34th United States Congress
The 34th Congress of the United States , made up of the House and Senate , was the legislature of the United States . Its legislative period lasted from March 4, 1855 to March 4, 1857. All members of the House of Representatives and a third of the senators ( Class III ) were elected in the 1854 congressional elections. This resulted in a majority in the Senate for the Democratic Party . There were no clear majorities in the House of Representatives. A coalition of the short-lived Opposition Party and the American Party emerged . The United States Whig Party , which until the 1854 election was one of the two mainstream parties, was falling apart. For the last time, it provided 13 senators. It no longer played a role in the House of Representatives. Its members divided among the other parties, especially the American Party and later the Republican Party . The congress met in the American capital Washington, DC At that time the United States consisted of 31 states. President was the Democrat Franklin Pierce . The distribution of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1850 census .
Important events
See also 1855 , 1856, and 1857
- March 4, 1855: Beginning of the legislative period of the 34th Congress
- The entire legislative period has been shaped by tensions between the North and the South in the run-up to the American Civil War . There are already riots in some areas, especially in the later state of Kansas . See also Bleeding Kansas . In addition, the Indian Wars continue in the West .
- December 1855 - February 1856: The election of the Speaker of the House of Representatives dragged on over two months. It is the longest and most controversial election of the Speaker of Parliament in American history. There are up to 21 candidates and 133 ballots. The reasons for this are the relatively unstable majority relationships and tensions between supporters from the North and the South. Eventually, Nathaniel Prentiss Banks was elected speaker of the American Party.
- November 4, 1856: US presidential and congressional elections. The Democrat James Buchanan becomes the new president (in office March 4, 1857). With John C. Frémont , the Republicans had for the first time put up a presidential candidate who immediately won a majority in 11 states and was able to capture 114 electoral votes. See also 1856 Presidential Election in the United States . In the congressional elections, the Democrats win majorities in both chambers. Here, too, the Republicans succeed in establishing themselves as a political force.
The main laws
During the session of the 34th Congress, the following federal law was passed ( see also: Legislative procedure ):
- August 18, 1856: Guano Islands Act
Composition according to parties
senate
- Democratic Party: 40
- Republican Party: 6
- Whigs: 13
- Others: 3
- Vacant: 0
Total: 62 at the end of the legislative period
House of Representatives
- Democratic Party: 81
- Opposition Party: 96
- American Party: 52
- Republicans: 1
- Vacant: 4
Total: 234 at the end of the legislative period
There were also seven congressional delegates who were not entitled to vote
Public officials
senate
- President of the Senate : Vacant
- President per tempore : Jesse D. Bright (D) until June 9, 1856, Charles E. Stuart (D) 9-10. June 1856 for two days, then again Jesse Bright June 11, 1856 to January 6, 1857 and then James Murray Mason (D)
House of Representatives
- House Speaker : Nathaniel Prentiss Banks (American Party)
Senate members
The following senators represented their respective states in the 34th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives
The following congressmen represented the interests of their respective states in the 34th Congress:
Members of the House of Representatives who are not entitled to vote:
- Kansas Territory : John Wilkins Whitfield (D)
- Minnesota Territory : Henry Mower Rice (D)
- Nebraska Territory : Bird Beers Chapman (D)
- New Mexico Territory : José Manuel Gallegos (D) until July 23, 1856, then Miguel Antonio Otero (D)
- Oregon Territory : Joseph Lane (D)
- Utah Territory : John Milton Bernhisel
- Washington Territory : James Patton Anderson (D)
Web links
- bioguide.congress.gov (by entering 34 under Year OR Congress: you get a list of the members of the 34th Congress with a link to the official biographies; English)