28th United States Congress

United States Capitol

The Twenty-eighth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States of America federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1843 to March 3, 1845, during the last two years of the administration of U.S. President John Tyler.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Sixth Census of the United States in 1840. The Senate had a Whig majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.

Dates of sessions

March 4, 1843 - March 3, 1845

• First session: December 4, 1843 - June 17, 1844.
• Second session: December 2, 1844 - March 3, 1845.
• Previous congress: 27th Congress
  
• Next congress: 29th Congress

Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this Congress, and includes members from vacancies and newly admitted states, when they were first seated. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate (54 seats)

Party	Members	Notes
[[Whig Party (United States)| Whig (W) ]	29	Majority
Democratic (D)	23
Vacant	2

House of Representatives (224 seats)

Party	Members	Notes
Democratic (D)	147	Majority
Whig (W)	72
[[Law and Order Party of Rhode Island| Law and Order (LO) ]	2
Independent Democrat	1
Independent Whig	1

Leadership

Senate

• President: Vacant
• President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum, Whig of North Carolina, elected December 4, 1843.

House of Representatives

• Speaker: John W. Jones, Democratic of Virginia, elected December 4, 1843.

Major legislation

List of United States federal legislation in the 28th Congress

• March 3, 1845 -- Florida was admitted as a state into the Union.

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 1844; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1848.

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

Membership detail by Chamber/Party

The list below is arranged by chamber, then by political party. Members are shown in alphabetical order.

Senate

Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress.

Democratic

A-F William Allen, Ohio Chester Ashley, Arkansas (U.S. state) David R. Atchison, Missouri Charles G. Atherton, New Hampshire Arthur P. Bagby, Alabama (U.S. state) Thomas H. Benton, Missouri Sidney Breese, Illinois (U.S. state) James Buchanan, Pennsylvania Walter T. Colquitt, Georgia Daniel S. Dickinson, New York John A. Dix, New York John Fairfield, Maine Henry A. Foster, New York William S. Fulton, Arkansas (U.S. state)

G-R Edward A. Hannegan, Indiana (U.S. state) William H. Haywood, Jr., North Carolina Daniel E. Huger, South Carolina William R. D. King, Alabama (U.S. state) Dixon H. Lewis, Alabama (U.S. state) Lewis F. Linn, Missouri George McDuffie, South Carolina Samuel McRoberts, Illinois (U.S. state) John M. Niles, Connecticut

S-Z James Semple, Illinois (U.S. state) Ambrose H. Sevier, Arkansas (U.S. state) Daniel Sturgeon, Pennsylvania Benjamin Tappan, Ohio Robert J. Walker, Mississippi Levi Woodbury, New Hampshire Silas Wright, Jr., New York

Whig

A-F William S. Archer, Virginia Alexander Barrow, Louisiana Isaac C. Bates, Massachusetts Richard H. Bayard, Delaware John Mcpherson Berrien, Georgia Rufus Choate, Massachusetts Thomas Clayton, Delaware John J. Crittenden, Kentucky William L. Dayton, New Jersey George Evans, Maine Ephraim H. Foster, Tennessee

G-R John Henderson, Mississippi Jabez W. Huntington, Connecticut Spencer Jarnagin, Tennessee Henry Johnson, Louisiana Willie P. Mangum, North Carolina William D. Merrick, Maryland Jacob W. Miller, New Jersey James T. Morehead, Kentucky James A. Pearce, Maryland Samuel S. Phelps, Vermont Augustus S. Porter, Michigan William C. Rives, Virginia

S-Z James F. Simmons, Rhode Island William Sprague, Rhode Island Nathaniel P. Tallmadge, New York William Upham, Vermont Albert S. White, Indiana (U.S. state) William Woodbridge, Michigan

Law and Order

John B. Francis, Rhode Island

House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives were elected by popular vote, variously to single member districts or at-large.

