38th United States Congress | |
---|---|
37th ← →
39th | |
March 4, 1863 – March 4, 1865 | |
Members | 52 senators 184 representatives 10 non-voting delegates |
Senate majority | Republican |
Senate President | Hannibal Hamlin (R) |
House majority | Republican |
House Speaker | Schuyler Colfax (R) |
Sessions | |
Special: March 4, 1863 – March 14, 1863 1st: December 7, 1863 – July 4, 1864 2nd: December 5, 1864 – March 3, 1865 |
The 38th 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, 1863, to March 4, 1865, during the last two years of President Abraham Lincoln's first term in office. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1860 United States census. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House of Representatives had a Republican plurality.
The Confederacy fielded armies and sustained the rebellion into a second Congress, but the Union did not accept secession and secessionists were not eligible for Congress. Elections held in Missouri and Kentucky seated all members to the House and Senate for the 38th Congress. Elections held among Unionists in Virginia, Tennessee and Louisiana were marred by disruption resulting in turnouts that were so low compared with 1860, that Congress did not reseat the candidates with a majority of the votes cast. [1]
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.
During this Congress, two seats were added for each of the new states of Nevada and West Virginia, thereby adding four new seats.
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) |
Unionist (U) |
Unconditional Unionist (UU) |
|||
End of previous congress | 11 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 48 | 20 |
Begin | 10 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 48 | 20 |
End | 33 | 3 | 4 | 50 | 22 | |
Final voting share | 20.0% | 66.0% | 6.0% | 8.0% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 11 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 23 |
House seats by party holding plurality in state | |
---|---|
Over 80% Democratic | Over 80% Republican |
60+% to 80% Democratic | 60+% to 80% Republican |
Up to 60% Democratic | Up to 60% Republican |
Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members. During this Congress, one seat was added for the new state of Nevada, and three seats were reapportioned from Virginia to the new state of West Virginia.
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) |
Independent Republican (IR) |
Unionist (U) |
Unconditional Unionist (UU) | Other |
|||
End of previous congress | 45 | 106 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 183 | 57 |
Begin | 72 | 85 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 180 | 61 |
End | 84 | 16 | 183 | 59 | ||||
Final voting share | 39.3% | 45.9% | 1.1% | 4.9% | 8.7% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 40 | 132 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 191 | 51 |
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
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 this Congress, requiring reelection in 1868; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1864; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1866.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation [a] |
---|---|---|---|---|
West Virginia (1) | New seat | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Its first Senators were elected August 4, 1863. |
Peter G. Van Winkle (UU) | August 4, 1863 |
West Virginia (2) | New seat | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Its first Senators were elected August 4, 1863. |
Waitman T. Willey (UU) | August 4, 1863 |
Missouri (3) | Robert Wilson (UU) | Successor elected for Sen. Waldo P. Johnson November 13, 1863. | B. Gratz Brown (UU) | November 13, 1863 |
Virginia (1) | Lemuel J. Bowden (U) | Died January 2, 1864. | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Delaware (1) | James A. Bayard Jr. (D) | Resigned January 29, 1864, for unknown reasons. Successor elected January 29, 1864. |
George R. Riddle (D) | February 2, 1864 |
Maine (2) | William P. Fessenden (R) | Resigned July 1, 1864, to become
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Successor appointed October 27, 1864, to finish the term. |
Nathan A. Farwell (R) | October 27, 1864 |
Nevada (1) | New seat | Nevada admitted to the Union October 31, 1864. Its first Senators were elected February 1, 1865. |
William M. Stewart (R) | February 1, 1865 |
Nevada (3) | New seat | Nevada admitted to the Union October 31, 1864. Its first Senators were elected February 1, 1865. |
James W. Nye (R) | February 1, 1865 |
Maryland (3) | Thomas H. Hicks (UU) | Died February 14, 1865. | Vacant | Not filled this Congress. |
District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation [a] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Territory At-large | Vacant | Territory organized in previous congress. Seat remained vacant until December 5, 1864. |
Charles D. Poston (R) | December 5, 1864 |
Missouri 3rd | John W. Noell (UU) | Died March 14, 1863. | John G. Scott (D) | December 7, 1863 |
