28th United States Congress
"28th Congress" redirects here. For the Soviet congress, see 28th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.
| 28th United States Congress | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Twenty-eighth 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, 1843 to March 4, 1845, during the third and fourth years of John Tyler's presidency. 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 Whig majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.
Major events
- May 24, 1844: The first electrical telegram was sent by Samuel F. B. Morse from the U.S. Capitol to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in Baltimore, Maryland, saying "What hath God wrought".
- December 4, 1844: U.S. presidential election, 1844: James K. Polk defeated Henry Clay
Major legislation
- January 23, 1845: Presidential Election Day Act, ch. 1, 5 Stat. 721
- March 3, 1845: For the first time, Congress overrode a Presidential veto. A bill, relating to revenue cutters and steamers, was thereby enacted as the last Act of the 28th Congress: session II, ch. 78, 5 Stat. 795.
Treaties
- July 3, 1844: Treaty of Wanghia signed (first diplomatic agreement between China and the United States)
States admitted
- March 1, 1845: Resolution for the Annexation of Texas, 5 Stat. 797 (Admitted in the next Congress, December 29, 1845.)
- March 3, 1845: Florida admitted, 5 Stat. 742. The statute also allowed for the provisional admission of Iowa, pending a referendum in that state. (Admitted in the next Congress, December 28, 1846.)
Party summary
Senate
During this congress, two Senate seats were added for the new state of Florida.
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Law and Order (LO) | Whig (W) | |||
| End of the previous congress | 20 | 0 | 29 | 49 | 3 |
| Begin | 22 | 0 | 27 | 49 | 3 |
| End | 23 | 1 | 51 | ||
| Final voting share | 45.1% | 2.0% | 52.9% | ||
| Beginning of the next congress | 26 | 0 | 24 | 50 | 4 |
House of Representatives
Following the 1840 United States Census, Congress reapportioned the House to include 223 seats (5 Stat. 491). During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Florida (5 Stat. 743).
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Independent Democratic (ID) |
Law and Order (LO) |
Whig (W) |
Independent Whig (IW) |
Other | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Congress | 100 | 1 | 0 | 139 | 0 | 1 | 241 | 1 |
| Begin | 147 | 1 | 2 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 223 | 0 |
| End | 141 | 78 | 1 | |||||
| Final voting share | 63.7% | 0.9% | 35.4% | 0.0% | ||||
| Beginning of next Congress | 138 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 6 | 222 | 2 |
Leadership
Senate
- President: Vacant
- President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum (W)
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John W. Jones (D)
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.
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, requiring reelection in 1844; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1848.
House of Representatives
Representatives are listed by their district numbers.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
- replacements: 7
- Democrats (D): no net change
- Whigs (W): 1 seat net loss
- Law and Order (LO): 1 seat net gain
- deaths: 3
- resignations: 5
- interim appointments: 1
- Total seats with changes: 10
| State (class) |
Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tennessee (1) |
Vacant | Senator Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D) resigned in 26th Congress. Successor elected October 17, 1843. |
Ephraim H. Foster (W) | Elected October 17, 1843 |
| Tennessee (2) |
Vacant | Failure to elect. Successor elected October 17, 1843. |
Spencer Jarnagin (W) | Elected October 17, 1843 |
| Maine (1) |
Vacant | Senator Reuel Williams (D) resigned in previous congress. Successor elected December 4, 1843. |
John Fairfield (D) | Elected December 4, 1843 |
| Louisiana (3) |
Alexander Porter (W) | Elected but, due to ill health, never took his seat. Incumbent died January 13, 1844. Successor elected February 12, 1844. |
Henry Johnson (W) | Elected February 12, 1844 |
| Illinois (2) |
Samuel McRoberts (D) | Died March 27, 1843. Successor appointed December 4, 1843 to continue the term until an election. Appointee was later elected, on an unknown date. |
James Semple (D) | Seated December 4, 1843 |
| Missouri (3) |
Lewis F. Linn (D) | Died October 3, 1843. Successor appointed October 14, 1843 to continue the term until an election. Appointee was later elected, on an unknown date in 1843. |
David R. Atchison (D) | Seated October 14, 1843 |
| Rhode Island (1) |
William Sprague (W) | Resigned January 17, 1844. Successor elected January 25, 1844. |
John B. Francis (LO) | Seated January 25, 1844 |
| Alabama (2) |
William R. King (D) | Resigned April 15, 1844 after being appointed U.S. Minister to France. Successor appointed April 22, 1844 to finish the term. |
Dixon H. Lewis (D) | Seated April 22, 1844 |
| New York (1) |
Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W) | Resigned June 17, 1844 after being appointed Governor of Wisconsin Territory. Successor was appointed November 30, 1945. Appointee was later elected January 18, 1845. |
Daniel S. Dickinson (D) | Seated December 9, 1844 |
| Arkansas (2) |
William S. Fulton (D) | Died August 15, 1844. Successor elected November 8, 1844. |
Chester Ashley (D) | Seated November 8, 1844 |
| New York (3) |
Silas Wright (D) | Resigned November 26, 1844 after being elected Governor of New York. Successor appointed November 30, 1945. |
