| 36th United States Congress | |||
 United States Capitol (1860) |
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| Duration: March 4, 1859 – March 4, 1861 | |||
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| President of the Senate: | John C. Breckinridge | ||
| President pro tempore: | Benjamin Fitzpatrick Jesse D. Bright Benjamin Fitzpatrick Solomon Foot |
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| Speaker of the House: | William Pennington | ||
| Members: | 66 Senators 238 Representatives 5 Non-voting members |
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| Senate Majority: | Democratic | ||
| House Majority: | none: Republican plurality | ||
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| Sessions | |||
| Special: March 4, 1859 – March 10, 1859 1st: December 5, 1859 – June 26, 1860 Special: June 26, 1860 – June 28, 1860 2nd: December 3, 1860 – March 4, 1861 |
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The Thirty-sixth 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, 1859 to March 4, 1861, during the third and fourth years of James Buchanan's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States in 1850. The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House had a Republican plurality.
Major events
Major legislation
- March 2, 1861 - Morrill Tariff, ch. 68, 12 Stat. 178
States admitted and territories organized
- January 29, 1861 - Kansas admitted as a state, ch. 20, 12 Stat. 126
- February 28, 1861 - Colorado Territory organized, ch. 59, 12 Stat. 172
- March 2, 1861 - Nevada Territory organized, ch. 83, 12 Stat. 209
- March 2, 1861 - Dakota Territory organized, ch. 86, 12 Stat. 239
Party summary
Kansas was newly admitted to the Union and first represented as a state in this Congress. South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas declared their secession from the Union during this Congress and withdrew their representatives.
In this session, the Republican party had its first plurality in the House, but was four members short of a majority, until Southern Democrats began withdrawing near the end of the term. 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.
Senate
- Democratic (D): 38 (majority)
- Republican (R): 26
- American (A): 2
- Vacant: 2
TOTAL members: 66
House of Representatives
- Republican (R): 116, (plurality)
- Democratic (D): 83
- Opposition (O): 19
- American: 5
- Anti-Lecompton Democratic (LD): 8
- Independent Democratic (ID): 7
TOTAL members: 238
Leadership
Senate
- President: John C. Breckinridge (D)
- President pro tempore:
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), elected March 9, 1859
- Jesse D. Bright (D), elected June 12, 1860
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), elected June 26, 1860
- Solomon Foot (R), elected February 16, 1861
House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- William Pennington (R), elected February 1, 1860
Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed in order of seniority, 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 began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1862; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1864; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1860.
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.
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
Senate
- Replacements: 3
- Democrats (D): no net change
- Republicans (R): no net change
- Deaths: 1
- Resignations: 1
- Interim appointments: 1
- Withdrawals: 13
- Total seats with changes: 17
House of Representatives
- Replacements: 7
- Democrats (D): no net change
- Republicans (R): 1 seat net loss
- Anti-Lecompton Democrats (LD): 1 seat net gain
- Deaths: 4
- Resignations: 3
- Contested election: 1
- Withdrawals: 28
- Total seats with changes: 41
Officers
Senate
- Secretary: Asbury Dickens
- Sergeant at Arms: Dunning R. McNair
- Chaplain:
- Stephen P. Hill, Baptist
- Phineas D. Gurley, Presbyterian, elected December 15, 1859
House of Representatives
- Clerk:
- James C. Allen, elected December 7, 1857, presided over election of Speaker.
- John W. Forney, elected February 3, 1860
- Sergeant at Arms: Henry W. Hoffman, elected February 3, 1860
- Doorkeeper: George Marston, elected February 3, 1860
- Postmaster: Josiah M. Lucas, elected February 3, 1860
- Messenger: Thaddeus Morrice
- Chaplain: William H. Milburn, Methodist
References
- 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.
External links
- Statutes at Large, 1789-1875
- Senate Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- House Journal, First Forty-three Sessions of Congress
- Biographical Directory of the U.S. Congress
- U.S. House of Representatives: House History
- U.S. Senate: Statistics and Lists
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