33rd United States Congress
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The Thirty-third United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, comprised of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, DC from March 4, 1853 to March 3, 1855, during the first two years of the administration of U.S. President Franklin Pierce.
The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States in 1850. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
[edit] Dates of sessions
- Special session of the Senate: March 4, 1853 - April 11, 1853
- First session: December 5, 1853 - August 7, 1854
- Second session: December 4, 1854 - March 3, 1855 — a lame duck session
Previous congress: 32nd Congress
Next congress: 34th Congress
[edit] Major events
- Main article: Events of 1853; Events of 1854; Events of 1855
[edit] Major legislation
- August 18, 1856 - Guano Islands Act, ch. 164, 11 Stat. 119
[edit] Party summary
The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
[edit] Senate
- Democratic: 38 (majority)
- Whig: 22
- Free Soil: 2
TOTAL members: 62
[edit] House of Representatives
- Democratic: 157 (majority)
- Whig: 71
- Free Soil: 4
- Independent Democrat: 1
- Independent: 1
TOTAL members: 234
[edit] Leadership
[edit] Senate
- Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
- William R. King, Democrat of Alabama, died April 18, 1853; vacant thereafter.
- President pro tempore of the Senate:
- David R. Atchison, Democrat of Missouri, elected March 4, 1853
- Lewis Cass, Democrat of Michigan, elected December 4, 1854
- Jesse D. Bright, Democrat of Indiana, elected December 5, 1854
[edit] House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- Linn Boyd, of Kentucky, elected December 5, 1853
[edit] Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
- See also: 33rd United States Congress - Political Parties
- See also: 33rd United States Congress - State Delegations
- See also: United States House election, 1852
[edit] Senate
At this time, 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 in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1856; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1854.
- 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (Dem.)
- 2. Clement C. Clay, Jr. (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, November 29, 1853.
- 2. William K. Sebastian (Dem.)
- 3. Solon Borland (Dem.) …resigned April 3, 1853.
- Robert W. Johnson (Dem.) …appointed to fill vacancy, July 6, 1853.
- 3. William M. Gwin (Dem.)
- 1. John B. Weller (Dem.)
- 3. Truman Smith (Whig) …resigned May 24, 1854.
- Francis Gillette (Free Soil) …elected to fill vacancy, May 25, 1854.
- 1. Isaac Toucey (Dem.)
- 1. James A. Bayard, Jr. (Dem.)
- 2. John M. Clayton (Whig)
- 3. Jackson Morton (Whig)
- 1. Stephen R. Mallory (Dem.)
- 3. William C. Dawson (Whig)
- 2. Robert A. Toombs (Whig)
- 2. Stephen A. Douglas (Dem.)
- 3. James Shields (Dem.)
- 1. Jesse D. Bright (Dem.)
- 3. John Pettit (Dem.)
- 3. Augustus C. Dodge (Dem.)
- 2. George W. Jones (Dem.)
- 3. Archibald Dixon (Whig)
- 2. John B. Thompson (Whig)
- 3. Pierre Soulé (Dem.) …resigned April 11, 1853.
- John Slidell (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, April 28, 1853.
- 2. Judah P. Benjamin (Whig)
- 1. Hannibal Hamlin (Dem.)
- 2. William P. Fessenden (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy in class, February 10, 1854.
- 3. James A. Pearce (Whig)
- 1. Thomas G. Pratt (Whig)
- 1. Charles Sumner (Free Soil)
- 2. Edward Everett (Whig) …resigned June 1, 1854.
- Julius Rockwell (Whig) …appointed to fill vacancy, June 3, 1854.
- Henry Wilson (Free Soil) …elected to fill vacancy, January 31, 1855.
- 1. Lewis Cass (Dem.)
- 2. Charles E. Stuart (Dem.)
- 1. Stephen Adams (Dem.)
- 2. Albert G. Brown (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, January 7, 1854.
- 3. David R. Atchison (Dem.)
- 1. Henry S. Geyer (Whig)
- 3. Moses Norris, Jr. (Dem.) …died January 11, 1855.
- John S. Wells (Dem.) …appointed to fill vacancy, January 16, 1855.
- 2. Charles G. Atherton (Dem.) …died November 15, 1853.
- Jared W. Williams (Dem.) …appointed to fill vacancy, November 29, 1853.
- 1. John R. Thomson (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy from preceding Congress, March 4, 1853.
- 2. William Wright (Dem.)
- 3. William H. Seward (Whig)
- 1. Hamilton Fish (Whig)
- 3. George E. Badger (Whig)
- 2. David S. Reid (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, December 6, 1854.
- 3. Salmon P. Chase (Free Soil)
- 1. Benjamin F. Wade (Whig)
- 3. James Cooper (Whig)
- 1. Richard Brodhead (Dem.)
