1853-1855 U.S. Congress
The 33rd 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, 1853, to March 4, 1855, during the first two years of Franklin Pierce 's presidency . During this session, the Kansas–Nebraska Act was passed, an act that soon led to the creation of the Republican Party . The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1850 United States census . Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
Gadsden Purchase (in yellow)Territories organized [ edit ] House of Representatives [ edit ] For the beginning of this congress, the size of the House was increased from 233 seats to 234 seats, following the 1850 United States census (See 9 Stat. 433 ).
President of the SenateWilliam R. King House of Representatives [ edit ] This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
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 in the last Congress, requiring re-election in 1856; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring re-election in 1854. The United States consisted of 31 states during this Congress.
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▌ 2. Clement C. Clay Jr. (D), from November 29, 1853
▌ 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)
▌ 2. William K. Sebastian (D)
▌ 3. Solon Borland (D), until April 11, 1853
▌ Robert W. Johnson (D), from July 6, 1853
▌ 1. John B. Weller (D)
▌ 3. William M. Gwin (D)
▌ 1. Isaac Toucey (D)
▌ 3. Truman Smith (W), until May 24, 1854
▌ Francis Gillette (FS), from May 24, 1854
▌ 1. James A. Bayard Jr. (D)
▌ 2. John M. Clayton (W)
▌ 1. Stephen Mallory (D)
▌ 3. Jackson Morton (W)
▌ 2. Robert Toombs (D)
▌ 3. William C. Dawson (W)
▌ 2. Stephen A. Douglas (D)
▌ 3. James Shields (D)
▌ 1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
▌ 3. John Pettit (D)
▌ 2. George Wallace Jones (D)
▌ 3. Augustus C. Dodge (D), until February 22, 1855
▌ 2. John B. Thompson (A)
▌ 3. Archibald Dixon (W)
▌ 2. Judah P. Benjamin (W)
▌ 3. Pierre Soulé (D), until April 11, 1853
▌ John Slidell (D), from December 5, 1853
▌ 1. Hannibal Hamlin (D)
▌ 2. William Pitt Fessenden (W), from February 10, 1854
▌ 1. Thomas Pratt (W)
▌ 3. James A. Pearce (W)
▌ 1. Charles Sumner (FS)
▌ 2. Edward Everett (W), until June 1, 1854
▌ Julius Rockwell (W), from June 3, 1854, until January 31, 1855
▌ Henry Wilson (FS), from January 31, 1855
▌ 1. Lewis Cass (D)
▌ 2. Charles E. Stuart (D)
▌ 1. Stephen Adams (D)
▌ 2. Albert G. Brown (D), from January 7, 1854
▌ 1. Henry S. Geyer (W)
▌ 3. David R. Atchison (D)
▌ 2. Charles G. Atherton (D), until November 15, 1853
▌ Jared W. Williams (D), from November 29, 1853, until July 15, 1854
▌ 3. Moses Norris Jr. (D), until January 11, 1855
▌ John S. Wells (D), from January 16, 1855
▌ 1. John R. Thomson (D)
▌ 2. William Wright (D)
▌ 1. Hamilton Fish (W)
▌ 3. William H. Seward (W)
▌ 2. David S. Reid (D), from December 6, 1854
▌ 3. George E. Badger (W)
▌ 1. Benjamin Wade (W)
▌ 3. Salmon P. Chase (FS)
▌ 1. Richard Brodhead (D)
▌ 3. James Cooper (W)
▌ 1. Charles T. James (D)
▌ 2. Philip Allen (D), from July 20, 1853
▌ 2. Josiah J. Evans (D)
▌ 3. Andrew Butler (D)
▌ 1. James C. Jones (W)
▌ 2. John Bell (W)
▌ 1. Thomas J. Rusk (D)
▌ 2. Samuel Houston (D)
▌ 1. Solomon Foot (W)
▌ 3. Samuel S. Phelps (W), until March 16, 1854
▌ Lawrence Brainerd (FS), from October 14, 1854
▌ 1. James M. Mason (D)
▌ 2. Robert M. T. Hunter (D)
▌ 1. Henry Dodge (D)
▌ 3. Isaac P. Walker (D)
Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 33rd Congress in March 1853. The gray stripes represent Know-Nothings . The green stripes represent Free Soil. 2 Democrats
1 Democrat and 1 Whig
2 Whigs
Senate President pro tempore David R. Atchison
Senate President pro tempore Jesse D. Bright
House of Representatives [ edit ] The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
▌ 1 . Philip Phillips (D)
▌ 2 . James Abercrombie (W)
▌ 3 . Sampson W. Harris (D)
▌ 4 . William R. Smith (D)
▌ 5 . George S. Houston (D)
▌ 6 . Williamson R. W. Cobb (D)
▌ 7 . James F. Dowdell (D)
▌ 1 . Alfred B. Greenwood (D)
▌ 2 . Edward A. Warren (D)
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket .
