23rd United States Congress

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23rd United States Congress
22nd ←
→ 24th
USCapitol1827A.gif
United States Capitol (1827)
March 4, 1833 – March 4, 1835
Members48 senators
240 representatives
3 non-voting delegates
Senate MajorityNational Republican
Senate PresidentMartin Van Buren (J)
House MajorityJacksonian
House SpeakerAndrew Stevenson (J)
John Bell (J)
Sessions
1st: December 2, 1833 – June 30, 1834
2nd: December 1, 1834 – March 4, 1835

The 23rd 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, 1833, to March 4, 1835, during the fifth and sixth years of Andrew Jackson's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fifth Census of the United States in 1830. The Senate had an Anti-Jacksonian or National Republican majority, and the House had a Jacksonian or Democratic majority.

Major events[]

Main articles: 1833 in the United States, 1834 in the United States, and 1835 in the United States
  • March 28, 1834: Senate censured President Andrew Jackson for defunding the Second Bank of the United States
  • January 30, 1835: Richard Lawrence unsuccessfully tried to assassinate President Jackson in the United States Capitol; this was the first assassination attempt against a President of the United States.[1]

Major legislation[]

Main article: Major legislation: 23rd United States Congress

[data unknown/missing]

Party summary[]

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate[]

Party
(shading shows control) 		Total Vacant
National
Republican
(NR) 		Jacksonian
(J)		Nullifier
(N)
End of previous congress 23 23 1 47 1
Begin 25 19 1 45 3
End 26 20 2 480
Final voting share 54.2% 41.7% 4.2%
Beginning of next congress 24 21 2 47 1

House of Representatives[]

For the beginning of this congress, the size of the House was increased from 213 seats to 240 seats, following the 1830 United States Census.[2]

Party
(shading shows control) 		Total Vacant
National
Republican
(NR) 		Anti-
Masonic
(AM)		Jacksonian
(J)		Nullifier
(N)
End of previous congress 62 17 129 4 212 1
Begin 60 25 145 9 239 1
End 62 143 8 2382
Final voting share 26.1% 10.5% 60.1% 3.4%
Beginning of next congress 76 15 139 8 238 2

Leadership[]

Senate[]

President of the Senate
Martin Van Buren
  • President: Martin Van Buren (J)
  • President pro tempore: Hugh Lawson White (J), until December 15, 1833
    • George Poindexter (NR), June 28, 1834 – November 30, 1834
    • John Tyler (NR), from March 3, 1835

House of Representatives[]

  • Speaker: Andrew Stevenson (J), until June 2, 1834
    • John Bell (J), after June 2, 1834

Members[]

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

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, requiring reelection in 1838; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1834; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1836.

House of Representatives[]

Changes in membership[]

The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.

Senate[]

See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate
State
(class) 		Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[a]
South Carolina
(3) 		Vacant since March 3, 1833, due to the resignation of Stephen Decatur Miller (N).
Successor was elected November 26, 1833. 		William C. Preston (N) November 26, 1833
Mississippi
(1) 		Vacant from the start of this Congress due to the state legislature's failure to elect.
Appointee who had held the seat at the end of the previous Congress was elected November 22, 1833. 		John Black (NR) November 22, 1833
Pennsylvania
(1) 		Vacant from the start of this Congress due to the state legislature's failure to elect.
Successor was elected December 7, 1833. 		Samuel McKean (J) December 7, 1833
Louisiana
(3) 		Josiah S. Johnston (NR) Died May 19, 1833.
Successor was elected December 19, 1833. 		Alexander Porter (NR) December 19, 1833
Missouri
(3) 		Alexander Buckner (J) Died June 6, 1833.
Successor was appointed December 19, 1833, and subsequently elected to finish the term. 		Lewis F. Linn (J) October 25, 1833
Georgia
(2) 		George Troup (J) Resigned November 8, 1833.
Successor was elected November 21, 1833. 		John P. King (D) November 21, 1833
Virginia
(2) 		William Rives (J) Resigned February 22, 1834.
Successor was elected February 26, 1834. 		Benjamin W. Leigh (NR) February 26, 1834
Pennsylvania
(3) 		William Wilkins (J) Resigned June 30, 1834, to become U.S. Minister to Russia.
Successor elected December 6, 1834. 		James Buchanan (J) December 6, 1834
Georgia
(3) 		John Forsyth (J) Resigned July 27, 1834, to become U.S. Secretary of State.
Successor elected January 12, 1835. 		Alfred Cuthbert (J) January 12, 1835
Maryland
(3) 		Ezekiel F. Chambers (NR) Resigned December 20, 1834, to become judge of the Maryland Court of Appeals.
Successor elected January 13, 1835. 		Robert H. Goldsborough (NR) January 13, 1835
Maine
(2) 		Peleg Sprague (NR) Resigned January 1, 1835.
Successor elected January 20, 1835. 		John Ruggles (J) January 20, 1835

