20th United States Congress
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 Fourth Census of the United States in 1820. Both chambers had a Jacksonian majority.
Major events
- December 3, 1828: U.S. presidential election, 1828: Challenger Andrew Jackson beat incumbent John Quincy Adams and was elected President of the United States
Major legislation
- May 24, 1828: Tariff of Abominations, ch. 111,
Party summary
Senate
House of Representatives
Leadership
Senate
- President: John C. Calhoun
- President pro tempore: Samuel Smith
House of Representatives
- Speaker: Andrew Stevenson
Members
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.[List of [United States Senators from Alabama|Alabama]]
- 2. William R. D. King
- 3. John McKinley
Connecticut">List of United States Senators from Connecticut">Connecticut
- 1. Samuel A. Foote
- 3. Calvin Willey
Delaware">List of United States Senators from Delaware">Delaware
- 1. Louis McLane
- 2. Henry M. Ridgely
Georgia">List of United States Senators from Georgia">Georgia
- 2. Thomas W. Cobb, until November 7, 1828
- * Oliver H. Prince, from November 7, 1828
- 3. John Macpherson Berrien
Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois
- 2. Jesse B. Thomas
- 3. Elias K. Kane
Indiana">List of United States Senators from Indiana">Indiana
- 1. James Noble
- 3. William Hendricks
Kentucky">List of United States Senators from Kentucky">Kentucky
- 2. Richard M. Johnson
- 3. John Rowan
Louisiana">List of United States Senators from Louisiana">Louisiana
- 2. Dominique J. Bouligny
- 3. Josiah S. Johnston
Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine
- 1. Albion K. Parris, until August 26, 1828
- * John Holmes, from January 15, 1829
- 2. John Chandler
Maryland">List of United States Senators from Maryland">Maryland
- 1. Samuel Smith
- 3. Ezekiel F. Chambers
Massachusetts">List of United States Senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- 1. Daniel Webster, from June 8, 1827
- 2. Nathaniel Silsbee
Mississippi">List of United States Senators from Mississippi">Mississippi
- 1. Powhatan Ellis
- 2. Thomas H. Williams
Missouri">List of United States Senators from Missouri">Missouri
- 1. Thomas H. Benton
- 3. David Barton
New Hampshire">List of United States Senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- 2. Samuel Bell
- 3. Levi Woodbury
New Jersey">List of United States Senators from New Jersey">New Jersey
- 1. Ephraim Bateman, until January 12, 1829
- * Mahlon Dickerson, from January 30, 1829
- 2. Mahlon Dickerson, until January 30, 1829, vacant thereafter
New York">List of United States Senators from New York">New York
- 1. Martin Van Buren, until December 20, 1828
- * Charles E. Dudley, from January 15, 1829
- 3. Nathan Sanford
North Carolina">List of United States Senators from North Carolina">North Carolina
- 2. John Branch
- 3. Nathaniel Macon, until November 14, 1828
- * James Iredell Jr., from December 15, 1828
Ohio">List of United States Senators from Ohio">Ohio
- 1. Benjamin Ruggles
- 3. William Henry Harrison, until May 20, 1828
- * Jacob Burnet, from December 10, 1828
Pennsylvania">List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- 1. Isaac D. Barnard
- 3. William Marks
Rhode Island">List of United States Senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- 1. Asher Robbins
- 2. Nehemiah R. Knight
South Carolina">List of United States Senators from South Carolina">South Carolina
- 2. Robert Y. Hayne
- 3. William Smith
Tennessee">List of United States Senators from Tennessee">Tennessee
- 1. John H. Eaton
- 2. Hugh Lawson White
Vermont">List of United States Senators from Vermont">Vermont
- 1. Horatio Seymour
- 3. Dudley Chase
Virginia">List of United States Senators from Virginia">Virginia
- 1. John Tyler
- 2. Littleton W. Tazewell
House of Representatives
[List of [United States Representatives from Alabama|Alabama]]
- . Gabriel Moore
- . John McKee
- . George W. Owen
Connecticut">List of United States Representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut
- . John Baldwin
- . Noyes Barber
- . Ralph I. Ingersoll
- . Orange Merwin
- . Elisha Phelps
- . David Plant
Delaware">List of United States Representatives from Delaware">Delaware
- . Kensey Johns Jr., from October 2, 1827
Georgia">List of United States Representatives from Georgia">Georgia
- . Edward F. Tattnall, until sometime in 1827
- * George R. Gilmer, from October 1, 1827
- . John Forsyth, until November 7, 1827
- * Richard Henry Wilde, from November 17, 1827
- . Wiley Thompson
- . Wilson Lumpkin
- . Charles E. Haynes
- . Tomlinson Fort
- . John Floyd
