1857-1859 U.S. Congress
The 35th 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 1850 United States census . Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
May 11, 1858: Minnesota admitted as the 32nd state
February 14, 1859: Oregon admitted as the 33rd state
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 .
House of Representatives [ edit ]
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 .
President of the SenateJohn C. Breckinridge
House of Representatives [ edit ]
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 began with this Congress, facing re-election in 1862; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1860.
▌ 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)
▌ 2. Clement C. Clay Jr. (D)
▌ 2. William K. Sebastian (D)
▌ 3. Robert W. Johnson (D)
▌ 1. David C. Broderick (D)
▌ 3. William M. Gwin (D)
▌ 1. James Dixon (R)
▌ 3. Lafayette S. Foster (R)
▌ 1. James A. Bayard Jr. (D)
▌ 2. Martin W. Bates (D)
▌ 1. Stephen Mallory (D)
▌ 3. David Levy Yulee (D)
▌ 2. Robert Toombs (D)
▌ 3. Alfred Iverson Sr. (D)
▌ 2. Stephen A. Douglas (D)
▌ 3. Lyman Trumbull (R)
▌ 1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
▌ 3. Graham N. Fitch (D)
▌ 2. George Wallace Jones (D)
▌ 3. James Harlan (R)
▌ 2. John B. Thompson (A)
▌ 3. John J. Crittenden (A)
▌ 2. Judah P. Benjamin (D)
▌ 3. John Slidell (D)
▌ 1. Hannibal Hamlin (R)
▌ 2. William Pitt Fessenden (R)
▌ 1. Anthony Kennedy (A)
▌ 3. James A. Pearce (D)
▌ 1. Charles Sumner (R)
▌ 2. Henry Wilson (R)
▌ 1. Zachariah Chandler (R)
▌ 2. Charles E. Stuart (D)
▌ 1. Henry M. Rice (D), from May 11, 1858 (newly admitted state)
▌ 2. James Shields (D), from May 11, 1858 (newly admitted state)
▌ 1. Jefferson Davis (D)
▌ 2. Albert G. Brown (D)
▌ 1. Trusten Polk (D)
▌ 3. James S. Green (D)
▌ 2. John P. Hale (R)
▌ 3. James Bell (R), until May 26, 1857
▌ Daniel Clark (R), from June 27, 1857
▌ 1. John R. Thomson (D)
▌ 2. William Wright (D)
▌ 1. Preston King (R)
▌ 3. William H. Seward (R)
▌ 2. David S. Reid (D)
▌ 3. Asa Biggs (D), until May 5, 1858
▌ Thomas L. Clingman (D), from May 7, 1858
▌ 1. Benjamin Wade (R)
▌ 3. George E. Pugh (D)
▌ 2. Delazon Smith (D), from February 14, 1859 (newly admitted state)
▌ 3. Joseph Lane (D), from February 14, 1859 (newly admitted state)
▌ 1. Simon Cameron (R)
▌ 3. William Bigler (D)
▌ 1. James F. Simmons (R)
▌ 2. Philip Allen (D)
▌ 2. Josiah J. Evans (D), until May 6, 1858
▌ Arthur P. Hayne (D), from May 11, 1858, until December 2, 1858
▌ James Chesnut Jr. (D), from December 3, 1858
▌ 3. Andrew Butler (D), until May 25, 1857
▌ James H. Hammond (D), from December 7, 1857
▌ 1. Andrew Johnson (D), from October 8, 1857
▌ 2. John Bell (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
▌ 2. Samuel Houston (D)
▌ 1. Solomon Foot (R)
▌ 3. Jacob Collamer (R)
▌ 1. James M. Mason (D)
▌ 2. Robert M. T. Hunter (D)
▌ 1. James R. Doolittle (R)
▌ 3. Charles Durkee (R)
Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 35th Congress in March 1857. The green stripes represent Know-Nothings . The senators from Minnesota and Oregon were not seated until later in the Congress. 2 Democrats
1 Democrat and 1 Republican
2 Republicans
2 Know-Nothings
Senate President pro temporeJames Murray Mason , March 4, 1857
Senate President pro temporeThomas J. Rusk , March 14, 1857 – July 29, 1857
Senate President pro temporeBenjamin Fitzpatrick , from December 7, 1857
House of Representatives [ edit ]
The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
▌ 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)
▌ 1 . Alfred B. Greenwood (D)
▌ 2 . Edward A. Warren (D)
▌ At-large .[ note 1] Joseph C. McKibbin (D)
▌ At-large .[ note 1] Charles L. Scott (D)
▌ 1 . Ezra Clark Jr. (R)
▌ 2 . Samuel Arnold (D)
▌ 3 . Sidney Dean (R)
▌ 4 . William D. Bishop (D)
▌ At-large . William G. Whiteley (D)
▌ At-large . George S. Hawkins (D)
▌ 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 H. Stephens (D)
▌ 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)
▌ 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)
▌ 1 . Samuel Curtis (R)
▌ 2 . Timothy Davis (R)
▌ 1 . Henry C. Burnett (D)
▌ 2 . Samuel O. Peyton (D)
▌ 3 . Warner L. Underwood (A)
▌ 4 . Albert G. Talbott (D)
▌ 5 . Joshua Jewett (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)
▌ 1 . George Eustis Jr. (A)
▌ 2 . Miles Taylor (D)
▌ 3 . Thomas G. Davidson (D)
▌ 4 . John M. Sandidge (D)
▌ 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)
▌ 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)
▌ 1 . Robert B. Hall (R)
▌ 2 . James Buffington (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)
▌ 1 . William A. Howard (R)
▌ 2 . Henry Waldron (R)
▌ 3 . David S. Walbridge (R)
▌ 4 . De Witt C. Leach (R)
▌ At-large .[ note 1] James M. Cavanaugh (D), from May 11, 1858 (newly admitted state)
▌ At-large .[ note 1] William W. Phelps (D), from May 11, 1858 (newly admitted state)
▌ 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
