31st United States Congress

31st United States Congress
	30th ← → 32nd
	United States Capitol (1846)
March 4, 1849 – March 4, 1851
Members	62 senators; 233 representatives; 2 non-voting delegates
Senate Majority	Democratic
Senate President	Millard Fillmore (W) ; (until July 9, 1850); Vacant ; (from July 9, 1850)
House Majority	Democratic (plurality)
House Speaker	Howell Cobb (CU)
Sessions
	Special: March 5, 1849 – March 23, 1849; 1st: December 3, 1849 – September 30, 1850; 2nd: December 2, 1850 – March 4, 1851

The 31st 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, 1849, to March 4, 1851, during the 16 months of the Zachary Taylor presidency and the first eight months of the administration of Millard Fillmore's. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixth Census of the United States in 1840. The Senate had a Democratic majority, while there was a Democratic plurality in the House.

Major events

March 4, 1849: Zachary Taylor became President of the United States
December 22, 1849: Howell Cobb is elected Speaker after sixty-three ballots, the second-longest election for the position ever held.[1]
March 7, 1850: Senator Daniel Webster gave his "Seventh of March" speech in which he endorsed the Compromise of 1850 to prevent a possible civil war
July 9, 1850: President Taylor died and Vice President Millard Fillmore became President.

Major legislation

September 9, 1850: Compromise of 1850, sess. 1, chs. 48-51, 9 Stat. 446 - 9 Stat. 458
September 18, 1850: Fugitive Slave Act, sess. 1, ch. 60, 9 Stat. 462
September 20, 1850: "An Act to suppress the Slave Trade in the District of Columbia," sess. 1, ch. 63, 9 Stat. 467
September 29, 1850: Donation Land Claim Act, sess. 1, ch. 76, 9 Stat. 496

States admitted and territories organized

September 9, 1850 — As part of the Compromise of 1850:
- Texas's borders were changed, ch. 49, 9 Stat. 446
- New Mexico Territory was organized, ch. 49, 9 Stat. 448
- California was admitted as a state, ch. 50, 9 Stat. 452
- Utah Territory was organized, ch. 51, 9 Stat. 453

Party summary

Senate

During this Congress, two Senate seats were added for the new state of California.

	Party (shading shows control)				Total	Vacant

	Democratic (D)	Free Soil (FS)	Whig (W)	Other
End of previous congress	38	0	21	1	60	0

Begin	33	2	25	0	60	0
End	36	2	24	0	62	0
Final voting share	58.1%	3.2%	38.7%	0.0%

Beginning of next congress	34	2	21	0	57	5

House of Representatives

During this Congress, two House seats were added for the new state of California.

	Party (shading shows control)						Total	Vacant

	Know Nothing (A)	Democratic (D)	Free Soil (FS)	Whig (W)	Independent (I)	Other
End of previous congress	1	111	0	114	1	2	229	1

Begin	1	113	9	107	0	0	230	1
End	1	114	9	105	1	0	230	3
Final voting share	0.4%	49.6%	3.9%	45.7%	0.4%	0.0%

Beginning of next congress	0	128	3	85	0	17	233	0

Leadership

President of the Senate
Millard Fillmore

Senate

President: Millard Fillmore (W), until July 9, 1850; vacant thereafter.
President pro tempore: David Atchison (D), until May 5, 1850
- William R. King (D), from May 6, 1850

House of Representatives

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and Representatives 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 ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1850; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1852; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, facing re-election in 1854.

Alabama

2. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), until November 30, 1849
- Jeremiah Clemens (D), from November 30, 1849
3. William R. D. King (D)

Arkansas

2. William K. Sebastian (D)
3. Solon Borland (D)

California

1. John C. Frémont (D), from September 10, 1850 (newly admitted state)
3. William M. Gwin (D), from September 10, 1850 (newly admitted state)

Illinois

2. Stephen A. Douglas (D)
3. James Shields (D), until March 6, 1849
- James Shields (D), from December 3, 1849

Indiana

1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
3. James Whitcomb (D)

Iowa

2. George Wallace Jones (D)
3. Augustus C. Dodge (D)

Kentucky

2. Joseph R. Underwood (W)
3. Henry Clay (W)

Louisiana

2. Solomon W. Downs (D)
3. Pierre Soulé (D)

Maine

1. Hannibal Hamlin (D)
2. James W. Bradbury (D)

Maryland

1. Reverdy Johnson (W), until March 7, 1849
- David Stewart (W), from December 6, 1849, until January 12, 1850
- Thomas Pratt (W), from January 12, 1850
3. James Pearce (W)

