31st United States Congress
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The Thirty-first United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprised of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1849 to March 3, 1851, during the administration of U.S. President Zachary Taylor and the first months of the administration of his successor, U.S. President Millard Fillmore.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixth Census of the United States in 1840. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
[edit] Dates of sessions
- Special session of the Senate: March 5, 1849 - March 23, 1849
- First session: December 3, 1849 - September 30, 1850
- Second session: December 2, 1850 - March 3, 1851 — a lame duck session
Previous congress: 30th Congress
Next congress: 32nd Congress
[edit] Major events
- Main article: Events of 1849; Events of 1850; Events of 1851
[edit] Major legislation
- September 9, 1850 - Compromise of 1850, ch. 49, 9 Stat. 446
- September 18, 1850 - Fugitive Slave Act, ch. 60, 9 Stat. 462
- September 29, 1850 - Donation Land Claim Act, ch. 76, 9 Stat. 496
[edit] Party summary
California was newly admitted to the Union and first represented as a state in this Congress.
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
[edit] Senate
- Democratic: 35 (majority)
- Whig: 25
- Free Soil: 2
TOTAL members: 62
[edit] House of Representatives
- Democratic: 113 (majority)
- Whig: 108
- Free Soil: 9
- American: 1
- Independent: 1
- vacant: 1
TOTAL members: 233
[edit] Leadership
[edit] Senate
- Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
- Millard Fillmore, Whig of New York, succeeded to the Presidency July 9, 1850, vacant thereafter.
- President pro tempore of the Senate:
- David R. Atchison, Democrat of Missouri, elected March 5, 1849
- William R. King, Democrat of Alabama, elected May 6, 1850
[edit] House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- Howell Cobb, Democrat of Georgia, elected December 22, 1849
[edit] Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
- See also: 31st United States Congress - Political Parties
- See also: 31st United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House election, 1848
[edit] Senate
At this time, 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 1850; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1852; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1854.
- 3. William R.D. King (Dem.)
- 2. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (Dem.)
- Jeremiah Clemens (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy from preceding Congress, November 30, 1849.
- 3. Solon Borland (Dem.)
- 2. William K. Sebastian (Dem.)
- 3. William M. Gwin (Dem.) …newly admitted state, elected September 9, 1850.
- 1. John C. Frémont (Dem.) …newly admitted state, elected September 9, 1850.
- 1. Roger S. Baldwin (Whig)
- 3. Truman Smith (Whig)
- 2. Presley Spruance (Whig)
- 1. John Wales (Whig)
- 1. David L. Yulee (Dem.)
- 3. Jackson Morton (Whig)
- 2. John M. Berrien (Whig)
- 3. William C. Dawson (Whig)
- 2. Stephen A. Douglas (Dem.)
- 3. James Shields (Dem.) …seat declared vacant March 15, 1849, subsequently elected to fill vacancy October 27, 1849.
- 1. Jesse D. Bright (Dem.)
- 3. James Whitcomb (Dem.)
- 3. Augustus C. Dodge (Dem.)
- 2. George W. Jones (Dem.)
- 2. Joseph R. Underwood (Whig)
- 3. Henry Clay (Whig)
- 2. Solomon W. Downs (Dem.)
- 3. Pierre Soulé (Dem.)
- 2. James W. Bradbury (Dem.)
- 1. Hannibal Hamlin (Dem.)
- 3. James A. Pearce (Whig)
- 1. Reverdy Johnson (Whig) …resigned March 7, 1849.
- David Stewart (Whig) …appointed to fill vacancy, December 6, 1849.
- Thomas G. Pratt (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, January 12, 1850.
- 1. Daniel Webster (Whig) …resigned July 22, 1850.
- Robert C. Winthrop (Whig) …appointed to fill vacancy, July 30, 1850.
- Robert Rantoul, Jr. (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated February 1, 1851.
- 2. John Davis (Whig)
- 1. Lewis Cass (Dem.)
- 2. Alpheus Felch (Dem.)
- 2. Henry S. Foote (Dem.)
- 1. Jefferson Davis (Dem.)
- 1. Thomas Hart Benton (Dem.)
- 3. David R. Atchison (Dem.)
- 2. John P. Hale (Free Soil)
- 3. Moses J. Norris (Dem.)
- 2. Jacob W. Miller (Whig)
- 1. William L. Dayton (Whig)
- 1. Daniel S. Dickinson (Dem.)
- 3. William H. Seward (Whig)
- 2. Willie P. Mangum (Whig)
- 3. George E. Badger (Whig)
- 1. Thomas Corwin (Whig) …resigned July 20, 1850.
- Thomas Ewing (Whig) …appointed to fill vacancy, July 20, 1850.
- 3. Salmon P. Chase (Free Soil)
- 1. Daniel Sturgeon (Dem.)
