33rd United States Congress

33rd United States Congress

32nd ← → 34th United States Capitol (1846) Duration: March 4, 1853 – March 4, 1855 Senate President: William R. King (until April 18, 1853) Vacant (from April 18, 1853) Senate Pres. pro tem: David R. Atchison Lewis Cass Jesse D. Bright House Speaker: Linn Boyd Members: 62 Senators 234 Representatives 7 Non-voting members Senate Majority: Democratic House Majority: Democratic Sessions Special: March 4, 1853 – April 11, 1853 1st: December 5, 1853 – August 7, 1854 2nd: December 4, 1854 – March 4, 1855

The Thirty-third 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, 1853 to March 4, 1855, during the first two years of the administration of U.S. President Franklin Pierce. During this session, the Kansas-Nebraska Act was passed, an act that soon led to the creation of the Republican Party. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Seventh Census of the United States in 1850. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Major events

Gadsden Purchase (in yellow)

See also: 1853 in the United States, 1854 in the United States, and 1855 in the United States

• March 4, 1853: Franklin Pierce became President of the United States
• April 18, 1853: Vice President William R. King died
• July 8, 1853: Commodore Matthew C. Perry arrived in Edo Bay with a request for a trade treaty
• December 30, 1853: Gadsden Purchase: The United States bought land from Mexico to facilitate railroad building in the Southwest
• March 20, 1854: Republican Party founded

Major legislation

Main article: Major legislation: 33rd United States Congress

• May 30, 1854: Kansas-Nebraska Act, ch. 59, 10 Stat. 277
• March 3, 1855: The U.S. Congress appropriates $30,000 to create the U.S. Camel Corps

Treaties

• March 31, 1853: Convention of Kanagawa signed with the Japanese government, opening the ports of Shimoda and Hakodate to American trade
• January 26, 1854: Point No Point Treaty signed

Territories organized

• May 30, 1854 – Kansas Territory was organized.
• May 30, 1854 – Nebraska Territory was organized.

Party summary

Senate

	Party (Shading shows control)					Total	Vacant
	American (A)	Democratic (D)	Free Soil (F)	Whig (W)	Other (O)
End of the previous congress	0	34	4	23	0	61	1
Begin	1	35	2	19	0	57	5
End		38	5	17		61	1
Final voting share	1.6%	62.3%	8.2%	27.9%	0.0%
Beginning of the next congress	2	35	2	9	7	55	7

House of Representatives

For the beginning of this congress, the size of the House was increased from 233 seats to 234 seats, following the 1850 United States Census (See 9 Stat. 433).

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)						Total
	Democratic (D)	Independent Democratic (ID)	Free Soil (FS)	Whig (W)	Independent (I)	Other		Vacant
End of previous Congress	126	3	3	86	0	14	232	1
Begin	158	1	3	71	1	0	234	0
End	156		2	74
Final voting share	66.7%	0.4%	0.9%	31.6%	0.4%	0.1%
Beginning of next Congress	79	(Opposition coalition) 154					233	1

Leadership

President of the Senate
William R. King

Senate

• President: William R. King (D), until April 18, 1853 (died); vacant thereafter.
• President pro tempore: David R. Atchison (D), until December 4, 1854
  • Lewis Cass (D), December 4, 1854
  • Jesse D. Bright (D), from December 5, 1854

House of Representatives

• Speaker: Linn Boyd (D)

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 1856; Class 2 meant their term began with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1854. The United States consisted of 31 states during this Congress.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

Alabama

• 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)
• 2. Clement C. Clay, Jr. (D), from November 29, 1853

Arkansas

• 2. William K. Sebastian (D)
• 3. Solon Borland (D), until April 11, 1853
  • Robert W. Johnson (D), from July 6, 1853

California

• 3. William M. Gwin (D)
• 1. John B. Weller (D)

Connecticut

• 3. Truman Smith (W), until May 24, 1854
  • Francis Gillette (FS), from May 24, 1854
• 1. Isaac Toucey (D)

