32nd United States Congress

The 32nd 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, 1851, to March 4, 1853, during the last two years of Millard Fillmore's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

It was one of the least active Congresses, forwarding only 74 bills that were signed by the president.

Major events



 * March 20, 1852: Uncle Tom's Cabin published.
 * July 1, 1852: Henry Clay was the first to lie in state in the United States Capitol rotunda.
 * November 2, 1852: 1852 United States presidential election: Democrat Franklin Pierce defeated Whig Winfield Scott.

Major legislation

 * March 2, 1853: An act providing for administering the oath of office to William R. King, Vice President elect of the United States of America. Sess. 2, Ch. 93,

Territories organized

 * March 2, 1853: Washington Territory was formed from Oregon Territory.

Senate

 * President: Vacant (since the ascension of Millard Fillmore to U.S. President on July 9, 1850)
 * President pro tempore: William R. King (D), until December 20, 1852
 * David R. Atchison (D), from December 20, 1852

House of Representatives

 * Speaker: Linn Boyd (D)

Members
This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and representatives 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 1856; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1852; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1854.

Alabama

 * 2. Jeremiah Clemens (D)
 * 3. William R. King (D), until December 20, 1852
 * Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D), from January 14, 1853

Arkansas

 * 2. William K. Sebastian (D)
 * 3. Solon Borland (D)

California

 * 1. John B. Weller (D), from January 30, 1852
 * 3. William M. Gwin (D)

Connecticut

 * 1. Isaac Toucey (D), from May 12, 1852
 * 3. Truman Smith (W)

Delaware

 * 1. James A. Bayard Jr. (D)
 * 2. Presley Spruance (W)

Florida

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

Georgia

 * 2. John Macpherson Berrien (W), until May 28, 1852
 * Robert M. Charlton (D), from May 31, 1852
 * 3. William C. Dawson (W)

Illinois

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

Indiana

 * 1. Jesse D. Bright (D)
 * 3. James Whitcomb (D), until October 4, 1852
 * Charles W. Cathcart (D), from December 6, 1852, until January 18, 1853
 * John Pettit (D), from January 18, 1853

Iowa

 * 2. George Wallace Jones (D)
 * 3. Augustus C. Dodge (D)

Kentucky

 * 2. Joseph R. Underwood (W)
 * 3. Henry Clay (W), until June 29, 1852
 * David Meriwether (D), from July 6, 1852, until August 31, 1852
 * Archibald Dixon (W), from September 1, 1852

Louisiana

 * 2. Solomon W. Downs (D)
 * 3. Pierre Soulé (D)

Maine

 * 1. Hannibal Hamlin (D)
 * 2. James W. Bradbury (D)

Maryland

 * 1. Thomas Pratt (W)
 * 3. James A. Pearce (W)

Massachusetts

 * 1. Charles Sumner (FS), from April 24, 1851
 * 2. John Davis (W)

Michigan

 * 1. Lewis Cass (D)
 * 2. Alpheus Felch (D)

Mississippi

 * 1. Jefferson Davis (D), until September 23, 1851
 * John J. McRae (D), from December 1, 1851, until March 17, 1852
 * Stephen Adams (D), from March 17, 1852
 * 2. Henry S. Foote (D), until January 8, 1852
 * Walker Brooke (W), from February 18, 1852

Missouri

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

New Hampshire

 * 2. John P. Hale (FS)
 * 3. Moses Norris Jr. (D)

New Jersey

 * 1. Robert F. Stockton (D), until January 1, 1853
 * 2. Jacob W. Miller (W)

New York

 * 1. Hamilton Fish (W), from March 19, 1851
 * 3. William H. Seward (W)

North Carolina

 * 2. Willie P. Mangum (W)
 * 3. George E. Badger (W)

Ohio

 * 1. Benjamin Wade (W), from March 15, 1851
 * 3. Salmon P. Chase (FS)

Pennsylvania

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

Rhode Island

 * 1. Charles T. James (D)
 * 2. John H. Clarke (W)