▌ At-large . Milton Latham (D)
▌ At-large . James A. McDougall (D)
▌ 1 . James T. Pratt (D)
▌ 2 . Colin M. Ingersoll (D)
▌ 3 . Nathan Belcher (D)
▌ 4 . Origen S. Seymour (D)
▌ At-large . George Read Riddle (D)
▌ At-large . Augustus Maxwell (D)
▌ 1 . James L. Seward (D)
▌ 2 . Alfred H. Colquitt (D)
▌ 3 . David J. Bailey (D)
▌ 4 . William B. W. Dent (D)
▌ 5 . Elijah W. Chastain (D)
▌ 6 . Junius Hillyer (D)
▌ 7 . David A. Reese (W)
▌ 8 . Alexander Stephens (W)
▌ 1 . Elihu B. Washburne (W)
▌ 2 . John Wentworth (D)
▌ 3 . Jesse O. Norton (W)
▌ 4 . James Knox (W)
▌ 5 . William A. Richardson (D)
▌ 6 . Richard Yates (W)
▌ 7 . James C. Allen (D)
▌ 8 . William H. Bissell (ID)
▌ 9 . Willis Allen (D)
▌ 1 . Smith Miller (D)
▌ 2 . William H. English (D)
▌ 3 . Cyrus L. Dunham (D)
▌ 4 . James H. Lane (D)
▌ 5 . Samuel W. Parker (W)
▌ 6 . Thomas A. Hendricks (D)
▌ 7 . John G. Davis (D)
▌ 8 . Daniel Mace (D)
▌ 9 . Norman Eddy (D)
▌ 10 . Ebenezer M. Chamberlain (D)
▌ 11 . Andrew J. Harlan (D)
▌ 1 . Bernhart Henn (D)
▌ 2 . John P. Cook (W)
▌ 1 . Linn Boyd (D)
▌ 2 . Benjamin E. Grey (W)
▌ 3 . Presley Ewing (W), until September 27, 1854
▌ Francis Bristow (W), from December 4, 1854
▌ 4 . James Chrisman (D)
▌ 5 . Clement S. Hill (W)
▌ 6 . John M. Elliott (D)
▌ 7 . William Preston (W)
▌ 8 . John C. Breckinridge (D)
▌ 9 . Leander Cox (W)
▌ 10 . Richard H. Stanton (D)
▌ 1 . William Dunbar (D)
▌ 2 . Theodore G. Hunt (W)
▌ 3 . John Perkins Jr. (D)
▌ 4 . Roland Jones (D)
▌ 1 . Moses MacDonald (D)
▌ 2 . Samuel Mayall (D)
▌ 3 . E. Wilder Farley (W)
▌ 4 . Samuel P. Benson (W)
▌ 5 . Israel Washburn Jr. (W)
▌ 6 . Thomas J. D. Fuller (D)
▌ 1 . John R. Franklin (W)
▌ 2 . Jacob Shower (D)
▌ 3 . Joshua Van Sant (D)
▌ 4 . Henry May (D)
▌ 5 . William T. Hamilton (D)
▌ 6 . Augustus R. Sollers (W)
▌ 1 . Zeno Scudder (W), until March 4, 1854
▌ Thomas D. Eliot (W), from April 17, 1854
▌ 2 . Samuel L. Crocker (W)
▌ 3 . J. Wiley Edmands (W)
▌ 4 . Samuel H. Walley (W)
▌ 5 . William Appleton (W)
▌ 6 . Charles W. Upham (W)
▌ 7 . Nathaniel P. Banks (D)
▌ 8 . Tappan Wentworth (W)
▌ 9 . Alexander De Witt (FS)
▌ 10 . Edward Dickinson (W)
▌ 11 . John Z. Goodrich (W)
▌ 1 . David Stuart (D)
▌ 2 . David A. Noble (D)
▌ 3 . Samuel Clark (D)
▌ 4 . Hestor L. Stevens (D)
▌ 1 . Daniel B. Wright (D)
▌ 2 . William T. S. Barry (D)
▌ 3 . Otho R. Singleton (D)
▌ 4 . Wiley P. Harris (D)
▌ At-large . William Barksdale (D)
▌ 1 . Thomas H. Benton (D)
▌ 2 . Alfred W. Lamb (D)
▌ 3 . James J. Lindley (W)
▌ 4 . Mordecai Oliver (W)
▌ 5 . John G. Miller (W)
▌ 6 . John S. Phelps (D)
▌ 7 . Samuel Caruthers (W)
