29th United States Congress

The 29th 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 4, 1847, during the first two years of James Polk's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

29th United States Congress
28th ← → 30th
United States Capitol (1846)
March 4, 1845 – March 4, 1847
Members	58 senators 228 representatives 2 non-voting delegates
Senate majority	Democratic
Senate President	George M. Dallas (D)
House majority	Democratic
House Speaker	John W. Davis (D)
Sessions
Special[a]: March 4, 1845 – March 20, 1845 1st: December 1, 1845 – August 10, 1846 2nd: December 7, 1846 – March 3, 1847

Major events

Main articles: 1845 in the United States, 1846 in the United States, and 1847 in the United States

• March 4, 1845: James K. Polk became President of the United States
• October 10, 1845: The Naval School (later renamed the United States Naval Academy) opened in Annapolis, Maryland
• December 2, 1845: President Polk announced to Congress that the Monroe Doctrine should be strictly enforced and that the United States should aggressively expand into the West.
• April 25, 1846: Open conflict over border disputes of Texas's boundaries began the Mexican–American War

Major legislation

Main article: Major legislation: 29th United States Congress

• May 13, 1846: Mexican–American War declared, ch. 16, 9 Stat. 9
• July 9, 1846: District of Columbia retrocession, ch. 35, 9 Stat. 35
• July 30, 1846: Walker tariff, ch. 74, 9 Stat. 42

Treaties

• June 15, 1846: Oregon Treaty established the 49th parallel as the border between the United States and Canada, from the Rocky Mountains to the Strait of Juan de Fuca
• January 13, 1847: Treaty of Cahuenga ended the fighting in the Mexican–American War in California (not a formal treaty between nations but an informal agreement between rival military forces)

States admitted

• December 29, 1845: Texas admitted as the 28th state
• December 28, 1846: Iowa admitted as the 29th state

Party summary

Senate

During this congress, two Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Texas and Iowa.

	Party (shading shows control)				Total	Vacant
	Democratic (D)	Liberty (L)	Whig (W)	Other
End of previous congress	23	0	27	1	51	3
Begin	26	0	24	0	50	4
End	31	1			56	2
Final voting share	55.4%	1.8%	42.9%	0.0%
Beginning of next congress	34	0	20	1	55	3

House of Representatives

During this congress, two House seats were added for each of the new states of Texas and Iowa.

	Party (shading shows control)				Total	Vacant
	American (A)	Democratic (D)	Whig (W)	Other
End of previous congress	0	141	78	4	223	1
Begin	6	137	78	0	221	3
End		142			226	2
Final voting share	2.7%	62.8%	34.5%	0.0%
Beginning of next congress	1	107	116	3	227	1

Leadership

President of the Senate
George M. Dallas (D)

Presidents pro tempore

Willie P. Mangum (D)
until March 4, 1845

Ambrose H. Sevier (D)
on December 27, 1845

David R. Atchison (D)
from August 8, 1846

Senate

• President: George M. Dallas (D)
• President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum (W), until March 4, 1845
  • Ambrose Hundley Sevier (D), only on December 27, 1845
  • David R. Atchison (D), from August 8, 1846

House of Representatives

• Speaker: John W. Davis (D)

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and representatives 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 1850; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1848.

Alabama ▌2. Dixon H. Lewis (D) ▌3. Arthur P. Bagby (D) Arkansas ▌2. Chester Ashley (D) ▌3. Ambrose H. Sevier (D) Connecticut ▌1. Jabez W. Huntington (W) ▌3. John M. Niles (D) Delaware ▌1. John M. Clayton (W) ▌2. Thomas Clayton (W) Florida ▌1. David Levy Yulee (D), from July 1, 1845 ▌3. James Westcott (D), from July 1, 1845 Georgia ▌2. John M. Berrien (W), until May, 1845; from November 13, 1845 ▌3. Walter T. Colquitt (D) Illinois ▌2. James Semple (D) ▌3. Sidney Breese (D) Indiana ▌1. Jesse D. Bright (D) ▌3. Edward A. Hannegan (D) Iowa 2. Vacant after being admitted to the Union December 28, 1846 3. Vacant after being admitted to the Union December 28, 1846 Kentucky ▌2. James T. Morehead (W) ▌3. John J. Crittenden (W) Louisiana ▌2. Alexander Barrow (W), until December 29, 1846 ▌Pierre Soulé (D), from January 21, 1847 ▌3. Henry Johnson (W) Maine ▌1. John Fairfield (D) ▌2. George Evans (W) Maryland ▌1. Reverdy Johnson (W) ▌3. James Pearce (W) Massachusetts ▌1. Daniel Webster (W) ▌2. Isaac C. Bates (W), until March 16, 1845 ▌John Davis (W), from March 24, 1845 Michigan ▌1. Lewis Cass (D) ▌2. William Woodbridge (W)

