# 28th United States Congress

The 28th 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, 1843, to March 4, 1845, during the third and fourth years of John Tyler's presidency. The apportionment of seats in this House of Representatives was based on the 1840 United States census. The Senate had a Whig majority, and the House had a Democratic majority.

## Major events

* May 24, 1844: The first electrical telegram was sent by Samuel F. B. Morse from the U.S. Capitol to the B&O Railroad "outer depot" in Baltimore, Maryland, saying "What hath God wrought".
* December 4, 1844: U.S. presidential election, 1844: James K. Polk defeated Henry Clay

## Major legislation

* January 23, 1845: Presidential Election Day Act, ch. 1, 5 Stat. 721
* March 3, 1845: For the first time, Congress overrode a Presidential veto. An act relating to revenue cutters and steamers was thereby enacted as the last Act of the 28th Congress: session II, ch. 78, 5 Stat. 795.

## Treaties

* July 3, 1844: Treaty of Wanghia which was signed with the Qing Empire. The treaty established five U.S. treaty ports in China with extraterritoriality and was the first unequal treaty that the country imposed on the dynasty.

## States admitted

* March 1, 1845: Resolution for the Annexation of Texas, 5 Stat. 797 (Admitted in the next Congress, December 29, 1845.)
* March 3, 1845: Florida admitted, 5 Stat. 742. The statute also allowed for the provisional admission of Iowa, pending a referendum in that state. (Admitted in the next Congress, December 28, 1846.)

## Party summary
### Senate

During this congress, two Senate seats were added for the new state of Florida.
| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Law and Order (LO) | Whig (W) | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 20 | 0 | 29 | 49 | 3 |
| Begin | 22 | 0 | 27 | 49 | 3 |
| End | 23 | 1 | 27 | 51 | 3 |
| Final voting share | 45.1% | 2.0% | 52.9% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 26 | 0 | 24 | 50 | 4 |

### House of Representatives

Following the 1840 United States census, Congress reapportioned the House to include 223 seats. During this congress, one House seat was added for the new state of Florida.
| | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Party (shading shows control) | Total | Vacant |
| | Democratic (D) | Independent Democratic (ID) | Law and Order (LO) | Whig (W) | Independent Whig (IW) | Other | Total | Vacant |
| End of previous congress | 100 | 1 | 0 | 139 | 0 | 0 | 240 | 1 |
| Begin | 147 | 1 | 2 | 72 | 1 | 0 | 223 | 0 |
| End | 141 | 1 | 2 | 78 | 1 | 0 | 223 | 1 |
| Final voting share | 63.2% | 0.4% | 0.9% | 35.0% | 0.4% | 0.0% | | |
| Beginning of next congress | 138 | 0 | 0 | 78 | 0 | 6 | 222 | 2 |

## Leadership
### Senate

* President: Vacant
* President pro tempore: Willie P. Mangum (W)

### House of Representatives

* Speaker: John W. Jones (D)

## Members

This list is arranged by chamber, then by state. Senators are listed by class, 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 ended with this Congress, requiring reelection in 1844; Class 2 meant their term began in the last Congress, requiring reelection in 1846; and Class 3 meant their term began in this Congress, requiring reelection in 1848.
    Skip to House of Representatives, below

### House of Representatives

Representatives are listed by their district numbers.

## Changes in membership

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

### Senate

* Replacements: 7
** Democrats (D): no net change
** Whigs (W): 1 seat net loss
** Law and Order (LO): 1 seat net gain
* Deaths: 3
* Resignations: 5
* Interim appointments: 1
* Total seats with changes: 10

### House of Representatives

* Replacements: 14
** Democrats (D): 6 seat net loss
** Whigs (W): 6 seat net gain
* Deaths: 7
* Resignations: 7
* Contested election: 0
* Total seats with changes: 16

## Committees

Lists of committees and their party leaders.