South Carolina

 * 2. Robert Rhett (D), until May 7, 1852
 * William F. De Saussure (D), from May 10, 1852
 * 3. Andrew Butler (D)

Tennessee

 * 1. James C. Jones (W)
 * 2. John Bell (W)

Texas

 * 1. Thomas J. Rusk (D)
 * 2. Samuel Houston (D)

Vermont

 * 1. Solomon Foot (W)
 * 3. William Upham (W), until January 14, 1853
 * Samuel S. Phelps (W), from January 17, 1853

Virginia

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

Wisconsin

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



House of Representatives


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

Alabama

 * Alabama's 1st congressional district. John Bragg (D)
 * Alabama's 2nd congressional district. James Abercrombie (W)
 * Alabama's 3rd congressional district. Sampson W. Harris (D)
 * Alabama's 4th congressional district. William R. Smith (U)
 * Alabama's 5th congressional district. George S. Houston (D)
 * Alabama's 6th congressional district. Williamson R. W. Cobb (D)
 * Alabama's 7th congressional district. Alexander White (W)

Arkansas

 * Arkansas's at-large congressional district. Robert W. Johnson (D)

California
Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
 * California's at-large congressional district. Edward C. Marshall (D)
 * California's at-large congressional district. Joseph W. McCorkle (D)

Connecticut

 * Connecticut's 1st congressional district. Charles Chapman (W)
 * Connecticut's 2nd congressional district. Colin M. Ingersoll (D)
 * Connecticut's 3rd congressional district. Chauncey F. Cleveland (D)
 * Connecticut's 4th congressional district. Origen S. Seymour (D)

Delaware

 * Delaware's at-large congressional district. George Read Riddle (D)

Florida

 * Florida's at-large congressional district. Edward C. Cabell (W)

Georgia

 * Georgia's 1st congressional district. Joseph W. Jackson (SR)
 * Georgia's 2nd congressional district. James Johnson (U)
 * Georgia's 3rd congressional district. David J. Bailey (SR)
 * Georgia's 4th congressional district. Charles Murphey (U)
 * Georgia's 5th congressional district. Elijah W. Chastain (U)
 * Georgia's 6th congressional district. Junius Hillyer (U)
 * Georgia's 7th congressional district. Alexander H. Stephens (U)
 * Georgia's 8th congressional district. Robert A. Toombs (U)

Illinois

 * Illinois's 1st congressional district. William H. Bissell (D)
 * Illinois's 2nd congressional district. Willis Allen (D)
 * Illinois's 3rd congressional district. Orlando B. Ficklin (D)
 * Illinois's 4th congressional district. Richard S. Molony (D)
 * Illinois's 5th congressional district. William A. Richardson (D)
 * Illinois's 6th congressional district. Thompson Campbell (D)
 * Illinois's 7th congressional district. Richard Yates (W)

Indiana

 * Indiana's 1st congressional district. James Lockhart (D)
 * Indiana's 2nd congressional district. Cyrus L. Dunham (D)
 * Indiana's 3rd congressional district. John L. Robinson (D)
 * Indiana's 4th congressional district. Samuel W. Parker (W)
 * Indiana's 5th congressional district. Thomas A. Hendricks (D)
 * Indiana's 6th congressional district. Willis A. Gorman (D)
 * Indiana's 7th congressional district. John G. Davis (D)
 * Indiana's 8th congressional district. Daniel Mace (D)
 * Indiana's 9th congressional district. Graham N. Fitch (D)
 * Indiana's 10th congressional district. Samuel Brenton (W)

Iowa

 * Iowa's 1st congressional district. Bernhart Henn (D)
 * Iowa's 2nd congressional district. Lincoln Clark (D)

Kentucky

 * Kentucky's 1st congressional district. Linn Boyd (D)
 * Kentucky's 2nd congressional district. Benjamin E. Grey (W)
 * Kentucky's 3rd congressional district. Presley Ewing (W)
 * Kentucky's 4th congressional district. William T. Ward (W)
 * Kentucky's 5th congressional district. James W. Stone (D)
 * Kentucky's 6th congressional district. Addison White (W)
 * Kentucky's 7th congressional district. Humphrey Marshall (W), until August 4, 1852
 * William Preston (W), from December 6, 1852
 * Kentucky's 8th congressional district. John C. Breckinridge (D)
 * Kentucky's 9th congressional district. John C. Mason (D)
 * Kentucky's 10th congressional district. Richard H. Stanton (D)

