20th United States Congress
19th ←
→ 21st
United States Capitol (1827)
March 4, 1827 – March 4, 1829
Members48 senators
213 representatives
3 non-voting delegates
Senate majorityJacksonian
Senate PresidentJohn C. Calhoun (J)
House majorityJacksonian
House SpeakerAndrew Stevenson (J)
Sessions
1st: December 3, 1827 – May 26, 1828
2nd: December 1, 1828 – March 3, 1829

The 20th 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, 1827, to March 4, 1829, during the third and fourth years of John Quincy Adams's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1820 United States census. Both chambers had a Jacksonian majority.

Major events

Main articles: 1827 in the United States, 1828 in the United States, and 1829 in the United States

Major legislation

Main article: List of United States federal legislation § 20th United States Congress

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)
End of previous congress 23 25 48 0
Begin 20 27 47 1
End 21 26
Final voting share 44.7% 55.3%
Beginning of next congress 22 26 48 0

House of Representatives

Party
(shading shows control) 		Total Vacant
National
Republican
(NR) 		Jacksonian
(J)		Other
End of previous congress 111 102 0 213 0
Begin 99 113 0 212 1
End
Final voting share 46.7% 53.3% 0.0%
Beginning of next congress 71 136 4[a] 211 2

Leadership

President of the Senate John C. Calhoun
Senate President pro tempore Samuel Smith
Speaker Andrew Stevenson

Senate

House of Representatives

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and members of the House 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, facing re-election in 1832; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1828; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1830.

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives are preceded by their district numbers.

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
Senate changes
State
(class) 		Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[b]
Massachusetts
(1) 		Vacant Seat remained vacant because legislature had failed to elect.
Winner was elected June 8, 1827. 		Daniel Webster (NR) Installed December 17, 1827
Ohio
(3) 		William Henry Harrison (NR) Resigned May 20, 1828, to become U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary to Gran Colombia.
A special election was held December 10, 1828. 		Jacob Burnet (NR) Installed December 10, 1828
Maine
(1) 		Albion K. Parris (J) Resigned August 26, 1828, after being appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
A special election was held January 15, 1829. 		John Holmes (NR) Installed January 15, 1829
Georgia
(2) 		Thomas W. Cobb (J) Resigned before November 7, 1828.
A special election was held November 7, 1828. 		Oliver H. Prince (J) Installed November 7, 1828
North Carolina
(3) 		Nathaniel Macon (J) Resigned November 14, 1828.
A special election was held December 15, 1828. 		James Iredell Jr. (J) Installed December 15, 1828
New York
(1) 		Martin Van Buren (J) Resigned December 20, 1828, to become Governor of New York.
A special election was held January 15, 1829. 		Charles E. Dudley (J) Installed January 15, 1829
New Jersey
(1) 		Ephraim Bateman (NR) Resigned January 12, 1829, due to failing health.
A special election was held January 30, 1829. 		Mahlon Dickerson (J) Installed January 30, 1829
New Jersey
(2) 		Mahlon Dickerson (J) Resigned January 30, 1829, after being elected to New Jersey's Class 1 U.S. Senate seat. Vacant Not filled in this Congress

House of Representatives

Main article: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
House changes
District Vacated by Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[b]
Georgia's 1st Edward F. Tattnall (J) Resigned some time in 1827 before the assembling of Congress George R. Gilmer (J) Seated October 1, 1827
Delaware at-large Vacant Louis McLane (J) resigned despite winning reelection in 1826 after being elected to the US Senate. Kensey Johns Jr. (NR) Seated October 2, 1827
New York's 29th David E. Evans (J) Resigned May 2, 1827 Phineas L. Tracy (NR) Seated November 5, 1827
Massachusetts's 1st Daniel Webster (NR) Resigned May 30, 1827, to run for the US Senate Benjamin Gorham (NR) Seated July 23, 1827
Ohio's 8th William Wilson (NR) Died June 6, 1827 William Stanbery (J) Seated October 9, 1827
Maine's 1st William Burleigh (NR) Died July 2, 1827 Rufus McIntire (J) Seated September 10, 1827
Kentucky's 11th William S. Young (NR) Died September 20, 1827 John Calhoon (NR) Seated November 5, 1827
Kentucky's 11th John Calhoon (NR) Resigned November 7, 1827, to avoid an election dispute Thomas Chilton (J) Seated December 22, 1827
Georgia's 2nd John Forsyth (J) Resigned November 7, 1827, after being elected Governor of Georgia Richard H. Wilde (J) Seated November 17, 1827
Arkansas Territory at-large Henry W. Conway Died November 9, 1827 Ambrose H. Sevier Seated February 13, 1828
New Jersey at-large George Holcombe (J) Died January 14, 1828 James F. Randolph (NR) Seated December 1, 1828
New York's 5th Thomas J. Oakley (J) Resigned May 9, 1828, after being appointed judge of the Superior Court of New York City Thomas Taber II (J) Seated November 5, 1828
Kentucky's 2nd Thomas Metcalfe (NR) Resigned June 1, 1828, after being elected Governor of Kentucky John Chambers (NR) Seated December 1, 1828
New Jersey at-large Hedge Thompson (NR) Died July 23, 1828 Thomas Sinnickson (NR) Seated December 1, 1828
Mississippi at-large William Haile (J) Resigned September 12, 1828 Thomas Hinds (J) Seated October 21, 1828
Ohio's 6th William Creighton Jr. (NR) Resigned before December 19, 1828, after being nominated as a judge to district court Francis S. Muhlenberg (NR) Seated December 19, 1828
New York's 20th Silas Wright (J) Resigned February 16, 1829 Vacant Not filled this Congress

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

House of Representatives

Joint committees

Employees

Legislative branch agency directors

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes

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

References

External links

United States congresses (and year convened)
Category