- 1. Charles T. James (Dem.)
- 2. Philip Allen (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy in class, July 20, 1853.
- 3. Andrew P. Butler (Dem.)
- 2. Josiah J. Evans (Dem.)
- 2. John Bell (Whig)
- 1. James C. Jones (Whig)
- 2. Samuel Houston (Dem.)
- 1. Thomas J. Rusk (Dem.)
- 1. Solomon Foot (Whig)
- 3. Samuel S. Phelps (Whig) …appointed to fill vacancy in preceding Congress, seat declared vacant March 16, 1854.
- Lawrence Brainerd (Free Soil) …elected to fill vacancy, October 14, 1854.
- 1. James M. Mason (Dem.)
- 2. Robert M.T. Hunter (Dem.)
- 1. Henry Dodge (Dem.)
- 3. Isaac P. Walker (Dem.)
[edit] House of Representatives
The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.
Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.
- 1. Philip Phillips (Dem.)
- 2. James Abercrombie (Whig)
- 3. Sampson W. Harris (Dem.)
- 4. William R. Smith (Dem.)
- 5. George S. Houston (Dem.)
- 6. Williamson R.W. Cobb (Dem.)
- 7. James F. Dowdell (Dem.)
- 1. Alfred B. Greenwood (Dem.)
- 2. Edward A. Warren (Dem.)
- 1. James T. Pratt (Dem.)
- 2. Colin M. Ingersoll (Dem.)
- 3. Nathan Belcher (Dem.)
- 4. Origen S. Seymour (Dem.)
- 1. James L. Seward (Dem.)
- 2. Alfred H. Colquitt (Dem.)
- 3. David J. Bailey (Dem.)
- 4. William B.W. Dent (Dem.)
- 5. Elijah W. Chastain (Dem.)
- 6. Junius Hillyer (Dem.)
- 7. David A. Reese (Whig)
- 8. Alexander H. Stephens (Whig)
- 1. Elihu B. Washburne (Whig)
- 2. John Wentworth (Dem.)
- 3. Jesse O. Norton (Whig)
- 4. James Knox (Whig)
- 5. William A. Richardson (Dem.)
- 6. Richard Yates (Whig)
- 7. James C. Allen (Dem.)
- 8. William H. Bissell Independent (Dem.)
- 9. Willis Allen (Dem.)
- 1. Smith Miller (Dem.)
- 2. William H. English (Dem.)
- 3. Cyrus L. Dunham (Dem.)
- 4. James H. Lane (Dem.)
- 5. Samuel W. Parker (Whig)
- 6. Thomas A. Hendricks (Dem.)
- 7. John G. Davis (Dem.)
- 8. Daniel Mace (Dem.)
- 9. Norman Eddy (Dem.)
- 10. Ebenezer M. Chamberlain (Dem.)
- 11. Andrew J. Harlan (Dem.)
- 1. Bernhart Henn (Dem.)
- 2. John P. Cook (Whig)
- 1. Linn Boyd (Dem.)
- 2. Benjamin E. Grey (Whig)
- 3. Presley U. Ewing (Whig) …died September 27, 1854.
- Francis M. Bristow (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 4, 1854.
- 4. James S. Chrisman (Dem.)
- 5. Clement S. Hill (Whig)
- 6. John M. Elliott (Dem.)
- 7. William Preston (Whig)
- 8. John C. Breckinridge (Dem.)
- 9. Leander M. Cox (Whig)
- 10. Richard H. Stanton (Dem.)
- 1. William Dunbar (Dem.)
- 2. Theodore G. Hunt (Whig)
- 3. John Perkins, Jr. (Dem.)
- 4. Roland Jones (Dem.)
- 1. Moses MacDonald (Dem.)
- 2. Samuel Mayall (Dem.)
- 3. Ephraim W. Farley (Whig)
- 4. Samuel P. Benson (Whig)
- 5. Israel Washburn, Jr. (Whig)
- 6. Thomas J.D. Fuller (Dem.)
- 1. John R. Franklin (Whig)
- 2. Jacob Shower (Dem.)
- 3. Joshua Van Sant (Dem.)
- 4. Henry May (Dem.)
- 5. William T. Hamilton (Dem.)
- 6. Augustus R. Sollers (Whig)
- 1. Zeno Scudder (Whig) …resigned March 4, 1854.
- Thomas D. Eliot (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated April 17, 1854.
- 2. Samuel L. Crocker (Whig)
- 3. John W. Edmands (Whig)
- 4. Samuel H. Walley (Whig)
- 5. William Appleton (Whig)
- 6. Charles W. Upham (Whig)
- 7. Nathaniel P. Banks (Dem.)