Delaware At-large | William Temple (D) | Died May 28, 1863. | Nathaniel B. Smithers (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
New York 14th | Erastus Corning (D) | Resigned October 5, 1863. | John V. L. Pruyn (D) | December 7, 1863 |
West Virginia 1st | New state | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Seat remained vacant until December 7, 1863. |
Jacob B. Blair (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
West Virginia 2nd | New state | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Seat remained vacant until December 7, 1863. |
William G. Brown Sr. (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
West Virginia 3rd | New state | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Seat remained vacant until December 7, 1863. |
Kellian Whaley (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
Idaho Territory At-large | New territory | Territory organized February 1, 1864. | William H. Wallace (R) | February 1, 1864 |
Illinois 5th | Owen Lovejoy (R) | Died March 25, 1864. | Ebon C. Ingersoll (R) | May 20, 1864 |
Montana Territory At-large | New territory | Territory organized May 26, 1864. Seat remained vacant until January 6, 1865. |
Samuel McLean (D) | January 6, 1865 |
Missouri 1st | Francis P. Blair Jr. (R) | Lost contested election June 10, 1864 | Samuel Knox (UU) | June 10, 1864 |
Dakota Territory At-large | William Jayne | Lost contested election June 17, 1864 | John B. S. Todd (D) | June 17, 1864 |
New York 1st | Henry G. Stebbins (D) | Resigned October 24, 1864. | Dwight Townsend (D) | December 5, 1864 |
Nevada Territory At-large | Gordon N. Mott (R) | Nevada achieved statehood October 31, 1864 | District eliminated | |
Nevada At-large | New state | Nevada admitted to the Union October 31, 1864. | Henry G. Worthington (R) | October 31, 1864 |
New York 31st | Reuben Fenton (R) | Resigned December 20, 1864, after being elected Governor of New York. | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.
38th United States Congress | |
---|---|
37th ← →
39th | |
March 4, 1863 – March 4, 1865 | |
Members | 52 senators 184 representatives 10 non-voting delegates |
Senate majority | Republican |
Senate President | Hannibal Hamlin (R) |
House majority | Republican |
House Speaker | Schuyler Colfax (R) |
Sessions | |
Special: March 4, 1863 – March 14, 1863 1st: December 7, 1863 – July 4, 1864 2nd: December 5, 1864 – March 3, 1865 |
The 38th 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, 1863, to March 4, 1865, during the last two years of President Abraham Lincoln's first term in office. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1860 United States census. The Senate had a Republican majority, and the House of Representatives had a Republican plurality.
The Confederacy fielded armies and sustained the rebellion into a second Congress, but the Union did not accept secession and secessionists were not eligible for Congress. Elections held in Missouri and Kentucky seated all members to the House and Senate for the 38th Congress. Elections held among Unionists in Virginia, Tennessee and Louisiana were marred by disruption resulting in turnouts that were so low compared with 1860, that Congress did not reseat the candidates with a majority of the votes cast. [1]
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.
During this Congress, two seats were added for each of the new states of Nevada and West Virginia, thereby adding four new seats.
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) |
Unionist (U) |
Unconditional Unionist (UU) |
|||
End of previous congress | 11 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 48 | 20 |
Begin | 10 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 48 | 20 |
End | 33 | 3 | 4 | 50 | 22 | |
Final voting share | 20.0% | 66.0% | 6.0% | 8.0% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 11 | 37 | 0 | 1 | 49 | 23 |
House seats by party holding plurality in state | |
---|---|
Over 80% Democratic | Over 80% Republican |
60+% to 80% Democratic | 60+% to 80% Republican |
Up to 60% Democratic | Up to 60% Republican |
Before this Congress, the 1860 United States Census and resulting reapportionment changed the size of the House to 241 members. During this Congress, one seat was added for the new state of Nevada, and three seats were reapportioned from Virginia to the new state of West Virginia.
Party (shading shows control) |
Total | Vacant | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Democratic (D) |
Republican (R) |
Independent Republican (IR) |
Unionist (U) |
Unconditional Unionist (UU) | Other |
|||
End of previous congress | 45 | 106 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 2 | 183 | 57 |
Begin | 72 | 85 | 2 | 9 | 12 | 0 | 180 | 61 |
End | 84 | 16 | 183 | 59 | ||||
Final voting share | 39.3% | 45.9% | 1.1% | 4.9% | 8.7% | 0.0% | ||
Beginning of next congress | 40 | 132 | 1 | 4 | 14 | 0 | 191 | 51 |
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, and representatives are listed by district.
