26th United States Congress

Major events

• 1839: The first state law permitting women to own property was passed in Jackson, Mississippi
• January 19, 1840: Captain Charles Wilkes circumnavigated Antarctica, claiming what becomes known as Wilkes Land for the United States.
• November 7, 1840: U.S. presidential election, 1840: William Henry Harrison defeated Martin Van Buren
• February 18, 1841: The first ongoing filibuster in the United States Senate began and lasted until March 11

  Major legislation

Party summary

Senate

House of Representatives

Leadership

Senate

• President: Richard M. Johnson
• President pro tempore: William R. King

  House of Representatives

• Speaker: Robert M. T. Hunter Elected on the 11th ballot

  Members

Senate

[List of [United States Senators from Alabama|Alabama]]

• 2. William R. King
• 3. Clement C. Clay

  Arkansas">List of United States Senators from Arkansas">Arkansas

• 2. William S. Fulton
• 3. Ambrose H. Sevier

  Connecticut">List of United States Senators from Connecticut">Connecticut

• 1. Thaddeus Betts, until April 7, 1840
• * Jabez W. Huntington, from May 4, 1840
• 3. Perry Smith

  Delaware">List of United States Senators from Delaware">Delaware

• 1. Richard H. Bayard, until September 19, 1839
• * Richard H. Bayard, from January 12, 1841
• 2. Thomas Clayton

  Georgia">List of United States Senators from Georgia">Georgia

• 2. Wilson Lumpkin
• 3. Alfred Cuthbert

  Illinois">List of United States Senators from Illinois">Illinois

• 2. John M. Robinson
• 3. Richard M. Young

  Indiana">List of United States Senators from Indiana">Indiana

• 1. Albert S. White
• 3. Oliver H. Smith

  Kentucky">List of United States Senators from Kentucky">Kentucky

• 2. John J. Crittenden
• 3. Henry Clay

  Louisiana">List of United States Senators from Louisiana">Louisiana

• 2. Robert C. Nicholas
• 3. Alexander Mouton

  Maine">List of United States Senators from Maine">Maine

• 1. Reuel Williams
• 2. John Ruggles

  Maryland">List of United States Senators from Maryland">Maryland

• 1. William D. Merrick
• 3. John S. Spence, until October 24, 1840
• * John L. Kerr, from January 5, 1841

  Massachusetts">List of United States Senators from Massachusetts">Massachusetts

• 1. Daniel Webster, until February 22, 1841
• * Rufus Choate, from February 23, 1841
• 2. John Davis, until January 5, 1841
• * Isaac C. Bates, from January 13, 1841

  Michigan">List of United States Senators from Michigan">Michigan

• 1. Augustus S. Porter, from January 20, 1840
• 2. John Norvell

  Mississippi">List of United States Senators from Mississippi">Mississippi

• 1. John Henderson
• 2. Robert J. Walker

  Missouri">List of United States Senators from Missouri">Missouri

• 1. Thomas H. Benton
• 3. Lewis F. Linn

  New Hampshire">List of United States Senators from New Hampshire">New Hampshire

• 2. Henry Hubbard
• 3. Franklin Pierce

  New Jersey">List of United States Senators from New Jersey">New Jersey

• 1. Samuel L. Southard
• 2. Garret D. Wall

  New York">List of United States Senators from New York">New York

• 1. Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, from January 14, 1840
• 3. Silas Wright, Jr.

  North Carolina">List of United States Senators from North Carolina">North Carolina

• 2. Bedford Brown, until November 16, 1840
• * Willie P. Mangum, from November 25, 1840
• 3. Robert Strange, until November 16, 1840
• * William A. Graham, from November 25, 1840

  Ohio">List of United States Senators from Ohio">Ohio

• 1. Benjamin Tappan
• 3. William Allen

  Pennsylvania">List of United States Senators from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania

• 1. Daniel Sturgeon, from January 14, 1840
• 3. James Buchanan

  Rhode Island">List of United States Senators from Rhode Island">Rhode Island

• 1. Nathan F. Dixon
• 2. Nehemiah R. Knight

  South Carolina">List of United States Senators from South Carolina">South Carolina

