The 34th 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, 1855, to March 4, 1857, during the last two years of Franklin Pierce's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1850 United States census. The Whig Party, one of the two major parties of the era, had largely collapsed, although many former Whigs ran as Republicans or as members of the "Opposition Party." The Senate had a Democratic majority, and the House was controlled by a coalition of Representatives led by Nathaniel P. Banks, a member of the American Party.
Major events
March 30, 1855: Elections were held for the first Kansas Territory legislature. Missourians crossed the border in large numbers to elect a pro-slavery body. July 2, 1855: The Kansas territorial legislature convened in Pawnee and began enacting proslavery laws. November 21, 1855: Large-scale Bleeding Kansas violence began with events leading to the Wakarusa War between antislavery and proslavery forces. December 3, 1855 – February 2, 1856: The election for Speaker of the House requires 133 ballots, the longest and most contentious speaker election in House history. January 24, 1856: President Franklin Pierce declared the new Free-State Topeka government in Bleeding Kansas to be in rebellion. January 26, 1856: First Battle of Seattle: Marines from the drove off Indian attackers after an all-day battle with settlers. February, 1856: Tintic War broke out in Utah. February 18, 1856: The American Party (Know-Nothings) nominated their first Presidential candidate, former President Millard Fillmore. May 21, 1856: Lawrence, Kansas, captured and burned by pro-slavery forces (the "Sacking of Lawrence"). May 22, 1856: Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina attacking Senator Charles Sumner, beating him with a cane in the hall of the Senate, for a speech Sumner had made attacking Southerners who sympathized with the pro-slavery violence in Kansas ("Bleeding Kansas"). Sumner was unable to return to duty for 3 years while he recovered; Brooks became a hero across the South. May 24, 1856: Pottawatomie massacre June 2, 1856: Battle of Black Jack August 30, 1856: Battle of Osawatomie November 4, 1856: 1856 United States presidential election: Democrat James Buchanan defeated former President Millard Fillmore, representing a coalition of "Know-Nothings" and Whigs, and John C. Frémont of the fledgling Republican Party. November 17, 1856: On the Sonoita River in present-day southern Arizona, the United States Army established Fort Buchanan to help control new land acquired in the Gadsden Purchase. January 9, 1857: The 7.9 Mw Fort Tejon earthquake affects Central and Southern California with a maximum Mercalli intensity of IX (Violent).
Major legislation
August 18, 1856: Guano Islands Act, ch. 164,
Treaties
January 26, 1855: Point No Point Treaty signed in the Washington Territory. (Ratified March 8, 1859. Proclaimed April 29, 1859) July 1, 1855: Quinault Treaty signed, Quinault and Quileute ceded their land to the United States. (Ratified March 8, 1859. Proclaimed April 11, 1859)
Party summary The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of this Congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.
During the elections for this Congress, opponents to the Democrats used the Whig party label inconsistently and not at all in some states. Hence in this Congress, and in accordance with the practice of the Senate and House, representatives not associated with the Democratic Party or the American Party are labeled as "Opposition." This is the first example in U.S. history of a form of coalition government in either house of Congress.
