32nd United States Congress

32nd United States Congress
31st 
 33rd

March 4, 1851 – March 4, 1853
Senate President Vacant
Senate Pres. pro tem William R. King (D)
David R. Atchison (D)
House Speaker Linn Boyd (D)
Members 62 Senators
233 Representatives
4 Non-voting members
Senate Majority Democratic
House Majority Democratic
Sessions
Special: March 4, 1851 – March 13, 1851
1st: December 1, 1851 – August 31, 1852
2nd: December 6, 1852 – March 4, 1853

The Thirty-second 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, 1851, to March 4, 1853, during the third and fourth years of Millard Fillmore'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

Uncle Tom's Cabin was published in 1852

Major legislation

Territories organized

Party summary

Senate

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)
Free Soil
(FS)
Whig
(W)
End of the previous congress 36 2 24 62 0
Begin 34 2 21 57 5
End 35 3 23 611
Final voting share 57.4% 4.9% 37.7%
Beginning of the next congress 36 3 22 61 2

House of Representatives

  Party
(Shading indicates majority caucus)
Total Vacant
Democratic
(D)
Independent
Democratic
(ID)
Free
Soil

(FS)
States'
Rights

(SR)
Constitutional
Unionist

(CU)
Whig
(W)
Independent
Whig
(IW)
Other
End of previous Congress 113 0 9 0 0 107 0 2 231 2
Begin 130 3 3 3 10 85 1 0 235 0
End 128 86 234 1
Final voting share 54.7% 1.3% 1.3% 1.3% 4.3% 36.8% 0.4% 0.0%
Beginning of next Congress 158 1 3 0 0 71 0 1 234 0

Leadership

Senate Presidents pro Tempore
Daniel Inouye
William R. King (D)
(until December 20, 1852)
David R. Atchison
David R. Atchison (D)
(from December 20, 1852)

Senate

House of Representatives

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 1856; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1852; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1854.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Alabama

Arkansas

California

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Mississippi

Missouri

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Texas

Vermont

Virginia

Wisconsin

House of Representatives

Speaker of the House
Linn Boyd

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

Alabama

(4-2 Democratic, 1 Constitutional Unionist)

Arkansas

(1 Democrat)

California

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
(2 Democrats)

Connecticut

(3-1 Democratic)

Delaware

(1 Democrat)

Florida

(1 Whig)

Georgia

(6-2 Constitutional Union)

Illinois

(6-1 Democratic)

Indiana

(8-2 Democratic)

Iowa

(2 Democrats)

Kentucky

(5-5 split)

Louisiana

(2-2 split)

Maine

(5-2 Democratic)

Maryland

(4-2 Whig)

Massachusetts

(7-1 Whig)

Michigan

(2-1 Whig)

Mississippi

(3-1 Constitutional Union)

Missouri

(3-2 Whig)

New Hampshire

(2-2 split)

New Jersey

(4-1 Democratic)

New York

(16-15 Whig)

North Carolina

(6-3 Whig)

Ohio

(11-9 Democratic)

Pennsylvania

(15-9 Democratic)

Rhode Island

(1-1 split)

South Carolina

(7 Democrats)

Tennessee

(7-4 Democratic)

Texas

(2 Democrats)

Vermont

(3-1 Whig)

Virginia

(15 Democrats)

Wisconsin

(2-1 Democratic)

Non-voting members

(2 Democrats, 2 Independents)

House seats by party holding plurality in state
  80.1-100% Democratic
  80.1-100% Whig
  80.1-100% American
  60.1-80% Democratic
  60.1-80% Whig
  60.1-80% American
  Up to 60% Democratic
  Up to 60% Whig
  Up to 60% American

