26th United States Congress

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United States Capitol

The Twenty-sixth United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, consisting of the United States Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. It met in Washington, D.C. from March 4, 1839 to March 3, 1841, during the last two years of the administration of U.S. President Martin Van Buren.

The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the Fifth Census of the United States in 1830. Both chambers had a Democratic majority.

Dates of sessions

March 4, 1839 - March 3, 1841

  • First session: December 2, 1839 - July 21, 1840.
  • Second session: December 7, 1840 - March 3, 1841.
  • Previous congress: 25th Congress
  • Next congress: 27th Congress

Party summary

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.

Senate

TOTAL members: 52

House of Representatives

TOTAL members: 242

Leadership

House of Representatives

Major events

Events of 1839, 1840 & 1841

Major legislation

List of United States federal legislation in the 26th Congress

Membership highlights by chamber

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, requiring reelection in 1844; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1840; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1842.

Alabama
Arkansas
Connecticut
Delaware
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia

House of Representatives

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

Alabama
Arkansas
Connecticut [1]
Delaware
Georgia [2]
Illinois
Indiana
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland [3]
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi [4]
Missouri [5]
New Hampshire [6]
New Jersey [7]
New York [8]
North Carolina
Ohio
Pennsylvania [9]
Rhode Island [10]
South Carolina
Tennessee
Vermont
Virginia

Delegates

Florida Territory
Iowa Territory
Wisconsin Territory

Membership detail by state

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, requiring reelection in 1844; Class 2 meant their term ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1840; and Class 3 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1842.

The names of members of the House of Representatives elected statewide on the general ticket or otherwise at-large, are preceded by an "A/L," and the names of those elected from districts, whether plural or single member, are preceded by their district numbers.

Many of the congressional district numbers are linked to articles describing the district itself. Since the boundaries of the districts have changed often and substantially, the linked article may only describe the district as it exists today, and not as it was at the time of this Congress.

The list below is arranged by state, then by chamber. Senators are shown in order of seniority, House members in district order.

Alabama

Senate
House of Representatives (5 seats)

Arkansas

Senate
House of Representatives (1 seat)

Connecticut

Senate
House of Representatives (6 seats) [11]

Delaware

Senate
House of Representatives (1 seat)

Georgia

Senate
House of Representatives (9 seats) [12]

Illinois

Senate
House of Representatives (3 seats)

Indiana

Senate
House of Representatives (7 seats)

Kentucky

Senate
House of Representatives (13 seats)

Louisiana

Senate
House of Representatives (3 seats)

Maine

Senate
House of Representatives (8 seats)

Maryland

Senate
House of Representatives (8 seats) [13]

Massachusetts

Senate
House of Representatives (12 seats)

Michigan

Senate
House of Representatives (1 seat)

Mississippi

Senate
House of Representatives (2 seats) [14]

Missouri

Senate
House of Representatives (2 seats) [15]

New Hampshire

Senate
House of Representatives (5 seats) [16]

New Jersey

Senate
House of Representatives (6 seats) [17]

New York

Senate
House of Representatives (40 seats) [18]

North Carolina

Senate
House of Representatives (13 seats)

Ohio

Senate
House of Representatives (19 seats)

Pennsylvania

Senate
House of Representatives (28 seats) [19]

Rhode Island

Senate
House of Representatives (2 seats) [20]

South Carolina

Senate
House of Representatives (9 seats)

Tennessee

Senate
House of Representatives (13 seats)

Vermont

Senate
House of Representatives (5 seats)

Virginia

Senate
House of Representatives (21 seats)

Delegates

Florida Territory
Iowa Territory
Wisconsin Territory

Membership detail by Chamber/Party

The list below is arranged by chamber, then by political party. Members are shown in alphabetical order.

Senate

Senators were elected by the state legislatures every two years, with one-third beginning new six year terms with each Congress.

Democratic
A-F
G-R
S-Z
Whig
A-F
G-R
S-Z

House of Representatives

Members of the House of Representatives were elected by popular vote, variously to single member districts or at-large.

Democratic
A-B-C
D-E-F
G-H-I
J-K-L
M-N-O
P-Q-R
S-T-U-V
W-X-Y-Z
Whig
A-B-C
D-E-F
G-H-I
J-K-L
M-N-O
P-Q-R
S-T-U-V
W-X-Y-Z
Anti-Masonic
A-F
G-Z
Virginia Conservative

Membership Changes

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

Senate
  • replacements: 8
  • deaths: 3
  • resignations: 6
  • interim appointments: 0
  • Total seats with changes: 12
House of Representatives

Officers

Senate
House of Representatives

Notes

  1. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  2. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  3. The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.
  4. Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  5. Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  6. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  7. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  8. There were four plural districts, the 8th, 17th, 22nd & 23rd had two representatives each, the 3rd had four representatives.
  9. There were two plural districts, the 2nd had two representatives, the 4th had three representatives.
  10. Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  11. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  12. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  13. The 4th district was a plural district with two representatives.
  14. Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  15. Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  16. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  17. All representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.
  18. There were four plural districts, the 8th, 17th, 22nd & 23rd had two representatives each, the 3rd had four representatives.
  19. There were two plural districts, the 2nd had two representatives, the 4th had three representatives.
  20. Both representatives were elected statewide on a general ticket.