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1855-1857 U.S. Congress From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 34th 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 1850 United States census. The Whig Party, one of the two major parties of the era, had largely collapsed, although many former Whigs ran as Republicans or as members of the "Opposition Party." The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House was controlled by a coalition of Representatives led by Nathaniel P. Banks, a member of the American Party.
| 34th United States Congress | |
|---|---|
33rd ← → 35th | |
United States Capitol (1846) | |
March 4, 1855 – March 4, 1857 | |
| Members | 62 senators 234 representatives 7 non-voting delegates |
| Senate majority | Democrat |
| Senate President | Vacant |
| House majority | Opposition coalition |
| House Speaker | Nathaniel P. Banks (A) |
| Sessions | |
| 1st: December 3, 1855 – August 18, 1856 2nd: August 21, 1856 – August 30, 1856 3rd: December 1, 1856 – March 4, 1857 | |
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of this Congress. 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 control) |
Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American (Know Nothing) (A) |
Democratic (D) |
Opposition coalition | Vacant | |||||
| Free Soil (FS) |
Republican (R) |
Whig (W) | ||||||
| End of previous Congress | 1 | 38 | 5 | 0 | 17 | 61 | 1 | |
| Begin | 2 | 35 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 55 | 7 | |
| End | 40 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 62 | 0 | ||
| Final voting share | 3.2% | 64.5% | 32.3% | |||||
| Beginning of next Congress | 4 | 37 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 61 | 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 control) |
Total | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Opposition Caucus | Other | Vacant | ||||||
| American (Know Nothing) (A) |
Opposition (O) |
Republican (R) | |||||||
| End of previous Congress | 156 | 0 | 76 | 0 | 2 | 234 | 0 | ||
| Begin | 82 | 51 | 100 | 0 | 0 | 233 | 1 | ||
| End | 96 | 1 | 230 | 4 | |||||
| Final voting share | 35.7% | 64.3% | 0.0% | ||||||
| Beginning of next Congress | 127 | 14 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 233 | 1 | ||
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.
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
|
 2 Democrats
1 Democrat and 1 Republican
2 Republicans
2 Whigs
2 Know-Nothings
|
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) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Hampshire (2) |
Vacant | Charles G. Atherton (D) died during the previous Congress. Jared W. Williams (D) was appointed November 29, 1853, to continue the term, but his term was deemed expired July 15, 1854, and the legislature failed to elect a successor. A successor was finally elected July 30, 1855. |
John Parker Hale (R) | July 30, 1855 |
| New Hampshire (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. Successor was elected. |
James Bell (R) | July 30, 1855 |
| Alabama (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. Incumbent was then re-elected November 26, 1855. |
Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D) | November 26, 1855 |
| Pennsylvania (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. Successor elected January 14, 1856. |
William Bigler (D) | January 14, 1856 |
| Missouri (3) |
Vacant | Elected but took seat late on January 12, 1857. | James S. Green (D) | January 12, 1857 |
| California (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. Incumbent was then re-elected January 13, 1857. |
William M. Gwin (D) | January 13, 1857 |
| Indiana (3) |
Vacant | Legislature failed to elect on time. Senator elected February 4, 1857. |
Graham N. Fitch (D) | February 4, 1857 |
| Delaware (2) |
John M. Clayton (W) | Died November 9, 1856. Successor was appointed. |
Joseph P. Comegys (W) | November 19, 1856 |
| Maine (1) |
Hannibal Hamlin (D) | Resigned January 7, 1857, to become Governor of Maine. Successor was elected January 16, 1857. |
Amos Nourse (R) | January 16, 1857 |
| Delaware (2) |
Joseph P. Comegys (W) | Appointment expired January 14, 1857, upon successor's election. | Martin W. Bates (D) | January 14, 1857 |
| Iowa (3) |
James Harlan (FS) | Owing to irregularities in the legislative proceedings the Senate declared the seat vacant January 5, 1857. Incumbent was subsequently re-elected January 29, 1857, to fill the vacancy caused by his ouster. |
James Harlan (R) | January 29, 1857 |
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 (A) | 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 27, 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 (A) | Resigned February 28, 1857 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
List of committees and their party leaders.
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