Delaware

• 1. James A. Bayard, Jr. (D)
• 2. John M. Clayton (W)

Florida

• 3. Jackson Morton (W)
• 1. Stephen Mallory (D)

Georgia

• 3. William C. Dawson (W)
• 2. Robert Toombs (D)

Illinois

• 2. Stephen A. Douglas (D)
• 3. James Shields (D)

Indiana

• 1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
• 3. John Pettit (D)

Iowa

• 3. Augustus C. Dodge (D), until February 22, 1855
• 2. George W. Jones (D)

Kentucky

• 3. Archibald Dixon (W)
• 2. John B. Thompson (A)

Louisiana

• 3. Pierre Soulé (D), until April 11, 1853
  • John Slidell (D), from December 5, 1853
• 2. Judah P. Benjamin (W)

Maine

• 1. Hannibal Hamlin (D)
• 2. William Pitt Fessenden (W), from February 10, 1854

Maryland

• 3. James Pearce (W)
• 1. Thomas Pratt (W)

Massachusetts

• 1. Charles Sumner (FS)
• 2. Edward Everett (W), until June 1, 1854
  • Julius Rockwell (W), from June 3, 1854 until January 31, 1855
  • Henry Wilson (FS), from January 31, 1855

Michigan

• 1. Lewis Cass (D)
• 2. Charles E. Stuart (D)

Mississippi

• 1. Stephen Adams (D)
• 2. Albert G. Brown (D), from January 7, 1854

Missouri

• 3. David R. Atchison (D)
• 1. Henry S. Geyer (W)

New Hampshire

• 3. Moses Norris, Jr. (D), until January 11, 1855
  • John S. Wells (D), from January 16, 1855
• 2. Charles G. Atherton (D), until November 15, 1853
  • Jared W. Williams (D), from November 29, 1853 until July 15, 1854

New Jersey

• 1. John R. Thomson (D)
• 2. William Wright (D)

New York

• 3. William H. Seward (W)
• 1. Hamilton Fish (W)

North Carolina

• 3. George E. Badger (W)
• 2. David S. Reid (D), from December 6, 1854

Ohio

• 3. Salmon P. Chase (FS)
• 1. Benjamin Wade (W)

Pennsylvania

• 3. James Cooper (W)
• 1. Richard Brodhead (D)

Rhode Island

• 1. Charles T. James (D)
• 2. Philip Allen (D), from July 20, 1853

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 (W)
• 3. Samuel S. Phelps (W), until March 16, 1854
  • Lawrence Brainerd (FS), from October 14, 1854

Virginia

• 1. James M. Mason (D)
• 2. Robert M. T. Hunter (D)

Wisconsin

• 1. Henry Dodge (D)
• 3. Isaac P. Walker (D)

Senate President pro tempore
David R. Atchison

Senate President pro tempore
Jesse D. Bright

House of Representatives

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

Alabama

• 1. Philip Phillips (D)
• 2. James Abercrombie (W)
• 3. Sampson W. Harris (D)
• 4. William R. Smith (D)
• 5. George S. Houston (D)
• 6. Williamson R. W. Cobb (D)
• 7. James F. Dowdell (D)

Arkansas

• 1. Alfred B. Greenwood (D)
• 2. Edward A. Warren (D)

California

Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.

• At-large. Milton Latham (D)
• At-large. James A. McDougall (D)

Connecticut

• 1. James T. Pratt (D)
• 2. Colin M. Ingersoll (D)
• 3. Nathan Belcher (D)
• 4. Origen S. Seymour (D)

Delaware

• At-large. George Read Riddle (D)

Florida

• At-large. Augustus Maxwell (D)

Georgia

• 1. James L. Seward (D)
• 2. Alfred H. Colquitt (D)
• 3. David J. Bailey (D)
• 4. William B. W. Dent (D)
• 5. Elijah W. Chastain (D)
• 6. Junius Hillyer (D)
• 7. David A. Reese (W)
• 8. Alexander Stephens (W)

