Wikipedia / 32nd United States Congress
Wikipedia / 32nd United States Congress
The 32nd 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, 1851, to March 4, 1853, during the last two years of Millard Fillmore's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
It was one of the least active Congresses, forwarding only 74 bills that were signed by the president.
Major events
March 20, 1852: Uncle Tom's Cabin published.
July 1, 1852: Henry Clay was the first to lie in state in the United States Capitol rotunda.
November 2, 1852: 1852 United States presidential election: Democrat Franklin Pierce defeated Whig Winfield Scott.
Major legislation
March 2, 1853: An act providing for administering the oath of office to William R. King, Vice President elect of the United States of America. Sess. 2, Ch. 93,
Territories organized
March 2, 1853: Washington Territory was formed from Oregon Territory.
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
President: Vacant (since the ascension of Millard Fillmore to U.S. President on July 9, 1850)
President pro tempore: William R. King (D), until December 20, 1852
David R. Atchison (D), from December 20, 1852
House of Representatives
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and representatives 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 began with this Congress, facing re-election in 1856; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1852; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1854.
List of United States senators from AlabamaAlabama
2. Jeremiah Clemens (D)
3. William R. King (D), until December 20, 1852
Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), from January 14, 1853
List of United States senators from ArkansasArkansas
2. William K. Sebastian (D)
3. Solon Borland (D)
List of United States senators from CaliforniaCalifornia
1. John B. Weller (D), from January 30, 1852
3. William M. Gwin (D)
List of United States senators from ConnecticutConnecticut
1. Isaac Toucey (D), from May 12, 1852
3. Truman Smith (W)
List of United States senators from DelawareDelaware
1. James A. Bayard Jr. (D)
2. Presley Spruance (W)
List of United States senators from FloridaFlorida
1. Stephen Mallory (D)
3. Jackson Morton (W)
List of United States senators from GeorgiaGeorgia
2. John Macpherson Berrien (W), until May 28, 1852
Robert M. Charlton (D), from May 31, 1852
3. William C. Dawson (W)
List of United States senators from IllinoisIllinois
2. Stephen A. Douglas (D)
3. James Shields (D)
List of United States senators from IndianaIndiana
1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
3. James Whitcomb (D), until October 4, 1852
Charles W. Cathcart (D), from December 6, 1852, until January 18, 1853
John Pettit (D), from January 18, 1853
List of United States senators from IowaIowa
2. George Wallace Jones (D)
3. Augustus C. Dodge (D)
List of United States senators from KentuckyKentucky
2. Joseph R. Underwood (W)
3. Henry Clay (W), until June 29, 1852
David Meriwether (D), from July 6, 1852, until August 31, 1852
Archibald Dixon (W), from September 1, 1852
List of United States senators from LouisianaLouisiana
2. Solomon W. Downs (D)
3. Pierre Soulé (D)
List of United States senators from MaineMaine
1. Hannibal Hamlin (D)
2. James W. Bradbury (D)
List of United States senators from MarylandMaryland
1. Thomas Pratt (W)
3. James A. Pearce (W)
List of United States senators from MassachusettsMassachusetts
1. Charles Sumner (FS), from April 24, 1851
2. John Davis (W)
List of United States senators from MichiganMichigan
1. Lewis Cass (D)
2. Alpheus Felch (D)
List of United States senators from MississippiMississippi
