23rd United States Congress
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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 1830 United States census. The Senate had an Anti-Jacksonian or National Republican majority, and the House had a Jacksonian or Democratic majority.
Major events
- March 28, 1834: Senate censured President Andrew Jackson for defunding the Second Bank of the United States
- June 2, 1834: A special election for the House speakership takes 10 ballots.
- 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.
Major legislation
[data 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
| Senate membership Beginning of the Congress Ending of the Congress |
| 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 | 48 | 0 |
| 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.
| House membership Beginning of the Congress End of the Congress |
| 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 | 238 | 2 | |
| Final voting share | 26.1% | 10.5% | 60.1% | 3.4% | ||
| Beginning of next congress | 76 | 15 | 139 | 8 | 238 | 2 |
Leadership
Senate
- 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, elected on the 10th ballot
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.
| Alabama ▌2. William R. King (J) ▌3. Gabriel Moore (NR) Connecticut ▌1. Nathan Smith (NR) ▌3. Gideon Tomlinson (NR) Delaware ▌1. Arnold Naudain (NR) ▌2. John M. Clayton (NR) Georgia ▌2. George Troup (J), until November 8, 1833 ▌John P. King (J), from November 21, 1833 ▌3. John Forsyth (J), until July 27, 1834 ▌Alfred Cuthbert (J), from January 12, 1835 Illinois ▌2. John M. Robinson (J) ▌3. Elias K. Kane (J) Indiana ▌1. John Tipton (J) ▌3. William Hendricks (NR) Kentucky ▌2. George M. Bibb (J) ▌3. Henry Clay (NR) Louisiana ▌2. George A. Waggaman (NR) ▌3. Josiah S. Johnston (NR), until May 19, 1833 ▌Alexander Porter (NR), from December 19, 1833 Maine ▌1. Ether Shepley (J) ▌2. Peleg Sprague (NR), until January 1, 1835 ▌John Ruggles (J), from January 20, 1835 Maryland ▌1. Joseph Kent (NR) ▌3. Ezekiel F. Chambers (NR), until December 20, 1834 ▌Robert H. Goldsborough (NR), from January 13, 1835 Massachusetts ▌1. Daniel Webster (NR) ▌2. Nathaniel Silsbee (NR) Mississippi ▌1. John Black (NR), from November 22, 1833 ▌2. George Poindexter (NR) | Missouri ▌1. Thomas H. Benton (J) ▌3. Alexander Buckner (J), until June 5, 1833 ▌Lewis F. Linn (J), from October 25, 1833 New Hampshire ▌2. Samuel Bell (NR) ▌3. Isaac Hill (J) New Jersey ▌1. Samuel L. Southard (NR) ▌2. Theodore Frelinghuysen (NR) New York ▌1. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (J) ▌3. Silas Wright Jr. (J) North Carolina ▌2. Bedford Brown (J) ▌3. Willie P. Mangum (NR) Ohio ▌1. Thomas Morris (J) ▌3. Thomas Ewing (NR) Pennsylvania ▌1. Samuel McKean (J), from December 7, 1833 ▌3. William Wilkins (J), until June 30, 1834 ▌James Buchanan (J), from December 6, 1834 Rhode Island ▌1. Asher Robbins (NR) ▌2. Nehemiah R. Knight (NR) South Carolina ▌2. John C. Calhoun (N) ▌3. William C. Preston (N), from November 26, 1833 Tennessee ▌1. Felix Grundy (J) ▌2. Hugh Lawson White (J) Vermont ▌1. Benjamin Swift (NR) ▌3. Samuel Prentiss (NR) Virginia ▌1. John Tyler (NR) ▌2. William Rives (J), until February 22, 1834 ▌Benjamin W. Leigh (NR), from February 26, 1834 | Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 23rd Congress in March 1833. 2 Jacksonians 1 Jacksonian and 1 Anti-Jacksonian 2 Anti-Jacksonians 2 Nullifiers | President pro tempore Hugh Lawson White President pro tempore George Poindexter President pro tempore John Tyler |
House of Representatives
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
| State (class) | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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)
- Amendments to the Constitution (Select)
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Nehemiah Knight)
- Claims (Chairman: Samuel Bell)
- Commerce (Chairman: Nathaniel Silsbee)
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Ezekiel F. Chambers then John Tyler)
- Engrossed Bills (Chairman: Ether Shepley)
- Establishing Branches of the Mint (Select)
- Executive Patronage (Select)
- Finance (Chairman: Daniel Webster)
- Foreign Relations (Chairman: William Wilkins then Henry Clay)
- French Spoilations (Select)
- Indian Affairs (Chairman: Hugh Lawson White)
- Judiciary (Chairman: John M. Clayton)
- Manufactures (Chairman: Theodore Frelinghuysen)
- Michigan and Arkansas Admission to the Union (Select)
- Mileage of Members of Congress (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)
- President's Message Refusing to Furnish a Paper to Senate (Select)
- Private Land Claims (Chairman: William Hendricks)
- Public Lands (Chairman: George Poindexter)
- Purchasing Boyd Reilly's Gas Apparatus (Select)
- Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Gabriel Moore)
- Roads and Canals (Chairman: William Hendricks)
- Shiloh National Park (Select)
- Tariff Regulation (Select)
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts (Chairman: Joel K. Mann)
- Agriculture (Chairman: Abraham Bockee)
- Bank of the United States (Select)
- Biennial Register (Select)
- Boundary of the Chickasaw Indians (Select)
- Claims (Chairman: Elisha Whittlesey)
- Commerce (Chairman: Joel B. Sutherland)
- District of Columbia (Chairman: Joseph Chinn)
- Elections (Chairman: Nathaniel Claiborne)
- Establishing an Assay Office in the Gold Region (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)
- Foreign Relations (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
Employees
Senate
- Secretary: Walter Lowrie
- Sergeant at Arms: Mountjoy Bayly, until December 9, 1833 John Shackford, 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 Walter S. Franklin, elected December 2, 1833
- Sergeant at Arms: John O. Dunn, until December 6, 1833 Thomas B. Randolph, elected December 6, 1833
- Doorkeeper: Overton Carr
- Postmaster: William J. McCormick
- Reading Clerks: [data 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
- 1832 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress) 1832 United States presidential election 1832–33 United States Senate elections 1832–33 United States House of Representatives elections
- 1834 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress) 1834–35 United States Senate elections 1834–35 United States House of Representatives elections
Notes
- 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
- . 1991/1992- : S. Pub. 1887.
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