- 3. James Cooper (Whig)
- 1. Albert C. Greene (Whig)
- 2. John H. Clarke (Whig)
- 2. John C. Calhoun (Dem.) …died March 31, 1850.
- Franklin H. Elmore (Dem.) …appointed to fill vacancy, April 11, 1850, died May 29, 1850.
- Robert W. Barnwell (Dem.) …appointed to fill vacancy, June 4, 1850.
- Robert B. Rhett (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, December 18, 1850.
- 3. Andrew P. Butler (Dem.)
- 1. Hopkins L. Turney (Dem.)
- 2. John Bell (Whig)
- 2. Samuel Houston (Dem.)
- 1. Thomas J. Rusk (Dem.)
- 1. Samuel S. Phelps (Whig)
- 3. William Upham (Whig)
- 1. James M. Mason (Dem.)
- 2. Robert M.T. Hunter (Dem.)
- 1. Henry Dodge (Dem.)
- 3. Isaac P. Walker (Dem.)
[edit] House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
- 1. William J. Alston (Whig)
- 2. Henry W. Hilliard (Whig)
- 3. Sampson W. Harris (Dem.)
- 4. Samuel W. Inge (Dem.)
- 5. David Hubbard (Dem.)
- 6. Williamson R.W. Cobb (Dem.)
- 7. Franklin W. Bowdon (Dem.)
- A/L. Edward Gilbert (Dem.) …newly admitted state, seated September 11, 1850.
- A/L. George W. Wright (Independent) …newly admitted state, seated September 11, 1850.
- 1. Loren P. Waldo (Dem.)
- 2. Walter Booth (Free Soil)
- 3. Chauncey F. Cleveland (Dem.)
- 4. Thomas B. Butler (Whig)
- 1. Thomas B. King (Whig) …resigned in 1850.
- Joseph W. Jackson (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, March 4, 1850.
- 2. Marshall J. Wellborn (Dem.)
- 3. Allen F. Owen (Whig)
- 4. Hugh A. Haralson (Dem.)
- 5. Thomas C. Hackett (Dem.)
- 6. Howell Cobb (Dem.)
- 7. Alexander H. Stephens (Whig)
- 8. Robert A. Toombs (Whig)
- 1. William H. Bissell (Dem.)
- 2. John A. McClernand (Dem.)
- 3. Timothy R. Young (Dem.)
- 4. John Wentworth (Dem.)
- 5. William A. Richardson (Dem.)
- 6. Edward D. Baker (Whig)
- 7. Thomas L. Harris (Dem.)
- 1. Nathaniel Albertson (Dem.)
- 2. Cyrus L. Dunham (Dem.)
- 3. John L. Robinson (Dem.)
- 4. George W. Julian (Free Soil)
- 5. William J. Brown (Dem.)
- 6. Willis A. Gorman (Dem.)
- 7. Edward W. McGaughey (Whig)
- 8. Joseph E. McDonald (Dem.)
- 9. Graham N. Fitch (Dem.)
- 10. Andrew J. Harlan (Dem.)
- 1. William Thompson (Dem.) …contested election, served until June 29, 1850.
- Daniel F. Miller (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 20, 1850.
- 2. Shepherd Leffler (Dem.)
- 1. Linn Boyd (Dem.)
- 2. James L. Johnson (Whig)
- 3. Finis E. McLean (Whig)
- 4. George A. Caldwell (Dem.)
- 5. John B. Thompson (Whig)
- 6. Daniel Breck (Whig)
- 7. Humphrey Marshall (Whig)
- 8. Charles S. Morehead (Whig)
- 9. John C. Mason (Dem.)
- 10. Richard H. Stanton (Dem.)
- 1. Emile La Sére (Dem.)
- 2. Charles M. Conrad (Whig) …resigned August 17, 1850.
- Henry A. Bullard (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 5, 1850.
- 3. John H. Harmanson (Dem.) …died October 25, 1850.
- Alexander G. Penn (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 30, 1850.
- 4. Isaac E. Morse (Dem.)
- 1. Elbridge Gerry (Dem.)
- 2. Nathaniel S. Littlefield (Dem.)
- 3. John Otis (Whig)
- 4. Rufus K. Goodenow (Whig)
- 5. Cullen Sawtelle (Dem.)
- 6. Charles Stetson (Dem.)
- 7. Thomas J.D. Fuller (Dem.)
- 1. Richard J. Bowie (Whig)
- 2. William T. Hamilton (Dem.)
- 3. Edward Hammond (Dem.)
- 4. Robert M. McLane (Dem.)
- 5. Alexander Evans (Whig)
- 6. John B. Kerr (Whig)
- 1. Robert C. Winthrop (Whig) …resigned July 30, 1850.
- Samuel A. Eliot (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated August 22, 1850.
- 2. Daniel P. King (Whig) …died July 25, 1850.