1. Jefferson Davis (D), until September 23, 1851
John J. McRae (D), from December 1, 1851, until March 17, 1852
Stephen Adams (D), from March 17, 1852
2. Henry S. Foote (D), until January 8, 1852
Walker Brooke (W), from February 18, 1852
List of United States senators from MissouriMissouri
1. Henry S. Geyer (W)
3. David R. Atchison (D)
List of United States senators from New HampshireNew Hampshire
2. John P. Hale (FS)
3. Moses Norris Jr. (D)
List of United States senators from New JerseyNew Jersey
1. Robert F. Stockton (D), until January 1, 1853
2. Jacob W. Miller (W)
List of United States senators from New YorkNew York
1. Hamilton Fish (W), from March 19, 1851
3. William H. Seward (W)
List of United States senators from North CarolinaNorth Carolina
2. Willie P. Mangum (W)
3. George E. Badger (W)
List of United States senators from OhioOhio
1. Benjamin Wade (W), from March 15, 1851
3. Salmon P. Chase (FS)
List of United States senators from PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
1. Richard Brodhead (D)
3. James Cooper (W)
List of United States senators from Rhode IslandRhode Island
1. Charles T. James (D)
2. John H. Clarke (W)
List of United States senators from South CarolinaSouth Carolina
2. Robert Rhett (D), until May 7, 1852
William F. De Saussure (D), from May 10, 1852
3. Andrew Butler (D)
List of United States senators from TennesseeTennessee
1. James C. Jones (W)
2. John Bell (W)
List of United States senators from TexasTexas
1. Thomas J. Rusk (D)
2. Samuel Houston (D)
List of United States senators from VermontVermont
1. Solomon Foot (W)
3. William Upham (W), until January 14, 1853
Samuel S. Phelps (W), from January 17, 1853
List of United States senators from VirginiaVirginia
1. James M. Mason (D)
2. Robert M. T. Hunter (D)
List of United States senators from WisconsinWisconsin
1. Henry Dodge (D)
3. Isaac P. Walker (D)
House of Representatives
The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
List of United States representatives from AlabamaAlabama
. John Bragg (D)
. James Abercrombie (W)
. Sampson W. Harris (D)
. William R. Smith (U)
. George S. Houston (D)
. Williamson R. W. Cobb (D)
. Alexander White (W)
List of United States representatives from ArkansasArkansas
. Robert W. Johnson (D)
List of United States representatives from CaliforniaCalifornia
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
. Edward C. Marshall (D)
. Joseph W. McCorkle (D)
List of United States representatives from ConnecticutConnecticut
. Charles Chapman (W)
. Colin M. Ingersoll (D)
. Chauncey F. Cleveland (D)
. Origen S. Seymour (D)
List of United States representatives from DelawareDelaware
. George Read Riddle (D)
List of United States representatives from FloridaFlorida
. Edward C. Cabell (W)
List of United States representatives from GeorgiaGeorgia
. Joseph W. Jackson (SR)
. James Johnson (U)
. David J. Bailey (SR)
. Charles Murphey (U)
. Elijah W. Chastain (U)
. Junius Hillyer (U)
. Alexander H. Stephens (U)
. Robert A. Toombs (U)
List of United States representatives from IllinoisIllinois
. William H. Bissell (D)
. Willis Allen (D)
. Orlando B. Ficklin (D)
. Richard S. Molony (D)
. William A. Richardson (D)
. Thompson Campbell (D)
. Richard Yates (W)
List of United States representatives from IndianaIndiana
. James Lockhart (D)
. Cyrus L. Dunham (D)
. John L. Robinson (D)
. Samuel W. Parker (W)
. Thomas A. Hendricks (D)
. Willis A. Gorman (D)
. John G. Davis (D)
. Daniel Mace (D)
. Graham N. Fitch (D)
. Samuel Brenton (W)
List of United States representatives from IowaIowa
. Bernhart Henn (D)
. Lincoln Clark (D)
List of United States representatives from KentuckyKentucky
