28th United States Congress
Number28th
StartMarch 4, 1843
EndMarch 4, 1845
VpVacant[a]
Pro temWillie P. Mangum (W)
SpeakerJohn W. Jones (D)
Senators54
Reps223
Delegates3
S-majorityWhig
H-majorityDemocratic
Sessionnumber 11st
Sessionstart 1December 4, 1843
Sessionend 1June 17, 1844
Sessionnumber 22nd
Sessionstart 2December 2, 1844
Sessionend 2March 3, 1845
Previous27th
Next29th

The 28th 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, 1843, to March 4, 1845, during the third and fourth years of John Tyler's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. The Senate had a Whig majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.

Major events

Major legislation

Treaties

States admitted

  • March 1, 1845: Resolution for the Annexation of Texas, (Admitted in the next Congress, December 29, 1845.)
  • March 3, 1845: Florida admitted, . The statute also allowed for the provisional admission of Iowa, pending a referendum in that state. (Admitted in the next Congress, December 28, 1846.)

Party summary

Senate

During this congress, two Senate seats were added for the new state of Florida.

House of Representatives

Following the 1840 United States census, Congress reapportioned the House to include 223 seats.[2] During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Florida.[3]

Leadership

Senate

House of Representatives

Members

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

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 ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1844; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1848.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Alabama

2. William R. King (D), until April 15, 1844
Dixon H. Lewis (D), from April 22, 1844
3. Arthur P. Bagby (D)

Arkansas

2. William S. Fulton (D), until August 15, 1844
Chester Ashley (D), from November 8, 1844
3. Ambrose H. Sevier (D)

Connecticut

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

Delaware

1. Richard H. Bayard (W)
2. Thomas Clayton (W)

Florida

1: Vacant from March 3, 1845, admission
2: Vacant from March 3, 1845, admission

Georgia

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

Illinois

2. Samuel McRoberts (D), until March 27, 1843
James Semple (D), from December 4, 1843
3. Sidney Breese (D)

Indiana

1. Albert S. White (W)
3. Edward A. Hannegan (D)

Kentucky

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

Louisiana

2. Alexander Barrow (W)
3. Alexander Porter (W), until January 13, 1844
Henry Johnson (W), from February 12, 1844

Maine

1. John Fairfield (D), from December 4, 1843
2. George Evans (W)

Maryland

1. William D. Merrick (W)
3. James A. Pearce (W)

Massachusetts

1. Rufus Choate (W)
2. Isaac C. Bates (W)

Michigan

1. Augustus S. Porter (W)
2. William Woodbridge (W)

Mississippi

1. John Henderson (W)
2. Robert J. Walker (D)

Missouri

1. Thomas H. Benton (D)
3. Lewis F. Linn (D), until October 3, 1843
David R. Atchison (D), from October 14, 1843

New Hampshire

2. Levi Woodbury (D)
3. Charles G. Atherton (D)

New Jersey

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

New York

1. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W), until June 17, 1844
Daniel S. Dickinson (D), from November 30, 1844
3. Silas Wright Jr. (D), until November 26, 1844
Henry A. Foster (D), November 30, 1844 – January 27, 1845
John A. Dix (D), from January 27, 1845

North Carolina

2. Willie P. Mangum (W)
3. William H. Haywood Jr. (D)

Ohio

1. Benjamin Tappan (D)
3. William Allen (D)

Pennsylvania

1. Daniel Sturgeon (D)
3. James Buchanan (D)

Rhode Island

1. William Sprague III (W), until January 17, 1844
John B. Francis (LO), from January 25, 1844
2. James F. Simmons (W)

South Carolina

2. Daniel E. Huger (D), until March 3, 1845
3. George McDuffie (D)

Tennessee

1. Ephraim H. Foster (W), from October 17, 1843
2. Spencer Jarnagin (W), from October 17, 1843

Vermont

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

Virginia

1. William C. Rives (W)
2. William S. Archer (W)

House of Representatives

Representatives are listed by their district numbers.