Henry A. Foster (D) | Seated December 9, 1844 |
| New York (3) |
Henry A. Foster (D) | Appointee was not nominated for election. Successor elected January 18, 1845. |
John A. Dix (D) | Seated January 27, 1845 |
| South Carolina (2) |
Daniel E. Huger (D) | Resigned March 3, 1845 | Vacant | Not filled this term |
| Florida (1) |
New state: Florida admitted to the Union March 3, 1845. First Senator wasn't elected until the next Congress. |
Vacant | Not filled this term | |
| Florida (2) |
New state: Florida admitted to the Union March 3, 1845. First Senator wasn't elected until the next Congress. |
Vacant | Not filled this term | |
House of Representatives
- replacements: 14
- Democrats (D): 6 seat net loss
- Whigs (W): 6 seat net gain
- deaths: 7
- resignations: 7
- contested election: 0
- Total seats with changes: 16
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts 10th | Barker Burnell (W) | Died June 15, 1843 | Joseph Grinnell (W) | Seated December 7, 1843 |
| Georgia At-large | Mark A. Cooper (D) | Resigned June 26, 1843 to become candidate for Governor of Georgia | Alexander H. Stephens (W) | Seated October 2, 1843 |
| Georgia At-large | John B. Lamar (D) | Resigned July 29, 1843 | Absalom H. Chappell (W) | Seated October 2, 1843 |
| Georgia At-large | John Millen (D) | Died October 15, 1843 | Duncan L. Clinch (W) | Seated February 15, 1844 |
| Virginia 7th | Henry A. Wise (D) | Resigned February 12, 1844 after being appointed Minister to Brazil | Thomas H. Bayly (D) | Seated May 6, 1844 |
| Pennsylvania 21st | William Wilkens (D) | Resigned February 14, 1844 after being appointed United States Secretary of War | Cornelius Darragh (W) | Seated March 26, 1844 |
| Virginia 5th | Thomas W. Gilmer (D) | Resigned February 16, 1844 after being appointed United States Secretary of the Navy | William L. Goggin (W) | Seated April 25, 1844 |
| Pennsylvania 13th | Henry Frick (W) | Died March 1, 1844 | James Pollock (W) | Seated April 5, 1844 |
| Ohio 10th | Heman A. Moore (D) | Died April 3, 1844 | Alfred P. Stone (D) | Seated October 8, 1844 |
| Alabama 3rd | Dixon H. Lewis (D) | Resigned April 22, 1844 after being appointed US Senator | William L. Yancey (D) | Seated December 2, 1844 |
| Louisiana 4th | Pierre Bossier (D) | Died April 24, 1844 | Isaac E. Morse (D) | Seated December 2, 1844 |
| New York 20th | Samuel Beardsley (D) | Resigned April 29, 1844 after being appointed associate judge of New York Supreme Court | Levi D. Carpenter (D) | Seated November 5, 1844 |
| Ohio 21st | Henry R. Brinkerhoff (D) | Died April 30, 1844 | Edward S. Hamlin (W) | Seated October 8, 1844 |
| Pennsylvania 12th | Almon H. Read (D) | Died June 3, 1844 | George Fuller (D) | Seated December 2, 1844 |
| Florida Territory At-large | David L. Yulee (D) | Seat was eliminated when Florida achieved statehood March 3, 1845 | ||
| Florida At-large |
Florida was admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845 | Vacant | Not filled this term | |
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
- Agriculture
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Claims
- Commerce
- Credentials of the Honorable John M. Niles (Select)
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
- District of Columbia
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Naval Affairs
- Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
- Patents and the Patent Office
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Printing
- Private Land Claims
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Lands
- Retrenchment
- Revolutionary Claims
- Roads and Canals
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Territories
- Violation of the Injunction of Secrecy (Select)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Army Pay (Select)
- Banks of the District of Columbia (Select)
- Claims
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Elections
- Engraving
- Expenditures in the Navy Department
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department
- Expenditures in the State Department
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department
- Expenditures in the War Department
- Expenditures on Public Buildings
- Foreign Affairs
- Indian Affairs
- Invalid Pensions
- Manufactures
- Mileage
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Naval Affairs
- Patents
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Public Buildings and Grounds
- Public Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Revisal and Unfinished Business
- Revolutionary Claims
- Roads and Canals
- Rules (Select)
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Enrolled Bills
- Smithsonian Bequest
Employees
Senate
- Chaplain: Septimus Tustin (Presbyterian)
- Secretary: Asbury Dickens
- Sergeant at Arms: Edward Dyer
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Isaac S. Tinsley (Baptist)
- William M. Daily (Methodist), from December 4, 1844
- Clerk: Caleb J. McNulty, until January 18, 1845
- Benjamin B. French, from January 18, 1845
- Doorkeeper: Jesse E. Dow
- Postmaster: John M. Johnson
- Sergeant at Arms: Newton Lane
See also
- United States elections, 1842 (elections leading to this Congress)
- United States elections, 1844 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
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.
External links
- 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
- Congressional Directory for the 28th Congress, 1st Session.
- Congressional Directory for the 28th Congress, 2nd Session.
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