop (W) Seated November 9, 1840
Pennsylvania 13th William S. Ramsey (D) Died October 17, 1840 Charles McClure (D) Seated December 7, 1840
Iowa Territory At-large William W. Chapman (D) Term expired by law October 27, 1840 Augustus C. Dodge (D) Seated October 28, 1840
Maine 4th George Evans (W) Resigned March 3, 1841, after being elected to the US Senate Vacant Not filled this term

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

House of Representatives

Joint committees

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

References

  1. "A Mob in Search of a Speaker". House.gov. US House of Representatives. Retrieved March 18, 2017.
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