26th United States Congress

26th United States Congress
	25th ← → 27th
	United States Capitol (1846)
March 4, 1839 – March 4, 1841
Members	52 senators; 242 representatives; 3 non-voting delegates
Senate Majority	Democratic
Senate President	Richard M. Johnson (D)
House Majority	Democratic
House Speaker	Robert M.T. Hunter (W)
Sessions
	1st: December 2, 1839 – July 21, 1840; 2nd: December 7, 1840 – March 3, 1841

The 26th 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, 1839, to March 4, 1841, during the third and fourth years of Martin Van Buren's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fifth Census of the United States in 1830. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Major events

1839: The first state law permitting women to own property was passed in Jackson, Mississippi
January 19, 1840: Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigated Antarctica, claiming what becomes known as Wilkes Land for the United States.
November 7, 1840: U.S. presidential election, 1840: William Henry Harrison defeated Martin Van Buren
February 18, 1841: The first ongoing filibuster in the United States Senate began and lasted until March 11

Major legislation

[data unknown/missing]

Party summary

Senate

	Party (shading shows control)		Total	Vacant

	Democratic (D)	Whig (W)
End of previous congress	35	16	51	1

Begin	28	19	47	5
End	29	23	52	0
Final voting share	55.8%	44.2%

Beginning of next congress	22	29	51	1

House of Representatives

	Party (shading shows control)					Total	Vacant

	Anti- Masonic (AM)	Conservative (C)	Democratic (D)	Whig (W)	Other
End of previous congress	7	0	123	106	4[lower-alpha 1]	240	2

Begin	6	2	125	109	0	242	0
End	5	2	123	111	0	241	1
Final voting share	2.1%	0.8%	51.0%	46.1%	0.0%

Beginning of next congress	0	0	99	142	1	242	0

Leadership

President of the Senate
Richard M. Johnson

Senate

President: Richard M. Johnson (D)
President pro tempore: William R. King (D)

House of Representatives

Speaker: Robert M. T. Hunter (W) Elected on the 11th ballot[1]

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and Representatives are listed by district.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

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 1844; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1840; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1842.

Alabama

2. William R. King (D)
3. Clement C. Clay (D)

Arkansas

2. William S. Fulton (D)
3. Ambrose H. Sevier (D)

Connecticut

1. Thaddeus Betts (W), until April 7, 1840
- Jabez W. Huntington (W), from May 4, 1840
3. Perry Smith (D)

Delaware

1. Richard H. Bayard (W), until September 19, 1839
- Richard H. Bayard (W), from January 12, 1841
2. Thomas Clayton (W)

Maryland

1. William D. Merrick (W)
3. John S. Spence (W), until October 24, 1840
- John L. Kerr (W), from January 5, 1841

Massachusetts

1. Daniel Webster (W), until February 22, 1841
- Rufus Choate (W), from February 23, 1841
2. John Davis (W), until January 5, 1841
- Isaac C. Bates (W), from January 13, 1841

Michigan

1. Augustus S. Porter (W), from January 20, 1840
2. John Norvell (D)

Mississippi

1. John Henderson (W)
2. Robert J. Walker (D)

Missouri

1. Thomas H. Benton (D)
3. Lewis F. Linn (D)

New Hampshire

2. Henry Hubbard (D)
3. Franklin Pierce (D)

New Jersey

1. Samuel L. Southard (W)
2. Garret D. Wall (D)

New York

1. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W), from January 14, 1840
3. Silas Wright, Jr. (D)

North Carolina

2. Bedford Brown (D), until November 16, 1840
- Willie P. Mangum (W), from November 25, 1840
3. Robert Strange (D), until November 16, 1840
- William A. Graham (W), from November 25, 1840

Ohio

1. Benjamin Tappan (D)
3. William Allen (D)

Pennsylvania

1. Daniel Sturgeon (D), from January 14, 1840
3. James Buchanan (D)

Rhode Island

1. Nathan F. Dixon (W)
2. Nehemiah R. Knight (W)

South Carolina

2. John C. Calhoun (D)
3. William C. Preston (W)

Tennessee

1. Felix Grundy (D), November 19, 1839 – December 19, 1840
- Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D), from December 25, 1840
2. Hugh Lawson White (W), until January 13, 1840
- Alexander O. Anderson (D), from February 26, 1840