Alabama

. James Dellet (W)
. James E. Belser (D)
. Dixon H. Lewis (D), until April 22, 1844
William L. Yancey (D), from December 2, 1844
. William W. Payne (D)
. George S. Houston (D)
. Reuben Chapman (D)
. Felix G. McConnell (D)

Arkansas

. Edward Cross (D)

Connecticut

. Thomas H. Seymour (D)
. John Stewart (D)
. George S. Catlin (D)
. Samuel Simons (D)

Delaware

. George B. Rodney (W)

Florida

: Vacant from March 3, 1845, admission

Georgia

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Edward J. Black (D)
. Howell Cobb (D)
. Mark A. Cooper (D), until June 26, 1843
Alexander H. Stephens (W), from October 2, 1843
. Hugh A. Haralson (D)
. John B. Lamar (D), until July 29, 1843
Absalom H. Chappell (W), from October 2, 1843
. John H. Lumpkin (D)
. John Millen (D), until October 15, 1843
Duncan L. Clinch (W), from February 15, 1844
. William H. Stiles (D)

Illinois

. Robert Smith (D)
. John A. McClernand (D)
. Orlando B. Ficklin (D)
. John Wentworth (D)
. Stephen A. Douglas (D)
. Joseph P. Hoge (D)
. John J. Hardin (W)

Indiana

. Robert D. Owen (D)
. Thomas J. Henley (D)
. Thomas Smith (D)
. Caleb B. Smith (W)
. William J. Brown (D)
. John W. Davis (D)
. Joseph A. Wright (D)
. John Pettit (D)
. Samuel C. Sample (W)
. Andrew Kennedy (D)

Kentucky

. Linn Boyd (D)
. Willis Green (W)
. Henry Grider (W)
. George A. Caldwell (D)
. James W. Stone (D)
. John White (W)
. William P. Thomasson (W)
. Garrett Davis (W)
. Richard French (D)
. John W. Tibbatts (D)

Louisiana

. John Slidell (D)
. Alcée L. La Branche (D)
. John B. Dawson (D)
. Pierre E. J. B. Bossier (D), until April 24, 1844
Isaac E. Morse (D), from December 2, 1844

Maine

. Joshua Herrick (D)
. Robert P. Dunlap (D)
. Luther Severance (W)
. Freeman H. Morse (W)
. Benjamin White (D)
. Hannibal Hamlin (D)
. Shepard Cary (D) from May 10, 1844

Maryland

. John M. S. Causin (W)
. Francis Brengle (W)
. John Wethered (W)
. John P. Kennedy (W)
. Jacob A. Preston (W)
. Thomas A. Spence (W)

Massachusetts

. Robert C. Winthrop (W)
. Daniel P. King (W)
. Amos Abbott (W)
. William Parmenter (D)
. Charles Hudson (W)
. Osmyn Baker (W)
. Julius Rockwell (W)
. John Quincy Adams (W)
. Henry Williams (D)
. Barker Burnell (W), until June 15, 1843
Joseph Grinnell (W), from December 7, 1843

Michigan

. Robert McClelland (D)
. Lucius Lyon (D)
. James B. Hunt (D)

Mississippi

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. William H. Hammett (D)
. Robert W. Roberts (D)
. Jacob Thompson (D)
. Tilghman M. Tucker (D)

Missouri

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Gustavus M. Bower (D)
. James B. Bowlin (D)
. James M. Hughes (D)
. John Jameson (D)
. James H. Relfe (D)

New Hampshire

All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

. Edmund Burke (D)
. John P. Hale (D)
. Moses Norris Jr. (D)
. John R. Reding (D)

New Jersey

. Lucius Q. C. Elmer (D)
. George Sykes (D)
. Isaac G. Farlee (D)
. Littleton Kirkpatrick (D)
. William Wright (Ind. W)

New York

. Selah B. Strong (D)
. Henry C. Murphy (D)
. J. Phillips Phoenix (W)
. William B. Maclay (D)
. Moses G. Leonard (D)
. Hamilton Fish (W)
. Joseph H. Anderson (D)
. Richard D. Davis (D)
. James G. Clinton (D)
. Jeremiah Russell (D)
. Zadock Pratt (D)
. David L. Seymour (D)
. Daniel D. Barnard (W)
. Charles Rogers (W)
. Lemuel Stetson (D)
. Chesselden Ellis (D)
. Charles S. Benton (D)
. Preston King (D)
. Orville Hungerford (D)
. Samuel Beardsley (D), until February 29, 1844
Levi D. Carpenter (D), from November 5, 1844
. Jeremiah E. Cary (D)
. Smith M. Purdy (D)
. Orville Robinson (D)
. Horace Wheaton (D)
. George O. Rathbun (D)
. Amasa Dana (D)
. Byram Green (D)
. Thomas J. Paterson (W)
. Charles H. Carroll (W)
. William S. Hubbell (D)
. Asher Tyler (W)
. William A. Moseley (W)
. Albert Smith (W)
. Washington Hunt (W)