Mississippi ▌1. Jesse Speight (D) ▌2. Robert J. Walker (D), until March 5, 1845 ▌Joseph W. Chalmers (D), from November 3, 1845 Missouri ▌1. Thomas H. Benton (D) ▌3. David R. Atchison (D) New Hampshire ▌2. Levi Woodbury (D), until September 20, 1845 ▌Benning W. Jenness (D), from December 1, 1845, until June 13, 1846 ▌Joseph Cilley (L), from June 13, 1846 ▌3. Charles G. Atherton (D) New Jersey ▌1. William L. Dayton (W) ▌2. Jacob W. Miller (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), until July 25, 1846 ▌George E. Badger (W), from November 26, 1846 Ohio ▌1. Thomas Corwin (W) ▌3. William Allen (D) Pennsylvania ▌1. Daniel Sturgeon (D) ▌3. James Buchanan (D), until March 5, 1845 ▌Simon Cameron (D), from March 13, 1845 Rhode Island ▌1. Albert C. Greene (W) ▌2. James F. Simmons (W) South Carolina ▌2. John C. Calhoun (D), from November 26, 1845 ▌3. George McDuffie (D), until August 17, 1846 ▌Andrew Butler (D), from December 4, 1846 Tennessee ▌1. Hopkins L. Turney (D) ▌2. Spencer Jarnagin (W) Texas ▌1. Thomas J. Rusk (D), from February 21, 1846 (newly admitted state) ▌2. Samuel Houston (D), from February 21, 1846 (newly admitted state) Vermont ▌1. Samuel S. Phelps (W) ▌3. William Upham (W) Virginia ▌1. Isaac S. Pennybacker (D), December 3, 1845 – January 12, 1847 ▌James M. Mason (D), from January 21, 1847 ▌2. William S. Archer (W)

Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 29th Congress in March 1845. The senators from Florida and Texas were not seated until later in the Congress.   2 Democrats   1 Democrat and 1 Whig   2 Whigs

