This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (February 2013) |
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 1830 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
| 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 | |
Major events
edit- 1839: The first state law permitting women to own property was passed in Jackson, Mississippi
- December 14–16, 1839: An election for the House speakership takes 11 ballots
- January 19, 1840: Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigated Antarctica, claiming what becomes known as Wilkes Land for the United States.
- November 7, 1840: 1840 United States presidential election: 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
editParty summary
editSenate
edit| 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
edit| 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[a] | 240 | 2 |
| Begin | 6 | 2 | 125 | 109 | 0 | 242 | 0 |
| End | 5 | 123 | 111 | 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
edit
Richard M. Johnson
Senate
editHouse of Representatives
edit- Speaker: Robert M. T. Hunter (W) elected December 16, 1839, on the 11th ballot[1]
Members
editThis list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
Senate
editSenators 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.
|
|
 2 Democrats 1 Democrat and 1 Whig 2 Whigs |
 William R. King
|
House of Representatives
editThe names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
editThe count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
edit- 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) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
edit- 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 | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation[b] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | HHenry 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
editLists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
edit- 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
edit- 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: Cave Johnson until 1840, then 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: Thomas Corwin 1839-1840, then Samson Mason 1840, 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
edit- Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Sen. Benjamin Tappan)
- The Library (Chairman: N/A)
Employees
editSenate
edit- 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
edit- 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 missing]
- Sergeant at Arms: Roderick Dorsey
See also
edit- 1838 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
- 1840 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "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
edit- 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
- Watterston, George (1840). Congressional Directory for the 26th Congress, 1st Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 26th Congress, 2nd Session.