- 8. Tappan Wentworth (Whig)
- 9. Alexander De Witt (Free Soil)
- 10. Edward Dickinson (Whig)
- 11. John Z. Goodrich (Whig)
- 1. Daniel B. Wright (Dem.)
- 2. William S.S. Barry (Dem.)
- 3. Otho R. Singleton (Dem.)
- 4. Wiley P. Harris (Dem.)
- A/L. William Barksdale (Dem.)
- 1. Thomas Hart Benton (Dem.)
- 2. Alfred W. Lamb (Dem.)
- 3. James J. Lindley (Whig)
- 4. Mordecai Oliver (Whig)
- 5. John G. Miller (Whig)
- 6. John S. Phelps (Dem.)
- 7. Samuel Caruthers (Whig)
- 1. Nathan T. Stratton (Dem.)
- 2. Charles Skelton (Dem.)
- 3. Samuel Lilly (Dem.)
- 4. George Vail (Dem.)
- 5. Alexander C.M. Pennington (Whig)
- 1. James Maurice (Dem.)
- 2. Thomas W. Cumming (Dem.)
- 3. Hiram Walbridge (Dem.)
- 4. Michael Walsh (Dem.)
- 5. William M. Tweed (Dem.)
- 6. John Wheeler (Dem.)
- 7. William A. Walker (Dem.)
- 8. Francis B. Cutting (Dem.)
- 9. Jared V. Peck (Dem.)
- 10. William Murray (Dem.)
- 11. Theodoric R. Westbrook (Dem.)
- 12. Gilbert Dean (Dem.) …resigned July 3, 1854.
- Isaac Teller (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 4, 1854.
- 13. Russell Sage (Whig)
- 14. Rufus W. Peckham (Dem.)
- 15. Charles Hughes (Dem.)
- 16. George A. Simmons (Whig)
- 17. Bishop Perkins (Dem.)
- 18. Peter Rowe (Dem.)
- 19. George W. Chase (Whig)
- 20. Orsamus B. Matteson (Whig)
- 21. Henry Bennett (Whig)
- 22. Gerrit Smith (Free Soil) …resigned August 7, 1854.
- Henry C. Goodwin (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 4, 1854.
- 23. Caleb Lyon (Independent)
- 24. Daniel T. Jones (Dem.)
- 25. Edwin B. Morgan (Whig)
- 26. Andrew Oliver (Dem.)
- 27. John J. Taylor (Dem.)
- 28. George Hastings (Dem.)
- 29. Azariah Boody (Whig) …resigned October 1853, before Congress assembled.
- Davis Carpenter (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 5, 1853.
- 30. Benjamin Pringle (Whig)
- 31. Thomas T. Flagler (Whig)
- 32. Solomon G. Haven (Whig)
- 33. Reuben E. Fenton (Dem.)
- 1. Henry M. Shaw (Dem.)
- 2. Thomas Ruffin (Dem.)
- 3. William S. Ashe (Dem.)
- 4. Sion H. Rogers (Whig)
- 5. John Kerr, Jr. (Whig)
- 6. Richard C. Puryear (Whig)
- 7. Francis B. Craige (Dem.)
- 8. Thomas L. Clingman (Dem.)
- 1. David T. Disney (Dem.)
- 2. John S. Harrison (Whig)
- 3. Lewis D. Campbell (Whig)
- 4. Matthias H. Nichols (Dem.)
- 5. Alfred P. Edgerton (Dem.)
- 6. Andrew Ellison (Dem.)
- 7. Aaron Harlan (Whig)
- 8. Moses B. Corwin (Whig)
- 9. Frederick W. Green (Dem.)
- 10. John L. Taylor (Whig)
- 11. Thomas Ritchey (Dem.)
- 12. Edson B. Olds (Dem.)
- 13. William D. Lindsley (Dem.)
- 14. Harvey H. Johnson (Dem.)
- 15. William R. Sapp (Whig)
- 16. Edward Ball (Whig)
- 17. Wilson Shannon (Dem.)
- 18. George Bliss (Dem.)
- 19. Edward Wade (Free Soil)
- 20. Joshua R. Giddings (Free Soil)
- 21. Andrew Stuart (Dem.)
- 1. Thomas B. Florence (Dem.)
- 2. Joseph R. Chandler (Whig)
- 3. John Robbins (Dem.)
- 4. William H. Witte (Dem.)
- 5. John McNair (Dem.)
- 6. William Everhart (Whig)
- 7. Samuel A. Bridges (Dem.)
- 8. Henry A. Muhlenberg (Dem.) …died January 9, 1854.
- Jehu G. Jones (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated February 13, 1854.
- 9. Isaac E. Hiester (Whig)
- 10. Ner Middleswarth (Whig)
- 11. Christian M. Straub (Dem.)