Massachusetts

1. Daniel Webster (W), until July 22, 1850
- Robert C. Winthrop (W), from July 30, 1850, until February 1, 1851
- Robert J. Rantoul, Jr. (D), from February 1, 1851
2. John Davis (W)

Michigan

1. Lewis Cass (D)
2. Alpheus Felch (D)

Mississippi

1. Jefferson Davis (D)
2. Henry S. Foote (D)

Missouri

1. Thomas H. Benton (D)
3. David R. Atchison (D)

New Hampshire

2. John P. Hale (FS)
3. Moses Norris, Jr. (D)

New Jersey

1. William L. Dayton (W)
2. Jacob W. Miller (W)

New York

1. Daniel S. Dickinson (D)
3. William H. Seward (W)

North Carolina

2. Willie P. Mangum (W)
3. George E. Badger (W)

Ohio

1. Thomas Corwin (W), until July 20, 1850
- Thomas Ewing (W), from July 20, 1850
3. Salmon P. Chase (FS)

Pennsylvania

1. Daniel Sturgeon (D)
3. James Cooper (W)

Rhode Island

1. Albert C. Greene (W)
2. John H. Clarke (W)

South Carolina

2. John C. Calhoun (D), until March 31, 1850
- Franklin H. Elmore (D), from April 11, 1850, until May 29, 1850
- Robert W. Barnwell (D), from June 4, 1850, until December 18, 1850
- R. Barnwell Rhett (D), from December 18, 1850
3. Andrew Butler (D)

Tennessee

1. Hopkins L. Turney (D)
2. John Bell (W)

Texas

1. Thomas J. Rusk (D)
2. Samuel Houston (D)

Vermont

1. Samuel S. Phelps (W)
3. William Upham (W)

Virginia

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

Wisconsin

1. Henry Dodge (D)
3. Isaac P. Walker (D)

Senate Presidents pro Tempore

David R. Atchison (D)
(until December 2, 1849)

William R. King (D)
(from May 6, 1850)

House of Representatives

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

Alabama

Arkansas

At-large. Robert W. Johnson (D)

California

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

At-large. Edward Gilbert (D), from September 11, 1850 (newly admitted state)
At-large. George W. Wright (I), from September 11, 1850 (newly admitted state)

Connecticut

Delaware

At-large. John W. Houston (W)

Florida

At-large. Edward C. Cabell (W)

Georgia

1. Thomas B. King (W), until March 3, 1850
- Joseph W. Jackson (D), from March 4, 1850
2. Marshall J. Wellborn (D)
3. Allen F. Owen (W)
4. Hugh A. Haralson (D)
5. Thomas C. Hackett (D)
6. Howell Cobb (D)
7. Alexander Stephens (W)
8. Robert Toombs (W)

1. William Thompson (D), until June 29, 1850
- Daniel F. Miller (W), from December 20, 1850
2. Shepherd Leffler (D)

Kentucky

Louisiana

1. Emile La Sére (D)
2. Charles M. Conrad (W), until August 17, 1850
- Henry A. Bullard (W), from December 5, 1850
3. John H. Harmanson (D), until October 24, 1850
- Alexander G. Penn (D), from December 30, 1850
4. Isaac E. Morse (D)

1. Robert C. Winthrop (W), until July 30, 1850
- Samuel Atkins Eliot (W), from August 22, 1850
2. Daniel P. King (W), until July 25, 1850
3. James H. Duncan (W)
4. vacant
5. Charles Allen (FS)
6. George Ashmun (W)
7. Julius Rockwell (W)
8. Horace Mann (W)
9. Orin Fowler (W)
10. Joseph Grinnell (W)

1. Amos Tuck (FS)
2. Charles H. Peaslee (D)
3. James Wilson (W), until September 9, 1850
- George W. Morrison (D), from October 8, 1850
4. Harry Hibbard (D)