Illinois">List of United States Representatives from Illinois">Illinois
- . Joseph Duncan
Indiana">List of United States Representatives from Indiana">Indiana
- . Thomas H. Blake
- . Jonathan Jennings
- . Oliver H. Smith
Kentucky">List of United States Representatives from Kentucky">Kentucky
- . Henry Daniel
- . Thomas Metcalfe, until June 1, 1828
- * John Chambers, from December 1, 1828
- . James Clark
- . Robert P. Letcher
- . Robert L. McHatton
- . Joseph Lecompte
- . Thomas P. Moore
- . Richard A. Buckner
- . Charles A. Wickliffe
- . Joel Yancey
- . William S. Young, until September 20, 1827
- * John Calhoon, November 5, 1827 – November 7, 1827
- * Thomas Chilton, from December 22, 1827
- . Chittenden Lyon
Louisiana">List of United States Representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana
- . Edward Livingston
- . Henry H. Gurley
- . William L. Brent
Maine">List of United States Representatives from Maine">Maine
- . William Burleigh, until July 2, 1827
- * Rufus McIntire, from September 10, 1827
- . John Anderson
- . Joseph F. Wingate
- . Peleg Sprague
- . James W. Ripley
- . Jeremiah O'Brien
- . Samuel Butman
Maryland">List of United States Representatives from Maryland">Maryland
- . Clement Dorsey
- . John C. Weems
- . George C. Washington
- . Michael C. Sprigg
- . John Barney
- . Peter Little
- . Levin Gale
- . John L. Kerr
- . Ephraim K. Wilson
Massachusetts">List of United States Representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts
- . Daniel Webster, until May 30, 1827
- * Benjamin Gorham, from July 23, 1827
- . Benjamin W. Crowninshield
- . John Varnum
- . Edward Everett
- . John Davis
- . John Locke
- . Samuel C. Allen
- . Isaac C. Bates
- . Henry W. Dwight
- . John Bailey
- . Joseph Richardson
- . James L. Hodges
- . John Reed Jr.
Mississippi">List of United States Representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi
- . William Haile, until September 12, 1828
- * Thomas Hinds, from October 21, 1828
Missouri">List of United States Representatives from Missouri">Missouri
- . Edward Bates
New Hampshire">List of United States Representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire
- . David Barker Jr.
- . Ichabod Bartlett
- . Titus Brown
- . Jonathan Harvey
- . Joseph Healy
- . Thomas Whipple Jr.
New Jersey">List of United States Representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey
- . Lewis Condict
- . George Holcombe, until January 14, 1828
- * James F. Randolph, from December 1, 1828
- . Isaac Pierson
- . Samuel Swan
- . Hedge Thompson, until July 23, 1828
- * Thomas Sinnickson, from December 1, 1828
- . Ebenezer Tucker
New York">List of United States Representatives from New York">New York
- . Silas Wood
- . John J. Wood
- . Churchill C. Cambreleng
- . Jeromus Johnson
- . Gulian C. Verplanck
- . Aaron Ward
- . Thomas J. Oakley, until May 9, 1828
- * Thomas Taber II, from November 5, 1828
- . John Hallock Jr.
- . George O. Belden
- . James Strong
- . John D. Dickinson
- . Stephen Van Rensselaer
- . Selah R. Hobbie
- . John I. De Graff
- . Samuel Chase
- . Henry R. Storrs
- . Michael Hoffman
- . Henry Markell
- . John W. Taylor
- . Henry C. Martindale
- . Richard Keese
- . Rudolph Bunner
- . Silas Wright Jr., until February 16, 1829, vacant thereafter
- . John C. Clark
- . John G. Stower
- . Jonas Earll Jr.
- . Nathaniel Garrow
- . David Woodcock
- . Dudley Marvin
- . John Maynard
- . Daniel D. Barnard
- . John Magee
- . David E. Evans, until May 2, 1827
- * Phineas L. Tracy, from November 5, 1827
- . Daniel G. Garnsey
North Carolina">List of United States Representatives from North Carolina">North Carolina
- . Lemuel Sawyer
- . Willis Alston
- . Thomas H. Hall
- . John H. Bryan
- . Gabriel Holmes
- . Daniel Turner
- . John Culpepper
- . Daniel L. Barringer
- . Augustine H. Shepperd
- . John Long
- . Henry W. Connor
- . Samuel P. Carson
- . Lewis Williams
Ohio">List of United States Representatives from Ohio">Ohio
- . James Findlay
- . John Woods
- . William McLean
- . Joseph Vance
- . William Russell
- . William Creighton Jr., until sometime in 1828
- * Francis S. Muhlenberg, from December 19, 1828
- . Samuel F. Vinton
- . William Wilson, until June 6, 1827
- * William Stanbery, from October 9, 1827
- . Philemon Beecher
- . John Davenport
- . John C. Wright
- . John Sloane
- . Elisha Whittlesey
- . Mordecai Bartley
Pennsylvania">List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania
- . Joel B. Sutherland
- . John Sergeant
- . Daniel H. Miller
- . Samuel Anderson
- . James Buchanan
- . Charles Miner
- . John B. Sterigere
- . Innis Green
- . William Addams
- . Joseph Fry Jr.