• 2. John C. Calhoun
• 3. William C. Preston

  Tennessee">List of United States Senators from Tennessee">Tennessee

• 1. Felix Grundy, November 19, 1839 – December 19, 1840
• * Alfred O. P. Nicholson, from December 25, 1840
• 2. Hugh Lawson White, until January 13, 1840
• * Alexander O. Anderson, from February 26, 1840

  Vermont">List of United States Senators from Vermont">Vermont

• 1. Samuel S. Phelps
• 3. Samuel Prentiss

  Virginia">List of United States Senators from Virginia">Virginia

• 1. William C. Rives, from January 18, 1841
• 2. William H. Roane

House of Representatives

[List of [United States Representatives from Alabama|Alabama]]

• . Reuben Chapman
• . David Hubbard
• . George W. Crabb
• . Dixon H. Lewis
• . James Dellet

  Arkansas">List of United States Representatives from Arkansas">Arkansas

• . Edward Cross

  Connecticut">List of United States Representatives from Connecticut">Connecticut

• . Joseph Trumbull
• . William L. Storrs, until June ???, 1840
• * William W. Boardman, from December 7, 1840
• . Thomas W. Williams
• . Thomas B. Osborne
• . Truman Smith
• . John H. Brockway

  Delaware">List of United States Representatives from Delaware">Delaware

• . Thomas Robinson, Jr.

  Georgia">List of United States Representatives from Georgia">Georgia

• . Julius C. Alford
• . Edward J. Black
• . Walter T. Colquitt, until July 21, 1840
• * Hines Holt, from February 1, 1841
• . Mark A. Cooper
• . William C. Dawson
• . Richard W. Habersham
• . Thomas Butler King
• . Eugenius A. Nisbet
• . Lott Warren

  Illinois">List of United States Representatives from Illinois">Illinois

• . John Reynolds
• . Zadok Casey
• . John T. Stuart

  Indiana">List of United States Representatives from Indiana">Indiana

• . George H. Proffit
• . John W. Davis
• . John Carr
• . Thomas Smith
• . James Rariden
• . William W. Wick
• . Tilghman A. Howard, until July 1, 1840
• * Henry S. Lane, from August 3, 1840

  Kentucky">List of United States Representatives from Kentucky">Kentucky

• . Linn Boyd
• . Philip Triplett
• . Joseph R. Underwood
• . Sherrod Williams
• . Simeon H. Anderson, until August 11, 1840
• * John B. Thompson, from December 7, 1840
• . Willis Green
• . John Pope
• . William J. Graves
• . John White
• . Richard Hawes
• . Landaff W. Andrews
• . Garrett Davis
• . William O. Butler

  Louisiana">List of United States Representatives from Louisiana">Louisiana

• . Edward D. White
• . Thomas W. Chinn
• . Rice Garland, until July 21, 1840
• * John Moore, from December 17, 1840

  Maine">List of United States Representatives from Maine">Maine

• . Nathan Clifford
• . Albert Smith
• . Benjamin Randall
• . George Evans, until March 3, 1841
• . Virgil D. Parris
• . Hugh J. Anderson
• . Joshua A. Lowell
• . Thomas Davee

  Maryland">List of United States Representatives from Maryland">Maryland

• . John Dennis
• . Philip F. Thomas
• . John T. H. Worthington
• . James Carroll
• . Solomon Hillen, Jr.
• . William Cost Johnson
• . Francis Thomas
• . Daniel Jenifer

  Massachusetts">List of United States Representatives from Massachusetts">Massachusetts

• . Abbott Lawrence, until September 18, 1840
• * Robert C. Winthrop, from November 9, 1840
• . Leverett Saltonstall
• . Caleb Cushing
• . William Parmenter
• . Levi Lincoln, Jr.
• . James C. Alvord, until September 27, 1839
• * Osmyn Baker, from January 14, 1840
• . George N. Briggs
• . William B. Calhoun
• . William S. Hastings
• . Henry Williams
• . John Reed, Jr.
• . John Quincy Adams

  Michigan">List of United States Representatives from Michigan">Michigan

• . Isaac E. Crary

  Mississippi">List of United States Representatives from Mississippi">Mississippi

• . Albert G. Brown
• . Jacob Thompson

  Missouri">List of United States Representatives from Missouri">Missouri

• . Albert G. Harrison, until September 7, 1839
• * John Jameson, from December 12, 1839
• . John Miller