House of Representatives

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

Alabama ▌1. Edmund S. Dargan (D) ▌2. Henry W. Hilliard (W) ▌3. William L. Yancey (D), until September 1, 1846 ▌James L. Cottrell (D), from December 7, 1846 ▌4. William W. Payne (D) ▌5. George S. Houston (D) ▌6. Reuben Chapman (D) ▌7. Felix G. McConnell (D), until September 10, 1846 ▌Franklin W. Bowdon (D), from December 7, 1846 Arkansas ▌At-large. Archibald Yell (D), until July 1, 1846 ▌Thomas W. Newton (W), from February 6, 1847 Connecticut ▌1. James Dixon (W) ▌2. Samuel D. Hubbard (W) ▌3. John A. Rockwell (W) ▌4. Truman Smith (W) Delaware ▌At-large. John W. Houston (W) Florida ▌At-large. Edward C. Cabell (W), from October 6, 1845, until January 24, 1846 ▌William H. Brockenbrough (D), from January 24, 1846 Georgia ▌1. Thomas Butler King (W) ▌2. Seaborn Jones (D) ▌3. George W. B. Towns (D), from January 5, 1846 ▌4. Hugh A. Haralson (D) ▌5. John H. Lumpkin (D) ▌6. Howell Cobb (D) ▌7. Alexander H. Stephens (W) ▌8. Robert A. Toombs (W) Illinois ▌1. Robert Smith (D) ▌2. John A. McClernand (D) ▌3. Orlando B. Ficklin (D) ▌4. John Wentworth (D) ▌5. Stephen A. Douglas (D), until March 3, 1847 ▌6. Joseph P. Hoge (D) ▌7. Edward D. Baker (W), until January 15, 1847 ▌John Henry (W), from February 5, 1847 Indiana ▌1. Robert D. Owen (D) ▌2. Thomas J. Henley (D) ▌3. Thomas Smith (D) ▌4. Caleb B. Smith (W) ▌5. William W. Wick (D) ▌6. John W. Davis (D) ▌7. Edward W. McGaughey (W) ▌8. John Pettit (D) ▌9. Charles W. Cathcart (D) ▌10. Andrew Kennedy (D) Iowa ▌At-large. S. Clifton Hastings (D), from December 28, 1846 (newly admitted state) ▌At-large. Shepherd Leffler (D), from December 28, 1846 (newly admitted state) Kentucky ▌1. Linn Boyd (D) ▌2. John H. McHenry (W) ▌3. Henry Grider (W) ▌4. Joshua F. Bell (W) ▌5. Bryan R. Young (W) ▌6. John P. Martin (D) ▌7. William P. Thomasson (W) ▌8. Garrett Davis (W) ▌9. Andrew A. Trumbo (W) ▌10. John W. Tibbatts (D) Louisiana ▌1. John Slidell (D), until November 10, 1845 ▌Emile La Sére (D), from January 29, 1846 ▌2. Bannon G. Thibodeaux (W) ▌3. John H. Harmanson (D) ▌4. Isaac E. Morse (D) Maine ▌1. John F. Scamman (D) ▌2. Robert P. Dunlap (D) ▌3. Luther Severance (W) ▌4. John D. McCrate (D) ▌5. Cullen Sawtelle (D) ▌6. Hannibal Hamlin (D) ▌7. Hezekiah Williams (D) Maryland ▌1. John G. Chapman (W) ▌2. Thomas J. Perry (D) ▌3. Thomas W. Ligon (D) ▌4. William F. Giles (D) ▌5. Albert Constable (D) ▌6. Edward H. C. Long (W) Massachusetts ▌1. Robert C. Winthrop (W) ▌2. Daniel P. King (W) ▌3. Amos Abbott (W) ▌4. Benjamin Thompson (W) ▌5. Charles Hudson (W) ▌6. George Ashmun (W) ▌7. Julius Rockwell (W) ▌8. John Quincy Adams (W) ▌9. Artemas Hale (W) ▌10. Joseph Grinnell (W) Michigan ▌1. Robert McClelland (D) ▌2. John S. Chipman (D) ▌3. James B. Hunt (D) Mississippi ▌At-large. Stephen Adams (D) ▌At-large. Jefferson Davis (D), until October 28, 1846 ▌Henry T. Ellett (D), from January 26, 1847 ▌At-large. Robert W. Roberts (D) ▌At-large. Jacob Thompson (D) Missouri ▌At-large. James B. Bowlin (D) ▌At-large. John S. Phelps (D) ▌At-large. Sterling Price (D), until August 12, 1846 ▌William McDaniel (D), from December 7, 1846 ▌At-large. James H. Relfe (D) ▌At-large. Leonard H. Sims (D) New Hampshire ▌At-large. James H. Johnson (D) ▌At-large. Mace Moulton (D) ▌At-large. Moses Norris Jr. (D) At-large. Vacant New Jersey ▌1. James G. Hampton (W) ▌2. Samuel G. Wright (W), until July 30, 1845 ▌George Sykes (D), from November 4, 1845 ▌3. John Runk (W) ▌4. Joseph E. Edsall (D) ▌5. William Wright (W)