Illinois

• 1. Elihu B. Washburne (W)
• 2. John Wentworth (D)
• 3. Jesse O. Norton (W)
• 4. James Knox (W)
• 5. William A. Richardson (D)
• 6. Richard Yates (W)
• 7. James C. Allen (D)
• 8. William H. Bissell (ID)
• 9. Willis Allen (D)

Indiana

• 1. Smith Miller (D)
• 2. William H. English (D)
• 3. Cyrus L. Dunham (D)
• 4. James H. Lane (D)
• 5. Samuel W. Parker (W)
• 6. Thomas A. Hendricks (D)
• 7. John G. Davis (D)
• 8. Daniel Mace (D)
• 9. Norman Eddy (D)
• 10. Ebenezer M. Chamberlain (D)
• 11. Andrew J. Harlan (D)

Iowa

• 1. Bernhart Henn (D)
• 2. John P. Cook (W)

Kentucky

• 1. Linn Boyd (D)
• 2. Benjamin E. Grey (W)
• 3. Presley Ewing (W), until September 27, 1854
  • Francis Bristow (W), from December 4, 1854
• 4. James Chrisman (D)
• 5. Clement S. Hill (W)
• 6. John M. Elliott (D)
• 7. William Preston (W)
• 8. John C. Breckinridge (D)
• 9. Leander Cox (W)
• 10. Richard H. Stanton (D)

Louisiana

• 1. William Dunbar (D)
• 2. Theodore G. Hunt (W)
• 3. John Perkins, Jr. (D)
• 4. Roland Jones (D)

Maine

• 1. Moses MacDonald (D)
• 2. Samuel Mayall (D)
• 3. E. Wilder Farley (W)
• 4. Samuel P. Benson (W)
• 5. Israel Washburn, Jr. (W)
• 6. Thomas J. D. Fuller (D)

Maryland

• 1. John R. Franklin (W)
• 2. Jacob Shower (D)
• 3. Joshua Van Sant (D)
• 4. Henry May (D)
• 5. William T. Hamilton (D)
• 6. Augustus R. Sollers (W)

Massachusetts

• 1. Zeno Scudder (W), until March 4, 1854
  • Thomas D. Eliot (W), from April 17, 1854
• 2. Samuel L. Crocker (W)
• 3. J. Wiley Edmands (W)
• 4. Samuel H. Walley (W)
• 5. William Appleton (W)
• 6. Charles W. Upham (W)
• 7. Nathaniel P. Banks (D)
• 8. Tappan Wentworth (W)
• 9. Alexander De Witt (FS)
• 10. Edward Dickinson (W)
• 11. John Z. Goodrich (W)

Michigan

• 1. David Stuart (D)
• 2. David A. Noble (D)
• 3. Samuel Clark (D)
• 4. Hestor L. Stevens (D)

Mississippi

• 1. Daniel B. Wright (D)
• 2. William T. S. Barry (D)
• 3. Otho R. Singleton (D)
• 4. Wiley P. Harris (D)
• At-large. William Barksdale (D)

Missouri

• 1. Thomas H. Benton (D)
• 2. Alfred W. Lamb (D)
• 3. James J. Lindley (W)
• 4. Mordecai Oliver (W)
• 5. John G. Miller (W)
• 6. John S. Phelps (D)
• 7. Samuel Caruthers (W)

New Hampshire

• 1. George W. Kittredge (D)
• 2. George W. Morrison (D)
• 3. Harry Hibbard (D)

New Jersey

• 1. Nathan T. Stratton (D)
• 2. Charles Skelton (D)
• 3. Samuel Lilly (D)
• 4. George Vail (D)
• 5. Alexander C. M. Pennington (W)