Senate Affiliation Party (Shading indicates control) Total American(Know Nothing)(A) Democratic(D) Opposition coalition Vacant Free Soil(FS) Republican(R) Whig(W) End of previous Congress 1 38 5 0 17 61 1 Begin 2 35 2 7 9 55 7 End 40 1 11 8 62 0 Final voting share 3.2% 64.5% 32.3% Beginning of next Congress 4 37 0 20 0 61 1
House of Representatives The parties that opposed the Democrats joined a coalition and formed the majority. The Know Nothings caucused with the Opposition coalition. AffiliationParty (Shading indicates control) TotalDemocratic(D)Opposition CaucusOtherVacant American(Know Nothing)(A) Opposition(O) Republican(R) End of previous Congress 156 0 76 0 2 234 0 Begin 82 51 100 0 0 233 1 End 96 1 230 4 Final voting share 0.0% Beginning of next Congress 127 14 0 92 0 233 1
Leadership
Senate President: Vacant President pro tempore: Jesse D. Bright (D), until June 9, 1856 Charles E. Stuart (D, June 9, 1856 – June 10, 1856 Jesse D. Bright (D), June 11, 1856 – January 6, 1857 James M. Mason (D), from January 6, 1857
House of Representatives Speaker: Nathaniel P. Banks (A), elected February 2, 1856, on the 133rd ballot Democratic Caucus Chairman: George Washington Jones
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 ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1856; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1860. Skip to House of Representatives, below
Alabama 2. Clement C. Clay Jr. (D) 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), from November 26, 1855
Arkansas 2. William K. Sebastian (D) 3. Robert W. Johnson (D)
California 1. John B. Weller (D) 3. William M. Gwin (D), from January 13, 1857
Connecticut 1. Isaac Toucey (D) 3. Lafayette S. Foster (R)
Delaware 1. James A. Bayard Jr. (D) 2. John M. Clayton (W), until November 9, 1856 Joseph P. Comegys (W), November 19, 1856 – January 14, 1857 Martin W. Bates (D), from January 14, 1857
Florida 1. Stephen Mallory (D) 3. David Levy Yulee (D)
Georgia 2. Robert Toombs (D) 3. Alfred Iverson Sr. (D)
Illinois 2. Stephen A. Douglas (D) 3. Lyman Trumbull (D)
Indiana 1. Jesse D. Bright (D) 3. Graham N. Fitch (D), from February 4, 1857
Iowa 2. George Wallace Jones (D) 3. James Harlan (FS), until January 5, 1857 James Harlan (R), from January 29, 1857
Kentucky 2. John B. Thompson (A) 3. John J. Crittenden (A)
Louisiana 2. Judah P. Benjamin (W) 3. John Slidell (D)
Maine 1. Hannibal Hamlin (D) to (R) on June 12, 1856, until January 7, 1857 Amos Nourse (R), from January 16, 1857 2. William P. Fessenden (W)
Maryland 3. James A. Pearce (W) 1. Thomas Pratt (W)
Massachusetts 1. Charles Sumner (FS) 2. Henry Wilson (R)
Michigan 1. Lewis Cass (D) 2. Charles E. Stuart (D)
Mississippi 1. Stephen Adams (D) 2. Albert G. Brown (D)
Missouri 1. Henry S. Geyer (W) 3. James S. Green (D), from January 12, 1857
New Hampshire 2. John P. Hale (R), from July 30, 1855 3. James Bell (R), from July 30, 1855
New Jersey 1. John R. Thomson (D) 2. William Wright (D)
New York 3. William H. Seward (R) 1. Hamilton Fish (W)
North Carolina 2. David S. Reid (D) 3. Asa Biggs (D)
Ohio 1. Benjamin Wade (R) 3. George E. Pugh (D)
Pennsylvania 1. Richard Brodhead (D) 3. William Bigler (D), from January 14, 1856
Rhode Island 1. Charles T. James (D) 2. Philip Allen (D)
South Carolina 3. Andrew Butler (D) 2. Josiah J. Evans (D)
Tennessee 2. John Bell (W) 1. James C. Jones (W)
Texas 2. Samuel Houston (D) 1. Thomas J. Rusk (D)
Vermont 1. Solomon Foot (R) 3. Jacob Collamer (R)
Virginia 1. James M. Mason (D) 2. Robert M. T. Hunter (D)
Wisconsin 1. Henry Dodge (D) 3. Charles Durkee (R)
House of Representatives