North Carolina

. Thomas L. Clingman (W)
. Daniel M. Barringer (W)
. David S. Reid (D)
. Edmund Deberry (W)
. Romulus M. Saunders (D)
. James I. McKay (D)
. John R. J. Daniel (D)
. Archibald H. Arrington (D)
. Kenneth Rayner (W)

Ohio

. Alexander Duncan (D)
. John B. Weller (D)
. Robert C. Schenck (W)
. Joseph Vance (W)
. Emery D. Potter (D)
. Henry St. John (D)
. Joseph J. McDowell (D)
. John I. Vanmeter (W)
. Elias Florence (W)
. Heman Allen Moore (D), until April 3, 1844
Alfred P. Stone (D), from October 8, 1844
. Jacob Brinkerhoff (D)
. Samuel F. Vinton (W)
. Perley B. Johnson (W)
. Alexander Harper (W)
. Joseph Morris (D)
. James Mathews (D)
. William C. McCauslen (D)
. Ezra Dean (D)
. Daniel R. Tilden (W)
. Joshua R. Giddings (W)
. Henry R. Brinkerhoff (D), until April 30, 1844
Edward S. Hamlin (W), from October 8, 1844

Pennsylvania

. Edward Joy Morris (W)
. Joseph R. Ingersoll (W)
. John T. Smith (D)
. Charles J. Ingersoll (D)
. Jacob S. Yost (D)
. Michael H. Jenks (W)
. Abraham R. McIlvaine (W)
. Jeremiah Brown (W)
. John Ritter (D)
. Richard Brodhead (D)
. Benjamin A. Bidlack (D)
. Almon H. Read (D), until June 3, 1844
George Fuller (D), from December 2, 1844
. Henry Frick (W), until March 1, 1844
James Pollock (W), from April 5, 1844
. Alexander Ramsey (W)
. Henry Nes (Ind. D)
. James Black (D)
. James Irvin (W)
. Andrew Stewart (W)
. Henry D. Foster (D)
. John Dickey (W)
. William Wilkins (D), until February 14, 1844
Cornelius Darragh (W), from March 26, 1844
. Samuel Hays (D)
. Charles M. Reed (W)
. Joseph Buffington (W)

Rhode Island

. Henry Y. Cranston (LO)
. Elisha R. Potter Jr. (LO)

South Carolina

. James A. Black (D)
. Richard F. Simpson (D)
. Joseph A. Woodward (D)
. John Campbell (D)
. Armistead Burt (D)
. Isaac E. Holmes (D)
. Robert Rhett (D)

Tennessee

. Andrew Johnson (D)
. William T. Senter (W)
. Julius W. Blackwell (D)
. Alvan Cullom (D)
. George W. Jones (D)
. Aaron V. Brown (D)
. David W. Dickinson (W)
. Joseph H. Peyton (W)
. Cave Johnson (D)
. John B. Ashe (W)
. Milton Brown (W)

Vermont

. Solomon Foot (W)
. Jacob Collamer (W)
. George P. Marsh (W)
. Paul Dillingham Jr. (D)

Virginia

. Archibald Atkinson (D)
. George C. Dromgoole (D)
. Walter Coles (D)
. Edmund W. Hubard (D)
. Thomas W. Gilmer (D), until February 16, 1844
William L. Goggin (W), from April 25, 1844
. John W. Jones (D)
. Henry A. Wise (D), until February 12, 1844
Thomas H. Bayly (D), from May 6, 1844
. Willoughby Newton (W)
. Samuel Chilton (W)
. William Lucas (D)
. William Taylor (D)
. Augustus A. Chapman (D)
. George W. Hopkins (D)
. George W. Summers (W)
. Lewis Steenrod (D)

Non-voting members

. David Levy Yulee (D), until March 3, 1845
. Augustus C. Dodge (D)
. Henry Dodge (D)