New York

• 1. James Maurice (D)
• 2. Thomas W. Cumming (D)
• 3. Hiram Walbridge (D)
• 4. Michael Walsh (D)
• 5. William M. Tweed (D)
• 6. John Wheeler (D)
• 7. William A. Walker (D)
• 8. Francis B. Cutting (D)
• 9. Jared V. Peck (D)
• 10. William Murray (D)
• 11. Theodoric R. Westbrook (D)
• 12. Gilbert Dean (D), until July 3, 1854
  • Isaac Teller (W), from November 7, 1854
• 13. Russell Sage (W)
• 14. Rufus W. Peckham (D)
• 15. Charles Hughes (D)
• 16. George A. Simmons (W)
• 17. Bishop Perkins (D)
• 18. Peter Rowe (D)
• 19. George W. Chase (W)
• 20. Orsamus B. Matteson (W)
• 21. Henry Bennett (W)
• 22. Gerrit Smith (FS), until August 7, 1854
  • Henry C. Goodwin (W), from November 7, 1854
• 23. Caleb Lyon (I)
• 24. Daniel T. Jones (D)
• 25. Edwin B. Morgan (W)
• 26. Andrew Oliver (D)
• 27. John J. Taylor (D)
• 28. George Hastings (D)
• 29. Azariah Boody (W) until October ????, 1853
  • Davis Carpenter (W), from November 8, 1853
• 30. Benjamin Pringle (W)
• 31. Thomas T. Flagler (W)
• 32. Solomon G. Haven (W)
• 33. Reuben Fenton (D)

North Carolina

• 1. Henry M. Shaw (D)
• 2. Thomas H. Ruffin (D)
• 3. William S. Ashe (D)
• 4. Sion H. Rogers (W)
• 5. John Kerr, Jr. (W)
• 6. Richard C. Puryear (W)
• 7. F. Burton Craige (D)
• 8. Thomas L. Clingman (D)

Ohio

• 1. David T. Disney (D)
• 2. John Scott Harrison (W)
• 3. Lewis D. Campbell (W)
• 4. Matthias H. Nichols (D)
• 5. Alfred P. Edgerton (D)
• 6. Andrew Ellison (D)
• 7. Aaron Harlan (W)
• 8. Moses B. Corwin (W)
• 9. Frederick W. Green (D)
• 10. John L. Taylor (W)
• 11. Thomas Ritchey (D)
• 12. Edson B. Olds (D)
• 13. William D. Lindsley (D)
• 14. Harvey H. Johnson (D)
• 15. William R. Sapp (W)
• 16. Edward Ball (W)
• 17. Wilson Shannon (D)
• 18. George Bliss (D)
• 19. Edward Wade (FS)
• 20. Joshua R. Giddings (FS)
• 21. Andrew Stuart (D)

Pennsylvania

• 1. Thomas B. Florence (D)
• 2. Joseph R. Chandler (W)
• 3. John Robbins, Jr. (D)
• 4. William H. Witte (D)
• 5. John McNair (D)
• 6. William Everhart (W)
• 7. Samuel A. Bridges (D)
• 8. Henry A. Muhlenberg (D), until January 9, 1854
  • J. Glancey Jones (D), from February 4, 1854
• 9. Isaac E. Hiester (W)
• 10. Ner A. Middleswarth (W)
• 11. Christian M. Straub (D)
• 12. Hendrick B. Wright (D)
• 13. Asa Packer (D)
• 14. Galusha A. Grow (D)
• 15. James Gamble (D)
• 16. William H. Kurtz (D)
• 17. Samuel L. Russell (W)
• 18. John McCulloch (W)
• 19. Augustus Drum (D)
• 20. John L. Dawson (D)
• 21. David Ritchie (W)
• 22. Thomas M. Howe (W)
• 23. Michael C. Trout (D)
• 24. Carlton B. Curtis (D)
• 25. John Dick (W)

Rhode Island

• 1. Thomas Davis (D)
• 2. Benjamin B. Thurston (D)

South Carolina

• 1. John McQueen (D)
• 2. William Aiken (D)
• 3. Laurence M. Keitt (D)
• 4. Preston Brooks (D)
• 5. James L. Orr (D)
• 6. William W. Boyce (D)