. Linn Boyd (D)
. Benjamin E. Grey (W)
. Presley Ewing (W)
. William T. Ward (W)
. James W. Stone (D)
. Addison White (W)
. Humphrey Marshall (W), until August 4, 1852
William Preston (W), from December 6, 1852
. John C. Breckinridge (D)
. John C. Mason (D)
. Richard H. Stanton (D)
List of United States representatives from LouisianaLouisiana
. Louis St. Martin (D)
. J. Aristide Landry (W)
. Alexander G. Penn (D)
. John Moore (W)
List of United States representatives from MaineMaine
. Moses MacDonald (D)
. John Appleton (D)
. Robert Goodenow (W)
. Charles Andrews (D), until April 30, 1852
Isaac Reed (W), from June 25, 1852
. Ephraim K. Smart (D)
. Israel Washburn Jr. (W)
. Thomas J. D. Fuller (D)
List of United States representatives from MarylandMaryland
. Richard Bowie (W)
. William T. Hamilton (D)
. Edward Hammond (D)
. Thomas Yates Walsh (W)
. Alexander Evans (W)
. Joseph S. Cottman (IW)
List of United States representatives from MassachusettsMassachusetts
. William Appleton (W)
. Robert Rantoul Jr. (D), until August 7, 1852
Francis B. Fay (W), from December 13, 1852
. James H. Duncan (W)
. Benjamin Thompson (W), until September 24, 1852
Lorenzo Sabine (W), from December 13, 1852
. Charles Allen (FS)
. George T. Davis (W)
. John Z. Goodrich (W)
. Horace Mann (FS)
. Orin Fowler (W), until September 3, 1852
Edward P. Little (D), from December 13, 1852
. Zeno Scudder (W)
List of United States representatives from MichiganMichigan
. Ebenezer J. Penniman (W)
. Charles E. Stuart (D)
. James L. Conger (W)
List of United States representatives from MississippiMississippi
. Benjamin D. Nabers (U)
. John A. Wilcox (U)
. John D. Freeman (U)
. Albert G. Brown (SR)
List of United States representatives from MissouriMissouri
. John F. Darby (W)
. Gilchrist Porter (W)
. John G. Miller (W)
. Willard P. Hall (D)
. John S. Phelps (D)
List of United States representatives from New HampshireNew Hampshire
. Amos Tuck (W)
. Charles H. Peaslee (D)
. Jared Perkins (W)
. Harry Hibbard (D)
List of United States representatives from New JerseyNew Jersey
. Nathan T. Stratton (D)
. Charles Skelton (D)
. Isaac Wildrick (D)
. George H. Brown (W)
. Rodman M. Price (D)
List of United States representatives from New YorkNew York
. John G. Floyd (D)
. Obadiah Bowne (W)
. Emanuel B. Hart (D)
. John Haws (W)
. George Briggs (W)
. James Brooks (W)
. Abraham P. Stephens (D)
. Gilbert Dean (D)
. William Murray (D)
. Marius Schoonmaker (W)
. Josiah Sutherland (D)
. David L. Seymour (D)
. John L. Schoolcraft (W)
. John H. Boyd (W)
. Joseph Russell (D)
. John Wells (W)
. Alexander H. Buell (D), until January 29, 1853
. Preston King (D)
. Willard Ives (D)
. Timothy Jenkins (D)
. William W. Snow (D)
. Henry Bennett (W)
. Leander Babcock (D)
. Daniel T. Jones (D)
. Thomas Y. Howe Jr. (D)
. Henry S. Walbridge (W)
. William A. Sackett (W)
. Abraham M. Schermerhorn (W)
. Jerediah Horsford (W)
. Reuben Robie (D)
. Frederick S. Martin (W)
. Solomon G. Haven (W)
. Augustus P. Hascall (W)
. Lorenzo Burrows (W)
List of United States representatives from North CarolinaNorth Carolina
. Thomas L. Clingman (W)
. Joseph P. Caldwell (W)
. Alfred Dockery (W)
. James T. Morehead (W)
. Abraham W. Venable (D)
. John R. J. Daniel (D)
. William S. Ashe (D)
. Edward Stanly (W)
. David Outlaw (W)
List of United States representatives from OhioOhio
. David T. Disney (D)
. Lewis D. Campbell (W)
. Hiram Bell (W)
. Benjamin Stanton (W)
. Alfred P. Edgerton (D)
. Frederick W. Green (D)
. Nelson Barrere (W)
. John L. Taylor (W)
. Edson B. Olds (D)
. Charles Sweetser (D)
. George H. Busby (D)
. John Welch (W)
. James M. Gaylord (D)
. Alexander Harper (W)