House of Representatives[]

  • Replacements: 18
    • Jacksonian: 1 seat net loss
    • National Republican: 1 seat net gain
  • Deaths: 8
  • Resignations: 15
  • Contested election: 1
  • Total seats with changes: 23
Main article: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[a]
Kentucky 5th Vacant Contested election of Thomas P. Moore. House denied either party the seat and declared new election Robert P. Letcher (NR) Seated August 6, 1834
Pennsylvania 1 Joel B. Sutherland (J) Resigned before the term to become a judge, but then left that judgeship to seek his old seat and re-elected October 8, 1833. Joel B. Sutherland (J) Seated December 2, 1833
Virginia 5th John Randolph (J) Died May 24, 1833 Thomas T. Bouldin (J) Seated December 2, 1833
South Carolina 3rd Thomas D. Singleton (N) Died November 25, 1833 Robert B. Campbell (N) Seated February 27, 1834
South Carolina 5th George McDuffie (N) Resigned some time in 1834. Francis W. Pickens (N) Seated December 8, 1834
Louisiana 3rd Henry A. Bullard (NR) Resigned January 4, 1834, after being appointed as a judge of the Supreme Court of Louisiana Rice Garland (NR) Seated April 28, 1834
Massachusetts 5th John Davis (NR) Resigned January 14, 1834, after being elected Governor of Massachusetts Levi Lincoln (NR) Seated March 5, 1834
Virginia 5th Thomas T. Bouldin (J) Died February 11, 1834 James W. Bouldin (J) Seated March 28, 1834
Ohio 1st Robert T. Lytle (J) Resigned March 10, 1834 Robert T. Lytle (J) Re-seated December 27, 1834
South Carolina 8th James Blair (J) Died April 1, 1834 Richard I. Manning (J) Seated December 8, 1834
Maryland 1st Littleton P. Dennis (J) Died April 14, 1834 John N. Steele (J) Seated June 9, 1834
Connecticut at-large Samuel A. Foot (NR) Resigned May 9, 1834, after becoming Governor of Connecticut Ebenezer Jackson Jr. (NR) Seated December 1, 1834
New York 3rd Cornelius V. Lawrence (J) Resigned May 14, 1834, after becoming Mayor of New York City. This was a plural district with 4 representatives. John J. Morgan (J) Seated December 1, 1834
Virginia 11th Andrew Stevenson (J) Resigned June 2, 1834 John Robertson (NR) Seated December 1, 1834
Massachusetts 2nd Rufus Choate (NR) Resigned June 30, 1834 Stephen C. Phillips (NR) Seated December 1, 1834
New York 3rd Dudley Selden (J) Resigned July 1, 1834. This was a plural district with 4 representatives. Charles G. Ferris (J) Seated December 1, 1834
Connecticut at-large William W. Ellsworth (NR) Resigned July 8, 1834 Joseph Trumbull (NR) Seated December 1, 1834
Ohio 19th Humphrey H. Leavitt (J) Resigned July 10, 1834, after becoming judge of the US District Court of Ohio Daniel Kilgore (J) Seated December 1, 1834
Vermont 5th Benjamin F. Deming (AM) Died July 11, 1834 Henry F. Janes (AM) Seated December 2, 1834
Illinois 1st Charles Slade (J) Died July 26, 1834 John Reynolds (J) Seated December 1, 1834
Connecticut at-large Jabez W. Huntington (NR) Resigned August 16, 1834, after being appointed judge of the Connecticut Supreme Court of Errors Phineas Miner (NR) Seated December 1, 1834
Illinois 3rd Joseph Duncan (J) Resigned September 21, 1834, after being elected Governor of Illinois William L. May (J) Seated December 1, 1834
Louisiana 1st Edward D. White (NR) Resigned November 15, 1834, to become Governor of Louisiana Henry Johnson (NR) Seated December 1, 1834
Georgia at-large James M. Wayne (J) Resigned January 13, 1835, after being appointed an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court Not filled in this Congress
South Carolina 6th Warren R. Davis (N) Died January 29, 1835