1. David T. Disney (D)
2. Lewis D. Campbell (W)
3. Robert C. Schenck (W)
4. Moses B. Corwin (W)
5. Emery D. Potter (D)
6. Rodolphus Dickinson (D), until March 20, 1849
- Amos E. Wood (D), from December 3, 1849, until November 19, 1850
- John Bell (W), from January 7, 1851
7. Jonathan D. Morris (D)
8. John L. Taylor (W)
9. Edson B. Olds (D)
10. Charles Sweetser (D)
11. John K. Miller (D)
12. Samuel F. Vinton (W)
13. William A. Whittlesey (D)
14. Nathan Evans (W)
15. William F. Hunter (W)
16. Moses Hoagland (D)
17. Joseph Cable (D)
18. David K. Cartter (D)
19. John Crowell (W)
20. Joshua R. Giddings (FS)
21. Joseph M. Root (FS)

Pennsylvania

1. Lewis C. Levin (A)
2. Joseph R. Chandler (W)
3. Henry D. Moore (W)
4. John Robbins, Jr. (D)
5. John Freedley (W)
6. Thomas Ross (D)
7. Jesse C. Dickey (W)
8. Thaddeus Stevens (W)
9. William Strong (D)
10. Milo M. Dimmick (D)
11. Chester P. Butler (W), until October 5, 1850
- John Brisbin (D), from November 13, 1850
12. David Wilmot (D)
13. Joseph Casey (W)
14. Charles W. Pitman (W)
15. Henry Nes (W), until September 10, 1850
- Joel B. Danner (D), from December 2, 1850
16. James X. McLanahan (D)
17. Samuel Calvin (W)
18. Andrew J. Ogle (W)
19. Job Mann (D)
20. Robert R. Reed (W)
21. Moses Hampton (W)
22. John W. Howe (FS)
23. James Thompson (D)
24. Alfred Gilmore (D)

Rhode Island

1. George G. King (W)
2. Nathan F. Dixon, Jr. (W)

1. David S. Kaufman (D), until January 31, 1851
2. Volney E. Howard (D)

Vermont

1. William Henry (W)
2. William Hebard (W)
3. George P. Marsh (W), until May 29, 1849
- James Meacham (W), from December 3, 1849
4. Lucius B. Peck (D)

Virginia

1. John S. Millson (D)
2. Richard K. Meade (D)
3. Thomas H. Averett (D)
4. Thomas S. Bocock (D)
5. Paulus Powell (D)
6. James Seddon (D)
7. Thomas H. Bayly (D)
8. Alexander Holladay (D)
9. Jeremiah Morton (W)
10. Richard Parker (D)
11. James McDowell (D)
12. Henry A. Edmundson (D)
13. LaFayette McMullen (D)
14. James M. H. Beale (D)
15. Alexander Newman (D), until September 8, 1849
- Thomas Haymond (W), from November 8, 1849

Wisconsin

Non-voting members

Minnesota Territory. Henry H. Sibley, from July 7, 1849
Oregon Territory. Samuel Thurston (D)

House seats by party holding plurality in state
80+% to 100% Democratic	Up to 60% Whig
60+% to 80% Democratic	60+% to 80% Whig
Up to 60% Democratic	80+% to 100% Whig
33% Free Soil Party

Speaker Howell Cobb

Changes in membership

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

Senate

Replacements: 5
- Democrats (D): no net change
- Whigs (W): no net change
Deaths: 1
Resignations: 3
Seats from newly admitted states: 2
Interim appointments: 4
Total seats with changes: 8

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 1]
Illinois (3)	James Shields (D)	Senate voided election March 6, 1849, as Sen. Shields was determined not to have been a US citizen for the number of years required by the Constitution. Incumbent was re-elected October 27, 1849, having by then qualified.	James Shields (D)	Seated December 3, 1849
Maryland (1)	Reverdy Johnson (W)	Resigned March 7, 1849, having been appointed United States Attorney General	David Stewart (W)	Appointed December 6, 1849
Alabama (2)	Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)	Sen. Dixon Lewis successor elected November 30, 1849	Jeremiah Clemens (D)	Elected November 30, 1849
Maryland (1)	David Stewart (W)	Successor elected January 12, 1850	Thomas Pratt (W)	Elected January 12, 1850
South Carolina (2)	John C. Calhoun (D)	Died March 31, 1850	Franklin H. Elmore (D)	Appointed April 11, 1850
South Carolina (2)	Franklin H. Elmore (D)	Died May 29, 1850	Robert W. Barnwell (D)	Appointed June 4, 1850
Ohio (1)	Thomas Corwin (W)	Resigned July 20, 1850, after being appointed United States Secretary of the Treasury	Thomas Ewing (W)	Appointed July 20, 1850
Massachusetts (1)	Daniel Webster (W)	Resigned July 22, 1850, after being appointed United States Secretary of State again.	Robert C. Winthrop (W)	Appointed July 30, 1850
California (1)	New state	California admitted to the Union September 9, 1850. The first Senator was elected September 10, 1850.	John C. Frémont (D)	Elected September 10, 1850
California (3)	New state	California admitted to the Union September 9, 1850. The first Senator was elected September 10, 1850.	William M. Gwin (D)	Elected September 10, 1850
South Carolina (2)	Robert W. Barnwell (D)	Successor elected December 18, 1850	Robert Rhett (D)	Elected December 18, 1850
Massachusetts (1)	Robert C. Winthrop (W)	Successor elected February 1, 1851	Robert Rantoul, Jr. (D)	Elected February 1, 1851