Louisiana

 * Louisiana's 1st congressional district. Louis St. Martin (D)
 * Louisiana's 2nd congressional district. J. Aristide Landry (W)
 * Louisiana's 3rd congressional district. Alexander G. Penn (D)
 * Louisiana's 4th congressional district. John Moore (W)

Maine

 * Maine's 1st congressional district. Moses MacDonald (D)
 * Maine's 2nd congressional district. John Appleton (D)
 * Maine's 3rd congressional district. Robert Goodenow (W)
 * Maine's 4th congressional district. Charles Andrews (D), until April 30, 1852
 * Isaac Reed (W), from June 25, 1852
 * Maine's 5th congressional district. Ephraim K. Smart (D)
 * Maine's 6th congressional district. Israel Washburn Jr. (W)
 * Maine's 7th congressional district. Thomas J. D. Fuller (D)

Maryland

 * Maryland's 1st congressional district. Richard Bowie (W)
 * Maryland's 2nd congressional district. William T. Hamilton (D)
 * Maryland's 3rd congressional district. Edward Hammond (D)
 * Maryland's 4th congressional district. Thomas Yates Walsh (W)
 * Maryland's 5th congressional district. Alexander Evans (W)
 * Maryland's 6th congressional district. Joseph S. Cottman (IW)

Massachusetts

 * Massachusetts's 1st congressional district. William Appleton (W)
 * Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district. Robert Rantoul Jr. (D), until August 7, 1852
 * Francis B. Fay (W), from December 13, 1852
 * Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district. James H. Duncan (W)
 * Massachusetts's 4th congressional district. Benjamin Thompson (W), until September 24, 1852
 * Lorenzo Sabine (W), from December 13, 1852
 * Massachusetts's 5th congressional district. Charles Allen (FS)
 * Massachusetts's 6th congressional district. George T. Davis (W)
 * Massachusetts's 7th congressional district. John Z. Goodrich (W)
 * Massachusetts's 8th congressional district. Horace Mann (FS)
 * Massachusetts's 9th congressional district. Orin Fowler (W), until September 3, 1852
 * Edward P. Little (D), from December 13, 1852
 * Massachusetts's 10th congressional district. Zeno Scudder (W)

Michigan

 * Michigan's 1st congressional district. Ebenezer J. Penniman (W)
 * Michigan's 2nd congressional district. Charles E. Stuart (D)
 * Michigan's 3rd congressional district. James L. Conger (W)

Mississippi

 * Mississippi's 1st congressional district. Benjamin D. Nabers (U)
 * Mississippi's 2nd congressional district. John A. Wilcox (U)
 * Mississippi's 3rd congressional district. John D. Freeman (U)
 * Mississippi's 4th congressional district. Albert G. Brown (SR)

Missouri

 * Missouri's 1st congressional district. John F. Darby (W)
 * Missouri's 2nd congressional district. Gilchrist Porter (W)
 * Missouri's 3rd congressional district. John G. Miller (W)
 * Missouri's 4th congressional district. Willard P. Hall (D)
 * Missouri's 5th congressional district. John S. Phelps (D)

New Hampshire

 * New Hampshire's 1st congressional district. Amos Tuck (W)
 * New Hampshire's 2nd congressional district. Charles H. Peaslee (D)
 * New Hampshire's 3rd congressional district. Jared Perkins (W)
 * New Hampshire's 4th congressional district. Harry Hibbard (D)

New Jersey

 * New Jersey's 1st congressional district. Nathan T. Stratton (D)
 * New Jersey's 2nd congressional district. Charles Skelton (D)
 * New Jersey's 3rd congressional district. Isaac Wildrick (D)
 * New Jersey's 4th congressional district. George H. Brown (W)
 * New Jersey's 5th congressional district. Rodman M. Price (D)