- 3. James H. Duncan (Whig)
- 4. vacant
- 5. Charles Allen (Free Soil)
- 6. George Ashmun (Whig)
- 7. Julius Rockwell (Whig)
- 8. Horace Mann (Whig)
- 9. Orin Fowler (Whig)
- 10. Joseph Grinnell (Whig)
- 1. Jacob Thompson (Dem.)
- 2. Winfield S. Featherston (Dem.)
- 3. William McWillie (Dem.)
- 4. Albert G. Brown (Dem.)
- 1. James B. Bowlin (Dem.)
- 2. William V. Bay (Dem.)
- 3. James S. Green (Dem.)
- 4. Willard P. Hall (Dem.)
- 5. John S. Phelps (Dem.)
- 1. Amos Tuck (Free Soil)
- 2. Charles H. Peaslee (Dem.)
- 3. James Wilson (Whig) …resigned September 9, 1850.
- George W. Morrison (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 2, 1850.
- 4. Harry Hibbard (Dem.)
- 1. Andrew K. Hay (Whig)
- 2. William A. Newell (Whig)
- 3. Isaac Wildrick (Dem.)
- 4. John Van Dyke (Whig)
- 5. James G. King (Whig)
- 1. John A. King (Whig)
- 2. David A. Bokee (Whig)
- 3. Jonas P. Phoenix (Whig)
- 4. Walter Underhill (Whig)
- 5. George Briggs (Whig)
- 6. James Brooks (Whig)
- 7. William Nelson (Whig)
- 8. Ransom Halloway (Whig)
- 9. Thomas McKissock (Whig)
- 10. Herman D. Gould (Whig)
- 11. Peter H. Silvester (Whig)
- 12. Gideon Reynolds (Whig)
- 13. John L. Schoolcraft (Whig)
- 14. George R. Andrews (Whig)
- 15. John R. Thurman (Whig)
- 16. Hugh White (Whig)
- 17. Henry P. Alexander (Whig)
- 18. Preston King (Free Soil)
- 19. Charles E. Clarke (Whig)
- 20. Orsamus B. Matteson (Whig)
- 21. Hiram Walden (Dem.)
- 22. Henry Bennett (Whig)
- 23. William Duer (Whig)
- 24. Daniel Gott (Whig)
- 25. Harmon S. Conger (Whig)
- 26. William T. Jackson (Whig)
- 27. William A. Sackett (Whig)
- 28. Abraham M. Schermerhorn (Whig)
- 29. Robert L. Rose (Whig)
- 30. David Rumsey (Whig)
- 31. Elijah Risley (Whig)
- 32. Elbridge G. Spaulding (Whig)
- 33. Harvey Putnam (Whig)
- 34. Lorenzo Burrows (Whig)
- 1. Thomas L. Clingman (Whig)
- 2. Joseph P. Caldwell (Whig)
- 3. Edmund Deberry (Whig)
- 4. Augustine H. Shepperd (Whig)
- 5. Abraham W. Venable (Dem.)
- 6. John R.J. Daniel (Dem.)
- 7. William S. Ashe (Dem.)
- 8. Edward Stanly (Whig)
- 9. David Outlaw (Whig)
- 1. David T. Disney (Dem.)
- 2. Lewis D. Campbell (Whig)
- 3. Robert C. Schenck (Whig)
- 4. Moses B. Corwin (Whig)
- 5. Emery D. Potter (Dem.)
- 6. Rodolphus Dickinson (Dem.) …died March 20, 1849.
- John Bell (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated January 7, 1851.
- Amos E. Wood (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 3, 1849, died November 19, 1850..
- 7. Jonathan D. Morris (Dem.)
- 8. John L. Taylor (Whig)
- 9. Edson B. Olds (Dem.)
- 10. Charles Sweetser (Dem.)
- 11. John K. Miller (Dem.)
- 12. Samuel F. Vinton (Whig)
- 13. William A. Whittlesey (Dem.)
- 14. Nathan Evans (Whig)
- 15. William F. Hunter (Whig)
- 16. Moses Hoagland (Dem.)
- 17. Joseph Cable (Dem.)
- 18. David K. Cartter (Dem.)
- 19. John Crowell (Whig)
- 20. Joshua R. Giddings (Free Soil)
- 21. Joseph M. Root (Free Soil)
- 1. Lewis C. Levin American
- 2. Joseph R. Chandler (Whig)
- 3. Henry D. Moore (Whig)
- 4. John Robbins (Dem.)
- 5. John Freedley (Whig)
- 6. Thomas Ross (Dem.)
- 7. Jesse C. Dickey (Whig)
- 8. Thaddeus Stevens (Whig)
- 9. William Strong (Dem.)
- 10. Milo M. Dimmick (Dem.)
- 11. Chester P. Butler (Whig) …died October 5, 1850.