### Senate

| Committee | Chairman |
| Foreign Relations | William S. Archer (W-VA) |
| Finance | George Evans (W-ME) |
| Commerce | Jabez W. Huntington (W-CT) |
| Manufactures | James F. Simmons (W-RI) |
| Agriculture | William Upham (W-VT) |
| Military Affairs | John J. Crittenden (W-KY) |
| Militia | Alexander Barrow (W-LA) |
| Naval Affairs | Richard H. Bayard (W-DE) |
| Public Lands | William Woodbridge (W-MI) |
| Private Land Claims | John Henderson (W-MS) |
| Indian Affairs | Albert S. White (W-IN) |
| Claims | Ephraim H. Foster (W-TN) |
| Revolutionary Claims | Spencer Jarnagin (W-TN) |
| Judiciary | John M. Berrien (W-GA) |
| Post Office and Post Roads | William D. Merrick (W-MD) |
| Roads and Canals | Augustus S. Porter (W-MI) |
| Pensions | Isaac C. Bates (W-MA) |
| District of Columbia | Jacob W. Miller (W-NJ) |
| Patents and the Patent Office | Samuel S. Phelps (W-VT) |
| Retrenchment | James T. Morehead (W-KY) |
| Public Buildings | William L. Dayton (W-NJ) |
| Audit and Control the Contingent Expenses of the Senate | Benjamin Tappan (W-OH) |
| Printing | James F. Simmons (W-RI) |
| Engrossed Bills | Benjamin Tappan (W-OH) |

### House of Representatives

| Committee | Chairman |
| Elections | Lucius Elmer (D-NJ) |
| Ways and Means | James I. McKay (D-NC) |
| Claims | Joseph Vance (W-OH) |
| Commerce | Isaac E. Holmes (D-SC) |
| Public Lands | John W. Davis (D-IN) |
| Post Office and Post Roads | George W. Hopkins (D-VA) |
| District of Columbia | John Campbell (D-SC) |
| Judiciary | William Wilkins (D-PA), until February 14, 1844 Romulus M. Saunders (D-NC), from February 14, 1844 |
| Revolutionary Claims | Richard D. Davis (D-NY) |
| Public Expenditures | James G. Clinton (D-NY) |
| Private Land Claims | Edward Cross (D-AR) |
| Manufacturers | Jacob Collamer (W-VT) |
| Agriculture | Edmund Deberry (D-NC) |
| Indian Affairs | Cave Johnson (D-TN) |
| Military Affairs | Hugh A. Haralson (D-GA) |
| Militia | Ezra Dean (D-OH) |
| Naval Affairs | Henry A. Wise (D-VA), until February 12, 1844 William Parmenter (D-MA), from February 12, 1844 |
| Foreign Affairs | Charles J. Ingersoll (D-PA) |
| Territories | Aaron V. Brown (D-TN) |
| Revolutionary Pensions | George O. Rathbun (D-NY), until 1844 David L. Seymour (D-NY), from 1844 |
| Invalid Pensions | Jacob Brinkerhoff (D-OH) |
| Roads and Canals | Robert D. Owen (D-IN) |
| Patents | Alexander Harper (D-OH) |
| Public Buildings and Grounds | Zadock Pratt (D-NY) |
| Revisals and Unfinished Business | Elisha R. Potter (LO-RI) |
| Expenditures in the Navy Department | Amasa Dana (D-NY) |
| Expenditures in the Post Office Department | Alexander Harper (W-OH) |
| Expenditures on the Public Buildings | Daniel P. King (W-MA) |
| Rules (select) | Henry A. Wise (D-VA) until February 12, 1844 John Quincy Adams (W-MA) from February 12, 1844 |

### Joint committees

* Enrolled Bills
* The Library
* Smithsonian Bequest

## Employees

* Librarian of Congress: John Silva Meehan

### Senate

* Chaplain: Septimus Tustin (Presbyterian)
* Secretary: Asbury Dickins
* Sergeant at Arms: Edward Dyer

### House of Representatives

* Chaplain: Isaac S. Tinsley (Baptist), elected December 16, 1843
** William M. Daily (Methodist), from December 4, 1844
* Clerk: Matthew St. Clair Clarke, until December 7, 1843
** Caleb J. McNulty, elected December 7, 1843
** Benjamin B. French, elected January 18, 1845
* Doorkeeper: Jesse E. Dow, elected December 7, 1843
* Postmaster: William J. McCormick, until January 4, 1844
** John M. Johnson, from January 4, 1844
* Reading Clerks: [data missing]
* Sergeant at Arms: Eleazor M. Townsend, until December 8, 1843
** Newton Lane, from December 8, 1843