New York

 * New York's 1st congressional district. John G. Floyd (D)
 * New York's 2nd congressional district. Obadiah Bowne (W)
 * New York's 3rd congressional district. Emanuel B. Hart (D)
 * New York's 4th congressional district. John Haws (W)
 * New York's 5th congressional district. George Briggs (W)
 * New York's 6th congressional district. James Brooks (W)
 * New York's 7th congressional district. Abraham P. Stephens (D)
 * New York's 8th congressional district. Gilbert Dean (D)
 * New York's 9th congressional district. William Murray (D)
 * New York's 10th congressional district. Marius Schoonmaker (W)
 * New York's 11th congressional district. Josiah Sutherland (D)
 * New York's 12th congressional district. David L. Seymour (D)
 * New York's 13th congressional district. John L. Schoolcraft (W)
 * New York's 14th congressional district. John H. Boyd (W)
 * New York's 15th congressional district. Joseph Russell (D)
 * New York's 16th congressional district. John Wells (W)
 * New York's 17th congressional district. Alexander H. Buell (D), until January 29, 1853
 * New York's 18th congressional district. Preston King (D)
 * New York's 19th congressional district. Willard Ives (D)
 * New York's 20th congressional district. Timothy Jenkins (D)
 * New York's 21st congressional district. William W. Snow (D)
 * New York's 22nd congressional district. Henry Bennett (W)
 * New York's 23rd congressional district. Leander Babcock (D)
 * New York's 24th congressional district. Daniel T. Jones (D)
 * New York's 25th congressional district. Thomas Y. Howe Jr. (D)
 * New York's 26th congressional district. Henry S. Walbridge (W)
 * New York's 27th congressional district. William A. Sackett (W)
 * New York's 28th congressional district. Abraham M. Schermerhorn (W)
 * New York's 29th congressional district. Jerediah Horsford (W)
 * New York's 30th congressional district. Reuben Robie (D)
 * New York's 31st congressional district. Frederick S. Martin (W)
 * New York's 32nd congressional district. Solomon G. Haven (W)
 * New York's 33rd congressional district. Augustus P. Hascall (W)
 * New York's 34th congressional district. Lorenzo Burrows (W)

North Carolina

 * North Carolina's 1st congressional district. Thomas L. Clingman (W)
 * North Carolina's 2nd congressional district. Joseph P. Caldwell (W)
 * North Carolina's 3rd congressional district. Alfred Dockery (W)
 * North Carolina's 4th congressional district. James T. Morehead (W)
 * North Carolina's 5th congressional district. Abraham W. Venable (D)
 * North Carolina's 6th congressional district. John R. J. Daniel (D)
 * North Carolina's 7th congressional district. William S. Ashe (D)
 * North Carolina's 8th congressional district. Edward Stanly (W)
 * North Carolina's 9th congressional district. David Outlaw (W)

Ohio

 * Ohio's 1st congressional district. David T. Disney (D)
 * Ohio's 2nd congressional district. Lewis D. Campbell (W)
 * Ohio's 3rd congressional district. Hiram Bell (W)
 * Ohio's 4th congressional district. Benjamin Stanton (W)
 * Ohio's 5th congressional district. Alfred P. Edgerton (D)
 * Ohio's 6th congressional district. Frederick W. Green (D)
 * Ohio's 7th congressional district. Nelson Barrere (W)
 * Ohio's 8th congressional district. John L. Taylor (W)
 * Ohio's 9th congressional district. Edson B. Olds (D)
 * Ohio's 10th congressional district. Charles Sweetser (D)
 * Ohio's 11th congressional district. George H. Busby (D)
 * Ohio's 12th congressional district. John Welch (W)
 * Ohio's 13th congressional district. James M. Gaylord (D)
 * Ohio's 14th congressional district. Alexander Harper (W)
 * Ohio's 15th congressional district. William F. Hunter (W)
 * Ohio's 16th congressional district. John Johnson (ID)
 * Ohio's 17th congressional district. Joseph Cable (D)
 * Ohio's 18th congressional district. David K. Cartter (D)
 * Ohio's 19th congressional district. Eben Newton (W)
 * Ohio's 20th congressional district. Joshua R. Giddings (FS)
 * Ohio's 21st congressional district. Norton S. Townshend (D)