  New Hampshire">List of United States Representatives from New Hampshire">New Hampshire

• . Charles G. Atherton
• . Edmund Burke
• . Ira A. Eastman
• . Tristram Shaw
• . Jared W. Williams

  New Jersey">List of United States Representatives from New Jersey">New Jersey

• . William R. Cooper
• . Philemon Dickerson
• . Joseph Kille
• . Joseph F. Randolph
• . Daniel B. Ryall
• . Peter D. Vroom

  New York">List of United States Representatives from New York">New York

• . Thomas B. Jackson
• . James De la Montanya
• . Edward Curtis
• . Moses H. Grinnell
• . Ogden Hoffman
• . James Monroe
• . Gouverneur Kemble
• . Charles Johnston
• . Nathaniel Jones
• . Rufus Palen
• . John Ely
• . Aaron Vanderpoel
• . Hiram P. Hunt
• . Daniel D. Barnard
• . Anson Brown, until June 14, 1840
• * Nicholas B. Doe, from December 7, 1840
• . David A. Russell
• . Augustus C. Hand
• . John Fine
• . Peter J. Wagner
• . Andrew W. Doig
• . David P. Brewster
• . John G. Floyd
• . Thomas C. Chittenden
• . John H. Prentiss
• . Judson Allen
• . John C. Clark
• . Amasa Dana
• . Stephen B. Leonard
• . Nehemiah H. Earll
• . Edward Rogers
• . Christopher Morgan
• . Theron R. Strong
• . Francis Granger
• . Meredith Mallory
• . Thomas Kempshall
• . Seth M. Gates
• . Luther C. Peck
• . Richard P. Marvin
• . Millard Fillmore
• . Charles F. Mitchell

  North Carolina">List of United States Representatives from North Carolina">North Carolina

• . Kenneth Rayner
• . Jesse A. Bynum
• . Edward Stanly
• . Charles B. Shepard
• . James I. McKay
• . Micajah T. Hawkins
• . Edmund Deberry
• . William Montgomery
• . John Hill
• . Charles Fisher
• . Henry W. Connor
• . James Graham
• . Lewis Williams

  Ohio">List of United States Representatives from Ohio">Ohio

• . Alexander Duncan
• . John B. Weller
• . Patrick G. Goode
• . Thomas Corwin, until May 30, 1840
• * Jeremiah Morrow, from October 13, 1840
• . William Doan
• . Calvary Morris
• . William K. Bond
• . Joseph Ridgway
• . William Medill
• . Samson Mason
• . Isaac Parrish
• . Jonathan Taylor
• . Daniel P. Leadbetter
• . George Sweeny
• . John W. Allen
• . Joshua R. Giddings
• . John Hastings
• . David A. Starkweather
• . Henry Swearingen

  Pennsylvania">List of United States Representatives from Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania

• . Lemuel Paynter
• . John Sergeant
• . George W. Toland
• . Charles Naylor
• . Edward Davies
• . John Edwards
• . Francis James
• . Joseph Fornance
• . John Davis
• . David D. Wagener
• . Peter Newhard
• . George M. Keim
• . William Simonton
• . James Gerry
• . James Cooper
• . William S. Ramsey, until October 17, 1840
• * Charles McClure, from December 7, 1840
• . William W. Potter, until October 28, 1839
• * George McCulloch, from November 20, 1839
• . David Petrikin
• . Robert H. Hammond
• . Samuel W. Morris
• . Charles Ogle
• . Albert G. Marchand
• . Enos Hook
• . Isaac Leet
• . Richard Biddle, until July 21, 1840
• * Henry M. Brackenridge, from October 13, 1840
• . William Beatty
• . Thomas Henry
• . John Galbraith

  Rhode Island">List of United States Representatives from Rhode Island">Rhode Island

• . Robert B. Cranston
• . Joseph L. Tillinghast

  South Carolina">List of United States Representatives from South Carolina">South Carolina