▌ 1 . George W. Kittredge (D)
▌ 2 . George W. Morrison (D)
▌ 3 . Harry Hibbard (D)
▌ 1 . Nathan T. Stratton (D)
▌ 2 . Charles Skelton (D)
▌ 3 . Samuel Lilly (D)
▌ 4 . George Vail (D)
▌ 5 . Alexander C. M. Pennington (W)
▌ 1 . James Maurice (D)
▌ 2 . Thomas W. Cumming (D)
▌ 3 . Hiram Walbridge (D)
▌ 4 . Michael Walsh (D)
▌ 5 . William M. Tweed (D)
▌ 6 . John Wheeler (D)
▌ 7 . William A. Walker (D)
▌ 8 . Francis B. Cutting (D)
▌ 9 . Jared V. Peck (D)
▌ 10 . William Murray (D)
▌ 11 . Theodoric R. Westbrook (D)
▌ 12 . Gilbert Dean (D), until July 3, 1854
▌ Isaac Teller (W), from November 7, 1854
▌ 13 . Russell Sage (W)
▌ 14 . Rufus W. Peckham (D)
▌ 15 . Charles Hughes (D)
▌ 16 . George A. Simmons (W)
▌ 17 . Bishop Perkins (D)
▌ 18 . Peter Rowe (D)
▌ 19 . George W. Chase (W)
▌ 20 . Orsamus B. Matteson (W)
▌ 21 . Henry Bennett (W)
▌ 22 . Gerrit Smith (FS), until August 7, 1854
▌ Henry C. Goodwin (W), from November 7, 1854
▌ 23 . Caleb Lyon (I)
▌ 24 . Daniel T. Jones (D)
▌ 25 . Edwin B. Morgan (W)
▌ 26 . Andrew Oliver (D)
▌ 27 . John J. Taylor (D)
▌ 28 . George Hastings (D)
▌ 29 . Azariah Boody (W) until October 13, 1853
▌ Davis Carpenter (W), from November 8, 1853
▌ 30 . Benjamin Pringle (W)
▌ 31 . Thomas T. Flagler (W)
▌ 32 . Solomon G. Haven (W)
▌ 33 . Reuben Fenton (D)
▌ 1 . Henry M. Shaw (D)
▌ 2 . Thomas H. Ruffin (D)
▌ 3 . William S. Ashe (D)
▌ 4 . Sion H. Rogers (W)
▌ 5 . John Kerr Jr. (W)
▌ 6 . Richard C. Puryear (W)
▌ 7 . F. Burton Craige (D)
▌ 8 . Thomas L. Clingman (D)
▌ 1 . David T. Disney (D)
▌ 2 . John Scott Harrison (W)
▌ 3 . Lewis D. Campbell (W)
▌ 4 . Matthias H. Nichols (D)
▌ 5 . Alfred P. Edgerton (D)
▌ 6 . Andrew Ellison (D)
▌ 7 . Aaron Harlan (W)
▌ 8 . Moses B. Corwin (W)
▌ 9 . Frederick W. Green (D)
▌ 10 . John L. Taylor (W)
▌ 11 . Thomas Ritchey (D)
▌ 12 . Edson B. Olds (D)
▌ 13 . William D. Lindsley (D)
▌ 14 . Harvey H. Johnson (D)
▌ 15 . William R. Sapp (W)
▌ 16 . Edward Ball (W)
▌ 17 . Wilson Shannon (D)
▌ 18 . George Bliss (D)
▌ 19 . Edward Wade (FS)
▌ 20 . Joshua R. Giddings (FS)
▌ 21 . Andrew Stuart (D)
▌ 1 . Thomas B. Florence (D)
▌ 2 . Joseph R. Chandler (W)
▌ 3 . John Robbins Jr. (D)
▌ 4 . William H. Witte (D)
▌ 5 . John McNair (D)
▌ 6 . William Everhart (W)
▌ 7 . Samuel A. Bridges (D)
▌ 8 . Henry A. Muhlenberg (D), until January 9, 1854
▌ J. Glancey Jones (D), from February 4, 1854
▌ 9 . Isaac E. Hiester (W)
▌ 10 . Ner A. Middleswarth (W)
▌ 11 . Christian M. Straub (D)
▌ 12 . Hendrick B. Wright (D)
▌ 13 . Asa Packer (D)
▌ 14 . Galusha A. Grow (D)
▌ 15 . James Gamble (D)
