35th United States Congress

35th United States Congress

34th ← → 36th United States Capitol (1860) Duration: March 4, 1857 – March 4, 1859 Senate President: John C. Breckinridge Senate Pres. pro tem: James M. Mason Thomas J. Rusk Benjamin Fitzpatrick House Speaker: James L. Orr Members: 66 Senators 237 Representatives 7 Non-voting members Senate Majority: Democratic House Majority: Democratic Sessions Special: March 4, 1857 – March 14, 1857 1st: December 7, 1857 – June 14, 1858 2nd: December 6, 1858 – March 3, 1859

The Thirty-fifth 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, 1857 to March 4, 1859, during the first two 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. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Major events

See also: 1857 in the United States, 1858 in the United States, and 1859 in the United States

• Panic of 1857
• March 4, 1857. James Buchanan became President of the United States
• March 6, 1857: Dred Scott v. Sandford
• July 18, 1857: Utah Expedition left Fort Leavenworth, effectively beginning the Utah War
• August 21, 1858: First of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was held
• March 3, 1859: Financial appropriations for the improvement and construction of lighthouses.

Major legislation

Main article: Major legislation: 35th United States Congress

Treaties

Main article: List of United States treaties

• March 12, 1858: Treaty with the Ponca signed
• April 19, 1858: Treaty with the Yankton Sioux signed
• July 29, 1858: Harris Treaty signed with Japan

States admitted

• May 11, 1858: Minnesota admitted as the 32nd state
• February 14, 1859: Oregon admitted as the 33rd state

Party summary

Senate

Group photo of the U.S. Senate, in 1859, during this Congress.

During this congress, two Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Minnesota and Oregon.

	Party (Shading shows control)				Total	Vacant
	American (A)	Democratic (D)	Republican (R)	Other
End of the previous congress	1	40	(Opposition coalition) 20	1	62	0
Begin	5	36	20	0	61	1
End		41			66	0
Final voting share	7.6%	62.1%	30.3%	0.0%
Beginning of the next congress	2	38	26	0	66	0

House of Representatives

During this congress, two House seats were added for the new state of Minnesota and one House seat was added for the new state of Oregon.

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates plurality caucus)					Total
	American (A)	Democratic (D)	Independent Democratic (ID)	Republican (R)	Other		Vacant
End of previous Congress	52	81	0	1	(Opposition coalition) 96	230	4
Begin	14	127	0	92	0	233	1
End		130	1			237	0
Final voting share	5.9%	55.3%		38.8%	0.0%
Beginning of next Congress	6	84	7	113	(Anti-Lecompton Democratic + Opposition) 25	235	2

Leadership

Senate

President of the Senate
John C. Breckinridge

• President: John C. Breckinridge (D)
• President pro tempore: James M. Mason (D)
  • Thomas J. Rusk (D), elected March 14, 1857
  • Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), elected December 7, 1857

House of Representatives

• Speaker of the House. James L. Orr (D)

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.

Senate

See also: United States Senate elections, 1856

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 1862; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1860.

Alabama

• 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)
• 2. Clement C. Clay, Jr. (D)

Arkansas

• 2. William K. Sebastian (D)
• 3. Robert W. Johnson (D)

California

• 3. William M. Gwin (D)
• 1. David C. Broderick (D)

Connecticut

• 3. La Fayette S. Foster (R)
• 1. James Dixon (R)

Delaware

• 1. James A. Bayard, Jr. (D)
• 2. Martin W. Bates (D)

Florida

• 1. Stephen Mallory (D)
• 3. David Levy Yulee (D)

Georgia

• 2. Robert Toombs (D)
• 3. Alfred Iverson, Sr. (D)

Illinois

• 2. Stephen A. Douglas (D)
• 3. Lyman Trumbull (R)

Indiana

• 1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
• 3. Graham N. Fitch (D)

Iowa

• 2. George W. Jones (D)
• 3. James Harlan (R)