Vermont

1. Samuel S. Phelps (W)
3. Samuel Prentiss (W)

Virginia

1. William C. Rives (W), from January 18, 1841
2. William H. Roane (D)

President pro tempore
William R. King

House of Representatives

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

Alabama

Arkansas

At-large. Edward Cross (D)

Connecticut

1. Joseph Trumbull (W)
2. William L. Storrs (W), until June ???, 1840
- William W. Boardman (W), from December 7, 1840
3. Thomas W. Williams (W)
4. Thomas B. Osborne (W)
5. Truman Smith (W)
6. John H. Brockway (W)

Delaware

At-large. Thomas Robinson, Jr. (D)

Georgia

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

At-large. Julius C. Alford (W)
At-large. Edward J. Black (W)
At-large. Walter T. Colquitt (W), until July 21, 1840
- Hines Holt (W), from February 1, 1841
At-large. Mark A. Cooper (W)
At-large. William C. Dawson (W)
At-large. Richard W. Habersham (W)
At-large. Thomas Butler King (W)
At-large. Eugenius A. Nisbet (W)
At-large. Lott Warren (W)

Illinois

Indiana

1. George H. Proffit (W)
2. John W. Davis (D)
3. John Carr (D)
4. Thomas Smith (D)
5. James Rariden (W)
6. William W. Wick (D)
7. Tilghman A. Howard (D), until July 1, 1840
- Henry S. Lane (W), from August 3, 1840

Kentucky

1. Linn Boyd (D)
2. Philip Triplett (W)
3. Joseph R. Underwood (W)
4. Sherrod Williams (W)
5. Simeon H. Anderson (W), until August 11, 1840
- John B. Thompson (W), from December 7, 1840
6. Willis Green (W)
7. John Pope (W)
8. William J. Graves (W)
9. John White (W)
10. Richard Hawes (W)
11. Landaff W. Andrews (W)
12. Garrett Davis (W)
13. William O. Butler (D)

Louisiana

1. Edward D. White (W)
2. Thomas W. Chinn (W)
3. Rice Garland (W), until July 21, 1840
- John Moore (W), from December 17, 1840

Maine

1. Nathan Clifford (D)
2. Albert Smith (D)
3. Benjamin Randall (W)
4. George Evans (W), until March 3, 1841
5. Virgil D. Parris (D)
6. Hugh J. Anderson (D)
7. Joshua A. Lowell (D)
8. Thomas Davee (D)

Maryland

The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.

Massachusetts

1. Abbott Lawrence (W), until September 18, 1840
- Robert C. Winthrop (W), from November 9, 1840
2. Leverett Saltonstall (W)
3. Caleb Cushing (W)
4. William Parmenter (D)
5. Levi Lincoln, Jr. (W)
6. James C. Alvord (W), until September 27, 1839
- Osmyn Baker (W), from January 14, 1840
7. George N. Briggs (W)
8. William B. Calhoun (W)
9. William S. Hastings (W)
10. Henry Williams (D)
11. John Reed, Jr. (W)
12. John Quincy Adams (W)

Michigan

At-large. Isaac E. Crary (D)

Mississippi

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

At-large. Albert G. Brown (D)
At-large. Jacob Thompson (D)

Missouri

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

At-large. Albert G. Harrison (D), until September 7, 1839
- John Jameson (D), from December 12, 1839
At-large. John Miller (D)

1. Thomas B. Jackson (D)
2. James De la Montanya (D)
3. Edward Curtis (W)
3. Moses H. Grinnell (W)
3. Ogden Hoffman (W)
3. James Monroe (W)
4. Gouverneur Kemble (D)
5. Charles Johnston (W)
6. Nathaniel Jones (D)
7. Rufus Palen (W)
8. John Ely (D)
8. Aaron Vanderpoel (D)
9. Hiram P. Hunt (W)
10. Daniel D. Barnard (W)
11. Anson Brown (W), until June 14, 1840
- Nicholas B. Doe (W), from December 7, 1840
12. David A. Russell (W)
13. Augustus C. Hand (D)
14. John Fine (D)
15. Peter J. Wagner (W)
16. Andrew W. Doig (D)
17. David P. Brewster (D)
17. John G. Floyd (D)
18. Thomas C. Chittenden (W)
19. John H. Prentiss (D)
20. Judson Allen (D)
21. John C. Clark (W)
22. Amasa Dana (D)
22. Stephen B. Leonard (D)
23. Nehemiah H. Earll (D)
23. Edward Rogers (D)
24. Christopher Morgan (W)
25. Theron R. Strong (D)
26. Francis Granger (W)
27. Meredith Mallory (D)
28. Thomas Kempshall (W)
29. Seth M. Gates (W)
30. Luther C. Peck (W)
31. Richard P. Marvin (W)
32. Millard Fillmore (W)
33. Charles F. Mitchell (W)