Pennsylvania

 * Pennsylvania's 1st congressional district. Thomas B. Florence (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district. Joseph R. Chandler (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district. Henry D. Moore (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 4th congressional district. John Robbins Jr. (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 5th congressional district. John McNair (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 6th congressional district. Thomas Ross (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 7th congressional district. John A. Morrison (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district. Thaddeus Stevens (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 9th congressional district. J. Glancey Jones (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 10th congressional district. Milo M. Dimmick (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 11th congressional district. Henry M. Fuller (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 12th congressional district. Galusha A. Grow (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 13th congressional district. James Gamble (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 14th congressional district. Thomas M. Bibighaus (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 15th congressional district. William H. Kurtz (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 16th congressional district. James X. McLanahan (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 17th congressional district. Andrew Parker (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 18th congressional district. John L. Dawson (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 19th congressional district. Joseph H. Kuhns (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 20th congressional district. John Allison (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 21st congressional district. Thomas M. Howe (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 22nd congressional district. John W. Howe (W)
 * Pennsylvania's 23rd congressional district. Carlton B. Curtis (D)
 * Pennsylvania's 24th congressional district. Alfred Gilmore (D)

Rhode Island

 * Rhode Island's 1st congressional district. George G. King (W)
 * Rhode Island's 2nd congressional district. Benjamin B. Thurston (D)

South Carolina

 * South Carolina's 1st congressional district. Daniel Wallace (D)
 * South Carolina's 2nd congressional district. James L. Orr (D)
 * South Carolina's 3rd congressional district. Joseph A. Woodward (D)
 * South Carolina's 4th congressional district. John McQueen (D)
 * South Carolina's 5th congressional district. Armistead Burt (D)
 * South Carolina's 6th congressional district. William Aiken Jr. (D)
 * South Carolina's 7th congressional district. William F. Colcock (D)

Tennessee

 * Tennessee's 1st congressional district. Andrew Johnson (D)
 * Tennessee's 2nd congressional district. Albert G. Watkins (W)
 * Tennessee's 3rd congressional district. William M. Churchwell (D)
 * Tennessee's 4th congressional district. John H. Savage (D)
 * Tennessee's 5th congressional district. George W.Jones (D)
 * Tennessee's 6th congressional district. William H. Polk (ID)
 * Tennessee's 7th congressional district. Meredith P. Gentry (W)
 * Tennessee's 8th congressional district. William Cullom (W)
 * Tennessee's 9th congressional district. Isham G. Harris (D)
 * Tennessee's 10th congressional district. Frederick P. Stanton (D)
 * Tennessee's 11th congressional district. Christopher H. Williams (W)

Texas

 * Texas's 1st congressional district. Richardson A. Scurry (D)
 * Texas's 2nd congressional district. Volney E. Howard (D)

Vermont

 * Vermont's 1st congressional district. Ahiman L. Miner (W)
 * Vermont's 2nd congressional district. William Hebard (W)
 * Vermont's 3rd congressional district. James Meacham (W)
 * Vermont's 4th congressional district. Thomas Bartlett Jr. (D)

Virginia

 * Virginia's 1st congressional district. John S. Millson (D)
 * Virginia's 2nd congressional district. Richard K. Meade (D)
 * Virginia's 3rd congressional district. Thomas H. Averett (D)
 * Virginia's 4th congressional district. Thomas S. Bocock (D)
 * Virginia's 5th congressional district. Paulus Powell (D)
 * Virginia's 6th congressional district. John Caskie (D)
 * Virginia's 7th congressional district. Thomas H. Bayly (D)
 * Virginia's 8th congressional district. Alexander Holladay (D)
 * Virginia's 9th congressional district. James F. Strother (W)
 * Virginia's 10th congressional district. Charles J. Faulkner Sr. (W)
 * Virginia's 11th congressional district. John Letcher (D)
 * Virginia's 12th congressional district. Henry A. Edmundson (D)
 * Virginia's 13th congressional district. LaFayette McMullen (D)
 * Virginia's 14th congressional district. James M. H. Beale (D)
 * Virginia's 15th congressional district. George W. Thompson (D), until July 30, 1852
 * Sherrard Clemens (D), from December 6, 1852