House of Representatives

Replacements: 11
- Democrats (D): 2 seat net gain
- Whigs (W): 2 seat net loss
Deaths: 8
Resignations: 5
Contested election:1
Seats from newly admitted states: 2
Total seats with changes: 16

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation[lower-alpha 1]
Minnesota Territory At-large	Vacant	Seat remained vacant after territory became organized at end of previous congress	Henry H. Sibley	Seated July 7, 1849
Vermont 3rd	George Perkins Marsh (W)	Resigned some time in 1849	James Meacham (W)	Seated December 3, 1849
Ohio 6th	Rodolphus Dickinson (D)	Died March 20, 1849	Amos E. Wood (D)	Seated December 3, 1849
Virginia 15th	Alexander Newman (D)	Died September 8, 1849	Thomas Haymond (W)	Seated November 8, 1849
Georgia 1st	Thomas B. King (W)	Resigned March 3, 1850	Joseph W. Jackson (D)	Seated March 4, 1850
Massachusetts 2nd	Daniel P. King (W)	Died July 25, 1850	Vacant	Not filled this term
Iowa 1st	William Thompson (D)	Seat declared vacant June 29, 1850, after contested election. House ruled neither candidate entitled to seat and forced special election	Daniel F. Miller (W)	Seated December 20, 1850
Massachusetts 1st	Robert C. Winthrop (W)	Resigned July 30, 1850, after being appointed to the US Senate	Samuel A. Eliot (W)	Seated August 22, 1850
Louisiana 2nd	Charles M. Conrad (W)	Resigned August 17, 1850, after being appointed United States Secretary of War	Henry A. Bullard (W)	Seated December 5, 1850
New Hampshire 3rd	James Wilson (W)	Resigned September 9, 1850	George W. Morrison (D)	Seated October 8, 1850
California At-large	California admitted into the Union September 9, 1850, and seat remained vacant until September 11, 1850		Edward Gilbert (D)	Seated September 11, 1850
California At-large	California admitted into the Union September 9, 1850, and seat remained vacant until September 11, 1850		George W. Wright (I)	Seated September 11, 1850
Pennsylvania 15th	Henry Nes (W)	Died September 10, 1850	Joel B. Danner (D)	Seated December 2, 1850
Pennsylvania 11th	Chester P. Butler (W)	Died October 5, 1850	John Brisbin (D)	Seated November 13, 1850
Louisiana 3rd	John H. Harmanson (D)	Died October 24, 1850	Alexander G. Penn (D)	Seated December 30, 1850
Ohio 6th	Amos E. Wood (D)	Died November 19, 1850	John Bell (W)	Seated January 7, 1851
Texas 1st	David S. Kaufman (D)	Died January 31, 1851	Vacant	Not filled this term