▌ 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)
▌ 1 . James Pike (R)
▌ 2 . Mason Tappan (R)
▌ 3 . Aaron H. Cragin (R)
▌ 1 . Isaiah D. Clawson (R)
▌ 2 . George R. Robbins (R)
▌ 3 . Garnett Adrain (D)
▌ 4 . John Huyler (D)
▌ 5 . Jacob R. Wortendyke (D)
▌ 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)
▌ 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
▌ 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)
▌ At-large . La Fayette Grover (D), from February 14, 1859 (newly admitted state)
▌ 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)
▌ 1 . Nathaniel B. Durfee (R)
▌ 2 . William D. Brayton (R)
▌ 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)
▌ 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 K. Zollicoffer (A)
▌ 9 . John D. C. Atkins (D)
▌ 10 . William T. Avery (D)
▌ 1 . John H. Reagan (D)
▌ 2 . Guy M. Bryan (D)
▌ 1 . Eliakim P. Walton (R)
▌ 2 . Justin S. Morrill (R)
▌ 3 . Homer E. Royce (R)
▌ 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 Sr. (D)
▌ 9 . John Letcher (D)
▌ 10 . Sherrard Clemens (D)
▌ 11 . Albert G. Jenkins (D)
▌ 12 . Henry A. Edmundson (D)
▌ 13 . George W. Hopkins (D)
▌ 1 . John F. Potter (R)
▌ 2 . Cadwallader C. Washburn (R)
▌ 3 . Charles Billinghurst (R)
▌ 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 seats by party holding plurality in state 80.1-100% Democratic
80.1-100% Republican
60.1-80% Democratic
60.1-80% Republican
Up to 60% Democratic
Up to 60% Republican
House SpeakerJames L. Orr
Changes in membership [ edit ]
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Replacements: 5
Deaths: 4
Resignations: 1
Interim appointments: 2
Seats of newly admitted states: 4
Total seats with changes: 9
Senate changes
State (class)
Vacated by
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's formal installation[ e]
Tennessee (1)
Vacant
Legislature had failed to elect. Successor elected October 8, 1857.
Andrew Johnson (D)
October 8, 1857
South Carolina (3)
Andrew Butler (D)
Died May 25, 1857. Successor elected December 7, 1857.
James H. Hammond (D)
December 7, 1857
New Hampshire (3)
James Bell (R)
Died May 26, 1857. Successor elected June 27, 1857.
Daniel Clark (R)
June 27, 1857
Texas (1)
Thomas J. Rusk (D)
Died July 29, 1857. Successor appointed November 9, 1857.
J. Pinckney Henderson (D)
November 9, 1857
North Carolina (3)
Asa Biggs (D)
Resigned May 5, 1858, to become judge of the U.S. District Court for the District of North Carolina . Successor appointed May 7, 1858. Appointee elected November 23, 1858.
Thomas L. Clingman (D)
May 7, 1858
South Carolina (2)
Josiah J. Evans (D)
Died May 6, 1858. Successor appointed May 11, 1858.
Arthur P. Hayne (D)
May 11, 1858
Minnesota (1)
New seat
Minnesota admitted to the Union May 11, 1858, and its first Senators were elected that day.
Henry M. Rice (D)
May 11, 1858
Minnesota (2)
New seat
Minnesota admitted to the Union May 11, 1858, and its first Senators were elected that day.
James Shields (D)
May 11, 1858
Texas (1)
J. Pinckney Henderson (D)
Died June 4, 1858. Successor appointed September 27, 1858.
Matthias Ward (D)
September 27, 1858
South Carolina (2)
Arthur P. Hayne (D)
Interim appointee retired. Successor elected December 2, 1858.
James Chesnut Jr. (D)
December 3, 1858
Oregon (2)
New seat
Oregon admitted to the Union February 14, 1859, and its first Senators were elected that day.
Delazon Smith (D)
February 14, 1859
Oregon (3)
New seat
Oregon admitted to the Union February 14, 1859, and its first Senators were elected that day.
Joseph Lane (D)
February 14, 1859
House of Representatives [ edit ]
Replacements: 10
Deaths: 5
Resignations: 6
Contested election:1
Seats of newly admitted states: 3
Total seats with changes: 14
House changes
District
Vacated by
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's formal installation[ e]
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
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
House of Representatives [ edit ]
House of Representatives [ edit ]
^ Special session of the Senate.
^ Special session of the Senate.
^ Opposition
^ Opposition
^ a b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.
Specific citations
^ Charles J. Kappler, ed. (1904). "Treaty with the Ponca, 1858" . Indian Affairs: Laws and Treaties . Washington D.C.: Government Printing Office . Archived from the original on 2015-02-13. Retrieved 2013-11-09 . The Ponca tribe of Indians hereby cede and relinquish to the United States all the lands now owned or claimed by them, wherever situate, except the tract bounded as follows, viz: Beginning at a point on the Neobrara River and running due north, so as to intersect the Ponca River 25 miles from its mouth; thence from said point of intersection, up and along the Ponca River, twenty — miles; thence due south to the Neobrara River; and thence down and along said river to the place of beginning...
General 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.