- 12. Hendrick B. Wright (Dem.)
- 13. Asa Packer (Dem.)
- 14. Galusha A. Grow (Dem.)
- 15. James Gamble (Dem.)
- 16. William H. Kurtz (Dem.)
- 17. Samuel L. Russell (Whig)
- 18. John McCulloch (Whig)
- 19. Augustus Drum (Dem.)
- 20. John L. Dawson (Dem.)
- 21. David Ritchie (Whig)
- 22. Thomas M. Howe (Whig)
- 23. Michael C. Trout (Dem.)
- 24. Carlton B. Curtis (Dem.)
- 25. John Dick (Whig)
- 1. Thomas Davis (Dem.)
- 2. Benjamin B. Thurston (Dem.)
- 1. John McQueen (Dem.)
- 2. William Aiken (Dem.)
- 3. Laurence M. Keitt (Dem.)
- 4. Preston S. Brooks (Dem.)
- 5. James L. Orr (Dem.)
- 6. William W. Boyce (Dem.)
- 1. Brookins Campbell (Dem.) …died December 25, 1853.
- Nathaniel G. Taylor (Whig) …elected to fill vacancy, seated March 30, 1854.
- 2. William M. Churchwell (Dem.)
- 3. Samuel A. Smith (Dem.)
- 4. William Cullom (Whig)
- 5. Charles Ready (Whig)
- 6. George W. Jones (Dem.)
- 7. Robert M. Bugg (Whig)
- 8. Felix K. Zollicoffer (Whig)
- 9. Emerson Etheridge (Whig)
- 10. Frederick P. Stanton (Dem.)
- 1. James Meacham (Whig)
- 2. Andrew Tracy (Whig)
- 3. Alvah Sabin (Whig)
- 1. Thomas H. Bayly (Dem.)
- 2. John S. Millson (Dem.)
- 3. John Caskie (Dem.)
- 4. William Goode (Dem.)
- 5. Thomas S. Bocock (Dem.)
- 6. Paulus Powell (Dem.)
- 7. William Smith (Dem.)
- 8. Charles J. Faulkner (Dem.)
- 9. John Letcher (Dem.)
- 10. Zedekiah Kidwell (Dem.)
- 11. John F. Snodgrass (Dem.) …died June 5, 1854.
- Charles S. Lewis (Dem.) …elected to fill vacancy, seated December 4, 1854.
- 12. Henry A. Edmundson (Dem.)
- 13. LaFayette McMullen (Dem.)
[edit] Delegates
- Kansas Territory
- A/L. John W. Whitfield (Dem.) …newly created territory, seated December 20, 1854.
- Minnesota Territory
- Nebraska Territory
- New Mexico Territory
- Oregon Territory
- Utah Territory
- A/L. John M. Bernhisel
- Washington Territory
[edit] Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
- See also: 33rd United States Congress - Membership Changes
[edit] Senate
- replacements: 7
- Democratic: no net change
- Whig: 2 seat net loss
- Free Soil: 2 seat net gain
- deaths: 2
- resignations: 4
- interim appointments: 1
- Total seats with changes: 13
[edit] House of Representatives
- replacements: 7
- Democratic: 2 seat net loss
- Whig: 3 seat net gain
- Free Soil: 1 seat net loss
- deaths: 4
- resignations: 4
- Total seats with changes: 8
[edit] Officers
[edit] Senate
- Secretary of the Senate:
- Asbury Dickens of North Carolina elected December 12, 1836
- Sergeant at Arms of the Senate:
- Robert Beale of Virginia, elected December 9, 1845
- Dunning R. McNair of Pennsylvania, elected March 17, 1853
- Chaplain of the Senate
- The Rev. Clement M. Butler Episcopalian, elected January 9, 1850
- The Rev. Henry Slicer Methodist, elected December 7, 1853
[edit] House of Representatives
- Clerk of the House:
- John M. Forney of Pennsylvania elected December 5, 1853
- Sergeant at Arms of the House:
- Adam J. Glossbrenner of Pennsylvania, elected December 5, 1853
- Doorkeeper of the House:
- Zadock W. McKnew of Maryland, elected December 5, 1853
- Postmaster of the House:
- John M. Johnson of Virginia, elected December 5, 1853
- Chaplain of the House
- The Rev. William H. Milburn Methodist, elected December 5, 1853
[edit] Other
- Architect of the Capitol:
- Thomas U. Walter, appointed June 11, 1851
[edit] Notes
- ^ all representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket
[edit] 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.
[edit] External links
- Statutes at Large, 1789-1875 [1]
- Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress [2]
- House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress [3]
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress [4]
- U.S. House of Representatives: Congressional History [5]
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists [6]
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