Democratic

A-B-C Joseph H. Anderson, New York Archibald H. Arrington, North Carolina Archibald Atkinson, Virginia Thomas H. Bayly, Virginia . Samuel Beardsley, New York . James E. Belser, Alabama (U.S. state) Charles S. Benton, New York Benjamin A. Bidlack, Pennsylvania Edward J. Black, Georgia James Black, Pennsylvania James A. Black, South Carolina Julius W. Blackwell, Tennessee Pierre E. J. B. Bossier, Louisiana Gustavus M. Bower, Missouri James B. Bowlin, Missouri Linn Boyd, Kentucky Henry R. Brinkerhoff, Ohio Jacob Brinkerhoff, Ohio Richard Brodhead, Pennsylvania Aaron V. Brown, Tennessee William J. Brown, Indiana (U.S. state) Edmund Burke, New Hampshire Armistead Burt, South Carolina George A. Caldwell, Kentucky John Campbell, South Carolina Levi D. Carpenter, New York Jeremiah E. Cary, New York Shepard Cary, Maine . George S. Catlin, Connecticut Augustus A. Chapman]], Virginia Reuben Chapman, Alabama (U.S. state) James G. Clinton, New York Howell Cobb, Georgia Walter Coles, Virginia Mark A. Cooper, Georgia Edward Cross, Arkansas (U.S. state) Alvan Cullom, Tennessee D-E-F Amasa Dana, New York John R. J. Daniel, North Carolina John W. Davis, Indiana (U.S. state) Richard D. Davis, New York John B. Dawson, Louisiana Ezra Dean, Ohio Paul Dillingham, Jr., Vermont Stephen A. Douglas, Illinois (U.S. state) George C. Dromgoole, Virginia Alexander Duncan, Ohio Robert P. Dunlap, Maine Chesselden Ellis, New York Lucius Q. C. Elmer, New Jersey Isaac G. Farlee, New Jersey Orlando B. Ficklin, Illinois (U.S. state) Henry D. Foster, Pennsylvania Richard French, Kentucky George Fuller, Pennsylvania

G-H-I Thomas W. Gilmer, Virginia Byram Green, New York John P. Hale, New Hampshire Hannibal Hamlin, Maine William H. Hammett, Mississippi Hugh A. Haralson, Georgia Samuel Hays, Pennsylvania Thomas J. Henley, Indiana (U.S. state) Joshua Herrick, Maine Joseph P. Hoge, Illinois (U.S. state) Isaac E. Holmes, South Carolina George W. Hopkins, Virginia George S. Houston, Alabama (U.S. state) Edmund W. Hubard, Virginia William S. Hubbell, New York James M. Hughes, Missouri Orville Hungerford, New York James B. Hunt, Michigan Charles J. Ingersoll, Pennsylvania J-K-L John Jameson, Missouri Andrew Johnson, Tennessee Cave Johnson, Tennessee George W. Jones, Tennessee John W. Jones, Virginia Andrew Kennedy, Indiana (U.S. state) Preston King, New York Littleton Kirkpatrick, New Jersey Alcée L. La Branche, Louisiana John B. Lamar, Georgia Moses G. Leonard, New York Dixon H. Lewis, Alabama (U.S. state) William Lucas, Virginia John H. Lumpkin, Lucius Lyon, Michigan M-N-O William B. Maclay, New York James Mathews, Ohio William C. McCauslen, Ohio Robert McClelland , Michigan John A. McClernand, Illinois (U.S. state) Felix G. McConnell, Alabama (U.S. state) Joseph J. McDowell, Ohio James I. McKay, North Carolina John Millen, Georgia Heman Allen Moore, Ohio Joseph Morris, Ohio Isaac E. Morse, Louisiana Henry C. Murphy, New York Moses Norris, Jr. , New Hampshire Robert D. Owen, Indiana (U.S. state)

P-Q-R William Parmenter, Massachusetts William W. Payne, Alabama (U.S. state) John Pettit, Indiana (U.S. state) Emery D. Potter, Ohio Zadock Pratt, New York Smith M. Purdy, New York George O. Rathbun, New York Almon H. Read, Pennsylvania . John R. Reding, New Hampshire David S. Reid, North Carolina James H. Relfe , Missouri R. Barnwell Rhett, South Carolina John Ritter, Pennsylvania Robert W. Roberts, Mississippi Orville Robinson, New York Jeremiah Russell, New York S-T-U-V Romulus M. Saunders, North Carolina David L. Seymour, New York Thomas H. Seymour, Connecticut Samuel Simons, Connecticut Richard F. Simpson, South Carolina John Slidell, Louisiana John T. Smith, Pennsylvania Robert Smith, Illinois (U.S. state) Robert B. Smith, South Carolina Thomas Smith, Indiana (U.S. state) Henry St. John, Ohio Lewis Steenrod, Virginia Lemuel Stetson, New York John Stewart, Connecticut William H. Stiles, Georgia Alfred P. Stone, Ohio James W. Stone, Kentucky Selah B. Strong, New York George Sykes, New Jersey William Taylor, Virginia Jacob Thompson, Mississippi John W. Tibbatts, Kentucky Tilghman M. Tucker, Mississippi W-X-Y-Z John B. Weller, Ohio John Wentworth, Illinois (U.S. state) Horace Wheaton, New York Benjamin White, Maine William Wilkins, Pennsylvania Henry Williams, Massachusetts Henry A. Wise, Virginia Joseph A. Woodward, South Carolina Joseph A. Wright, Indiana (U.S. state) William L. Yancey, Alabama (U.S. state) Jacob S. Yost, Pennsylvania