- . Samuel D. Ingham
- . George Wolf
- . George Kremer
- . Samuel McKean
- . Espy Van Horne
- . Adam King
- . William Ramsey
- . James Wilson
- . John Mitchell
- . Chauncey Forward
- . Andrew Stewart
- . Joseph Lawrence
- . Robert Orr Jr.
- . James S. Stevenson
- . Richard Coulter
- . Stephen Barlow
Rhode Island">List of United States Representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island
- . Tristam Burges
- . Dutee J. Pearce
South Carolina">List of United States Representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina
- . William Drayton
- . James Hamilton Jr.
- . Thomas R. Mitchell
- . William D. Martin
- . George McDuffie
- . Warren R. Davis
- . William T. Nuckolls
- . John Carter
- . Starling Tucker
Tennessee">List of United States Representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee
- . John Blair
- . Pryor Lea
- . James C. Mitchell
- . Jacob C. Isacks
- . Robert Desha
- . James K. Polk
- . John Bell
- . John H. Marable
- . Davy Crockett
Vermont">List of United States Representatives from Vermont">Vermont
- . Jonathan Hunt
- . Rollin C. Mallary
- . George E. Wales
- . Benjamin Swift
- . Daniel A. A. Buck
Virginia">List of United States Representatives from Virginia">Virginia
- . Thomas Newton Jr.
- . James Trezvant
- . William S. Archer
- . Mark Alexander
- . John Randolph
- . Thomas Davenport
- . Nathaniel H. Claiborne
- . Burwell Bassett
- . Andrew Stevenson
- . William C. Rives
- . Philip P. Barbour
- . John Roane
- . John Taliaferro
- . Charles F. Mercer
- . John S. Barbour
- . William Armstrong
- . Robert Allen
- . Isaac Leffler
- . William McCoy
- . John Floyd
- . Lewis Maxwell
- . Alexander Smyth
Non-voting members
- . Henry W. Conway, until November 9, 1827
- * Ambrose H. Sevier, from February 13, 1828
- . Joseph M. White
- . Austin E. Wing
Changes in membership
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.Senate
- replacements: 6
- *Anti-Jacksonian : no net change
- *Jacksonian : no net change
- deaths: 0
- resignations: 7
- interim appointments: 0
- Total seats with changes: 8
House of Representatives
- replacements: 9
- *Anti-Jacksonian : 1-seat net loss
- *Jacksonian : 1-seat net gain
- deaths: 5
- resignations: 9
- contested election: 1
- Total seats with changes: 15
Committees
Senate
- Agriculture
- Alabama Land Purchase
- Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
- Claims
- Commerce
- Debt Imprisonment Abolition
- Distributing Public Revenue Among the States
- District of Columbia
- Engrossed Bills
- Finance
- Foreign Relations
- French Spoilations
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Militia
- Naval Affairs
- Pensions
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Lands
- Revolutionary Officers
- Roads and Canals
- Tariff Regulation
- Vaccination
- Whole
House of Representatives
- Accounts
- Agriculture
- Assault on the President's Secretary
- American Colonization Society
- Claims
- Commerce
- District of Columbia
- Elections
- Ethics
- Expenditures in the Navy Department
- Expenditures in the Post Office Department
- Expenditures in the State Department
- Expenditures in the Treasury Department
- Expenditures in the War Department
- Expenditures on Public Buildings
- Foreign Affairs
- Indian Affairs
- Judiciary
- Manufactures
- Military Affairs
- Military Pensions
- Naval Affairs
- Post Office and Post Roads
- Private Land Claims
- Public Expenditures
- Public Lands
- Revisal and Unfinished Business
- Revolutionary Claims
- Rules
- Standards of Official Conduct
- Territories
- Ways and Means
- Whole
Joint committees
- Enrolled Bills
- The Library
- To Prepare a Code of Laws for the District of Columbia
Employees
Legislative branch agency">List of federal agencies in the United States#Legislative branch">Legislative branch agency directors
- Architect of the Capitol: Charles Bulfinch
- Librarian of Congress: George Watterston
Senate
- Chaplain: William Ryland
- Secretary: Walter Lowrie
- Sergeant at Arms: Mountjoy Bayly
House of Representatives
- Chaplain: Reuben Post
- Clerk: Matthew St. Clair Clarke
- Doorkeeper: Benjamin Birch
- Reading Clerks:
- Sergeant at Arms: John O. Dunn