Kentucky

• 2. John B. Thompson (A)
• 3. John J. Crittenden (A)

Louisiana

• 2. Judah P. Benjamin (D)
• 3. John Slidell (D)

Maine

• 2. William Pitt Fessenden (R)
• 1. Hannibal Hamlin (R)

Maryland

• 3. James Pearce (D)
• 1. Anthony Kennedy (A)

Massachusetts

• 1. Charles Sumner (R)
• 2. Henry Wilson (R)

Michigan

• 2. Charles E. Stuart (D)
• 1. Zachariah Chandler (R)

Minnesota

• 1. Henry M. Rice (D), from May 11, 1858
• 2. James Shields (D), from May 11, 1858

Mississippi

• 2. Albert G. Brown (D)
• 1. Jefferson Davis (D)

Missouri

• 3. James S. Green (D)
• 1. Trusten Polk (D)

New Hampshire

• 3. James Bell (R), until May 26, 1857
  • Daniel Clark (R), from June 27, 1857
• 2. John P. Hale (R)

New Jersey

• 1. John R. Thomson (D)
• 2. William Wright (D)

New York

• 3. William H. Seward (R)
• 1. Preston King (R)

North Carolina

• 2. David S. Reid (D)
• 3. Asa Biggs (D), until May 5, 1858
  • Thomas L. Clingman (D), from May 7, 1858

Ohio

• 1. Benjamin Wade (R)
• 3. George E. Pugh (D)

Oregon

• 3. Joseph Lane (D), from February 14, 1859
• 2. Delazon Smith (D), from February 14, 1859

Pennsylvania

• 3. William Bigler (D)
• 1. Simon Cameron (R)

Rhode Island

• 2. Philip Allen (D)
• 1. James F. Simmons (R)

South Carolina

• 3. Andrew Butler (D), until May 25, 1857
  • James H. Hammond (D), from December 7, 1857
• 2. Josiah J. Evans (D), until May 6, 1858
  • Arthur P. Hayne (D), May 11, 1858 - December 2, 1858
  • James Chesnut, Jr. (D), from December 3, 1858

Tennessee

• 2. John Bell (A)
• 1. Andrew Johnson (D), from October 8, 1857

Texas

• 2. Samuel Houston (A)
• 1. Thomas J. Rusk (D), until July 29, 1857
  • J. Pinckney Henderson (D), November 9, 1857 - June 4, 1858
  • Matthias Ward (D), from September 27, 1858

Vermont

• 1. Solomon Foot (R)
• 3. Jacob Collamer (R)

Virginia

• 1. James M. Mason (D)
• 2. Robert M. T. Hunter (D)

Wisconsin

• 3. Charles Durkee (R)
• 1. James R. Doolittle (R)

Senate President pro tempore
Thomas J. Rusk

Senate President pro tempore
Benjamin Fitzpatrick

House of Representatives

See also: United States House of Representatives elections, 1856

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

Alabama

• 1. James A. Stallworth (D)
• 2. Eli S. Shorter (D)
• 3. James F. Dowdell (D)
• 4. Sydenham Moore (D)
• 5. George S. Houston (D)
• 6. Williamson R. W. Cobb (D)
• 7. Jabez L. M. Curry (D)

Arkansas

• 1. Alfred B. Greenwood (D)
• 2. Edward A. Warren (D)

California

• At-large. Joseph C. McKibbin (D)
• At-large. Charles L. Scott (D)

Connecticut

• 1. Ezra Clark, Jr. (R)
• 2. Samuel Arnold (D)
• 3. Sidney Dean (R)
• 4. William D. Bishop (D)

Delaware

• At-large. William G. Whiteley (D)

Florida

• At-large. George S. Hawkins (D)

Georgia

• 1. James L. Seward (D)
• 2. Martin J. Crawford (D)
• 3. Robert P. Trippe (A)
• 4. Lucius J. Gartrell (D)
• 5. Augustus R. Wright (D)
• 6. James Jackson (D)
• 7. Joshua Hill (A)
• 8. Alexander Stephens (D)