Whig

A-B-C Amos Abbott, Massachusetts John Quincy Adams, Massachusetts John B. Ashe, Tennessee Osmyn Baker, Massachusetts Daniel D. Barnard, New York Daniel M. Barringer, North Carolina Francis Brengle , Maryland Jeremiah Brown, Pennsylvania Milton Brown, Tennessee Joseph Buffington, Pennsylvania Barker Burnell , Massachusetts Charles H. Carroll, New York John M. S. Causin, Maryland Absalom H. Chappell, Georgia Samuel Chilton, Virginia Duncan L. Clinch, Georgia Thomas L. Clingman, North Carolina Jacob Collamer, Vermont D-E-F Cornelius Darragh, Pennsylvania Garrett Davis, Kentucky Edmund Deberry, North Carolina James Dellet, Alabama (U.S. state) John Dickey, Pennsylvania David W. Dickinson, Tennessee Hamilton Fish, New York Elias Florence, Ohio Solomon Foot, Vermont Henry Frick, Pennsylvania .

G-H-I Joshua R. Giddings, Ohio William L. Goggin, Virginia Willis Green, Kentucky Henry Grider, Kentucky Joseph Grinnell, Massachusetts Edward S. Hamlin, Ohio John J. Hardin, Illinois (U.S. state) Alexander Harper, Ohio Charles Hudson, Massachusetts Washington Hunt, New York Joseph R. Ingersoll, Pennsylvania James Irvin), Pennsylvania J-K-L Michael H. Jenks, Pennsylvania Perley B. Johnson, Ohio John P. Kennedy, Maryland Daniel P. King, Massachusetts M-N-O George P. Marsh, Vermont Abraham R. McIlvaine, Pennsylvania Edward Joy Morris, Pennsylvania Freeman H. Morse, Maine William A. Moseley, New York Willoughby Newton, Virginia

P-Q-R Thomas J. Patterson, New York Joseph H. Peyton, Tennessee J. Phillips Phoenix, New York James Pollock, Pennsylvania Jacob A. Preston, Maryland Alexander Ramsey, Pennsylvania Kenneth Rayner, North Carolina Charles M. Reed, Pennsylvania Julius Rockwell, Massachusetts George B. Rodney, Delaware Charles Rogers, New York S-T-U-V Samuel C. Sample Indiana (U.S. state) Robert C. Schenck, Ohio William T. Senter, Tennessee Luther Severance, Maine Albert Smith, New York Caleb B. Smith, Indiana (U.S. state) Thomas A. Spence, Maryland Alexander H. Stephens, Georgia. Andrew Stewart, Pennsylvania George W. Summers, Virginia William P. Thomasson, Kentucky Daniel R. Tilden, Ohio Asher Tyler, New York Joseph Vance, Ohio John I. Vanmeter, Ohio Samuel F. Vinton, Ohio W-X-Y-Z John Wethered, Maryland John White, Kentucky Robert C. Winthrop, Massachusetts

Independent Democratic

Henry Nes, Pennsylvania

Independent Whig

William Wright, New Jersey

Law and Order

Henry Y. Cranston, Rhode Island Elisha R. Potter, Rhode Island

Membership Changes

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) : 1 seat net loss Law and Order (LO) : 1 seat net gain deaths: 3 resignations: 5 interim appointments: 1 Total seats with changes: 10

House of Representatives replacements: 14 Democrats (D) : 6 seat net loss Whigs (W) : 6 seat net gain deaths: 7 resignations: 7 contested election: 0 Total seats with changes: 16

Officers

Senate Secretary of the Senate: Asbury Dickens of North Carolina elected December 12, 1836. Sergeant at Arms of the Senate: Edward Dyer of Maryland, elected March 8, 1841. Chaplain of the Senate The Rev. Septimus Tustin, Presbyterian, elected June 12, 1841.

House of Representatives Clerk of the House: Caleb J. McNulty of Ohio, elected December 6, 1843, dismissed January 18, 1845. Benjamin B. French of New Hampshire, elected January 18, 1845. Sergeant at Arms of the House: Newton Lane of Kentucky, elected December 6, 1843. Doorkeeper of the House: Jesse E. Dow of Connecticut, elected December 6, 1843. Postmaster of the House: John M. Johnson of Virginia, elected January 4, 1844. Chaplain of the House The Rev. Isaac S. Tinsley, Baptist, elected December 4, 1843. The Rev. William M. Daily, Methodist, elected December 4, 1844.