New York ▌1. John W. Lawrence (D) ▌2. Henry J. Seaman (A) ▌3. William S. Miller (A) ▌4. William B. Maclay (D) ▌5. Thomas M. Woodruff (A) ▌6. William W. Campbell (A) ▌7. Joseph H. Anderson (D) ▌8. William W. Woodworth (D) ▌9. Archibald C. Niven (D) ▌10. Samuel Gordon (D) ▌11. John F. Collin (D) ▌12. Richard P. Herrick (W), until June 20, 1846 ▌Thomas C. Ripley (W), from December 17, 1846 ▌13. Bradford R. Wood (D) ▌14. Erastus D. Culver (W) ▌15. Joseph Russell (D) ▌16. Hugh White (W) ▌17. Charles S. Benton (D) ▌18. Preston King (D) ▌19. Orville Hungerford (D) ▌20. Timothy Jenkins (D) ▌21. Charles Goodyear (D) ▌22. Stephen Strong (D) ▌23. William J. Hough (D) ▌24. Horace Wheaton (D) ▌25. George O. Rathbun (D) ▌26. Samuel S. Ellsworth (D) ▌27. John De Mott (D) ▌28. Elias B. Holmes (W) ▌29. Charles H. Carroll (W) ▌30. Martin Grover (D) ▌31. Abner Lewis (W) ▌32. William A. Moseley (W) ▌33. Albert Smith (W) ▌34. Washington Hunt (W) North Carolina ▌1. James Graham (W) ▌2. Daniel M. Barringer (W) ▌3. David S. Reid (D) ▌4. Alfred Dockery (W) ▌5. James C. Dobbin (D) ▌6. James I. McKay (D) ▌7. John R. J. Daniel (D) ▌8. Henry S. Clark (D) ▌9. Asa Biggs (D) Ohio ▌1. James J. Faran (D) ▌2. Francis A. Cunningham (D) ▌3. Robert C. Schenck (W) ▌4. Joseph Vance (W) ▌5. William Sawyer (D) ▌6. Henry St. John (D) ▌7. Joseph J. McDowell (D) ▌8. Allen G. Thurman (D) ▌9. Augustus L. Perrill (D) ▌10. Columbus Delano (W) ▌11. Jacob Brinkerhoff (D) ▌12. Samuel F. Vinton (W) ▌13. Isaac Parrish (D) ▌14. Alexander Harper (W) ▌15. Joseph Morris (D) ▌16. John D. Cummins (D) ▌17. George Fries (D) ▌18. David A. Starkweather (D) ▌19. Daniel R. Tilden (W) ▌20. Joshua R. Giddings (W) ▌21. Joseph M. Root (W) Pennsylvania ▌1. Lewis C. Levin (A) ▌2. Joseph R. Ingersoll (W) ▌3. John H. Campbell (A) ▌4. Charles J. Ingersoll (D) ▌5. Jacob S. Yost (D) ▌6. Jacob Erdman (D) ▌7. Abraham R. McIlvaine (W) ▌8. John Strohm (W) ▌9. John Ritter (D) ▌10. Richard Brodhead (D) ▌11. Owen D. Leib (D) ▌12. David Wilmot (D) ▌13. James Pollock (W) ▌14. Alexander Ramsey (W) ▌15. Moses McClean (D) ▌16. James Black (D) ▌17. John Blanchard (W) ▌18. Andrew Stewart (W) ▌19. Henry D. Foster (D) ▌20. John H. Ewing (W) ▌21. Cornelius Darragh (W) ▌22. William S. Garvin (D) ▌23. James Thompson (D) ▌24. Joseph Buffington (W) Rhode Island ▌1. Henry Y. Cranston (W) ▌2. Lemuel H. Arnold (W) South Carolina ▌1. James A. Black (D) ▌2. Richard F. Simpson (D) ▌3. Joseph A. Woodward (D) ▌4. Alexander D. Sims (D) ▌5. Armistead Burt (D) ▌6. Isaac E. Holmes (D) ▌7. Robert Rhett (D) Tennessee ▌1. Andrew Johnson (D) ▌2. William M. Cocke (W) ▌3. John H. Crozier (W) ▌4. Alvan Cullom (D) ▌5. George W. Jones (D) ▌6. Barclay Martin (D) ▌7. Meredith P. Gentry (W) ▌8. Joseph H. Peyton (W), until November 11, 1845 ▌Edwin H. Ewing (W), from January 2, 1846 ▌9. Lucien B. Chase (D) ▌10. Frederick P. Stanton (D) ▌11. Milton Brown (W) Texas ▌1. David S. Kaufman (D), from March 30, 1846 (newly admitted state) ▌2. Timothy Pilsbury (D), from March 30, 1846 (newly admitted state) Vermont ▌1. Solomon Foot (W) ▌2. Jacob Collamer (W) ▌3. George P. Marsh (W) ▌4. Paul Dillingham Jr. (D) Virginia ▌1. Archibald Atkinson (D) ▌2. George C. Dromgoole (D) ▌3. William M. Tredway (D) ▌4. Edmund W. Hubard (D) ▌5. Shelton F. Leake (D) ▌6. James A. Seddon (D) ▌7. Thomas H. Bayly (D) ▌8. Robert M. T. Hunter (D) ▌9. John S. Pendleton (W) ▌10. Henry Bedinger (D) ▌11. William Taylor (D), until January 17, 1846 ▌James McDowell (D), from March 6, 1846 ▌12. Augustus A. Chapman (D) ▌13. George W. Hopkins (D) ▌14. Joseph Johnson (D) ▌15. William G. Brown Sr. (D) Non-voting members ▌Iowa Territory. Augustus C. Dodge (D), until December 28, 1846 ▌Wisconsin Territory. Morgan L. Martin (D)