Wisconsin

 * Wisconsin's 1st congressional district. Charles Durkee (FS)
 * Wisconsin's 2nd congressional district. Ben C. Eastman (D)
 * Wisconsin's 3rd congressional district. James D. Doty (ID)

Non-voting members

 * Minnesota Territory's at-large congressional district. Henry H. Sibley
 * New Mexico Territory's at-large congressional district. Richard H. Weightman (D)
 * Oregon Territory's at-large congressional district. Joseph Lane (D)
 * Utah Territory's at-large congressional district. John M. Bernhisel

32 us house membership.png]]

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

Senate

 * Replacements: 8
 * Democrats (D): 1 seat net gain
 * Whigs (W): 1 seat net loss
 * Deaths: 3
 * Resignations: 6
 * Interim appointments: 3
 * Total seats with changes: 13


 * Ohio (1)
 * Vacant
 * Failure to elect. The winner was elected late on March 15, 1851, on the 37th ballot over the incumbent appointee. Successor was elected March 15, 1851.
 * | Benjamin Wade (W)
 * Elected March 15, 1851
 * Elected March 15, 1851


 * New York (1)
 * Vacant
 * Failure to elect. Successor was elected March 19, 1851.
 * | Hamilton Fish (W)
 * Elected March 19, 1851
 * Elected March 19, 1851


 * Massachusetts (1)
 * Vacant
 * Failure to elect. Successor was elected April 24, 1851.
 * | Charles Sumner (FS)
 * Elected April 24, 1851
 * Elected April 24, 1851


 * California (1)
 * Vacant
 * Failure to elect. Successor was elected January 30, 1852.
 * | John B. Weller (D)
 * Elected January 30, 1852
 * Elected January 30, 1852


 * Connecticut (1)
 * Vacant
 * Failure to elect. Successor was elected May 12, 1852.
 * | Isaac Toucey (D)
 * Seated May 12, 1852
 * Seated May 12, 1852


 * Mississippi (1)
 * | Jefferson Davis (D)
 * Resigned September 23, 1851, to run for Governor of Mississippi. Successor appointed December 1, 1851.
 * | John J. McRae (D)
 * Appointed December 1, 1851
 * Appointed December 1, 1851


 * Mississippi (2)
 * | Henry S. Foote (D)
 * Resigned January 8, 1852, to become Governor of Mississippi. Successor elected February 18, 1852.
 * | Walker Brooke (W)
 * Elected February 18, 1852
 * Elected February 18, 1852


 * Mississippi (1)
 * | John J. McRae (D)
 * Appointee was replaced by an elected successor. Successor elected March 17, 1852.
 * | Stephen Adams (D)
 * Elected March 17, 1852
 * Elected March 17, 1852


 * South Carolina (2)
 * | Robert Rhett (D)
 * Resigned May 7, 1852. Successor appointed May 10, 1852, and elected sometime thereafter to finish the term.
 * | William F. De Saussure (D)
 * Appointed May 10, 1852
 * Appointed May 10, 1852


 * Georgia (2)
 * | John M. Berrien (W)
 * Resigned May 28, 1852. Successor appointed May 31, 1852, to finish the term.
 * | Robert M. Charlton (D)
 * Appointed May 31, 1852
 * Appointed May 31, 1852


 * Kentucky (3)
 * | Henry Clay (W)
 * Died June 29, 1852. Successor appointed July 6, 1852.
 * | David Meriwether (D)
 * Appointed July 6, 1852
 * Appointed July 6, 1852