The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Alabama . Percy Walker (A) . Eli S. Shorter (D) . James F. Dowdell (D) . William R. Smith (A) . George S. Houston (D) . Williamson R. W. Cobb (D) . Sampson W. Harris (D)
Arkansas . Alfred B. Greenwood (D) . Albert Rust (D)
California Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket. . James W. Denver (D) . Philemon T. Herbert (D)
Connecticut . Ezra Clark Jr. (A) . John Woodruff (A) . Sidney Dean (A) . William W. Welch (A)
Delaware . Elisha D. Cullen (A)
Florida . Augustus Maxwell (D)
Georgia . James L. Seward (D) . Martin J. Crawford (D) . Robert P. Trippe (A) . Hiram B. Warner (D) . John H. Lumpkin (D) . Howell Cobb (D) . Nathaniel G. Foster (A) . Alexander Stephens (D)
Illinois . Elihu B. Washburne (O) . James H. Woodworth (O) . Jesse O. Norton (O) . James Knox (O) . William A. Richardson (D), until August 25, 1856 Jacob C. Davis (D), from November 4, 1856 . Thomas L. Harris (D) . James C. Allen (D), until July 18, 1856, and from November 4, 1856 . James L. D. Morrison (D), from November 4, 1856 . Samuel S. Marshall (D)
Indiana . Smith Miller (D) . William H. English (D) . George G. Dunn (O) . William Cumback (O) . David P. Holloway (O) . Lucien Barbour (O) . Harvey D. Scott (O) . Daniel Mace (O) . Schuyler Colfax (O) . Samuel Brenton (O) . John U. Pettit (O)
Iowa . Augustus Hall (D) . James Thorington (O)
Kentucky . Henry C. Burnett (D) . John P. Campbell Jr. (A) . Warner L. Underwood (A) . Albert G. Talbott (D) . Joshua Jewett (D) . John M. Elliott (D) . Humphrey Marshall (A) . Alexander K. Marshall (A) . Leander Cox (A) . Samuel F. Swope (A)
Louisiana . George Eustis Jr. (A) . Miles Taylor (D) . Thomas G. Davidson (D) . John M. Sandidge (D)
Maine . John M. Wood (O) . John J. Perry (O) . Ebenezer Knowlton (O) . Samuel P. Benson (O) . Israel Washburn Jr. (O) . Thomas J. D. Fuller (D)
Maryland . James A. Stewart (D) . James B. Ricaud (A) . J. Morrison Harris (A) . Henry Winter Davis (A) . Henry William Hoffman (A) . Thomas F. Bowie (D)
Massachusetts . Robert B. Hall (A) . James Buffington (A) . William S. Damrell (A) . Linus B. Comins (A) . Anson Burlingame (A) . Timothy Davis (A) . Nathaniel P. Banks (A) . Chauncey L. Knapp (A) . Alexander De Witt (A) . Calvin C. Chaffee (A) . Mark Trafton (A)
Michigan . William A. Howard (O) . Henry Waldron (O) . David S. Walbridge (O) . George W. Peck (D)
Mississippi . Daniel B. Wright (D) . Hendley S. Bennett (D) . William Barksdale (D) . William A. Lake (A) . John A. Quitman (D)
Missouri . Luther M. Kennett (O) . Gilchrist Porter (O) . James J. Lindley (O) . Mordecai Oliver (O) . John G. Miller (O), until May 11, 1856 Thomas P. Akers (A), from August 18, 1856 . John S. Phelps (D) . Samuel Caruthers (O)
New Hampshire . James Pike (A) . Mason Tappan (A) . Aaron H. Cragin (A)
New Jersey . Isaiah D. Clawson (O) . George R. Robbins (O) . James Bishop (O) . George Vail (D) . Alexander C. M. Pennington (O)
New York . William Valk (A) . James S. T. Stranahan (O) . Guy R. Pelton (O) . John Kelly (D) . Thomas R. Whitney (A) . John Wheeler (D) . Thomas Child Jr. (O) . Abram Wakeman (O) . Bayard Clarke (O) . Ambrose S. Murray (O) . Rufus H. King (O) . Killian Miller (O) . Russell Sage (O) . Samuel Dickson (O) . Edward Dodd (O) . George A. Simmons (O) . Francis E. Spinner (D) . Thomas R. Horton (O) . Jonas A. Hughston (O) . Orsamus B. Matteson (O), until February 27, 1857 . Henry Bennett (O) . Andrew Z. McCarty (O) . William A. Gilbert (O), until February 27, 1857 . Amos P. Granger (O) . Edwin B. Morgan (O) . Andrew Oliver (D)