Speaker John W: Davis House seats by party holding plurality in state   80+% to 100% Democratic   Up to 60% Whig   60+% to 80% Democratic   60+% to 80% Whig   Up to 60% Democratic   80+% to 100% Whig

Changes in membership

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

Senate

• 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

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]
Florida (1)	Vacant	Florida admitted to the Union at end of previous congress	David L. Yulee (D)	Elected July 1, 1845
Florida (3)	Vacant	Florida admitted to the Union at end of previous congress	James Westcott (D)	Elected July 1, 1845
South Carolina (2)	Vacant	Senator Daniel E. Huger resigned in previous congress. Successor elected November 26, 1845.	John C. Calhoun (D)	Elected November 26, 1845
Virginia (1)	Vacant	Failure to elect	Isaac S. Pennybacker (D)	Elected December 3, 1845
Mississippi (2)	Robert J. Walker (D)	Resigned March 5, 1845, after being appointed U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Successor appointed November 3, 1845. Appointee was later elected on an unknown date.	Joseph W. Chalmers (D)	Appointed November 3, 1845
Pennsylvania (3)	James Buchanan (D)	Resigned March 5, 1845, after being appointed U.S. Secretary of State	Simon Cameron (D)	Elected March 13, 1845
Massachusetts (2)	Isaac C. Bates (W)	Died March 16, 1845	John Davis (W)	Elected March 24, 1845
Georgia (2)	John M. Berrien (W)	Resigned May, 1845 when appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court	John M. Berrien (W)	Elected November 13, 1845
New Hampshire (2)	Levi Woodbury (D)	Resigned November 20, 1845, to become Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court	Benning W. Jenness (D)	Appointed December 1, 1845
Texas (1)	Texas admitted to the Union December 29, 1845, and remained vacant until February 21, 1846		Thomas J. Rusk (D)	Elected February 21, 1846
Texas (2)	Texas admitted to the Union December 29, 1845, and remained vacant until February 21, 1846		Sam Houston (D)	Elected February 21, 1846
New Hampshire (2)	Benning W. Jenness (D)	Lost election to finish the term. Winner elected June 13, 1846.	Joseph Cilley (L)	Elected June 13, 1846
North Carolina (3)	William H. Haywood Jr. (D)	Resigned July 25, 1846, after having refused to be instructed by the North Carolina state legislature on a tariff question	George E. Badger (W)	Elected November 25, 1846
South Carolina (3)	George McDuffie (D)	Resigned August 17, 1846. Successor appointed December 4, 1846, and subsequently elected to finish the term.	Andrew Butler (D)	Seated December 4, 1846
Iowa (2)	Iowa admitted to the Union December 28, 1846		Vacant	Not filled this term
Iowa (3)	Iowa admitted to the Union December 28, 1846		Vacant	Not filled this term
Louisiana (2)	Alexander Barrow (W)	Died December 29, 1846	Pierre Soulé (D)	Elected January 21, 1847
Virginia (1)	Isaac S. Pennybacker (D)	Died January 12, 1847	James M. Mason (D)	Elected January 21, 1847