North Carolina

Ohio

1. Alexander Duncan (D)
2. John B. Weller (D)
3. Patrick G. Goode (W)
4. Thomas Corwin (W), until May 30, 1840
- Jeremiah Morrow (W), from October 13, 1840
5. William Doan (D)
6. Calvary Morris (W)
7. William K. Bond (W)
8. Joseph Ridgway (W)
9. William Medill (D)
10. Samson Mason (W)
11. Isaac Parrish (D)
12. Jonathan Taylor (D)
13. Daniel P. Leadbetter (D)
14. George Sweeny (D)
15. John W. Allen (W)
16. Joshua R. Giddings (W)
17. John Hastings (D)
18. David A. Starkweather (D)
19. Henry Swearingen (D)

Pennsylvania

There were two plural districts, the 2nd had two representatives, the 4th had three representatives.

1. Lemuel Paynter (D)
2. John Sergeant (W)
2. George W. Toland (W)
3. Charles Naylor (W)
4. Edward Davies (AM)
4. John Edwards (AM)
4. Francis James (AM)
5. Joseph Fornance (D)
6. John Davis (D)
7. David D. Wagener (D)
8. Peter Newhard (D)
9. George M. Keim (D)
10. William Simonton (W)
11. James Gerry (D)
12. James Cooper (W)
13. William S. Ramsey (D), until October 17, 1840
- Charles McClure (D), from December 7, 1840
14. William W. Potter (D), until October 28, 1839
- George McCulloch (D), from November 20, 1839
15. David Petrikin (D)
16. Robert H. Hammond (D)
17. Samuel W. Morris (D)
18. Charles Ogle (AM)
19. Albert G. Marchand (D)
20. Enos Hook (D)
21. Isaac Leet (D)
22. Richard Biddle (AM), until July 21, 1840
- Henry M. Brackenridge (W), from October 13, 1840
23. William Beatty (D)
24. Thomas Henry (AM)
25. John Galbraith (D)

Rhode Island

At-large. Robert B. Cranston (W)
At-large. Joseph L. Tillinghast (W)

1. Joel Holleman (D), until December 1840
- Francis Mallory (W), from December 28, 1840
2. Francis E. Rives (D)
3. John W. Jones (D)
4. George C. Dromgoole (D)
5. John Hill (W)
6. Walter Coles (D)
7. William L. Goggin (W)
8. Henry A. Wise (W)
9. Robert M. T. Hunter (W)
10. John Taliaferro (W)
11. John M. Botts (W)
12. James Garland (C)
13. Linn Banks (D)
14. Charles F. Mercer (W), until December 26, 1839
- William M. McCarty (W), from January 25, 1840
15. William Lucas (D)
16. Green B. Samuels (D)
17. Robert Craig (D)
18. George W. Hopkins (C)
19. Andrew Beirne (D)
20. Joseph Johnson (D)
21. Lewis Steenrod (D)

Non-voting members

Florida Territory. Charles Downing
Iowa Territory. William W. Chapman (D), until October 27, 1840
- Augustus C. Dodge (D), from October 28, 1840
Wisconsin Territory. James D. Doty (D)

House seats by party holding plurality in state
80+% Democratic	80+% Whig
60+% to 80% Democratic	60+% to 80% Whig
Up to 60% Democratic	Up to 60% Whig

Speaker of the House
Robert M.T. Hunter

Changes in membership

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

Senate

Replacements: 8
- Democrats: 0-seat net loss
- Whigs: 0-seat net gain
Deaths: 3
Resignations: 7
Interim appointments: 0
Total seats with changes: 11