Illinois

• 1. Elihu B. Washburne (R)
• 2. John F. Farnsworth (R)
• 3. Owen Lovejoy (R)
• 4. William Kellogg (R)
• 5. Isaac N. Morris (D)
• 6. Thomas L. Harris (D), until November 24, 1858
  • Charles D. Hodges (D), from January 4, 1859
• 7. Aaron Shaw (D)
• 8. Robert Smith (D)
• 9. Samuel S. Marshall (D)

Indiana

• 1. James Lockhart (D), until September 7, 1857
  • William E. Niblack (D), from December 7, 1857
• 2. William H. English (D)
• 3. James Hughes (D)
• 4. James B. Foley (D)
• 5. David Kilgore (R)
• 6. James M. Gregg (D)
• 7. John G. Davis (D)
• 8. James Wilson (R)
• 9. Schuyler Colfax (R)
• 10. Samuel Brenton (R), until March 29, 1857
  • Charles Case (R), from December 7, 1857
• 11. John U. Pettit (R)

Iowa

• 1. Samuel Curtis (R)
• 2. Timothy Davis (R)

Kentucky

• 1. Henry C. Burnett (D)
• 2. Samuel O. Peyton (D)
• 3. Warner L. Underwood (A)
• 4. Albert G. Talbott (D)
• 5. Joshua Jewitt (D)
• 6. John M. Elliott (D)
• 7. Humphrey Marshall (A)
• 8. James B. Clay (D)
• 9. John C. Mason (D)
• 10. John W. Stevenson (D)

Louisiana

• 1. George Eustis, Jr. (A)
• 2. Miles Taylor (D)
• 3. Thomas G. Davidson (D)
• 4. John M. Sandidge (D)

Maine

• 1. John M. Wood (R)
• 2. Charles J. Gilman (R)
• 3. Nehemiah Abbott (R)
• 4. Freeman H. Morse (R)
• 5. Israel Washburn, Jr. (R)
• 6. Stephen C. Foster (R)

Maryland

• 1. James A. Stewart (D)
• 2. James B. Ricaud (A)
• 3. J. Morrison Harris (A)
• 4. Henry Winter Davis (A)
• 5. Jacob M. Kunkel (D)
• 6. Thomas F. Bowie (D)

Massachusetts

• 1. Robert B. Hall (R)
• 2. James Buffinton (R)
• 3. William S. Damrell (R)
• 4. Linus B. Comins (R)
• 5. Anson Burlingame (R)
• 6. Timothy Davis (R)
• 7. Nathaniel P. Banks (R), until December 24, 1857
  • Daniel W. Gooch (R), from January 31, 1858
• 8. Chauncey L. Knapp (R)
• 9. Eli Thayer (R)
• 10. Calvin C. Chaffee (R)
• 11. Henry L. Dawes (R)

Michigan

• 1. William A. Howard (R)
• 2. Henry Waldron (R)
• 3. David S. Walbridge (R)
• 4. De Witt C. Leach (R)

Minnesota

• At-large. James M. Cavanaugh (D), from May 11, 1858
• At-large. William W. Phelps (D), from May 11, 1858

Mississippi

• 1. Lucius Q. C. Lamar (D)
• 2. Reuben Davis (D)
• 3. William Barksdale (D)
• 4. Otho R. Singleton (D)
• 5. John A. Quitman (D), until July 17, 1858
  • John J. McRae (D), from December 7, 1858

Missouri

• 1. Francis P. Blair, Jr. (R)
• 2. Thomas L. Anderson (A)
• 3. John B. Clark (D), from December 7, 1857
• 4. James Craig (D)
• 5. Samuel H. Woodson (A)
• 6. John S. Phelps (D)
• 7. Samuel Caruthers (D)