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

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]
Florida At-large	Vacant	Florida admitted to the Union at end of previous congress	Edward C. Cabell (W)	Seated October 6, 1845
Georgia 3rd	Vacant	Rep-elect Washington Poe declined the seat	George W. Towns (D)	Seated January 5, 1846
Texas 1st	Texas admitted into the Union December 29, 1845, and seat remained vacant until March 30, 1846		David S. Kaufman (D)	Seated March 30, 1846
Texas 2nd	Texas admitted into the Union December 29, 1845, and seat remained vacant until March 30, 1846		Timothy Pilsbury (D)	Seated March 30, 1846
New Jersey 2nd	Samuel G. Wright (W)	Died July 30, 1845	George Sykes (D)	Seated November 4, 1845
Louisiana 1st	John Slidell (D)	Resigned November 10, 1845, after being appointed Minister to Mexico, but government refused to accept him	Emile La Sére (D)	Seated January 29, 1846
Tennessee 8th	Joseph H. Peyton (W)	Died November 11, 1845	Edwin H. Ewing (W)	Seated January 2, 1846
Virginia 11th	William Taylor (D)	Died January 17, 1846	James McDowell (D)	Seated March 6, 1846
Florida At-large	Edward C. Cabell (W)	Lost contested election January 24, 1846	William H. Brockenbrough (D)	Seated January 24, 1846
Mississippi At-large	Jefferson Davis (D)	Resigned some time in June, 1846 in order to take part in the Mexican War	Henry T. Ellett (D)	Seated January 26, 1847
New York 12th	Richard P. Herrick (W)	Died June 20, 1846	Thomas C. Ripley (W)	Seated December 17, 1846
Arkansas At-large	Archibald Yell (D)	Resigned July 1, 1846, in order to take part in the Mexican War	Thomas W. Newton (W)	Seated February 6, 1847
Missouri At-large	Sterling Price (D)	Resigned August 12, 1846, in order to take part in the Mexican War	William McDaniel (D)	Seated December 7, 1846
Alabama 3rd	William L. Yancey (D)	Resigned September 1, 1846	James L. Cottrell (D)	Seated December 7, 1846
Alabama 7th	Felix G. McConnell (D)	Died September 10, 1846	Franklin W. Bowdon (D)	Seated December 7, 1846
Iowa Territory At-large	Augustus C. Dodge (D)	Territory was dissolved after Iowa was admitted to the Union December 28, 1846
Iowa At-large	Iowa admitted into the Union December 28, 1846		S. Clinton Hastings (D)	Seated December 28, 1846
Iowa At-large	Iowa admitted into the Union December 28, 1846		Shepherd Leffler (D)	Seated December 28, 1846
Illinois 7th	Edward D. Baker (W)	Resigned January 15, 1847, in order to take part in the Mexican War	John Henry (W)	Seated February 5, 1847
Illinois 5th	Stephen A. Douglas (D)	Resigned March 3, 1847, at close of congress after being elected to the US Senate	Vacant	Not filled this term

