29th United States Congress

The Twenty-ninth 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 1845 to March 3 1847, during the first two years of the administration of U.S. President James K. Polk.

The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Sixth Census of the United States in 1840. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Dates of sessions

March 4 1845 - March 3 1847
* Special session of the Senate: March 4 1845 - March 20 1845
* First session: December 1 1845 - August 10 1846
* Second session: December 7 1846 - March 3 1847 — a lame duck sessionPrevious: 28th Congress • Next: 30th Congress

Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

enate

* Democratic (D): 34 "(majority)"
* Whig (W): 24TOTAL members: 58

House of Representatives

* Democratic (D): 142 "(majority)"
* Whig (W): 79
* American (A): 6
* vacant: 1TOTAL members: 228

Leadership

enate

* Vice President of the United States (President of the Senate):
** George M. Dallas (D)
* President "pro tempore" of the Senate:
** Willie P. Mangum (W), elected December 4 1845
** Ambrose Hundley Sevier (D), elected December 27 1845
** David R. Atchison (D), elected August 8 1846

House of Representatives

* Speaker of the House
** John W. Davis (D), elected December 1 1845

Major events

* March 4 1845 James K. Polk became President of the United States

Major legislation

* July 30 1846 - Walker tariff, ch. 74, USStat|9|42

tates admitted

* December 29 1845 – Texas was admitted as a state
* December 28 1846 – Iowa was admitted as a state

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, and Representatives are listed by district.

enate

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 1850; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1848.

=Alabama=

*3. Arthur P. Bagby (D)
*2. Dixon H. Lewis (D)

=Arkansas=

*3. Ambrose H. Sevier (D)
*2. Chester Ashley (D)

=Connecticut=

*1. Jabez W. Huntington (W)
*3. John M. Niles (D)

=Delaware=

*2. Thomas Clayton (W)
*1. John M. Clayton (W)

=Florida=

*1. David Levy Yulee (D)
*3. James D. Westcott, Jr. (D)

=Georgia=

*2. John Mcpherson Berrien (W)
*3. Walter T. Colquitt (D)

=Illinois=

*3. Sidney Breese (D)
*2. James Semple (D)

=Indiana=

*3. Edward A. Hannegan (D)
*1. Jesse D. Bright (D)

=Iowa=

*2. George W. Jones (D), 1848-12-07-End
*3. Augustus C. Dodge (D), 1848-12-07-End

=Kentucky=

*2. James T. Morehead (W)
*3. John J. Crittenden (W)

=Louisiana=

*2. Alexander Barrow (W)
*: Pierre Soulé (D)
*3. Henry Johnson (W)

=Maine=

*2. George Evans (W)
*1. John Fairfield (D)

=Maryland=

*3. James A. Pearce (W)
*1. Reverdy Johnson (W)

=Massachusetts=

*2. Isaac C. Bates (W)
*: John Davis (W)
*1. Daniel Webster (W)

=Michigan=

*2. William Woodbridge (W)
*1. Lewis Cass (D)

=Mississippi=

*2. Robert J. Walker (D)
*: Joseph W. Chalmers (D)
*1. Jesse Speight (D)

=Missouri=

*1. Thomas H. Benton (D)
*3. David R. Atchison (D)

=New Hampshire=

*2. Levi Woodbury (D)
*: Benning W. Jenness (D)
*: Joseph Cilley (Liberty)
*3. Charles G. Atherton (D)

=New Jersey=

*2. Jacob W. Miller (W)
*1. William L. Dayton (W)

=New York=

*1. Daniel S. Dickinson (D)
*3. John A. Dix (D)

=North Carolina=

*2. Willie P. Mangum (W)
*3. William H. Haywood, Jr. (D)
*: George E. Badger (W)

=Ohio=

*3. William Allen (D)
*1. Thomas Corwin (W)

=Pennsylvania=

*3. James Buchanan (D)
*: Simon Cameron (D)
*1. Daniel Sturgeon (D)

=Rhode Island=

*2. James F. Simmons (W)
*1. Albert C. Greene (W)

=South Carolina=

*3. George McDuffie (D)
*: Andrew P. Butler (D)
*2. John C. Calhoun (D)

=Tennessee=

*2. Spencer Jarnagin (W)
*1. Hopkins L. Turney (D)

=Texas=

*2. Samuel Houston (D)
*1. Thomas J. Rusk (D)

=Vermont=

*1. Samuel S. Phelps (W)
*3. William Upham (W)

=Virginia=

* 2: William S. Archer (W)
* 1: Isaac S. Pennybacker (D)
*: James M. Mason (D)

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise "at-large," are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

Changes in membership

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

enate

*replacements: 8
** Democrats (D): no net change
** Whigs (W): no net change
*deaths: 3
*resignations: 6
*interim appointments: 1
*seats of newly admitted states: 4
*Total seats with changes: 14

House of Representatives

*replacements: 12
** Democrats (D): 1 seat net gain
** Whigs (W): 1 seat net loss
*deaths: 5
*resignations: 6
*contested election: 1
*seats of newly admitted states: 4
*Total seats with changes: 17

Employees

enate

* Secretary:
** Asbury Dickens, elected December 12 1836
* Sergeant at Arms:
** Edward Dyer, elected March 8 1841, died September 8 1845
** Robert Beale, elected December 9 1845
* Chaplain:
** Septimus Tustin, Presbyterian, elected June 12 1841
** Henry Slicer, Methodist, elected December 16 1846

House of Representatives

* Clerk of the House:
** Benjamin B. French, elected December 2 1845
* Sergeant at Arms:
** Newton Lane, elected December 2 1845
* Doorkeeper:
** Cornelius C. Whitney, elected December 2 1845
* Postmaster:
** John M. Johnson, elected December 2 1845
* Chaplain:
** William H. Milburn, Methodist, elected December 1 1845
** William T.S. Sprole, Presbyterian, elected December 7 1846

References

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*

External links

* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwsllink.html Statutes at Large, 1789-1875]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwsjlink.html Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress]
* [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwhjlink.html#anchor2 House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress]
* [http://www.gpoaccess.gov/serialset/cdocuments/hd108-222/index.html Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress]
* [http://clerk.house.gov/art_history/house_history/index.html U.S. House of Representatives: House History]
* [http://www.senate.gov/pagelayout/reference/two_column_table/stats_and_lists.htm U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists]