Encyclopedia
28th United States Congress
1843-1845 U.S. Congress
The 28th 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 1840 United States census. The Senate had a Whig majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.
01Major 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
02Major 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. An act relating to revenue cutters and steamers was thereby enacted as the last Act of the 28th Congress: session II, ch. 78, 5 Stat. 795.
03Treaties
- July 3, 1844: Treaty of Wanghia which was signed with the Qing Empire. The treaty established five U.S. treaty ports in China with extraterritoriality and was the first unequal treaty that the country imposed on the dynasty.
04States 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.)
05Party 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 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 next congress | 26 | 0 | 24 | 50 | 4 |
House of Representatives
Following the 1840 United States census, Congress reapportioned the House to include 223 seats. During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Florida.
| Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic (D) |
Independent Democratic (ID) | Law and Order (LO) | Whig (W) | Independent Whig (IW) | Other | |||
| End of previous congress | 100 | 1 | 0 | 139 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 1 |
| Begin | 147 | 1 | 2 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 223 | 0 |
| End | 141 | 78 | 1 | |||||
| Final voting share | 63.2% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 35.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 138 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 6 | 222 | 2 |
06Leadership
Senate
- President: Vacant
- President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum (W)
House of Representatives
- Speaker: John W. Jones (D)
07Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, 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.
08Changes 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) |
Vacated by | 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 | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 February 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 | |
09Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.
Senate
| Committee | Chairman |
|---|---|
| Foreign Relations | William S. Archer (W-VA) |
| Finance | George Evans (W-ME) |
| Commerce | Jabez W. Huntington (W-CT) |
| Manufactures | James F. Simmons (W-RI) |
| Agriculture | William Upham (W-VT) |
| Military Affairs | John J. Crittenden (W-KY) |
| Militia | Alexander Barrow (W-LA) |
| Naval Affairs | Richard H. Bayard (W-DE) |
| Public Lands | William Woodbridge (W-MI) |
| Private Land Claims | John Henderson (W-MS) |
| Indian Affairs | Albert S. White (W-IN) |
| Claims | Ephraim H. Foster (W-TN) |
| Revolutionary Claims | Spencer Jarnagin (W-TN) |
| Judiciary | John M. Berrien (W-GA) |
| Post Office and Post Roads | William D. Merrick (W-MD) |
| Roads and Canals | Augustus S. Porter (W-MI) |
| Pensions | Isaac C. Bates (W-MA) |
| District of Columbia | Jacob W. Miller (W-NJ) |
| Patents and the Patent Office | Samuel S. Phelps (W-VT) |
| Retrenchment | James T. Morehead (W-KY) |
| Public Buildings | William L. Dayton (W-NJ) |
| Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate | Benjamin Tappan (W-OH) |
| Printing | James F. Simmons (W-RI) |
| Engrossed Bills | Benjamin Tappan (W-OH) |
House of Representatives
Joint committees
10Employees
Senate
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Isaac S. Tinsley (Baptist), elected December 16, 1843
- William M. Daily (Methodist), from December 4, 1844
- Clerk: Matthew St. Clair Clarke, until December 7, 1843
- Caleb J. McNulty, elected December 7, 1843
- Benjamin B. French, elected January 18, 1845
- Doorkeeper: Jesse E. Dow, elected December 7, 1843
- Postmaster: William J. McCormick, until January 4, 1844
- John M. Johnson, from January 4, 1844
- Sergeant at Arms: Eleazor M. Townsend, until December 8, 1843
- Newton Lane, from December 8, 1843
Sources and credits
This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article “28th United States Congress”, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.
Images, from Wikimedia Commons:
- Capitol1846.jpg by John Plumbe, Public domain
- 28th United States Congress Senators.svg by Assorted-Interests, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 28 us house membership.png by User:Willhsmit, Public domain
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