New Hampshire

• 1. James Pike (R)
• 2. Mason Tappan (R)
• 3. Aaron H. Cragin (R)

New Jersey

• 1. Isaiah D. Clawson (R)
• 2. George R. Robbins (R)
• 3. Garnett Adrain (D)
• 4. John Huyler (D)
• 5. Jacob R. Wortendyke (D)

New York

• 1. John A. Searing (D)
• 2. George Taylor (D)
• 3. Daniel Sickles (D)
• 4. John Kelly (D), until December 25, 1858
  • Thomas J. Barr (ID), from January 7, 1859
• 5. William B. Maclay (D)
• 6. John Cochrane (D)
• 7. Elijah Ward (D)
• 8. Horace F. Clark (D)
• 9. John B. Haskin (D)
• 10. Ambrose S. Murray (R)
• 11. William F. Russell (D)
• 12. John Thompson (R)
• 13. Abram B. Olin (R)
• 14. Erastus Corning (D)
• 15. Edward Dodd (R)
• 16. George W. Palmer (R)
• 17. Francis E. Spinner (R)
• 18. Clark B. Cochrane (R)
• 19. Oliver A. Morse (R)
• 20. Orsamus B. Matteson (R)
• 21. Henry Bennett (R)
• 22. Henry C. Goodwin (R)
• 23. Charles B. Hoard (R)
• 24. Amos P. Granger (R)
• 25. Edwin B. Morgan (R)
• 26. Emory B. Pottle (R)
• 27. John M. Parker (R)
• 28. William H. Kelsey (R)
• 29. Samuel G. Andrews (R)
• 30. Judson W. Sherman (R)
• 31. Silas M. Burroughs (R)
• 32. Israel T. Hatch (D)
• 33. Reuben Fenton (R)

North Carolina

• 1. Henry M. Shaw (D)
• 2. Thomas H. Ruffin (D)
• 3. Warren Winslow (D)
• 4. Lawrence O'Bryan Branch (D)
• 5. John A. Gilmer (A)
• 6. Alfred M. Scales (D)
• 7. F. Burton Craige (D)
• 8. Thomas L. Clingman (D), until May 7, 1858
  • Zebulon B. Vance (D), from December 7, 1858

Ohio

• 1. George H. Pendleton (D)
• 2. William S. Groesbeck (D)
• 3. Lewis D. Campbell (R), until May 25, 1858
  • Clement Vallandigham (D), from May 25, 1858
• 4. Matthias H. Nichols (R)
• 5. Richard Mott (R)
• 6. Joseph R. Cockerill (D)
• 7. Aaron Harlan (R)
• 8. Benjamin Stanton (R)
• 9. Lawrence W. Hall (D)
• 10. Joseph Miller (D)
• 11. Valentine B. Horton (R)
• 12. Samuel S. Cox (D)
• 13. John Sherman (R)
• 14. Philemon Bliss (R)
• 15. Joseph Burns (D)
• 16. Cydnor B. Tompkins (R)
• 17. William Lawrence (D)
• 18. Benjamin F. Leiter (R)
• 19. Edward Wade (R)
• 20. Joshua R. Giddings (R)
• 21. John Bingham (R)

Oregon

• At-large. La Fayette Grover (D), from February 14, 1859

Pennsylvania

• 1. Thomas B. Florence (D)
• 2. Edward Joy Morris (R)
• 3. James Landy (D)
• 4. Henry M. Phillips (D)
• 5. Owen Jones (D)
• 6. John Hickman (D)
• 7. Henry Chapman (D)
• 8. J. Glancey Jones (D), until October 30, 1858
  • William H. Keim (R), from December 7, 1858
• 9. Anthony E. Roberts (R)
• 10. John C. Kunkel (R)
• 11. William L. Dewart (D)
• 12. John G. Montgomery (D), until April 24, 1857
  • Paul Leidy (D), from December 7, 1857
• 13. William H. Dimmick (D)
• 14. Galusha A. Grow (R)
• 15. Allison White (D)
• 16. John A. Ahl (D)
• 17. Wilson Reilly (D)
• 18. John R. Edie (R)
• 19. John Covode (R)
• 20. William Montgomery (D)
• 21. David Ritchie (R)
• 22. Samuel A. Purviance (R)
• 23. William Stewart (R)
• 24. James L. Gillis (D)
• 25. John Dick (R)