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 2]
Tennessee (1)	Vacant after previous Congress		Felix Grundy (D)	Elected November 19, 1839
New York (1)	Vacant after previous Congress		Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W)	Elected January 14, 1840
Pennsylvania (1)	Vacant after previous Congress		Daniel Sturgeon (D)	Elected January 14, 1840
Michigan (1)	Vacant after legislature failed to reelect incumbent.		Augustus S. Porter (W)	Elected January 20, 1840
Virginia (1)	Vacant after legislature failed to reelect incumbent.		William C. Rives (W)	Elected January 18, 1841
Delaware (1)	Richard H. Bayard (W)	Resigned September 19, 1839, to become Chief Justice of the Delaware Supreme Court	Richard H. Bayard (W)	Elected January 12, 1841, to his former position
Tennessee (2)	Hugh Lawson White (W)	Resigned January 13, 1840, because he could not conscientiously obey the intentions of his constituents	Alexander O. Anderson (D)	Elected February 26, 1840
Connecticut (1)	Thaddeus Betts (W)	Died April 7, 1840	Jabez W. Huntington (W)	Elected May 4, 1840
Maryland (3)	John S. Spence (W)	Died October 24, 1840	John L. Kerr (W)	Elected January 5, 1841
North Carolina (2)	Bedford Brown (D)	Resigned November 16, 1840, because he could not obey instructions of the North Carolina General Assembly	Willie P. Mangum (W)	Elected November 25, 1840
North Carolina (3)	Robert Strange (D)	Resigned November 16, 1840	William A. Graham (W)	Elected November 25, 1840
Tennessee (1)	Felix Grundy (D)	Died December 19, 1840	Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D)	Elected December 25, 1840
Massachusetts (2)	John Davis (W)	Resigned January 5, 1841, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts	Isaac C. Bates (W)	Elected January 13, 1841
Massachusetts (1)	Daniel Webster (W)	Resigned February 22, 1841	Rufus Choate (W)	Elected February 23, 1841

House of Representatives

Replacements: 15
- Democrats: 2-seat net loss
- Whigs: 3-seat net gain
- Anti-Masonic: 1-seat net loss
Deaths: 6
Resignations: 10
Contested election: 0
Total seats with changes: 17

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 2]
Indiana 7th	Vacant	Rep-elect Howard presented credentials August 5, 1839	Tilghman Howard (D)	Seated August 5, 1839
Missouri at-large	Albert G. Harrison (D)	Died September 7, 1839	John Jameson (D)	Seated December 12, 1839
Massachusetts 6th	James C. Alvord (W)	Died September 27, 1839	Osmyn Baker (W)	Seated January 14, 1840
Pennsylvania 14th	William W. Potter (D)	Died October 28, 1839	George McCulloch (D)	Seated November 20, 1839
Virginia 14th	Charles F. Mercer (W)	Resigned December 26, 1839	William M. McCarty (W)	Seated January 25, 1840
Ohio 4th	Thomas Corwin (W)	Resigned May 30, 1840, having become a candidate for Governor of Ohio	Jeremiah Morrow (W)	Seated October 13, 1840
Connecticut 2nd	William L. Storrs (W)	Resigned some time in June, 1840	William W. Boardman (W)	Seated December 7, 1840
New York 11th	Anson Brown (W)	Died June 14, 1840	Nicholas B. Doe (W)	Seated December 7, 1840
Indiana 7th	Tilghman Howard (D)	Resigned July 1, 1840	Henry S. Lane (W)	Seated August 3, 1840
Georgia at-large	Walter T. Colquitt (W)	Resigned July 21, 1840	Hines Holt (W)	Seated February 1, 1841
Louisiana 3rd	Rice Garland (W)	Resigned July 21, 1840, to accept appointment as judge of Louisiana Supreme Court	John Moore (W)	Seated December 17, 1840
Pennsylvania 22nd	Richard Biddle (AM)	Resigned July 21, 1840	Henry M. Brackenridge (W)	Seated October 13, 1840
Kentucky 5th	Simeon H. Anderson (W)	Died August 11, 1840	John B. Thompson (W)	Seated December 7, 1840
Massachusetts 1st	Abbott Lawrence (W)	Resigned September 18, 1840	Robert C. Winthrop (W)	Seated November 9, 1840
Pennsylvania 13th	William S. Ramsey (D)	Died October 17, 1840	Charles McClure (D)	Seated December 7, 1840
Iowa Territory at-large	William W. Chapman (D)	Term expired by law October 27, 1840	Augustus C. Dodge (D)	Seated October 28, 1840
Virginia 1st	Joel Holleman (D)	Resigned in December 1840	Francis Mallory (W)	Seated December 28, 1840
Maine 4th	George Evans (W)	Resigned March 3, 1841, after being elected to the US Senate	Vacant	Not filled this term