Committees[]

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate[]

  • Agriculture (Chairman: Bedford Brown)
  • (Select)
  • Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Nehemiah Knight)
  • Claims (Chairman: Samuel Bell)
  • Commerce (Chairman: Nathaniel Silsbee)
  • (Select)
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: Ezekiel F. Chambers then John Tyler)
  • Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Ether Shepley)
  • (Select)
  • (Select)
  • Finance (Chairman: Daniel Webster)
  • Foreign Relations (Chairman: William Wilkins then Henry Clay)
  • (Select)
  • Indian Affairs (Chairman: Hugh Lawson White)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: John M. Clayton)
  • Manufactures (Chairman: Theodore Frelinghuysen)
  • (Select)
  • (Select)
  • Military Affairs (Chairman: Nathaniel Silsbee)
  • Militia (Chairman: John M. Robinson)
  • Naval Affairs (Chairman: Samuel Southard)
  • Pensions (Chairman: Gideon Tomlinson)
  • Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Felix Grundy)
  • (Select)
  • Private Land Claims (Chairman: William Hendricks)
  • Public Lands (Chairman: George Poindexter)
  • (Select)
  • Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Gabriel Moore)
  • (Chairman: William Hendricks)
  • (Select)
  • Tariff Regulation (Select)
  • Whole

House of Representatives[]

  • Accounts (Chairman: Joel K. Mann)
  • Agriculture (Chairman: Abraham Bockee)
  • (Select)
  • (Select)
  • (Select)
  • Claims (Chairman: Elisha Whittlesey)
  • Commerce (Chairman: Joel B. Sutherland)
  • District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph Chinn)
  • Elections (Chairman: Nathaniel Claiborne)
  • (Select)
  • Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Joseph Hall)
  • Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Albert G. Hawes)
  • Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Augustine Henry Shepperd)
  • Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: Heman Allen)
  • Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Frederick Whittlesey)
  • Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Reuben Whallon)
  • Foreign Affairs (Chairman: William S. Archer then John Young Mason)
  • (Chairman: William S. Archer then John Young Mason)
  • Indian Affairs (Chairman: Dixon H. Lewis)
  • Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Tristam Burges)
  • Judiciary (Chairman: John Bell then Thomas F. Foster)
  • Manufactures (Chairman: John Quincy Adams)
  • Military Affairs (Chairman: Richard M. Johnson)
  • Naval Affairs (Chairman: Campbell P. White)
  • Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Henry W. Connor)
  • Private Land Claims (Chairman: Cave Johnson)
  • Public Expenditures (Chairman: Thomas Davenport)
  • Public Lands (Chairman: Clement C. Clay)
  • Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: John Dickson)
  • Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Henry A. P. Muhlenberg)
  • Revolutionary Pensions (Chairman: Daniel Wardwell)
  • Roads and Canals (Chairman: Charles F. Mercer)
  • Rules (Select)
  • Standards of Official Conduct
  • Territories (Chairman: Lewis Williams)
  • Ways and Means (Chairman: James K. Polk)
  • Whole

Joint committees[]

  • Enrolled Bills
  • The Library

Employees[]

  • Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

Senate[]

  • Secretary: Walter Lowrie
  • Sergeant at Arms: , until December 9, 1833
    • , elected December 9, 1833
  • Chaplain: Charles C. Pise (Roman Catholic), until December 10, 1833
    • Frederick W. Hatch (Episcopalian), elected December 10, 1833

House of Representatives[]

  • Clerk: Matthew St. Clair Clarke, until December 2, 1833
  • Sergeant at Arms: , until December 6, 1833
    • Thomas B. Randolph, elected December 6, 1833
  • Doorkeeper:
  • Postmaster:
  • Reading Clerks:[data unknown/missing]
  • Chaplain: William H. Hammett (Methodist), until December 9, 1833
    • Thomas H. Stockton (Methodist), elected December 9, 1833
    • Edward D. Smith (Presbyterian), elected December 10, 1834

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ a b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.

References[]

  1. ^ "Trying to Assassinate President Jackson". American Heritage. January 30, 2007. Archived from the original on 3 April 2007. Retrieved May 6, 2007.
  2. ^ 4 Stat. 516
  • Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
  • Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.

External links[]

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