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

• Agriculture (Chairman: Daniel Sturgeon)
• Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Jesse Speight)
• Charges of Corruption Contained in the Daily Times (Select)
• Claims (Chairman: Isaac S. Pennybacker)
• Commerce (Chairman: William Haywood then John Adams Dix)
• Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
• District of Columbia (Chairman: William Haywood then Simon Cameron)
• Finance (Chairman: John C. Calhoun then Dixon H. Lewis)
• Foreign Relations (Chairman: William Allen then Ambrose H. Sevier)
• French Spoilations (Select) (Chairman: Daniel Webster)
• Indian Affairs (Chairman: Ambrose H. Sevier then Arthur P. Bagby)
• International Copyright Law (Select) (Chairman: Lewis Cass)
• Judiciary (Chairman: Chester Ashley)
• Manufactures (Chairman: Daniel S. Dickinson)
• Memorial on W.T.G. Morton (Select)
• Memphis Convention (Select) (Chairman: John C. Calhoun)
• Military Affairs (Chairman: Thomas H. Benton)
• Militia (Chairman: David R. Atchison)
• Naval Affairs (Chairman: John Fairfield)
• Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
• Patents and the Patent Office (Chairman: Simon Cameron then Walter Colquitt)
• Pensions (Chairman: Henry Johnson)
• Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: John M. Niles)
• Printing (Chairman: Charles G. Atherton)
• Private Land Claims (Chairman: David Levy Yulee)
• Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Simon Cameron)
• Public Lands (Chairman: Sidney Breese)
• Retrenchment (Chairman: Dixon H. Lewis)
• Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Thomas Clayton)
• Roads and Canals (Chairman: Edward A. Hannegan)
• Tariff Regulation (Select)
• Territories (Chairman: James Westcott)
• Smithsonian Institution (Select) (Chairman: John Adams Dix)
• Whole

House of Representatives

• Accounts (Chairman: Daniel P. King)
• Agriculture (Chairman: Joseph H. Anderson)
• Claims (Chairman: John Reeves Jones Daniel)
• Commerce (Chairman: Robert McClelland)
• District of Columbia (Chairman: Robert M.T. Hunter)
• Elections (Chairman: Hannibal Hamlin)
• Engraving (Chairman: Jacob S. Yost)
• Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: John F. Collin)
• Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: John H. Harmanson)
• Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Stephen Strong)
• Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: John F. Scammon)
• Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Owen D. Leib)
• Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Orlando B. Ficklin)
• Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Charles J. Ingersoll)
• Indian Affairs (Chairman: John A. McClernand)
• Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Preston King)
• Judiciary (Chairman: George O. Rathbun)
• Manufactures (Chairman: John Quincy Adams)
• Mileage (Chairman: John P. Martin)
• Military Affairs (Chairman: Hugh A. Haralson)
• Militia (Chairman: James A. Black)
• Naval Affairs (Chairman: Isaac E. Holmes)
• Patents (Chairman: Thomas J. Henley)
• Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: George W. Hopkins)
• Private Land Claims (Chairman: James B. Bowlin)
• Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Orlando B. Ficklin)
• Public Expenditures (Chairman: Robert P. Dunlap)
• Public Lands (Chairman: John A. McClernand)
• Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Cullen Sawtelle)
• Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Joseph Johnson)
• Revolutionary Pensions (Chairman: Richard Brodhead)
• Roads and Canals (Chairman: Robert Smith)
• Rules (Select)
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Territories (Chairman: Stephen A. Douglas)
• Ways and Means (Chairman: James I. McKay)
• Whole

Joint committees

• Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Sen. Jesse D. Bright)
• The Library (Chairman: N/A)
• Printing (Chairman: N/A)
• Smithsonian Bequest

Employees

• Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

Senate

• Chaplain: Septimus Tustin (Presbyterian), until December 16, 1846
  • Henry Slicer (Methodist), elected December 16, 1846
• Secretary: Asbury Dickins
• Sergeant at Arms: Edward Dyer, died September 8, 1845
  • Robert Beale, elected December 9, 1845

House of Representatives

• Chaplain: William H. Milburn (Methodist), elected December 3, 1845
  • William T.S. Sprole (Presbyterian), elected December 7, 1846
• Clerk: Benjamin B. French
• Doorkeeper: Cornelius C. Whitney, elected December 3, 1845
• Postmaster: John M. Johnson
• Reading Clerks: [data missing]
• Sergeant at Arms: Newton Lane

See also

• 1844 United States elections (elections leading to this Congress)
  • 1844 United States presidential election
  • 1844–45 United States Senate elections
  • 1844–45 United States House of Representatives elections
• 1846 United States elections (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • 1846–47 United States Senate elections
  • 1846–47 United States House of Representatives elections

Notes

1. Special session of the Senate.
2. When seated or oath administered, not necessarily when service began.