▌ 16 . William H. Kurtz (D)
▌ 17 . Samuel L. Russell (W)
▌ 18 . John McCulloch (W)
▌ 19 . Augustus Drum (D)
▌ 20 . John L. Dawson (D)
▌ 21 . David Ritchie (W)
▌ 22 . Thomas M. Howe (W)
▌ 23 . Michael C. Trout (D)
▌ 24 . Carlton B. Curtis (D)
▌ 25 . John Dick (W)
▌ 1 . Thomas Davis (D)
▌ 2 . Benjamin B. Thurston (D)
▌ 1 . John McQueen (D)
▌ 2 . William Aiken Jr. (D)
▌ 3 . Laurence M. Keitt (D)
▌ 4 . Preston Brooks (D)
▌ 5 . James L. Orr (D)
▌ 6 . William W. Boyce (D)
▌ 1 . Brookins Campbell (D), until December 25, 1853
▌ Nathaniel G. Taylor (W), from March 30, 1854
▌ 2 . William M. Churchwell (D)
▌ 3 . Samuel A. Smith (D)
▌ 4 . William Cullom (W)
▌ 5 . Charles Ready (W)
▌ 6 . George W. Jones (D)
▌ 7 . Robert M. Bugg (W)
▌ 8 . Felix K. Zollicoffer (W)
▌ 9 . Emerson Etheridge (W)
▌ 10 . Frederick P. Stanton (D)
▌ 1 . George W. Smyth (D)
▌ 2 . Peter H. Bell (D)
▌ 1 . James Meacham (W)
▌ 2 . Andrew Tracy (W)
▌ 3 . Alvah Sabin (W)
▌ 1 . Thomas H. Bayly (D)
▌ 2 . John S. Millson (D)
▌ 3 . John Caskie (D)
▌ 4 . William Goode (D)
▌ 5 . Thomas S. Bocock (D)
▌ 6 . Paulus Powell (D)
▌ 7 . William Smith (D)
▌ 8 . Charles J. Faulkner Sr. (D)
▌ 9 . John Letcher (D)
▌ 10 . Zedekiah Kidwell (D)
▌ 11 . John F. Snodgrass (D), until June 5, 1854
▌ Charles S. Lewis (D), from December 4, 1854
▌ 12 . Henry A. Edmundson (D)
▌ 13 . LaFayette McMullen (D)
▌ 1 . Daniel Wells Jr. (D)
▌ 2 . Ben C. Eastman (D)
▌ 3 . John B. Macy (D)
▌ Kansas Territory . John W. Whitfield (D), from December 20, 1854
▌ Minnesota Territory . Henry M. Rice (D)
▌ Nebraska Territory . Napoleon B. Giddings (D), from January 5, 1855
▌ New Mexico Territory . José Manuel Gallegos (D)
▌ Oregon Territory . Joseph Lane (D)
▌ Utah Territory . John M. Bernhisel
▌ Washington Territory . Columbia Lancaster (D), from April 12, 1854
House seats by party holding plurality in state 80.1-100% Democratic
Up to 60% Whig
60.1-80% Democratic
60.1-80% Whig
Up to 60% Democratic
80.1-100% Whig
House SpeakerLinn Boyd
Changes in membership [ edit ] The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Replacements: 7
Deaths: 2
Resignations: 4
Interim appointments: 1
Total seats with changes: 13
Senate changes
State (class)
Vacated by
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's formal installation[ b]
Rhode Island (2)
Vacant
Failure to elect. Successor was elected July 20, 1853.
Philip Allen (D)
July 20, 1853
Alabama (2)
Vacant
Failure to elect. Successor elected November 29, 1853.
Clement C. Clay (D)
November 29, 1853
Mississippi (2)
Vacant
Failure to elect. Successor elected January 7, 1854.