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 this Congress, requiring reelection in 1868; Class 2 meant their term ended in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1864; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1866.
The count below reflects changes from the beginning of the first session of this Congress.
State (class) |
Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation [a] |
---|---|---|---|---|
West Virginia (1) | New seat | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Its first Senators were elected August 4, 1863. |
Peter G. Van Winkle (UU) | August 4, 1863 |
West Virginia (2) | New seat | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Its first Senators were elected August 4, 1863. |
Waitman T. Willey (UU) | August 4, 1863 |
Missouri (3) | Robert Wilson (UU) | Successor elected for Sen. Waldo P. Johnson November 13, 1863. | B. Gratz Brown (UU) | November 13, 1863 |
Virginia (1) | Lemuel J. Bowden (U) | Died January 2, 1864. | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Delaware (1) | James A. Bayard Jr. (D) | Resigned January 29, 1864, for unknown reasons. Successor elected January 29, 1864. |
George R. Riddle (D) | February 2, 1864 |
Maine (2) | William P. Fessenden (R) | Resigned July 1, 1864, to become
U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Successor appointed October 27, 1864, to finish the term. |
Nathan A. Farwell (R) | October 27, 1864 |
Nevada (1) | New seat | Nevada admitted to the Union October 31, 1864. Its first Senators were elected February 1, 1865. |
William M. Stewart (R) | February 1, 1865 |
Nevada (3) | New seat | Nevada admitted to the Union October 31, 1864. Its first Senators were elected February 1, 1865. |
James W. Nye (R) | February 1, 1865 |
Maryland (3) | Thomas H. Hicks (UU) | Died February 14, 1865. | Vacant | Not filled this Congress. |
District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date of successor's formal installation [a] |
---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Territory At-large | Vacant | Territory organized in previous congress. Seat remained vacant until December 5, 1864. |
Charles D. Poston (R) | December 5, 1864 |
Missouri 3rd | John W. Noell (UU) | Died March 14, 1863. | John G. Scott (D) | December 7, 1863 |
Delaware At-large | William Temple (D) | Died May 28, 1863. | Nathaniel B. Smithers (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
New York 14th | Erastus Corning (D) | Resigned October 5, 1863. | John V. L. Pruyn (D) | December 7, 1863 |
West Virginia 1st | New state | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Seat remained vacant until December 7, 1863. |
Jacob B. Blair (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
West Virginia 2nd | New state | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Seat remained vacant until December 7, 1863. |
William G. Brown Sr. (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
West Virginia 3rd | New state | West Virginia admitted to the Union June 19, 1863. Seat remained vacant until December 7, 1863. |
Kellian Whaley (UU) | December 7, 1863 |
Idaho Territory At-large | New territory | Territory organized February 1, 1864. | William H. Wallace (R) | February 1, 1864 |
Illinois 5th | Owen Lovejoy (R) | Died March 25, 1864. | Ebon C. Ingersoll (R) | May 20, 1864 |
Montana Territory At-large | New territory | Territory organized May 26, 1864. Seat remained vacant until January 6, 1865. |
Samuel McLean (D) | January 6, 1865 |
Missouri 1st | Francis P. Blair Jr. (R) | Lost contested election June 10, 1864 | Samuel Knox (UU) | June 10, 1864 |
Dakota Territory At-large | William Jayne | Lost contested election June 17, 1864 | John B. S. Todd (D) | June 17, 1864 |
New York 1st | Henry G. Stebbins (D) | Resigned October 24, 1864. | Dwight Townsend (D) | December 5, 1864 |
Nevada Territory At-large | Gordon N. Mott (R) | Nevada achieved statehood October 31, 1864 | District eliminated | |
Nevada At-large | New state | Nevada admitted to the Union October 31, 1864. | Henry G. Worthington (R) | October 31, 1864 |
New York 31st | Reuben Fenton (R) | Resigned December 20, 1864, after being elected Governor of New York. | Vacant | Not filled this Congress |
Lists of committees and their party leaders for members of the House and Senate committees can be found through the Official Congressional Directory at the bottom of this article. The directory after the pages of terms of service lists committees of the Senate, House (Standing with Subcommittees, Select and Special) and Joint and, after that, House/Senate committee assignments. On the committees section of the House and Senate in the Official Congressional Directory, the committee's members on the first row on the left side shows the chairman of the committee and on the right side shows the ranking member of the committee.