20th United States Congress

The Twentieth 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, 1827, to March 4, 1829, during the third and fourth years of John Quincy Adams's presidency. The apportionment of seats in the House of Representatives was based on the Fourth Census of the United States in 1820. Both chambers had a Jacksonian majority.

20th United States Congress
19th 
 21st
March 4, 1827 – March 4, 1829
Senate PresidentJohn C. Calhoun (J)
Senate President pro temSamuel Smith (J)
House SpeakerAndrew Stevenson (J)
Members48 senators
213 members of the House
3 non-voting delegates
Senate MajorityJacksonian
House MajorityJacksonian
Sessions
1st: December 3, 1827 – May 26, 1828
2nd: December 1, 1828 – March 3, 1829

Major events

Major legislation

Party summary

The count below identifies party affiliations at the beginning of the first session of this congress. Changes resulting from subsequent replacements are shown below in the "Changes in membership" section.

Senate

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Anti-
Jacksonian
(A)
Jacksonian
(J)
End of previous congress 23 25 48 0
Begin 20 27 47 1
End 21 26
Final voting share 44.7% 55.3%
Beginning of next congress 22 26 48 0

House of Representatives

Party
(shading shows control)
Total Vacant
Anti-
Jacksonian
(A)
Jacksonian
(J)
Other
End of previous congress 111 102 0 213 0
Begin 99 113 0 212 1
End
Final voting share 46.7% 53.3% 0.0%
Beginning of next congress 71 136 4[lower-alpha 1] 211 2

Leadership

President of the Senate
John C. Calhoun

Senate

Senate President pro tempore
Samuel Smith

House of Representatives

Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class and members of the House are listed by district.

Skip to House of Representatives, below

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 1832; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, facing re-election in 1828; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, facing re-election in 1830.

House of Representatives

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

Changes in membership

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

Senate

  • replacements: 6
  • deaths: 0
  • resignations: 7
  • interim appointments: 0
  • Total seats with changes: 8
State
(class)
Vacator Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[lower-alpha 2]
Massachusetts
(1)
Vacant Seat remained vacant because legislature had failed to elect.
Winner was elected June 8, 1827.
Daniel Webster (A) Installed December 17, 1827
Ohio
(3)
William Henry Harrison (A) Resigned May 20, 1828, to become U.S. Minister Plenipotentiary to Gran Columbia.
A special election was held December 10, 1828.
Jacob Burnet (A) Installed December 10, 1828
Maine
(1)
Albion K. Parris (J) Resigned August 26, 1828, after being appointed to the Maine Supreme Judicial Court.
A special election was held January 15, 1829.
John Holmes (A) Installed January 15, 1829
Georgia
(2)
Thomas W. Cobb (J) Resigned before November 7, 1828.
A special election was held November 7, 1828.
Oliver H. Prince (J) Installed November 7, 1828
North Carolina
(3)
Nathaniel Macon (J) Resigned November 14, 1828.
A special election was held December 15, 1828.
James Iredell Jr. (J) Installed December 15, 1828
New York
(1)
Martin Van Buren (J) Resigned December 20, 1828, to become Governor of New York.
A special election was held January 15, 1829.
Charles E. Dudley (J) Installed January 15, 1829
New Jersey
(1)
Ephraim Bateman (A) Resigned January 12, 1829, due to failing health.
A special election was held January 30, 1829.
Mahlon Dickerson (J) Installed January 30, 1829
New Jersey
(2)
Mahlon Dickerson (J) Resigned January 30, 1829, after being elected to New Jersey's Class 1 U.S. Senate seat. Vacant Not filled in this Congress

House of Representatives

  • replacements: 9
  • deaths: 5
  • resignations: 9
  • contested election: 1
  • Total seats with changes: 15
District Vacator Reason for change Successor Date of successor's
formal installation[lower-alpha 2]
Georgia
1st
Edward F. Tattnall (J) Resigned some time in 1827 before the assembling of Congress George R. Gilmer (J) Seated October 1, 1827
Delaware
At-large
Vacant Louis McLane (J) resigned despite winning reelection in 1826 after being elected to the US Senate. Kensey Johns Jr. (A) Seated October 2, 1827
New York
29th
David E. Evans (J) Resigned May 2, 1827 Phineas L. Tracy (A) Seated November 5, 1827
Massachusetts
1st
Daniel Webster (A) Resigned May 30, 1827, to run for the US Senate Benjamin Gorham (A) Seated July 23, 1827
Ohio
8th
William Wilson (A) Died June 6, 1827 William Stanbery (J) Seated October 9, 1827
Maine
1st
William Burleigh (A) Died July 2, 1827 Rufus McIntire (J) Seated September 10, 1827
Kentucky
11th
William S. Young (A) Died September 20, 1827 John Calhoon (A) Seated November 5, 1827
Kentucky
11th
John Calhoon (A) Resigned November 7, 1827, to avoid an election dispute Thomas Chilton (J) Seated December 22, 1827
Georgia
2nd
John Forsyth (J) Resigned November 7, 1827, after being elected Governor of Georgia Richard H. Wilde (J) Seated November 17, 1827
Arkansas Territory
At-large
Henry W. Conway Died November 9, 1827 Ambrose H. Sevier Seated February 13, 1828
New Jersey
At-large
George Holcombe (J) Died January 14, 1828 James F. Randolph (A) Seated December 1, 1828
New York
5th
Thomas J. Oakley (J) Resigned May 9, 1828, after being appointed judge of the Superior Court of New York City Thomas Taber II (J) Seated November 5, 1828
Kentucky
2nd
Thomas Metcalfe (A) Resigned June 1, 1828, after being elected Governor of Kentucky John Chambers (A) Seated December 1, 1828
New Jersey
At-large
Hedge Thompson (A) Died July 23, 1828 Thomas Sinnickson (A) Seated December 1, 1828
Mississippi
At-large
William Haile (J) Resigned September 12, 1828 Thomas Hinds (J) Seated October 21, 1828
Ohio
6th
William Creighton Jr. (A) Resigned before December 19, 1828, after being nominated as a judge to district court Francis S. Muhlenberg (A) Seated December 19, 1828
New York
20th
Silas Wright (J) Resigned February 16, 1829 Vacant Not filled this Congress

Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

Senate

House of Representatives

Joint committees

Employees

Legislative branch agency directors

Senate

House of Representatives

See also

Notes

  1. Anti-Masonic
  2. This is the date the member was seated or an oath administered, not necessarily the same date her/his service began.

References

    • Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
    • Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
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