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

Agriculture (Chairman: Daniel Sturgeon)
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Augustus Dodge)
California's Admission to the Union (Select)
Claims (Chairman: Moses Norris, Jr.)
Commerce (Chairman: Clement C. Clay)
Disorder in the Senate of April 17, 1850 (Select)
Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
District of Columbia (Chairman: James M. Mason)
Eligibility of James Shields (Special)
Finance (Chairman: Daniel S. Dickinson then James Pearce)
Foreign Relations (Chairman: William R. King then Henry S. Foote)
French Spoilations (Select) (Chairman: Truman Smith)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: David R. Atchison)
Judiciary (Chairman: Andrew P. Butler)
Manufactures (Chairman: William K. Sebastian)
Mexican Boundary Commission (Select)
Military Affairs (Chairman: Jefferson Davis)
Militia (Chairman: Sam Houston)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: David Levy Yulee)
Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
Patents and the Patent Office (Chairman: David S. Reid)
Pensions (Chairman: George Wallace Jones)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Thomas J. Rusk)
Printing (Chairman: Solon Borland)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: Solomon W. Downs)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Robert M.T. Hunter)
Public Lands (Chairman: Alpheus Felch)
Retrenchment (Chairman: James W. Bradbury)
Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Isaac P. Walker)
Roads and Canals (Chairman: Jesse D. Bright)
Seventh Census (Select)
Settlement of the Slavery Question (Select)
Tariff Regulation (Select)
Territories (Chairman: Stephen A. Douglas)
Whole

House of Representatives

Accounts (Chairman: Daniel P. King)
Agriculture (Chairman: Nathaniel S. Littlefield)
Bounty Land Act of 1850 (Select)
Claims (Chairman: John Reeves Jones Daniel)
Commerce (Chairman: Robert M. McLane)
District of Columbia (Chairman: Albert G. Brown)
Elections (Chairman: William Strong)
Engraving (Chairman: Edward Hammond)
Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Alexander Holladay)
Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: William Thompson)
Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Kingsley S. Bingham)
Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: George A. Caldwell)
Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Milo M. Dimmick)
Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: James M. H. Beale)
Foreign Affairs (Chairman: John A. McClernand)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: Robert W. Johnson)
Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Shepherd Leffler)
Judiciary (Chairman: James Thompson)
Manufactures (Chairman: Lucius B. Peck)
Mileage (Chairman: Graham N. Fitch)
Military Affairs (Chairman: Armistead Burt)
Militia (Chairman: Charles H. Peaslee)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: Frederick P. Stanton)
Patents (Chairman: Hiram Walden)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Emery D. Potter)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: Isaac E. Morse)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Franklin W. Bowdon)
Public Expenditures (Chairman: Andrew Johnson)
Public Lands (Chairman: James B. Bowlin)
Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Williamson R. W. Cobb)
Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Cullen Sawtelle)
Revolutionary Pensions (Chairman: Loren P. Waldo)
Roads and Canals (Chairman: John L. Robinson)
Rules (Chairman: David S. Kaufman)
Standards of Official Conduct
Territories (Chairman: Linn Boyd)
Ways and Means (Chairman: Thomas H. Bayly)
Whole

Joint committees

Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Sen. Thomas J. Rusk then Sen. George Badger)
The Library (Chairman: N/A)
The Printing (Chairman: N/A)

Caucuses

Democratic (House)
Democratic (Senate)

Employees

Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

Senate

Chaplain: Henry Slicer (Methodist), until January 9, 1850
- Clement M. Butler (Episcopalian), elected January 9, 1850
Secretary: Asbury Dickins
Sergeant at Arms: Robert Beale

House of Representatives

Chaplain: Ralph Gurley (Presbyterian)
Clerk: Thomas J. Campbell, died April 13, 1850
- Richard M. Young, elected April 17, 1850
Doorkeeper: Robert E. Horner
Postmaster: John M. Johnson
Reading Clerks: [data unknown/missing]
Sergeant at Arms: Nathan Sargent, until January 15, 1850
- Adam J. Glossbrenner, from January 15, 1850

Notes

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

References

Jenkins, Jeffery A.; Stewart III, Charles (April 2001). Sophisticated Behavior and Speakership Elections: The Elections of 1849 and 1855–56. Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. p. 29. Retrieved January 8, 2013.

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.

[SuccessorInstallation-2] When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

[1] Jenkins, Jeffery A.; Stewart III, Charles (April 2001). Sophisticated Behavior and Speakership Elections: The Elections of 1849 and 1855–56. Midwest Political Science Association. Chicago, IL. p. 29. Retrieved January 8, 2013.

31st United States Congress

Major events

Major legislation

States admitted and territories organized

Party summary

Senate

House of Representatives

Leadership

Senate

House of Representatives

Members

Senate

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

House of Representatives

Non-voting members

Changes in membership

Senate

House of Representatives

Committees

Senate

House of Representatives

Joint committees

Caucuses

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes

References

External links