. William F. Hunter (W)
. John Johnson (ID)
. Joseph Cable (D)
. David K. Cartter (D)
. Eben Newton (W)
. Joshua R. Giddings (FS)
. Norton S. Townshend (D)
List of United States representatives from PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
. Thomas B. Florence (D)
. Joseph R. Chandler (W)
. Henry D. Moore (W)
. John Robbins Jr. (D)
. John McNair (D)
. Thomas Ross (D)
. John A. Morrison (D)
. Thaddeus Stevens (W)
. J. Glancey Jones (D)
. Milo M. Dimmick (D)
. Henry M. Fuller (W)
. Galusha A. Grow (D)
. James Gamble (D)
. Thomas M. Bibighaus (W)
. William H. Kurtz (D)
. James X. McLanahan (D)
. Andrew Parker (D)
. John L. Dawson (D)
. Joseph H. Kuhns (W)
. John Allison (W)
. Thomas M. Howe (W)
. John W. Howe (W)
. Carlton B. Curtis (D)
. Alfred Gilmore (D)
List of United States representatives from Rhode IslandRhode Island
. George G. King (W)
. Benjamin B. Thurston (D)
List of United States representatives from South CarolinaSouth Carolina
. Daniel Wallace (D)
. James L. Orr (D)
. Joseph A. Woodward (D)
. John McQueen (D)
. Armistead Burt (D)
. William Aiken Jr. (D)
. William F. Colcock (D)
List of United States representatives from TennesseeTennessee
. Andrew Johnson (D)
. Albert G. Watkins (W)
. William M. Churchwell (D)
. John H. Savage (D)
. George W.Jones (D)
. William H. Polk (ID)
. Meredith P. Gentry (W)
. William Cullom (W)
. Isham G. Harris (D)
. Frederick P. Stanton (D)
. Christopher H. Williams (W)
List of United States representatives from TexasTexas
. Richardson A. Scurry (D)
. Volney E. Howard (D)
List of United States representatives from VermontVermont
. Ahiman L. Miner (W)
. William Hebard (W)
. James Meacham (W)
. Thomas Bartlett Jr. (D)
List of United States representatives from VirginiaVirginia
. John S. Millson (D)
. Richard K. Meade (D)
. Thomas H. Averett (D)
. Thomas S. Bocock (D)
. Paulus Powell (D)
. John Caskie (D)
. Thomas H. Bayly (D)
. Alexander Holladay (D)
. James F. Strother (W)
. Charles J. Faulkner Sr. (W)
. John Letcher (D)
. Henry A. Edmundson (D)
. LaFayette McMullen (D)
. James M. H. Beale (D)
. George W. Thompson (D), until July 30, 1852
Sherrard Clemens (D), from December 6, 1852
List of United States representatives from WisconsinWisconsin
. Charles Durkee (FS)
. Ben C. Eastman (D)
. James D. Doty (ID)
Non-voting members
. Richard H. Weightman (D)
. Joseph Lane (D)
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
Replacements: 8
Democrats (D): 1 seat net gain
Whigs (W): 1 seat net loss
Deaths: 3
Resignations: 6
Interim appointments: 3
Total seats with changes: 13
|- | Ohio(1) | Vacant | Failure to elect.The winner was elected late on March 15, 1851, on the 37th ballot over the incumbent appointee.Successor was elected March 15, 1851. | | Benjamin Wade (W) | Elected March 15, 1851
|- | New York(1) | Vacant | Failure to elect.Successor was elected March 19, 1851. | | Hamilton Fish (W) | Elected March 19, 1851
|- | Massachusetts(1) | Vacant | Failure to elect.Successor was elected April 24, 1851. | | Charles Sumner (FS) | Elected April 24, 1851
|- | California(1) | Vacant | Failure to elect.Successor was elected January 30, 1852. | | John B. Weller (D) | Elected January 30, 1852
|- | Connecticut(1) | Vacant | Failure to elect.Successor was elected May 12, 1852. | | Isaac Toucey (D) | Seated May 12, 1852
|- | Mississippi(1) | | Jefferson Davis (D) | Resigned September 23, 1851, to run for Governor of Mississippi.Successor appointed December 1, 1851. | | John J. McRae (D) | Appointed December 1, 1851
|- | Mississippi(2) | | Henry S. Foote (D) | Resigned January 8, 1852, to become Governor of Mississippi.Successor elected February 18, 1852. | | Walker Brooke (W) | Elected February 18, 1852