• . Isaac E. Holmes
• . R. Barnwell Rhett
• . John Campbell
• . Sampson H. Butler
• . Francis W. Pickens
• . Waddy Thompson, Jr.
• . James Rogers
• . Thomas D. Sumter
• . John K. Griffin

  Tennessee">List of United States Representatives from Tennessee">Tennessee

• . William B. Carter
• . Abraham McClellan
• . Joseph L. Williams
• . Julius W. Blackwell
• . Hopkins L. Turney
• . William B. Campbell
• . John Bell
• . Meredith P. Gentry
• . Harvey M. Watterson
• . Aaron V. Brown
• . Cave Johnson
• . John W. Crockett
• . Christopher H. Williams

  Vermont">List of United States Representatives from Vermont">Vermont

• . Hiland Hall
• . William Slade
• . Horace Everett
• . John Smith
• . Isaac Fletcher

  Virginia">List of United States Representatives from Virginia">Virginia

• . Joel Holleman, until December 1840
• * Francis Mallory, from December 28, 1840
• . Francis E. Rives
• . John W. Jones
• . George C. Dromgoole
• . John Hill
• . Walter Coles
• . William L. Goggin
• . Henry A. Wise
• . Robert M. T. Hunter
• . John Taliaferro
• . John M. Botts
• . James Garland
• . Linn Banks
• . Charles F. Mercer, until December 26, 1839
• * William M. McCarty, from January 25, 1840
• . William Lucas
• . Green B. Samuels
• . Robert Craig
• . George W. Hopkins
• . Andrew Beirne
• . Joseph Johnson
• . Lewis Steenrod

  Non-voting members

• . Charles Downing
• . William W. Chapman, until October 27, 1840
• * Augustus C. Dodge, from October 28, 1840
• . James D. Doty

Changes in membership

Senate

• Replacements: 8
• * Democrats: 0-seat net loss
• * Whigs: 0-seat net gain
• Deaths: 3
• Resignations: 7
• Interim appointments: 0
• Total seats with changes: 11

  House of Representatives

• Replacements: 15
• * Democrats: 2-seat net loss
• * Whigs: 3-seat net gain
• * Anti-Masonic: 1-seat net loss
• Deaths: 6
• Resignations: 10
• Contested election: 0
• Total seats with changes: 17

  Committees

Senate

• Agriculture
• Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate
• Claims
• Commerce
• Distributing Public Revenue Among the States
• District of Columbia &
• Engrossed Bills
• Finance
• Fiscal Corporation of the United States
• Foreign Relations
• Indian Affairs
• Judiciary
• Manufactures
• Military Affairs
• Militia
• Naval Affairs
• Patents and the Patent Office
• Pensions
• Post Office and Post Roads
• Printing
• Private Land Claims
• Public Buildings and Grounds
• Public Lands
• Revolutionary Claims
• Roads and Canals
• Tariff Regulation
• Whole

  House of Representatives

• Accounts
• Agriculture
• Apportionment of Representatives
• Claims
• Commerce
• District of Columbia
• Elections
• 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
• Invalid Pensions
• Judiciary
• Manufactures
• Memorial of the Agricultural Bank of Mississippi
• Mileage
• Military Affairs
• Militia
• Naval Affairs
• Patents
• Post Office and Post Roads
• Private Land Claims
• Public Buildings and Grounds
• Public Expenditures
• Public Lands
• Revisal and Unfinished Business
• Revolutionary Claims
• Revolutionary Pensions
• Roads and Canals
• Rules
• Standards of Official Conduct
• Territories
• Ways and Means
• Whole

  Joint committees

• Enrolled Bills
• The Library

  Employees

• Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

  Senate

• Chaplain: Henry Slicer, until December 31, 1839
• * George G. Cookman, from December 31, 1839
• Secretary: Asbury Dickins
• Sergeant at Arms: Stephen Haight

  House of Representatives

• Chaplain: Levi M. Reese, until February 4, 1840
• * Joshua Bates, elected February 4, 1840
• * Thomas W. Braxton, elected December 7, 1840
• Clerk: Hugh A. Garland
• Doorkeeper: Joseph Follansbee, elected December 23, 1839
• Postmaster: William J. McCormick, elected December 23, 1839
• Reading Clerks:
• Sergeant at Arms: Roderick Dorsey