Changes in membership

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

Senate

|- | Tennessee
(1) | Vacant | Senator Alfred O. P. Nicholson (D) resigned in 26th Congress.
Successor elected October 17, 1843. | | Ephraim H. Foster (W) | Elected October 17, 1843

|- | Tennessee
(2) | Vacant | Failure to elect.
Successor elected October 17, 1843. | | Spencer Jarnagin (W) | Elected October 17, 1843

|- | Maine
(1) | Vacant | Senator Reuel Williams (D) resigned in previous congress.
Successor elected December 4, 1843. | | John Fairfield (D) | Elected December 4, 1843

|- | Louisiana
(3) | | Alexander Porter (W) | Elected but, due to ill health, never took his seat.
Incumbent died January 13, 1844.
Successor elected February 12, 1844. | | Henry Johnson (W) | Elected February 12, 1844

|- | Illinois
(2) | | Samuel McRoberts (D) | Died March 27, 1843.
Successor appointed December 4, 1843, to continue the term until an election.
Appointee was later elected, on an unknown date. | | James Semple (D) | Seated December 4, 1843

|- | Missouri
(3) | | Lewis F. Linn (D) | Died October 3, 1843.
Successor appointed October 14, 1843, to continue the term until an election.
Appointee was later elected, on an unknown date in 1843. | | David R. Atchison (D) | Seated October 14, 1843

|- | Rhode Island
(1) | | William Sprague (W) | Resigned January 17, 1844.
Successor elected January 25, 1844. | | John B. Francis (LO) | Seated January 25, 1844

|- | Alabama
(2) | | William R. King (D) | Resigned April 15, 1844, after being appointed U.S. Minister to France.
Successor appointed April 22, 1844, to finish the term. | | Dixon H. Lewis (D) | Seated April 22, 1844

|- | New York
(1) | | Nathaniel P. Tallmadge (W) | Resigned June 17, 1844, after being appointed Governor of Wisconsin Territory.
Successor was appointed November 30, 1945.
Appointee was later elected January 18, 1845. | | Daniel S. Dickinson (D) | Seated December 9, 1844

|- | Arkansas
(2) | | William S. Fulton (D) | Died August 15, 1844.
Successor elected November 8, 1844. | | Chester Ashley (D) | Seated November 8, 1844

|- | New York
(3) | | Silas Wright (D) | Resigned November 26, 1844, after being elected Governor of New York.
Successor appointed November 30, 1945. | | Henry A. Foster (D) | Seated December 9, 1844

|- | New York
(3) | | Henry A. Foster (D) | Appointee was not nominated for election.
Successor elected January 18, 1845. | | John A. Dix (D) | Seated January 27, 1845

|- | South Carolina
(2) | | Daniel E. Huger (D) | Resigned March 3, 1845 | Vacant | Not filled this term

|- | Florida
(1) | colspan=2 | New state: Florida admitted to the Union March 3, 1845.
First Senator wasn't elected until the next Congress. | Vacant | Not filled this term

|- | Florida
(2) | colspan=2 | New state: Florida admitted to the Union March 3, 1845.
First Senator wasn't elected until the next Congress. | Vacant | Not filled this term

|}

House of Representatives

  • Replacements: 14
  • Deaths: 7
  • Resignations: 7
  • Contested election: 0
  • Total seats with changes: 16

|- | | | Barker Burnell (W) | style="font-size:80%" | Died June 15, 1843 | | Joseph Grinnell (W) | Seated December 7, 1843 |- | | | Mark A. Cooper (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned June 26, 1843, to become candidate for Governor of Georgia | | Alexander H. Stephens (W) | Seated October 2, 1843 |- | | | John B. Lamar (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned July 29, 1843 | | Absalom H. Chappell (W) | Seated October 2, 1843 |- | | | John Millen (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died October 15, 1843 | | Duncan L. Clinch (W) | Seated February 15, 1844 |- | | | Henry A. Wise (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned February 12, 1844, after being appointed Minister to Brazil | | Thomas H. Bayly (D) | Seated May 6, 1844 |- | | | William Wilkens (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned February 14, 1844, after being appointed United States Secretary of War | | Cornelius Darragh (W) | Seated March 26, 1844 |- | | | Thomas W. Gilmer (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned February 16, 1844, after being appointed United States Secretary of the Navy | | William L. Goggin (W) | Seated April 25, 1844 |- | | | Henry Frick (W) | style="font-size:80%" | Died March 1, 1844 | | James Pollock (W) | Seated April 5, 1844 |- | | | Heman A. Moore (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died April 3, 1844 | | Alfred P. Stone (D) | Seated October 8, 1844 |- | | | Dixon H. Lewis (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned April 22, 1844, after being appointed US Senator | | William L. Yancey (D) | Seated December 2, 1844 |- | | | Pierre Bossier (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died April 24, 1844 | | Isaac E. Morse (D) | Seated December 2, 1844 |- | | | Samuel Beardsley (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Resigned February 29, 1844, after being appointed associate judge of New York Supreme Court | | Levi D. Carpenter (D) | Seated November 5, 1844 |- | | | Henry R. Brinkerhoff (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died April 30, 1844 | | Edward S. Hamlin (W) | Seated October 8, 1844 |- | | | Almon H. Read (D) | style="font-size:80%" | Died June 3, 1844 | | George Fuller (D) | Seated December 2, 1844 |- | | | David L. Yulee (D) | colspan=3 style="font-size:80%" | Seat was eliminated when Florida achieved statehood March 3, 1845 |- | nowrap | | colspan=2 style="font-size:80%" | Florida was admitted to the Union on March 3, 1845 | Vacant | Not filled this term |}