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

Agriculture (Chairman: Alexander Mouton)
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Nehemiah R. Knight)
Claims (Chairman: Henry Hubbard)
Commerce (Chairman: William R. King)
Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
District of Columbia (Chairman: Richard H. Bayard)&
Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Oliver Smith then John Henderson)
Finance (Chairman: Silas Wright)
Fiscal Corporation of the United States (Select)
Foreign Relations (Chairman: James Buchanan)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: Ambrose H. Sevier)
Judiciary (Chairman: Garret D. Wall)
Manufactures (Chairman: Wilson Lumpkin)
Military Affairs (Chairman: Thomas Hart Benton)
Militia (Chairman: Clement C. Clay)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: Reuel Williams)
Patents and the Patent Office (Chairman: Daniel Sturgeon)
Pensions (Chairman: Franklin Pierce)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: John M. Robinson)
Printing (Chairman: N/A)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: Lewis F. Linn)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: William S. Fulton)
Public Lands (Chairman: Robert J. Walker)
Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Perry Smith)
Roads and Canals (Chairman: Richard M. Young)
Tariff Regulation (Select)
Whole

House of Representatives

Accounts (Chairman: Joseph Johnson)
Agriculture (Chairman: Edmund Deberry)
Apportionment of Representatives (Select)
Claims (Chairman: David A. Russell)
Commerce (Chairman: Edward Curtis)
District of Columbia (Chairman: William C. Johnson)
Elections (Chairman: Francis E. Rives)
Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Leverett Saltonstall I)
Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Richard P. Marvin)
Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Joseph R. Underwood)
Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: George Evans)
Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Peter J. Wagner)
Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Edward Stanly)
Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Francis W. Pickens)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: John Bell)
Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Sherrod Williams)
Judiciary (Chairman: John Sergeant)
Manufactures (Chairman: John Quincy Adams)
Memorial of the Agricultural Bank of Mississippi (Select)
Mileage (Chairman: Thomas W. Williams)
Military Affairs (Chairman: Waddy Thompson, Jr.)
Militia (Chairman: George M. Keim)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: Francis Thomas)
Patents (Chairman: Issac Fletcher)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: James I. McKay)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: William B. Calhoun)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Stephen B. Leonard)
Public Expenditures (Chairman: William K. Bond)
Public Lands (Chairman: William C. Johnson then Jeremiah Morrow then Reuben Chapman then Jeremiah Morrow)
Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Luther C. Peck)
Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Joseph F. Randolph)
Revolutionary Pensions (Chairman: John Taliaferro)
Roads and Canals (Chairman: Charles Ogle)
Rules (Select)
Standards of Official Conduct
Territories (Chairman: John Pope)
Ways and Means (Chairman: John W. Jones)
Whole

Joint committees

Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Sen. Benjamin Tappan)
The Library (Chairman: N/A)

Employees

Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

Senate

Chaplain: Henry Slicer (Methodist), until December 31, 1839
- George G. Cookman (Methodist), from December 31, 1839
Secretary: Asbury Dickins
Sergeant at Arms: Stephen Haight

House of Representatives

Chaplain: Levi M. Reese (Methodist), until February 4, 1840
- Joshua Bates (Congregationalist), elected February 4, 1840
- Thomas W. Braxton (Baptist), elected December 7, 1840
Clerk: Hugh A. Garland
Doorkeeper: Joseph Follansbee, elected December 23, 1839
Postmaster: William J. McCormick, elected December 23, 1839
Reading Clerks: [data unknown/missing]
Sergeant at Arms: Roderick Dorsey

Notes

Nullifer
When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

References

"A Mob in Search of a Speaker". House.gov. US House of Representatives. Retrieved March 18, 2017.

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.

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] Nullifer

[SuccessorInstallation-3] When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

[2] "A Mob in Search of a Speaker". House.gov. US House of Representatives. Retrieved March 18, 2017.

26th United States Congress

Major events

Major legislation

Party summary

Senate

House of Representatives

Leadership

Senate

House of Representatives

Members

Senate

Alabama

Arkansas

Connecticut

Delaware

Georgia

Illinois

Indiana

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Mississippi

Missouri

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New York

North Carolina

Ohio

Pennsylvania

Rhode Island

South Carolina

Tennessee

Vermont

Virginia

House of Representatives

Non-voting members

Changes in membership

Senate

House of Representatives

Committees

Senate

House of Representatives

Joint committees

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes

References

External links