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
Ohio
(1)
Vacant Failure to elect.
The winner was elected late on March 15, 1851, on the 37th ballot over the incumbent appointee.[1]
Successor was elected March 15, 1851.
Benjamin Wade (W) Elected March 15, 1851
New York
(1)
Vacant Failure to elect.
Successor was elected March 19, 1851.
Hamilton Fish (W) Elected March 19, 1851
Massachusetts
(1)
Vacant Failure to elect.
Successor was elected April 24, 1851.
Charles Sumner (FS) Elected April 24, 1851
California
(1)
Vacant Failure to elect.
Successor was elected January 30, 1852.
John B. Weller (D) Elected January 30, 1852
Connecticut
(1)
Vacant Failure to elect.
Successor was elected May 12, 1852.
Isaac Toucey (D) Seated May 12, 1852
Mississippi
(1)
Jefferson Davis (D) Resigned September 23, 1851, to run for Governor of Mississippi.
Successor appointed December 1, 1851.
John J. McRae (D) Appointed December 1, 1851
Mississippi
(2)
Henry S. Foote (D) Resigned January 8, 1852, to become Governor of Mississippi.
Successor elected February 18, 1852.
Walker Brooke (W) Elected February 18, 1852
Mississippi
(1)
John J. McRae (D) Appointee was replaced by an elected successor.
Successor elected March 17, 1852.
Stephen Adams (D) Elected March 17, 1852
South Carolina
(2)
Robert Rhett (D) Resigned May 7, 1852.
Successor appointed May 10, 1852, and elected sometime thereafter to finish the term.
William F. De Saussure (D) Appointed May 10, 1852
Georgia
(2)
John M. Berrien (W) Resigned May 28, 1852.
Successor appointed May 31, 1852, to finish the term.
Robert M. Charlton (D) Appointed May 31, 1852
Kentucky
(3)
Henry Clay (W) Died June 29, 1852.
Successor appointed July 6, 1852.
David Meriwether (D) Appointed July 6, 1852
Indiana
(3)
James Whitcomb (D) Died October 4, 1852.
Successor appointed December 6, 1852.
Charles W. Cathcart (D) Appointed December 6, 1852
Kentucky
(3)
David Meriwether (D) Appointee was replaced by an elected successor.
Successor elected September 1, 1852.
Archibald Dixon (W) Elected September 1, 1852
Alabama
(3)
William R. King (D) Resigned December 20, 1852, due to ill health.
Successor appointed January 14, 1853, and elected December 12, 1853[2] thereafter to finish the term.
Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D) Appointed January 14, 1853
New Jersey
(1)
Robert F. Stockton (D) Resigned January 1, 1853, to become president of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company.
Successor was not elected until the next Congress.
Vacant Not filled this term
Vermont
(3)
William Upham (W) Died January 14, 1853.
Successor appointed January 17, 1853, to continue the term.
Samuel S. Phelps (W) Appointed January 17, 1853
Indiana
(3)
Charles W. Cathcart (D) Appointee was replaced by an elected successor.
Successor elected January 18, 1853.
John Pettit (D) Elected January 18, 1853

House of Representatives


District Vacator Reason for change Successor Date successor
seated
Maine 4th Charles Andrews (D) Died April 30, 1852 Isaac Reed (W) Seated June 25, 1852
Virginia 15th George W. Thompson (D) Resigned July 30, 1852, after being appointed judge of the Circuit Court of Virginia Sherrard Clemens (D) Seated December 6, 1852
Kentucky 7th Humphrey Marshall (W) Resigned August 4, 1852, after being appointed Minister to China William Preston (W) Seated December 6, 1852
Massachusetts 2nd Robert Rantoul, Jr. (D) Died August 7, 1852 Francis B. Fay (W) Seated December 13, 1852
Massachusetts 9th Orin Fowler (W) Died September 3, 1852 Edward P. Little (D) Seated December 13, 1852
Massachusetts 4th Benjamin Thompson (W) Died September 24, 1852 Lorenzo Sabine (W) Seated December 13, 1852
New York 17th Alexander H. Buell (D) Died January 29, 1853 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. Taylor, William Alexander; Taylor, Aubrey Clarence (1899). Ohio statesmen and annals of progress: from the year 1788 to the year 1900 .. State of Ohio. p. 240.
  2. Byrd, Robert C.; Wolff, Wendy (October 1, 1993). "The Senate, 1789-1989: Historical Statistics, 1789-1992" (volume 4 Bicentennial ed.). U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 76.
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