Tennessee

• 1. Brookins Campbell (D), until December 25, 1853
  • Nathaniel G. Taylor (W), from March 30, 1854
• 2. William M. Churchwell (D)
• 3. Samuel A. Smith (D)
• 4. William Cullom (W)
• 5. Charles Ready (W)
• 6. George W. Jones (D)
• 7. Robert M. Bugg (W)
• 8. Felix Zollicoffer (W)
• 9. Emerson Etheridge (W)
• 10. Frederick P. Stanton (D)

Texas

• 1. George W. Smyth (D)
• 2. Peter H. Bell (D)

Vermont

• 1. James Meacham (W)
• 2. Andrew Tracy (W)
• 3. Alvah Sabin (W)

Virginia

• 1. Thomas H. Bayly (D)
• 2. John S. Millson (D)
• 3. John Caskie (D)
• 4. William Goode (D)
• 5. Thomas S. Bocock (D)
• 6. Paulus Powell (D)
• 7. William Smith (D)
• 8. Charles J. Faulkner (D)
• 9. John Letcher (D)
• 10. Zedekiah Kidwell (D)
• 11. John F. Snodgrass (D), until June 5, 1854
  • Charles S. Lewis (D), from December 4, 1854
• 12. Henry A. Edmundson (D)
• 13. LaFayette McMullen (D)

Wisconsin

• 1. Daniel Wells, Jr. (D)
• 2. Ben C. Eastman (D)
• 3. John B. Macy (D)

Non-voting members

• Kansas Territory. John W. Whitfield (D), from December 20, 1854
• Minnesota Territory. Henry M. Rice (D)
• Nebraska Territory. Napoleon B. Giddings (D), from January 5, 1855
• New Mexico Territory. José Manuel Gallegos (D)
• Oregon Territory. Joseph Lane (D)
• Utah Territory. John M. Bernhisel
• Washington Territory. Columbia Lancaster (D), from April 12, 1854

House Speaker
Linn Boyd

Changes in membership

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

Senate

• replacements: 7
  • Democrats (D): no net change
  • Whigs (W): 2 seat net loss
  • Free Soilers (FS): 2 seat net gain
• deaths: 2
• resignations: 4
• interim appointments: 1
• Total seats with changes: 13

See also: List of special elections to the United States Senate

State (class)	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date of successor's formal installation
Rhode Island (2)	Vacant	Failure to elect. Successor was elected July 20, 1853.	Philip Allen (D)	July 20, 1853
Alabama (2)	Vacant	Failure to elect. Successor elected November 29, 1853.	Clement C. Clay (D)	November 29, 1853
Mississippi (2)	Vacant	Failure to elect. Successor elected January 7, 1854.	Albert G. Brown (D)	January 7, 1854
Maine (2)	Vacant	Failure to elect. Successor was elected February 10, 1854.	William P. Fessenden (W)	February 10, 1854
North Carolina (2)	Vacant	Failure to elect. Successor was elected December 6, 1854.	David Reid (D)	December 6, 1854
Arkansas (3)	Solon Borland (D)	Resigned April 11, 1853 after being appointed U.S. Minister to Nicaragua and other Central American Republics. Successor appointed July 6, 1853.	Robert W. Johnson (D)	July 6, 1853
Louisiana (3)	Pierre Soulé (D)	Resigned April 11, 1853 after being appointed U.S. Minister to Spain. Successor elected December 5, 1853.	John Slidell (D)	December 5, 1853
New Hampshire (2)	Charles G. Atherton (D)	Died November 15, 1853.	Jared W. Williams (D)	November 29, 1853
Vermont (3)	Samuel S. Phelps (W)	Senate declared not entitled to seat March 16, 1854. Successor elected October 14, 1854.	Lawrence Brainerd (FS)	October 14, 1854
Connecticut (3)	Truman Smith (W)	Resigned May 24, 1854. Successor was elected May 24, 1854.	Francis Gillette (FS)	May 24, 1854
Massachusetts (2)	Edward Everett (W)	Resigned June 1, 1854 Successor was appointed to serve until a new successor was elected.	Julius Rockwell (W)	June 3, 1854
New Hampshire (2)	Jared W. Williams (D)	Resigned August 4, 1854.	Vacant	Not filled this term
New Hampshire (3)	Moses Norris, Jr. (D)	Died January 11, 1855. Successor appointed January 16, 1855 to finish the term.	John S. Wells (D)	January 16, 1855
Massachusetts (2)	Julius Rockwell (W)	Successor elected January 31, 1855.	Henry Wilson (FS)	January 31, 1855
Iowa (3)	Augustus C. Dodge (D)	Resigned February 22, 1855 after being appointed U.S. Minister to Spain.	Vacant	Not filled this term

