The 35th 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, 1857, to March 4, 1859, during the first two years of James Buchanan's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1850 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.
Major events
- Panic of 1857
- March 4, 1857. James Buchanan became President of the United States
- March 6, 1857: Dred Scott v. Sandford
- July 18, 1857: Utah Expedition left Fort Leavenworth, effectively beginning the Utah War
- February 6, 1858: Brawl on the floor of the House involving 50 or more representatives during the debates over the admission of Kansas as free or slave
- August 21, 1858: First of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was held
- March 3, 1859: Financial appropriations for the improvement and construction of lighthouses.
Major legislation
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Treaties
- March 12, 1858: Treaty with the Ponca signed
- April 19, 1858: Treaty with the Yankton Sioux signed
- July 29, 1858: Harris Treaty signed with Japan
States admitted
- May 11, 1858: Minnesota admitted as the 32nd state
- February 14, 1859: Oregon admitted as the 33rd state
Party summary
Senate
thumb|Group photo of the U.S. Senate, in 1859, during this Congress.
During this congress, two Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Minnesota and Oregon.
House of Representatives
During this congress, two House seats were added for the new state of Minnesota and one House seat was added for the new state of Oregon.
Leadership
Senate
thumb|200px|President of the Senate<br/>[[John C. Breckinridge]]
- President: John C. Breckinridge (D)
- President pro tempore: James M. Mason (D), March 4, 1857, only
- Thomas J. Rusk (D), elected March 14, 1857
- Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), elected December 7, 1857
House of Representatives
- Speaker: James L. Orr (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 with this Congress, facing re-election in 1862; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1858; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1860.
Alabama
: 3. Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)
: 2. Clement C. Clay Jr. (D)
Arkansas
: 2. William K. Sebastian (D)
: 3. Robert W. Johnson (D)
California
: 1. David C. Broderick (D)
: 3. William M. Gwin (D)
Connecticut
: 1. James Dixon (R)
: 3. Lafayette S. Foster (R)
Delaware
: 1. James A. Bayard Jr. (D)
: 2. Martin W. Bates (D)
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 (R)
Indiana
: 1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
: 3. Graham N. Fitch (D)
Iowa
: 2. George Wallace Jones (D)
: 3. James Harlan (R)
Kentucky
: 2. John B. Thompson (A)
: 3. John J. Crittenden (A)
Louisiana
: 2. Judah P. Benjamin (D)
: 3. John Slidell (D)
Maine
: 1. Hannibal Hamlin (R)
: 2. William Pitt Fessenden (R)
Maryland
: 1. Anthony Kennedy (A)
: 3. James A. Pearce (D)
Massachusetts
: 1. Charles Sumner (R)
: 2. Henry Wilson (R)
Michigan
: 1. Zachariah Chandler (R)
: 2. Charles E. Stuart (D)
Minnesota
: 1. Henry M. Rice (D), from May 11, 1858 (newly admitted state)
: 2. James Shields (D), from May 11, 1858 (newly admitted state)
Mississippi
: 1. Jefferson Davis (D)
: 2. Albert G. Brown (D)
Missouri
: 1. Trusten Polk (D)
: 3. James S. Green (D)
New Hampshire
: 2. John P. Hale (R)
: 3. James Bell (R), until May 26, 1857
:: Daniel Clark (R), from June 27, 1857
New Jersey
: 1. John R. Thomson (D)
: 2. William Wright (D)
New York
: 1. Preston King (R)
: 3. William H. Seward (R)
North Carolina
: 2. David S. Reid (D)
: 3. Asa Biggs (D), until May 5, 1858
:: Thomas L. Clingman (D), from May 7, 1858
Ohio
: 1. Benjamin Wade (R)
: 3. George E. Pugh (D)
Oregon
: 2. Delazon Smith (D), from February 14, 1859 (newly admitted state)
: 3. Joseph Lane (D), from February 14, 1859 (newly admitted state)
Pennsylvania
: 1. Simon Cameron (R)
: 3. William Bigler (D)
Rhode Island
: 1. James F. Simmons (R)
: 2. Philip Allen (D)
South Carolina
: 2. Josiah J. Evans (D), until May 6, 1858
:: Arthur P. Hayne (D), from May 11, 1858, until December 2, 1858
:: James Chesnut Jr. (D), from December 3, 1858
: 3. Andrew Butler (D), until May 25, 1857
:: James H. Hammond (D), from December 7, 1857
Tennessee
: 1. Andrew Johnson (D), from October 8, 1857
: 2. John Bell (A)
Texas
: 1. Thomas J. Rusk (D), until July 29, 1857
:: J. Pinckney Henderson (D), November 9, 1857 - June 4, 1858
:: Matthias Ward (D), from September 27, 1858
: 2. Samuel Houston (D)
Vermont
: 1. Solomon Foot (R)
: 3. Jacob Collamer (R)
Virginia
: 1. James M. Mason (D)
: 2. Robert M. T. Hunter (D)
Wisconsin
: 1. James R. Doolittle (R)
: 3. Charles Durkee (R)
thumb|375px|Senators' party membership by state at the opening of the 35th Congress in March 1857. The green stripes represent [[Know Nothing|Know-Nothings. The senators from Minnesota and Oregon were not seated until later in the Congress.
]]
thumb|Senate President pro tempore<br/>[[James Murray Mason, March 4, 1857]]
thumb|Senate President pro tempore<br>[[Thomas J. Rusk, March 14, 1857 – July 29, 1857]]
thumb|Senate President pro tempore<br>[[Benjamin Fitzpatrick, from December 7, 1857]]
House of Representatives
The names of representatives are preceded by their district numbers.
Alabama
: . James A. Stallworth (D)
: . Eli S. Shorter (D)
: . James F. Dowdell (D)
: . Sydenham Moore (D)
: . George S. Houston (D)
: . Williamson R. W. Cobb (D)
: . Jabez L. M. Curry (D)
Arkansas
: . Alfred B. Greenwood (D)
: . Edward A. Warren (D)
California
: . Joseph C. McKibbin (D)
: .