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

CommitteeChairman
Foreign RelationsWilliam S. Archer (W-VA)
FinanceGeorge Evans (W-ME)
CommerceJabez W. Huntington (W-CT)
ManufacturesJames F. Simmons (W-RI)
AgricultureWilliam Upham (W-VT)
Military AffairsJohn J. Crittenden (W-KY)
MilitiaAlexander Barrow (W-LA)
Naval AffairsRichard H. Bayard (W-DE)
Public LandsWilliam Woodbridge (W-MI)
Private Land ClaimsJohn Henderson (W-MS)
Indian AffairsAlbert S. White (W-IN)
ClaimsEphraim H. Foster (W-TN)
Revolutionary ClaimsSpencer Jarnagin (W-TN)
JudiciaryJohn M. Berrien (W-GA)
Post Office and Post RoadsWilliam D. Merrick (W-MD)
Roads and CanalsAugustus S. Porter (W-MI)
PensionsIsaac C. Bates (W-MA)
District of ColumbiaJacob W. Miller (W-NJ)
Patents and the Patent OfficeSamuel S. Phelps (W-VT)
RetrenchmentJames T. Morehead (W-KY)
Public BuildingsWilliam L. Dayton (W-NJ)
Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the SenateBenjamin Tappan (W-OH)
PrintingJames F. Simmons (W-RI)
Engrossed BillsBenjamin Tappan (W-OH)

House of Representatives

CommitteeChairman
ElectionsLucius Elmer (D-NJ)
Ways and MeansJames I. McKay (D-NC)
ClaimsJoseph Vance (W-OH)
CommerceIsaac E. Holmes (D-SC)
Public LandsJohn W. Davis (D-IN)
Post Office and Post RoadsGeorge W. Hopkins (D-VA)
District of ColumbiaJohn Campbell (D-SC)
JudiciaryWilliam Wilkins (D-PA), until February 14, 1844
Romulus M. Saunders (D-NC), from February 14, 1844
Revolutionary ClaimsRichard D. Davis (D-NY)
Public ExpendituresJames G. Clinton (D-NY)
Private Land ClaimsEdward Cross (D-AR)
ManufacturersJacob Collamer (W-VT)
AgricultureEdmund Deberry (D-NC)
Indian AffairsCave Johnson (D-TN)
Military AffairsHugh A. Haralson (D-GA)
MilitiaEzra Dean (D-OH)
Naval AffairsHenry A. Wise (D-VA), until February 12, 1844
William Parmenter (D-MA), from February 12, 1844
Foreign AffairsCharles J. Ingersoll (D-PA)
TerritoriesAaron V. Brown (D-TN)
Revolutionary PensionsGeorge O. Rathbun (D-NY), until 1844
David L. Seymour (D-NY), from 1844
Invalid PensionsJacob Brinkerhoff (D-OH)
Roads and CanalsRobert D. Owen (D-IN)
PatentsAlexander Harper (D-OH)
Public Buildings and GroundsZadock Pratt (D-NY)
Revisals and Unfinished BusinessElisha R. Potter (LO-RI)
Expenditures in the Navy DepartmentAmasa Dana (D-NY)
Expenditures in the Post Office DepartmentAlexander Harper (W-OH)
Expenditures on the Public BuildingsDaniel P. King (W-MA)
Rules (select)Henry A. Wise (D-VA) until February 12, 1844
John Quincy Adams (W-MA) from February 12, 1844

Joint committees

Employees

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes

  1. ^ President Pro Tempore Willie P. Mangum acted his duties as the President of the Senate.

References

  1. ^ "Treaty Of Wangxia (Treaty Of Wang-Hsia 望廈條約), May 18, 1844". USC US-China Institute. USC Annenberg.
  2. ^
  3. ^
  • 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.