 * Indiana (3)
 * | James Whitcomb (D)
 * Died October 4, 1852. Successor appointed December 6, 1852.
 * | Charles W. Cathcart (D)
 * Appointed December 6, 1852
 * Appointed December 6, 1852


 * Kentucky (3)
 * | David Meriwether (D)
 * Appointee was replaced by an elected successor. Successor elected September 1, 1852.
 * | Archibald Dixon (W)
 * Elected September 1, 1852
 * Elected September 1, 1852


 * Alabama (3)
 * | William R. King (D)
 * Resigned December 20, 1852, due to ill health, having recently being elected Vice President of the United States Successor appointed January 14, 1853, and elected December 12, 1853 thereafter to finish the term.
 * | Benjamin Fitzpatrick (D)
 * Appointed January 14, 1853
 * Appointed January 14, 1853


 * New Jersey (1)
 * | Robert F. Stockton (D)
 * Resigned January 1, 1853, to become president of the Delaware and Raritan Canal Company. Successor was not elected until the next Congress.
 * Vacant
 * Not filled this term
 * Not filled this term


 * Vermont (3)
 * | William Upham (W)
 * Died January 14, 1853. Successor appointed January 17, 1853, to continue the term.
 * | Samuel S. Phelps (W)
 * Appointed January 17, 1853
 * Appointed January 17, 1853


 * Indiana (3)
 * | Charles W. Cathcart (D)
 * Appointee was replaced by an elected successor. Successor elected January 18, 1853.
 * | John Pettit (D)
 * Elected January 18, 1853
 * }
 * }

House of Representatives

 * Replacements: 6
 * Democrats (D): 1 seat net loss
 * Whigs (W): 1 seat net gain
 * Deaths: 2
 * Resignations: 5
 * Total seats with changes: 7


 * Maine's 4th congressional district
 * | Charles Andrews (D)
 * Died April 30, 1852
 * | Isaac Reed (W)
 * Seated June 25, 1852
 * Virginia's 15th congressional district
 * | George W. Thompson (D)
 * Resigned July 30, 1852, after being appointed judge of the Circuit Court of Virginia
 * | Sherrard Clemens (D)
 * Seated December 6, 1852
 * Kentucky's 7th congressional district
 * | Humphrey Marshall (W)
 * Resigned August 4, 1852, after being appointed Minister to China
 * | William Preston (W)
 * Seated December 6, 1852
 * Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district
 * | Robert Rantoul Jr. (D)
 * Died August 7, 1852
 * | Francis B. Fay (W)
 * Seated December 13, 1852
 * Massachusetts's 9th congressional district
 * | Orin Fowler (W)
 * Died September 3, 1852
 * | Edward P. Little (D)
 * Seated December 13, 1852
 * Massachusetts's 4th congressional district
 * | Benjamin Thompson (W)
 * Died September 24, 1852
 * | Lorenzo Sabine (W)
 * Seated December 13, 1852
 * New York's 17th congressional district
 * | Alexander H. Buell (D)
 * Died January 29, 1853
 * Vacant
 * Not filled this term
 * }
 * New York's 17th congressional district
 * | Alexander H. Buell (D)
 * Died January 29, 1853
 * Vacant
 * Not filled this term
 * }
 * }