House of Representatives

• replacements: 7
  • Democrats (D): 2 seat net loss
  • Whigs (W): 3 seat net gain
  • Free Soilers (FS): 1 seat net loss
• deaths: 4
• resignations: 4
• Total seats with changes: 8

Main article: List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives

District	Vacator	Reason for change	Successor	Date successor seated
Washington Territory at-large	Vacant	New seat established after Washington became a territory near the end of previous Congress. Seat was vacant until April 12, 1854.	Columbia Lancaster (D)	Seated April 12, 1854
New York 29th	Azariah Boody (W)	Resigned some time in October, 1853	Davis Carpenter (W)	Seated November 8, 1853
Tennessee 1st	Brookins Campbell (D)	Died December 25, 1853	Nathaniel G. Taylor (W)	Seated March 30, 1854
Pennsylvania 8th	Henry A. Muhlenberg (D)	Died January 9, 1854	J. Glancy Jones (D)	Seated February 4, 1854
Massachusetts 1st	Zeno Scudder (W)	Resigned March 4, 1854	Thomas D. Eliot (W)	Seated April 17, 1854
Kansas Territory at-large	New seat	New seat established after Kansas became a territory May 30, 1854. Seat was vacant until December 20, 1854.	John W. Whitfield (D)	Seated December 20, 1854
Nebraska Territory at-large	New seat	New seat established after Nebraska became a territory May 30, 1854. Seat was vacant until January 5, 1855.	Napoleon B. Giddings (D)	Seated December 5, 1855
Virginia 11th	John F. Snodgrass (D)	Died June 5, 1854	Charles S. Lewis (D)	Seated December 4, 1854
New York 12th	Gilbert Dean (D)	Resigned July 3, 1854 after being appointed justice of the Supreme Court of New York	Isaac Teller (W)	Seated November 7, 1854
New York 22nd	Gerrit Smith (FS)	Resigned August 7, 1854	Henry C. Goodwin (W)	Seated November 7, 1854
Kentucky 3rd	Presley Ewing (W)	Died September 27, 1854	Francis Bristow (W)	Seated December 4, 1854

Employees

• Architect of the Capitol: Thomas U. Walter

Senate

• Chaplain: Clement M. Butler (Episcopalian)
  • Henry Slicer (Methodist), elected December 7, 1853
• Secretary: Asbury Dickens of North Carolina
• Sergeant at Arms: Robert Beale
  • Dunning R. McNair, elected March 17, 1853

House of Representatives

• Chaplain: William H. Milburn (Methodist)
• Clerk: John W. Forney
• Doorkeeper: Zadock W. McKnew
• Postmaster: John M. Johnson
• Sergeant at Arms: Adam J. Glossbrenner

See also

• United States elections, 1852 (elections leading to this Congress)
  • United States presidential election, 1852
  • United States Senate elections, 1852 and 1853
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1852
• United States elections, 1854 (elections during this Congress, leading to the next Congress)
  • United States Senate elections, 1854 and 1855
  • United States House of Representatives elections, 1854

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