Rhode Island

• 1. Nathaniel B. Durfee (R)
• 2. William D. Brayton (R)

South Carolina

• 1. John McQueen (D)
• 2. William P. Miles (D)
• 3. Laurence M. Keitt (D)
• 4. Milledge L. Bonham (D)
• 5. James L. Orr (D)
• 6. William W. Boyce (D)

Tennessee

• 1. Albert G. Watkins (D)
• 2. Horace Maynard (A)
• 3. Samuel A. Smith (D)
• 4. John H. Savage (D)
• 5. Charles Ready (A)
• 6. George W. Jones (D)
• 7. John V. Wright (D)
• 8. Felix Zollicoffer (A)
• 9. John D. C. Atkins (D)
• 10. William T. Avery (D)

Texas

• 1. John H. Reagan (D)
• 2. Guy M. Bryan (D)

Vermont

• 1. Eliakim P. Walton (R)
• 2. Justin S. Morrill (R)
• 3. Homer E. Royce (R)

Virginia

• 1. Muscoe R. H. Garnett (D)
• 2. John S. Millson (D)
• 3. John Caskie (D)
• 4. William Goode (D)
• 5. Thomas S. Bocock (D)
• 6. Paulus Powell (D)
• 7. William Smith (D)
• 8. Charles J. Faulkner (D)
• 9. John Letcher (D)
• 10. Sherrard Clemens (D)
• 11. Albert G. Jenkins (D)
• 12. Henry A. Edmundson (D)
• 13. George W. Hopkins (D)

Wisconsin

• 1. John F. Potter (R)
• 2. Cadwallader C. Washburn (R)
• 3. Charles Billinghurst (R)

Non-voting members

• Kansas Territory. Marcus J. Parrott (R)
• Minnesota Territory. William W. Kingsbury (D), until May 11, 1858
• Nebraska Territory. Fenner Ferguson (D)
• New Mexico Territory. Miguel A. Otero (D)
• Oregon Territory. Joseph Lane (D), until February 14, 1859
• Utah Territory. John M. Bernhisel
• Washington Territory. Isaac Stevens (D)

House Speaker
James L. Orr

Changes in membership

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

Senate

See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate

• replacements: 5
  • Democrats (D): no net change
  • Whigs (W): no net change
  • Republicans (R): no net change
  • Americans (A): no net change
• deaths: 4
• resignations: 1
• interim appointments: 2
• seats of newly admitted states: 4
• Total seats with changes: 9

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation
Tennessee (1)	Vacant	Vacancy in term	Andrew Johnson (D)	October 8, 1857
South Carolina (3)	Andrew Butler (D)	Died May 25, 1857	James H. Hammond (D)	December 7, 1857
New Hampshire (3)	James Bell (R)	Died May 26, 1857	Daniel Clark (R)	June 27, 1857
Texas (1)	Thomas J. Rusk (D)	Died July 29, 1857	J. Pinckney Henderson (D)	November 9, 1857
North Carolina (3)	Asa Biggs (D)	Resigned May 5, 1858 after being appointed judge of US District Court of NC	Thomas L. Clingman (D)	May 7, 1858
South Carolina (2)	Josiah J. Evans (D)	Died May 6, 1858	Arthur P. Hayne (D)	May 11, 1858
Minnesota (1)	New seat	Minnesota admitted to the Union May 11, 1858	Henry M. Rice (D)	May 11, 1858
Minnesota (2)	New seat	Minnesota admitted to the Union May 11, 1858	James Shields (D)	May 11, 1858
Texas (1)	J. Pinckney Henderson (D)	Died June 4, 1858	Matthias Ward (D)	September 27, 1858
South Carolina (2)	Arthur P. Hayne (D)	Successor elected December 2, 1858	James Chesnut, Jr. (D)	December 3, 1858
Oregon (2)	New seat	Oregon admitted to the Union February 14, 1859	Delazon Smith (D)	February 14, 1859
Oregon (3)	New seat	Oregon admitted to the Union February 14, 1859	Joseph Lane (D)	February 14, 1859