Committees
Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

 * Agriculture (Chairman: Pierre Soule)
 * Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Augustus Dodge)
 * Claims (Chairman: Richard Brodhead)
 * Commerce (Chairman: Hannibal Hamlin)
 * Contested Election of 1850 (Chairman: N/A)
 * Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
 * District of Columbia (Chairman: James Shields)
 * Emigrant Route and Telegraphic Line to California (Select)
 * Ether Discovery (Select)
 * Finance (Chairman: Robert M.T. Hunter)
 * Foreign Relations (Chairman: James M. Mason)
 * French Spoilations (Select)
 * Indian Affairs (Chairman: David R. Atchison)
 * Judiciary (Chairman: Andrew P. Butler)
 * Manufactures (Chairman: William K. Sebastian)
 * Library (Chairman: James A. Pearce)
 * Mexican Boundary (Select)
 * Mexican Boundary Commission (Select)
 * Mexican Claims Commission (Select)
 * Military Affairs (Chairman: James Shields)
 * Militia (Chairman: Sam Houston)
 * Naval Affairs (Chairman: William M. Gwin)
 * Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
 * Patents and the Patent Office (Chairman: Moses Norris Jr. and Charles T. James)
 * Pensions (Chairman: George Wallace Jones)
 * Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Thomas J. Rusk)
 * Printing (Chairman: Hannibal Hamlin)
 * Private Land Claims (Chairman: Solomon W. Downs)
 * Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: James Whitcomb)
 * Public Lands (Chairman: Alpheus Felch)
 * Purchase of Catlin's Collection of Indian Scenes (Select)
 * Retrenchment (Chairman: James W. Bradbury)
 * Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Issac P. Walker)
 * Roads and Canals (Chairman: Jesse D. Bright)
 * Tariff Regulation (Select)
 * Territories (Chairman: Stephen A. Douglas)
 * Seventh Census (Select)
 * Whole

House of Representatives

 * Accounts (Chairman: John C. Mason)
 * Agriculture (Chairman: John G. Floyd)
 * Bounty Land Act of 1850 (Select)
 * Bounty Land Bill (Chairman: Cyrus L. Dunham)
 * Claims (Chairman: John Reeves Jones Daniel)
 * Commerce (Chairman: David L. Seymour)
 * District of Columbia (Chairman: Orlando B. Ficklin)
 * Elections (Chairman: William S. Ashe)
 * Engraving (Chairman: Edward Hammond)
 * Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: Fayette McMullen)
 * Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Alexander G. Penn)
 * Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Charles E. Stuart)
 * Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: Benjamin B. Thurston)
 * Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Milo M. Dimmick)
 * Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Thomas Bartlett Jr.)
 * Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Thomas H. Bayly)
 * Indian Affairs (Chairman: Robert W. Johnson)
 * Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Isham G. Harris)
 * Judiciary (Chairman: James X. McLanahan)
 * Manufactures (Chairman: James M.H. Beale)
 * Mileage (Chairman: Thomas A. Hendricks)
 * Military Affairs (Chairman: William H. Bissell)
 * Militia (Chairman: Charles H. Peaslee)
 * Naval Affairs (Chairman: Frederick P. Stanton)
 * Patents (Chairman: David K. Cartter)
 * Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: Edson B. Olds)
 * Private Land Claims (Chairman: Timothy Jenkins)
 * Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Richard H. Stanton)
 * Public Expenditures (Chairman: Charles Sweetser)
 * Public Lands (Chairman: Willard P. Hall)
 * Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: Williamson R. W. Cobb)
 * Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Moses Macdonald)
 * Revolutionary Pensions (Chairman: John S. Millson)
 * Roads and Canals (Chairman: John L. Robinson)
 * Rules (Chairman: Willard P. Hall)
 * Standards of Official Conduct
 * Territories (Chairman: William A. Richardson)
 * Ways and Means (Chairman: George S. Houston)
 * Whole

Joint committees

 * Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Rep. Isaac Wildrick)
 * The Library (Chairman: Joseph R. Chandler)
 * Printing (Chairman: Willis A. Gorman)

Caucuses

 * Senate Democratic Caucus
 * House Democratic Caucus

Legislative branch agency directors

 * Architect of the Capitol: Thomas U. Walter, appointed June 11, 1851
 * Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

Senate

 * Chaplain: Clement M. Butler (Episcopalian)
 * Secretary: Asbury Dickins
 * Sergeant at Arms: Robert Beale

House of Representatives

 * Chaplain: Ralph Randolph Gurley (Presbyterian), until December 1, 1851
 * Lyttleton Morgan (Methodist''), elected December 1, 1851
 * James Gallagher (Presbyterian), elected December 6, 1852
 * Clerk: Richard M. Young, until December 1, 1851
 * John W. Forney, from December 1, 1851
 * Doorkeeper: Zadock W. McKnew
 * Reading Clerks:
 * Sergeant at Arms: Adam J. Glossbrenner
 * Postmaster: John M. Johnson