|- | Mississippi(1) | | John J. McRae (D) | Appointee was replaced by an elected successor.Successor elected March 17, 1852. | | Stephen Adams (D) | Elected March 17, 1852
|- | South Carolina(2) | | Robert Rhett (D) | Resigned May 7, 1852.Successor appointed May 10, 1852, and elected sometime thereafter to finish the term. | | William F. De Saussure (D) | Appointed May 10, 1852
|- | Georgia(2) | | John M. Berrien (W) | Resigned May 28, 1852.Successor appointed May 31, 1852, to finish the term. | | Robert M. Charlton (D) | Appointed May 31, 1852
|- | Kentucky(3) | | Henry Clay (W) | Died June 29, 1852.Successor appointed July 6, 1852. | | David Meriwether (D) | Appointed July 6, 1852
|- | Indiana(3) | | James Whitcomb (D) | Died October 4, 1852.Successor appointed December 6, 1852. | | Charles W. Cathcart (D) | Appointed December 6, 1852
|- | Kentucky(3) | | David Meriwether (D) | Appointee was replaced by an elected successor.Successor elected September 1, 1852. | | Archibald Dixon (W) | Elected September 1, 1852
|- | Alabama(3) | | William R. King (D) | Resigned December 20, 1852, due to ill health, having recently being elected Vice President of the United StatesSuccessor appointed January 14, 1853, and elected December 12, 1853 thereafter to finish the term. | | Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D) | Appointed January 14, 1853
|- | New Jersey(1) | | Robert F. Stockton (D) | Resigned January 1, 1853, to become president of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company.Successor was not elected until the next Congress. | Vacant | Not filled this term
|- | Vermont(3) | | William Upham (W) | Died January 14, 1853.Successor appointed January 17, 1853, to continue the term. | | Samuel S. Phelps (W) | Appointed January 17, 1853
|- | Indiana(3) | | Charles W. Cathcart (D) | Appointee was replaced by an elected successor.Successor elected January 18, 1853. | | John Pettit (D) | Elected January 18, 1853 |}
House of Representatives
Replacements: 6
Democrats (D): 1 seat net loss
Whigs (W): 1 seat net gain
Deaths: 2
Resignations: 5
Total seats with changes: 7
|- | | | Charles Andrews (D) | Died April 30, 1852 | | Isaac Reed (W) | Seated June 25, 1852 |- | | | George W. Thompson (D) | Resigned July 30, 1852, after being appointed judge of the Circuit Court of Virginia | | Sherrard Clemens (D) | Seated December 6, 1852 |- | | | Humphrey Marshall (W) | Resigned August 4, 1852, after being appointed Minister to China | | William Preston (W) | Seated December 6, 1852 |- | | | Robert Rantoul Jr. (D) | Died August 7, 1852 | | Francis B. Fay (W) | Seated December 13, 1852 |- | | | Orin Fowler (W) | Died September 3, 1852 | | Edward P. Little (D) | Seated December 13, 1852 |- | | | Benjamin Thompson (W) | Died September 24, 1852 | | Lorenzo Sabine (W) | Seated December 13, 1852 |- | | | Alexander H. Buell (D) | Died January 29, 1853 | Vacant | Not filled this term |}
Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
Agriculture (Chairman: Pierre Soule)
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Augustus Dodge)
Claims (Chairman: Richard Brodhead)
Commerce (Chairman: Hannibal Hamlin)
Contested Election of 1850 (Chairman: N/A)
District of Columbia (Chairman: James Shields)
Ether Discovery (Select)
Finance (Chairman: Robert M.T. Hunter)
Foreign Relations (Chairman: James M. Mason)
French Spoilations (Select)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: David R. Atchison)
Judiciary (Chairman: Andrew P. Butler)
Manufactures (Chairman: William K. Sebastian)
Library (Chairman: James A. Pearce)
Mexican Boundary (Select)