House of Representatives

See also: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives

• replacements: 10
  • Democrats (D): 3 seat net loss
  • Whigs (W): 3 seat net gain
  • Republicans (R): 1 seat net gain
  • Independent Democrats (ID): 1 seat net gain
• deaths: 5
• resignations: 6
• contested election:1
• seats of newly admitted states: 3
• Total seats with changes: 14

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date successor seated
Missouri 3rd	Vacant	Rep. James S. Green was elected to this term but resigned after being elected in turn to the US Senate	John B. Clark (D)	Seated December 7, 1857
Indiana 10th	Samuel Brenton (R)	Died March 29, 1857	Charles Case (R)	Seated December 7, 1857
Pennsylvania 12th	John G. Montgomery (D)	Died April 24, 1857	Paul Leidy (D)	Seated December 7, 1857
Indiana 1st	James Lockhart (D)	Died September 7, 1857	William E. Niblack (D)	Seated December 7, 1857
Massachusetts 7th	Nathaniel P. Banks (R)	Resigned December 24, 1857 after being elected Governor of Massachusetts	Daniel W. Gooch (R)	Seated January 31, 1858
North Carolina 8th	Thomas L. Clingman (D)	Resigned May 7, 1858 after being appointed to the US Senate	Zebulon B. Vance (D)	Seated December 7, 1858
Minnesota At-Large	New seat	Minnesota was admitted to the Union May 11, 1858	James M. Cavanaugh (D)	Seated May 11, 1858
Minnesota Territory At-Large	William W. Kingsbury (D)	Minnesota was admitted to the Union May 11, 1858	Seat eliminated
Minnesota At-Large	New seat	Minnesota was admitted to the Union May 11, 1858	William W. Phelps (D)	Seated May 11, 1858
Ohio 3rd	Lewis D. Campbell (R)	Lost contested election May 25, 1858	Clement Vallandigham (D)	Seated May 25, 1858
Mississippi 5th	John A. Quitman (D)	Died July 17, 1858	John J. McRae (D)	Seated December 7, 1858
Pennsylvania 8th	J. Glancy Jones (D)	Resigned October 30, 1858	William H. Keim (R)	Seated December 7, 1858
Illinois 6th	Thomas L. Harris (D)	Died November 24, 1858	Charles D. Hodges (D)	Seated January 4, 1859
New York 4th	John Kelly (D)	Resigned December 25, 1858	Thomas J. Barr (D)	Seated January 7, 1859
Oregon Territory At-Large	Joseph Lane (D)	Oregon was admitted to the Union February 14, 1859	Seat eliminated
Oregon At-Large	New seat	Oregon was admitted to the Union February 14, 1859	La Fayette Grover (D)	Seated February 14, 1859

Employees

• Architect of the Capitol. Thomas U. Walter

Senate

• Chaplain: none elected
• Secretary. Asbury Dickens elected December 12, 1836
• Sergeant at Arms. Dunning R. McNair

House of Representatives

• Chaplain. William H. Milburn (Methodist)
• Clerk: James C. Allen
• Doorkeeper. Robert B. Hackney
• Messenger. Thaddeus Morrice
• Sergeant at Arms. Adam J. Glossbrenner
• Postmaster. Michael W. Cluskey

References

Specific citations

General references

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