# 35th United States Congress

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
* August 21, 1858: First of the Lincoln-Douglas debates was held
* March 3, 1859: Financial appropriations for the improvement and construction of lighthouses.

## 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

During this congress, two Senate seats were added for each of the new states of Minnesota and Oregon.
| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Know Nothing (A) | Democratic (D) | Republican (R) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 2 | 40 | 20 | 62 | 0 |
| Begin | 4 | 37 | 20 | 61 | 1 |
| End | 4 | 42 | 20 | 66 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 6.1% | 63.6% | 30.3% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 2 | 38 | 26 | 66 | 0 |

### 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.
| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Know Nothing (A) | Democratic (D) | Independent Democratic (ID) | Republican (R) | Other | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 52 | 81 | 0 | 97 | 0 | 230 | 4 |
| Begin | 14 | 127 | 0 | 92 | 0 | 233 | 1 |
| End | 14 | 130 | 1 | 92 | 0 | 237 | 0 |
| Final voting share | 5.9% | 54.9% | 0.4% | 38.8% | 0.0% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 6 | 84 | 7 | 113 | 25 | 235 | 2 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* 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.

### 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: 5
** Democrats (D): no net change
** Whigs (W): no net change
** Republicans (R): no net change
** Americans (A): no net change
* Deaths: 4
* Resignations: 1
* Interim appointments: 2
* Seats of newly admitted states: 4
* Total seats with changes: 9

### House of Representatives

* Replacements: 10
** Democrats (D): 3 seat net loss
** Whigs (W): 3 seat net gain
** Republicans (R): 1 seat net gain
** Independent Democrats (ID): 1 seat net gain
* Deaths: 5
* Resignations: 6
* Contested election:1
* Seats of newly admitted states: 3
* Total seats with changes: 14

## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

### Senate

* Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate (Chairman: Josiah J. Evans then William Wright)
* Banks of the District of Columbia (Select)
* Claims (Chairman: Alfred Iverson Sr.)
* Commerce (Chairman: Clement Claiborne Clay)
* Distributing Public Revenue Among the States (Select)
* District of Columbia (Chairman: Albert G. Brown)
* Engrossed Bills (Chairman: William Wright)
* Finance (Chairman: Robert M.T. Hunter)
* Foreign Relations (Chairman: James M. Mason)
* French Spoilations (Select)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: William K. Sebastian)
* Judiciary (Chairman: James A. Bayard Jr.)
* Military Affairs (Chairman: Jefferson Davis)
* Military Asylum near Washington, D.C. (Select)
* Militia (Chairman: N/A)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: Stephen Mallory)
* Ordnance and War Ships (Select)
* Pacific Railroad (Select)
* Patents and the Patent Office (Chairman: David S. Reid)
* Pensions (Chairman: George Wallace Jones)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: David Levy Yulee)
* Printing (Chairman: Robert W. Johnson)
* Private Land Claims (Chairman: Judah P. Benjamin)
* Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Jesse D. Bright)
* Public Lands (Chairman: Charles E. Stuart)
* Retrenchment (Chairman: Stephen A. Douglas)
* Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Josiah J. Evans)
* Tariff Regulation (Select)
* Territories (Chairman: N/A)
* Whole

### House of Representatives

* Accounts (Chairman: John C. Mason)
* Agriculture (Chairman: William G. Whiteley)
* Claims (Chairman: Samuel S. Marshall)
* Commerce (Chairman: John Cochrane)
* District of Columbia (Chairman: William O. Goode)
* Elections (Chairman: Thomas L. Harris)
* Engraving (Chairman: Garnett B. Adrain)
* Expenditures in the Navy Department (Chairman: John B. Haskin)
* Expenditures in the Post Office Department (Chairman: Albert G. Talbott)
* Expenditures in the State Department (Chairman: Owen Jones)
* Expenditures in the Treasury Department (Chairman: William Lawrence)
* Expenditures in the War Department (Chairman: Wilson Reilly)
* Expenditures on Public Buildings (Chairman: Allison White)
* Foreign Affairs (Chairman: Thomas L. Clingman)
* Indian Affairs (Chairman: Alfred B. Greenwood)
* Invalid Pensions (Chairman: Joshua H. Jewett)
* Judiciary (Chairman: George S. Houston)
* Manufactures (Chairman: William D. Bishop)
* Mileage (Chairman: Robert Smith)
* Military Affairs (Chairman: John A. Quitman)
* Militia (Chairman: Israel T. Hatch)
* Naval Affairs (Chairman: Thomas S. Bocock)
* Patents (Chairman: James A. Stewart)
* Post Office and Post Roads (Chairman: William H. English)
* Private Land Claims (Chairman: John M. Sandidge)
* Public Buildings and Grounds (Chairman: Lawrence M. Keitt)
* Public Expenditures (Chairman: John M. Elliott)
* Public Lands (Chairman: Williamson R. W. Cobb)
* Revisal and Unfinished Business (Chairman: William L. Dewart)
* Revolutionary Claims (Chairman: Samuel S. Cox)
* Revolutionary Pensions (Chairman: John Hickman)
* Roads and Canals (Chairman: George W. Jones)
* Rules (Select)
* Standards of Official Conduct
* Territories (Chairman: Alexander H. Stephens)
* Ways and Means (Chairman: J. Glancy Jones then John S. Phelps)
* Whole

### Joint committees

* Enrolled Bills (Chairman: Rep. Thomas G. Davidson)
* The Library (Chairman: Rep. William H. Dimmick)
* Printing (Chairman: Rep. Samuel A. Smith)

## Caucuses

* Democratic (House)
* Democratic (Senate)

## Employees
### Legislative branch agency directors

* Architect of the Capitol. Thomas U. Walter
* Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

### Senate

* Chaplain. Stephen P. Hill (Baptist)
* Secretary. Asbury Dickins
* Sergeant at Arms. Dunning R. McNair

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: None
* Clerk: James C. Allen
* Doorkeeper: Robert B. Hackney, until May 17, 1858
** Joseph L. Wright, elected May 18, 1858
* Messenger: Thaddeus Morrice
* Sergeant at Arms: Adam J. Glossbrenner
* Postmaster: Michael W. Cluskey
* Reading Clerks: [data missing]