- John Brisbin (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated January 13, 1851.
- 12. David Wilmot (Dem.)
- 13. Joseph Casey (Whig)
- 14. Charles W. Pitman (Whig)
- 15. Henry Nes (Whig) …died September 10, 1850.
- Joel B. Danner (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 2, 1850.
- 16. James X. McLanahan (Dem.)
- 17. Samuel Calvin (Whig)
- 18. Andrew J. Ogle (Whig)
- 19. Job Mann (Dem.)
- 20. Robert R. Reed (Whig)
- 21. Moses Hampton (Whig)
- 22. John W. Howe (Free Soil)
- 23. James Thompson (Dem.)
- 24. Alfred Gilmore (Dem.)
- 1. Daniel Wallace (Dem.)
- 2. James L. Orr (Dem.)
- 3. Joseph A. Woodward (Dem.)
- 4. John McQueen (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy from preceding Congress.
- 5. Armistead Burt (Dem.)
- 6. Isaac E. Holmes (Dem.)
- 7. William F. Colcock (Dem.)
- 1. Andrew Johnson (Dem.)
- 2. Albert G. Watkins (Whig)
- 3. Josiah M. Anderson (Whig)
- 4. John H. Savage (Dem.)
- 5. George W. Jones (Dem.)
- 6. James H. Thomas (Dem.)
- 7. Meredith P. Gentry (Whig)
- 8. Andrew Ewing (Dem.)
- 9. Isham G. Harris (Dem.)
- 10. Frederick P. Stanton (Dem.)
- 11. Christopher H. Williams (Whig)
- 1. David S. Kaufman (Dem.) …died January 31, 1851.
- 2. Volney E. Howard (Dem.)
- 1. William Henry (Whig)
- 2. William Hebard (Whig)
- 3. George P. Marsh (Whig) …resigned in 1849.
- James Meacham (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 3, 1849.
- 4. Lucius B. Peck (Dem.)
- 1. John S. Millson (Dem.)
- 2. Richard K. Meade (Dem.)
- 3. Thomas H. Averett (Dem.)
- 4. Thomas S. Bocock (Dem.)
- 5. Paulus Powell (Dem.)
- 6. James A. Seddon (Dem.)
- 7. Thomas H. Bayly (Dem.)
- 8. Alexander Holladay (Dem.)
- 9. Jeremiah Morton (Whig)
- 10. Richard Parker (Dem.)
- 11. James McDowell (Dem.)
- 12. Henry A. Edmundson (Dem.)
- 13. LaFayette McMullen (Dem.)
- 14. James M.H. Beale (Dem.)
- 15. Alexander Newman (Dem.) …died September 8, 1849.
- Thomas Haymond (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 3, 1849.
[edit] Delegates
- Minnesota Territory
- A/L. Henry Hastings Sibley (Dem.) …newly formed territory, seated December 3, 1849.
- Oregon Territory
- A/L. Samuel R. Thurston (Dem.) …newly formed territory, seated December 3, 1849.
[edit] Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
- See also: 31st United States Congress - Membership Changes
[edit] Senate
- replacements: 5
- Democratic: no net change
- Whig: no net change
- deaths: 1
- resignations: 3
- seats from newly admitted states: 2
- interim appointments: 4
- Total seats with changes: 8
[edit] House of Representatives
- replacements: 11
- Democratic: 2 seat net gain
- Whig: 2 seat net loss
- deaths: 8
- resignations: 5
- contested election:1
- seats from newly admitted states: 2
- Total seats with changes: 16
[edit] Officers
[edit] Senate
- Secretary of the Senate:
- Asbury Dickens of North Carolina elected December 12, 1836
- Sergeant at Arms of the Senate:
- Robert Beale of Virginia, elected December 9, 1845
- Chaplain of the Senate
- The Rev. Henry Slicer Methodist, elected December 16, 1846
- The Rev. Clement M. Butler, Episcopalian, elected January 9, 1850
[edit] House of Representatives
- Clerk of the House:
- Thomas J. Campbell of Tennessee, elected January 11, 1850, died April 13, 1850
- Richard M. Young of Illinois, elected April 17, 1850
- Sergeant at Arms of the House:
- Adam J. Glossbrenner of Pennsylvania, elected January 11, 1850
- Doorkeeper of the House:
- Robert E. Horner of New Jersey, elected December 7, 1847, removed May 27, 1850
- Postmaster of the House:
- John M. Johnson of Virginia, elected January 11, 1850,
- Chaplain of the House
- The Rev. Ralph Gurley Presbyterian, elected December 6, 1847
[edit] Notes
- ^ all representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket
[edit] 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.
[edit] External links
- Statutes at Large, 1789-1875 [1]
- Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress [2]
- House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress [3]
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [4]
- U.S. House of Representatives: Congressional History [5]
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists [6]
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