Mexican Boundary Commission (Select)
Mexican Claims Commission (Select)
Military Affairs (Chairman: James Shields)
Militia (Chairman: Sam Houston)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: William M. Gwin)
Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
Patents and the Patent Office (Chairman: Moses Norris Jr. and Charles T. James)
Pensions (Chairman: George Wallace Jones)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Thomas J. Rusk)
Printing (Chairman: Hannibal Hamlin)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: Solomon W. Downs)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: James Whitcomb)
Public Lands (Chairman: Alpheus Felch)
Retrenchment (Chairman: James W. Bradbury)
Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Issac P. Walker)
Roads and Canals (Chairman: Jesse D. Bright)
Tariff Regulation (Select)
Territories (Chairman: Stephen A. Douglas)
Seventh Census (Select)
House of Representatives
Accounts (Chairman: John C. Mason)
Agriculture (Chairman: John G. Floyd)
Bounty Land Act of 1850 (Select)
Bounty Land Bill (Chairman: Cyrus L. Dunham)
Claims (Chairman: John Reeves Jones Daniel)
Commerce (Chairman: David L. Seymour)
District of Columbia (Chairman: Orlando B. Ficklin)
Elections (Chairman: William S. Ashe)
Engraving (Chairman: Edward Hammond)
Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Fayette McMullen)
Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Alexander G. Penn)
Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Charles E. Stuart)
Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: Benjamin B. Thurston)
Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Milo M. Dimmick)
Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Thomas Bartlett Jr.)
Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Thomas H. Bayly)
Indian Affairs (Chairman: Robert W. Johnson)
Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Isham G. Harris)
Judiciary (Chairman: James X. McLanahan)
Manufactures (Chairman: James M.H. Beale)
Mileage (Chairman: Thomas A. Hendricks)
Military Affairs (Chairman: William H. Bissell)
Militia (Chairman: Charles H. Peaslee)
Naval Affairs (Chairman: Frederick P. Stanton)
Patents (Chairman: David K. Cartter)
Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Edson B. Olds)
Private Land Claims (Chairman: Timothy Jenkins)
Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Richard H. Stanton)
Public Expenditures (Chairman: Charles Sweetser)
Public Lands (Chairman: Willard P. Hall)
Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Williamson R. W. Cobb)
Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Moses Macdonald)
Revolutionary Pensions (Chairman: John S. Millson)
Roads and Canals (Chairman: John L. Robinson)
Rules (Chairman: Willard P. Hall)
Territories (Chairman: William A. Richardson)
Ways and Means (Chairman: George S. Houston)
Joint committees
Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Rep. Isaac Wildrick)
The Library (Chairman: Joseph R. Chandler)
Printing (Chairman: Willis A. Gorman)
Caucuses
Employees
List of federal agencies in the United States#United States CongressLegislative branch agency directors
Architect of the Capitol: Thomas U. Walter, appointed June 11, 1851
Senate
House of Representatives
Chaplain: Ralph Randolph Gurley (Presbyterian), until December 1, 1851
Lyttleton Morgan (Methodist), elected December 1, 1851
James Gallagher (Presbyterian), elected December 6, 1852
Clerk: Richard M. Young, until December 1, 1851
John W. Forney, from December 1, 1851
See also
1850 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
1852 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)