Albert G. Brown (D)
January 7, 1854
Maine (2)
Vacant
Failure to elect. Successor was elected February 10, 1854.
William P. Fessenden (W)
February 10, 1854
North Carolina (2)
Vacant
Failure to elect. Successor was elected December 6, 1854.
David Reid (D)
December 6, 1854
Arkansas (3)
Solon Borland (D)
Resigned April 11, 1853, after being appointed U.S. Minister to Nicaragua and other Central American Republics. Successor appointed July 6, 1853.
Robert W. Johnson (D)
July 6, 1853
Louisiana (3)
Pierre Soulé (D)
Resigned April 11, 1853, after being appointed U.S. Minister to Spain . Successor elected December 5, 1853.
John Slidell (D)
December 5, 1853
New Hampshire (2)
Charles G. Atherton (D)
Died November 15, 1853.
Jared W. Williams (D)
November 29, 1853
Vermont (3)
Samuel S. Phelps (W)
Senate declared not entitled to seat March 16, 1854. Successor elected October 14, 1854.
Lawrence Brainerd (FS)
October 14, 1854
Connecticut (3)
Truman Smith (W)
Resigned May 24, 1854. Successor was elected May 24, 1854.
Francis Gillette (FS)
May 24, 1854
Massachusetts (2)
Edward Everett (W)
Resigned June 1, 1854 Successor was appointed to serve until a new successor was elected.
Julius Rockwell (W)
June 3, 1854
New Hampshire (2)
Jared W. Williams (D)
Resigned August 4, 1854.
Vacant
Not filled this term
New Hampshire (3)
Moses Norris Jr. (D)
Died January 11, 1855. Successor appointed January 16, 1855, to finish the term.
John S. Wells (D)
January 16, 1855
Massachusetts (2)
Julius Rockwell (W)
Successor elected January 31, 1855.
Henry Wilson (FS) [ c]
January 31, 1855
Iowa (3)
Augustus C. Dodge (D)
Resigned February 22, 1855, after being appointed U.S. Minister to Spain .
Vacant
Not filled this term
House of Representatives [ edit ] Replacements: 7
Deaths: 4
Resignations: 4
Total seats with changes: 8
House changes
District
Vacated by
Reason for change
Successor
Date of successor's formal installation[ b]
Washington Territory at-large
Vacant
New seat established after Washington became a territory near the end of previous Congress. Seat was vacant until April 12, 1854.
Columbia Lancaster (D)
Seated April 12, 1854
New York 29th
Azariah Boody (W)
Resigned on October 13, 1853
Davis Carpenter (W)
Seated November 8, 1853
Tennessee 1st
Brookins Campbell (D)
Died December 25, 1853
Nathaniel G. Taylor (W)
Seated March 30, 1854
Pennsylvania 8th
Henry A. Muhlenberg (D)
Died January 9, 1854
J. Glancy Jones (D)
Seated February 4, 1854
Massachusetts 1st
Zeno Scudder (W)
Resigned March 4, 1854
Thomas D. Eliot (W)
Seated April 17, 1854
Kansas Territory at-large
New seat
New seat established after Kansas became a territory May 30, 1854. Seat was vacant until December 20, 1854.
John W. Whitfield (D)
Seated December 20, 1854
Nebraska Territory at-large
New seat
New seat established after Nebraska became a territory May 30, 1854. Seat was vacant until January 5, 1855.
Napoleon B. Giddings (D)
Seated December 5, 1855
Virginia 11th
John F. Snodgrass (D)
Died June 5, 1854
Charles S. Lewis (D)
Seated December 4, 1854
New York 12th
Gilbert Dean (D)
Resigned July 3, 1854, after being appointed justice of the Supreme Court of New York
Isaac Teller (W)
Seated November 7, 1854
New York 22nd
Gerrit Smith (W)
Resigned August 7, 1854
Henry C. Goodwin (W)
Seated November 7, 1854
Kentucky 3rd
Presley Ewing (W)
Died September 27, 1854
Francis Bristow (W)
Seated December 4, 1854
List of committees and their party leaders.
House of Representatives [ edit ] House of Representatives [ edit ]
^ By some reckonings, Wilson is a Know-Nothing/Free Soil joint candidate
^ a b When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.
^ By some reckonings, Wilson is a Know-Nothing/Free Soil joint candidate
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.